Hot Air Ballooning & Weather
Why Weather Determines Whether We Fly
Hot air ballooning is a 100% weather-dependent activity. Unlike many other forms of aviation, balloons have no steering wheel, no brakes and no way to simply overpower unfavorable conditions. We travel with the wind, which means the weather determines not only if we can fly, but also where we can fly and where we can safely land.
That’s why a beautiful-looking day doesn’t always mean it’s a good day for ballooning.
Our pilots evaluate several different weather factors before every flight, including surface winds, winds aloft, wind direction, gusts, visibility, precipitation, thunderstorms and changing weather patterns throughout the surrounding area.
And the weather you feel while standing on the ground is only one small piece of that puzzle.
Wind Is the #1 Factor
More hot air balloon flights are canceled because of wind than for any other weather condition.
Balloons fly best in light, stable winds, generally under 7–10 mph. But the actual decision involves much more than simply looking at the wind speed at the launch site.
Wind affects every phase of a balloon flight.
Inflation
Before a balloon can take flight, more than 200 feet of balloon fabric must first be inflated while lying on the ground.
During inflation, that enormous balloon acts much like a giant sail. Strong or gusty winds can push against the envelope, cause it to cave in or whip around, and place tremendous loads on the balloon, basket and equipment.
It can also create an unsafe environment for the passengers and crew working around the balloon.
During the Flight
Before a balloon can takeHot air balloons travel with the wind.
There is no steering wheel that allows a pilot to simply turn left or right. Pilots can change altitude to search for winds traveling in slightly different directions, but ultimately our flight path is determined by Mother Nature. Stronger winds can carry a balloon farther and faster than anticipated, potentially taking it toward areas where suitable landing sites become limited.
Those areas may include towns, heavily wooded terrain, restricted airspace, bodies of water or other locations where landing a large balloon would be difficult or unsafe.
Landing
Here’s something many first-time passengers don’t realize: Hot air balloons don’t have brakes.
A balloon’s speed across the ground is essentially the speed of the wind carrying it. If the balloon is traveling 15 mph, we’re also approaching the ground at roughly 15 mph. The basket relies on friction with the ground to bring the balloon to a stop. In stronger winds, a landing can involve the basket skipping, bouncing or dragging before eventually tipping onto its side. While that might look impressive from a distance, it isn’t the experience we want for our passengers.
Rain & Thunderstorms
Obviously, we aren't going to intentionally fly a hot air balloon through a thunderstorm. What can be harder to understand is why we may cancel a flight when it never actually rains at the launch site.
Thunderstorms can affect ballooning conditions from many miles away. Storms produce outflow winds and sudden changes in wind speed and direction that can travel far beyond the rain you see on radar. A storm does not have to be directly over our launch area to create conditions that are unsafe for balloon operations. That means our pilots aren't simply looking up at the sky. We are monitoring radar, forecasts, nearby storm development, wind direction and what those storms could do during the time we would be in the air.
Sometimes we may cancel a flight and the weather at the launch site ultimately turns out beautiful. That does not mean the decision to cancel was wrong. It means we made the safest decision possible using the information available at the time the decision had to be made.
Visibility
Hot air balloons operate under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), which means certain visibility requirements must be met for us to legally and safely fly.
Fog, haze, mist and low clouds can reduce visibility enough to prevent a flight even when the winds themselves are acceptable.
If we don't have the visibility required for safe flight, we don't fly.
Why Don't You Decide the Day Before?
Because weather changes. And sometimes it changes very quickly.
A forecast 24 hours before your flight can look completely different from the forecast the next morning or afternoon.
That's why we generally don't make final weather decisions the day before a scheduled flight. Instead, our pilots continue monitoring conditions and typically make the decision a couple of hours before flight time, when we have much more current and accurate information.
Even then, conditions can change. A decision to proceed with a flight does not guarantee that the balloon will launch. We continue monitoring the weather while passengers are checking in, while we're preparing equipment and right up until the balloon leaves the ground.
If conditions change between our initial decision and launch time, our decision changes with them.
Yes, that occasionally means passengers may arrive at the launch site only to have the flight canceled.
We know that's disappointing. But we'd much rather disappoint you on the ground than discover after takeoff that conditions have become unsafe.
“But My Weather App Says…”
Weather apps are great for deciding whether you should plan a picnic or pack an umbrella.
Balloon pilots need considerably more information. The forecast displayed on your phone is only one source of information. Our pilots evaluate multiple aviation weather resources, forecasts, radar information, surface observations and winds at different altitudes before making a flight decision.
And ultimately, the pilot in command makes the final decision based on the conditions affecting that particular flight.
WE WANT TO FLY TOO!!
We understand how disappointing a weather cancellation can be. You've made plans. You may have traveled to Galena specifically for your balloon ride. You've been looking forward to it, and we're disappointed when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, too. Flying balloons is what we do for a living. When we don't fly, we don't make money. So believe us when we say: we WANT to fly.
But after more than 25 years of flying passengers, one thing will never change: Safety Comes First. Every Flight. Every Time.
We will never gamble with the safety of our passengers, pilots, crew or equipment simply to get a flight in.
If conditions aren't right, we reschedule and wait for a better day.
Because when Mother Nature says no, we listen.
Blue skies are great.
Safe skies are better.