Booking a flight in a hot air balloon with Balloons over Britain is easy though the website and anything you need to know is clearly detailed. You can choose from a local operator close to you and it is simple to arrange the day and time you want to fly.

Even if you are a frequent aircraft flyer, you will be amazed what you can see from a hot air balloon, and you will find that all our members have really friendly crew that is helpful in every respect. The pilot of your hot air balloon is fully qualified and he will certainly put to rest any qualms or fears that you may be experiencing pre launch. Remember that if the weather is unsuitable on the day, you can arrange another day and after your experience, we guarantee that you will certainly want to ride in a hot air balloon again.

At Balloons over Britain we are working closely with our local operators on some exciting programmes for the coming year. There will be balloon festivals which our operators will be attending, many of these will be at agricultural shows which means that is fun for all the family.

Often your local hot air balloon operator will be involved in balloon competitions test the pilot’s ability to manoeuvre their hot air balloon to a predetermined spot to drop a marker at a target. This is fun and although paying passengers are not included it can be fun to see the hot air balloon being launched and you can take part in a chase to where the pilot has to drop the marker.

Of course we are working on corporate ballooning events and we hope to have an exciting range of new packages in place for the year 2009. Follow events on our web pages and you can take advantages of current offers.

With Christmas soon to be upon us our thoughts will turn to the coming year and it is now an ideal time to consider taking a Hot Air Balloon ride with one of the many Balloons over Britain local operators taking their passengers on flights from launch sites throughout the United Kingdom.

Looking through the web pages at the Balloons over Britain web site you will see some exciting offers and gift vouchers are still available as a different Christmas gift which remember, can be used any time in the coming year. Alternatively you could consider an e-voucher allowing you to contribute to a hot air balloon flight; these are popularly used as incentive gifts to employees for their efforts over the past year. Balloons over Britain are a national organisation operating from launch sites which are local to you.

Like many lucky people you have been bought a Hot Air Balloon Voucher from Balloons over Britain for use through one of their many hot air balloon operators who fly from locations throughout the UK. You may be wondering what is in store for you and like the thousands that have flown with us, they will can tell you that a once in a lifetime treat is in store for you.

It’s hard to describe the feeling of flying in the balloon, it’s almost like a feeling of weightlessness, as if you are drifting along, floating on air. We hope that your flight will take place on a nice sunny day, but it will not detract too much if it is not. Your hot air balloon ride will take about an hour from take off and after your fully qualified pilot has found a safe place to land, you will experience a safe but bumpy landing. Following the dismantling and stowing of the balloon, you will be taken back to the launch site and you can then tell your friends all about your wonderful experience.

The basket of a hot air balloon is one of the most important parts of a balloon it carries the pilot and the passengers after all. This basket also houses the important propane gas cylinders which are required to heat the air in the balloon envelope, without which it would not fly.

Traditionally the hot air balloon basket has been made of wicker the material that was used for a variety of purposes in the nineteenth century when balloons first started to fly. Modern baskets are made from cane which is extremely strong sturdy, lightweight and durable. The basket needs to be extremely strong as it is constantly on the move, and when landing it needs to be able to take up some of the shock, cane baskets are ideal for this and they are extremely hard wearing.

When checking out the Balloons over Britain website you will find that it is easy to navigate and you will find that the links do not send you somewhere you do not want to go! Just like our hot air balloon rides throughout the UK. We are committed to clear and honest pricing, we will not tempt you will a “loss leader” which actually goes nowhere!

Naturally safety is our number one priority; our pilots are fully qualified and certified by the CAA. Hot Air Ballooning is weather dependant and we will not attempt to fly if the conditions are unsuitable. If the weather is uncooperative, we will re-schedule this for a time and date suitable to you.

Our hot air balloon operators are all local to you, or from near to where you prefer to fly and the Hot Air Balloons are the best in the business. Contact us and we will talk you through the packages that we can offer for that thrill of a lifetime.

Balloons over Britain is proud of the fact that it is UK’s largest and longest established balloon flight operators, first established in 1991, with an umbrella of local operators who fly Hot Air Balloons from locations in Scotland, England, and Wales. We operate through a fleet of over 40 hot air balloons and we have scheduled flights operating dawn to dusk seven days a week. Balloons over Britain have the distinction of flying over a third of all the Hot Air Balloon rides in the UK.

With hot air ballooning being weather dependant no guarantee can be given that your hot air balloon flight will take place on the day scheduled. We will only operate when it is safe to do so and there would not be much fun for you and the other passengers being whisked along in a high wind, which is not what it is about. Visit our site and you can book direct with the operator closest to you, or if you wish, you can take advantage of the flexibility of Balloons over Britain nationwide voucher.

You may have given or received a gift voucher from Balloons over Britain, for a Hot Air Balloon ride with one of the local operators flying from a site near you. Balloons over Britain operators are regarded as probably the best in the world and operate under the Air Operators Certificate.

Our operators are members of the British Association of Balloon Operators and this umbrella organisation ensures that its members have to provide service and care and operate under a national terms, conditions and guidelines. In addition, the members will also be registered with The Office of Fair Trading making your Hot Air Balloon flight, or one that has been bought for someone as a gift, easy and safe in every respect. Naturally all the pilots of our hot air balloons are fully qualified and hold licence issued through the Civil Aviation Authority, ensuring a pleasant and safe flight.