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Hot-air ballooning is an extremely enjoyable activity that anyone can do. Setting up a ride is very easy and less expensive than the average person may think. Open up the yellow pages in your area and look under ballooning, hot-air balloon rides, or look for companies on the web like PuffinAir or AirLimited. The average cost of a ride is only $100.to $200 per person.
Most rides go up for a good amount of time. Many rides can be between 45 minutes and an hour and a half. Outside of the flying time, watching the setup of the balloon and the breakdown of the equipment after the ride is also exciting.
Blowing up the balloon is an exciting experience: watching the air from fans slowly fill the huge area in the balloon. The moment when the balloon moves from lying on the ground to an upright position is very breathtaking to watch as well.
Taking off in a hot-air balloon is a smooth, quick process and passes so quickly that you hardly realize how high you get so quickly. Floating in the balloon is very peaceful and quiet. The smoothness of the ride is quite unbelievable. Being able to see across the horizon is quite enjoyable on clear days. The distance that you can see is farther than you might think.
Finding a good ballooning company is key to having a nice experience. Having them take care of all the details, giving off an air of knowing what they are doing and putting the passengers at ease is very important. Questions to ask to find out the qualifications of the company include licenses, number of hours flying, years of experience etc.
Good companies to fly you are important when you consider the height involved and the possibility of problems. Check out the equipment before you go into the air and then you will feel more comfortable. Asking any questions of the crew or pilot should be done while on the ground.
A couple interesting points are that people on the ground can actually hear you when you shout to them or you can hear them as they all pull off the road in their cars to look up at you. Make sure to wave. Passing over any bodies of water, ponds or lakes can be fun as well because if you point your camera over the side of the balloon downwards you can catch the reflection of the balloon in the water below. Makes for great pictures.
The landings in balloons can be very interesting in that some barely get bumped when touching down and others can tip the basket on its side if they have to come down fast in between power lines or at a small landing site. Landings that have to be made quickly require a few things from the passengers. Keeping your hands and all body parts inside the basket is the most important thing to remember. Holding on to those around you and the upright supports is important as well. Even touchy landings come out all right if everyone takes the proper precautions and thinks ahead about what to do before it happens.
The best part about ballooning is the feeling of weightlessness and smooth gliding through the air. As you sail silently through the air and look towards the ground it is amazing how quickly you pass over buildings, trees, and other things below you. Moving over an area that you are familiar with is exciting as you get to see a bird's eye view of the streets and buildings that you know in your head from driving through the town's streets.
Pictures can be dramatic and exciting when done in the correct angles and heights. Black and white photos are especially interesting from the balloon. Catching the reflection of the balloon on the trees below is also a neat way to show your activity from a different standpoint. Getting tips from your pilot is a good idea as they have probably taken more than one group of photography students up in the air.
Watching the flame blow up into the balloon is quite exciting as well, pointing your camera upwards makes for an exciting picture. A suggestion would be to wear a hat though as the heat from the flame is extremely hot.
A couple suggestions for outings would be exits from wedding receptions, Father's day presents, or just a fun outing.
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