For many years, the greatest challenge for balloon pioneers was to cross the Atlantic.  After this was achieved, the challenge became greater.  Balloon enthusiasts asked “Would it be possible to fly around the world? “. 

In 1999, the first recorded balloon flight around the world was achieved by Betrand Piccard of Switzerland and the British Brian Jones.  They launched their balloon on the 1st March from Chateau d’Oex in the Swiss Alps and after 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes, successfully landed over Mauritania in North Africa.  They became the first balloonists to circumnavigate the world without stopping to re-fuel and travelled an amazing 42,810 kilometres!

This inspiring feat was to reoccur only once more by solo flier, Steve Fossett.  Steve had already had several failed attempts trying to fly around the world, then finally, the flight in his balloon “The Spirit of Freedom” saw him take the record for the first soloist to fly around the world.  He launched from Northam, Western Australia on the 19th June 2002 and completed his flight in an amazing 14 days 19 hours and 50 minutes. 

Since Betrand Piccard and Brian Jones’ flight and Steve Fossett’s solo flight, no one has managed to repeat their success.  Surely it can only be a matter of time before another balloon pilot accomplishes the most difficult challenge of flying a hot air balloon around the world?  Make sure you watch this space…

A Hot Air Balloon was the first form of flight that enabled man to reach for the sky. Many agree that a Hot Air Balloon is an awesome sight as they drift over the land silently, high above the land hanging in the air like nothing on earth. You will see Hot Air Balloons in many shapes and sizes. You could even see Darth Vader belonging to a Belgian Hot Air Balloon Enthusiast.

Ballooning is the oldest of mans aviation adventures which relies upon the balloon drifting with gentle winds.  A Hot Air Balloon will usually fly at heights varying from 500 to 3000 feet, using the simple principle of hot air rising through cold air. You can join the enthusiasts and enjoy a Hot Air balloon flight with the help of Balloons over Britain. Contact them online for details of their voucher scheme which allows you to fly with an operator local to you at a time that is suitable to you. Drift with the wind, enjoy your flight and have glass of champagne on landing.

Along with many other events it is a tradition in ballooning that after the flight the passengers and crew have a reception and enjoy some Champagne, but when did this tradition first come into being. It is thought that this dates back to around the 1780s when Hot Air Ballooning was first being staged.

Along with many other types of success after an event participants drank champagne, in the case of hot air ballooning it was offered to the farmer or landowner on whose land they ended up. The tradition of celebrating after landing the hot air balloon stands to this day, where the crew and passengers will toast champagne after the flight is over. Taking a flight with Balloon over Britain, you will not just enjoy the champagne after the flight, but will enjoy the experience of a lifetime, one we are sure you will repeat, flying from a launch site close to you, many times over.

Crossing the Atlantic ocean in an aeroplane was considered to be quite an achievement once, but to do it in a hot air balloon can be described as a remarkable feat, especially when this took place as long ago as the 1950’s. Many people dreamed of trying the feat including a gentleman called Thaddeus Lowe before the American Civil War!

However a group of British balloonists, Colin Mudie, his wife Rosemary, Bushy Eiloart and his son Tim, planned to take on the Atlantic crossing, all were experienced sailors which would be put to good use.  Launching from Tenerife flying from east to west they took off on December 12, 1958 and travelled a mighty 1200 nautical miles, breaking all existing balloon duration records. A ferocious storm brought the attempt to a close although, because the basket was in fact a special reinforced polystyrene gondola, they were able to sail this to their destination Barbados.

When you book your hot air balloon ride with an operator close to you, there will be no such worries, just a magic experience which you will want to repeat time and again.

Man has always been fascinated by flight from the first time that early man tied feathers to his arms and jumped from a high point, needless to say without success! The first real success in flight came in 1783 when a gentleman called Pilatre De Rozier launched the first hot air balloon called ‘Aerostat Reveillon’. The passengers for this balloon trip were a sheep, a duck and a rooster and the balloon stayed aloft for around 15 minutes before coming to ground.

Manned hot air ballooning came later in the same year when the Montgolfier brothers launched a hot air balloon from the centre of Paris and kept it aloft for 20 minutes. The era of hot air ballooning had begun. Nowadays the modern hot air balloon is a far cry from these early ones and hundreds of people enjoy hot air balloon rides UK wide through the network of local operators within the compass of Balloons over Britain. To join them on a hot air balloon ride contact them and they will put you in touch with an operator launching from a site near you.