If you have been fortunate to take a Hot Air Balloon ride in the UK over the past few days, you will have achieved near perfect weather for this experience of a lifetime. With warm sunshine, accompanied by cooling and gentle breezes, wafting you slowly over the patchwork quilt of this wonderful countryside of ours, what could be better? By doing it again and few would disagree with that statement.

When you buy a voucher through Balloons over Britain to take your Hot Air Balloon ride through one the many operators UK wide, encompassed within the organisation, we cannot, of course, guarantee that you will have a bright sunny day. But what we can assure you is that you will be safely transported from launch site to champagne landing only in weather that is suitable for flying.  Visibility will be good and the wind will be gentle, your qualified pilot friendly and happy to explain the technicalities of his part of the flight and the crew equally willing for you to assist with the inflation and recovery operations, it is just waiting for you.

If you were one of the many millions of people who have been following the BBC1, Sir Alan Sugar Apprentice series, you could not help but notice that the winning team, in a recent showing, as their prize for winning the task took a Hot Air Balloon Ride, which was launched from Leeds Castle in Kent.

You don’t have to put yourself through the rigours of one of Sir Alan’s tasks, or suffer the interrogation of the “boardroom” to enjoy this thrill of a lifetime, illustrated by the successful “alpha” quintet in the basket as seen during the programme. By contacting Balloons over Britain, you can also enjoy this once in a lifetime experience through one of our 70 local operators, from a site near you.

It is a natural assumption that if you want to become involved with Hot Air Ballooning UK wide you have to have a lot of spare income as this involves great expenditure. Well here at Balloons over Britain we can assure you that this is not the case, far from it. The simplest and very inexpensive way of getting involved is to crew for a pilot as the pilot cannot rig the balloon without at least three or more crew.

There are few requirements to becoming a member of a Hot Air Balloon crew, fit enough to be able to carry some heavy items, maybe across a field for example, not to the level of a trained athlete. Getting up early in the morning is another, in order to get to the launch site for Sunrise Balloon Flights Having a driving licence and possibly your own car could be useful, although not essential and being a committed team member is vital. Contact us at Balloons over Britain; perhaps take a ride first at a local operator near you.

Forget about going to the airport three hours before take off, queuing to check in, maybe losing your bag, there is a far more romantic way to fly in the air with your loved one. Buying a gift voucher from Balloons over Britain is your first step and then following on from that, at a time of your choosing, you will go to the local area launch site near you.

Hot air ballooning is one of the most romantic ways to fly, no sensation of movement, no sensation of rising, rather one of the ground falling away from you, this is an experience you will remember for years to come. The peace and tranquility, no wind you are being majestically carried along with it until such time as your qualified pilot gently descends to earth and then you enjoy your glass of champagne with the person you love. What could be nicer?

Have you taken a flight in a Hot Air Balloon with one of the seventy local operators that come under the umbrella of Balloons over Britain, if so we would love to hear from you? The aim of Balloons over Britain UK operators is to offer a helpful, flexible and friendly service, naturally the main aim is to give you pleasure and enjoyment in what is regarded as one of the ten things most people want to do.

Passenger safety is the prime requirement in any aerial operation involving the general public and this is one of the cornerstones on which we, and the local operators throughout Britain, have built our operation. During your flight, if as we recommend, you took your camera, let us see your pictures so that your enjoyment can be shared with others. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments. We’d love to hear from you.

The best way for you to become involved with Hot Air Ballooning is to go along to a meet or festival and to see for yourself just how much fun these events are, and why so many people enjoy taking part in preparing the Hot Air Balloon, or as being part of the “Chase Crew” to help after landing.

For some family days out meetings are being held during May at the following venues. Great Missenden 3rd - 5th May, Kirby Lonsdale Rugby Club 24th - 26th May, Bowood House Calne 24th – 26th May, and in June at Middlesbrough Balloon Festival, Stewarts Park 27th -30th June, and the Burnley Balloon Meet at Townsley Park on the 25th – 27th June.  Join the Balloons over Britain friends and operators at these meetings, remember to take a camera, talk to the pilots and just have a good time. Contact Balloons over Britain and then you could be taking part too.

Choosing a Hot Air Balloon Flight from the comprehensive list of operators that we are associated with in our Balloon Flights UK register will enable you to not only choose from where you want to fly, but when you want to take your Hot Air Balloon Ride.

We are proud to work in partnership, since 1991 in fact, with selected partners operating from launch sites throughout the whole of the UK. There are many options and vouchers from which you can choose, covering both dawn and dusk Hot Air Ballooning experiences, both during the week and at weekends also. Naturally the experience starts with you being greeted on arrival followed by the inflation of the balloons. This is the start of the adventure and fun to see, passengers and spectators more than willing to help and hold the balloon steady as it is filled with air.

Your flight will last approximately one hour, however, you should allow three to four hours for the whole experience with your return to the launch site and reliving with your friends the wonderful experience of Hot Air Ballooning.

An ideal all year round gift has to be a gift certificate for a flight in a Hot Air Balloon which is something that is a popular year round choice, is easy to give, very unique and allows the recipient of the Gift Certificate the choice to fit the flight into their schedule. You will find that Gift Certificates are usually transferable, so if it is found that the recipient cannot use this, it can be passed on, or maybe used by the donor.

It is important to ensure that the operator is genuine and is able to show that they have been associated with the flying of passengers in Hot Air Balloons for a reasonable time and are certified so to do. By using Balloons over Britain, you can be assured on all counts as they have been associated with ballooning since 1991. It is the largest and longest established of balloon flight operators that have provided a nationwide ballooning network in the country. Balloons over Britain offers you a Gift Certificate for use with an operator local to you, or have the flexibility of a Balloons over Britain nationwide certificate.

One of the first balloon festivals takes place in the Yorkshire area shortly, the “Brass Monkey Event” which is organised by the Pennine Region Association at Harrogate. This event is an annual gathering and is one that is one that looked forward to by enthusiasts from all over Britain, coming at a time when there has been little activity in the Hot Air Ballooning world. The meet is to be held over the weekend of the 2^nd and 3^rd of February 2008 at the Kimberley Hotel, with the launch of the balloons to take place at Rudding Park.

This is a fantastic opportunity at the start of the year to enjoy a couple of days out and is an event for all the family. Take a camera, buy a programme and do some balloon spotting, check the launch times as these could be early, and watch the weather report, remember that if it is very windy or foggy, do something else, if not just enjoy the first of a number of family events.

A large part of the fun of your flight is the pre-flight setting up of the balloon, although nothing can beat the wonderful sensation of the actual flight itself, setting up is a spectacular show for the passengers, witnessing the impressive sight of the envelope being fully inflated.

Watch as the envelope is laid out flat and fan is placed in the neck of the envelope to fill this with air until this is about half full, which happens more quickly than you might imagine. With the basket secured firmly to the floor, and the burner secured in place, which is then ignited, the envelope soon fills. Once the envelope is full you and your fellow passengers take their place in the basket and your adventure is underway.