If you’ve been considering taking the leap and booking in your first hot air balloon experience, you might be wondering what to expect. From thinking about how they work, to how high they go and how they even land, we have put together a handy hot air balloon guide. Here you will find the answer to all those questions in the back of your mind and what to expect on your big adventure.
How do hot air balloons work
By heating the air inside the balloon, it becomes warmer than the cool dawn air on the outside. This allows the balloon to slowly and gently lift off and float upwards. To keep the balloon rising the pilot ignites the burner to keep the air warm.
How high do hot air balloons go?
A hot air balloon can go as high as 900 metres. Although, there are many factors that may slightly change the elevation levels on the day. If you’re worried about floating upwards indefinitely, fear not! There is actually a limit to how high hot air balloons can travel. Since the air gets thinner the higher you go, the buoyant force becomes equal to the weight of air displaced by the balloon.
How do hot air balloons land?
As you pilot stops igniting the burner and the air in the balloon slowly cools, the hot air balloon will gently float towards the ground. As the balloon is descending, the pilot can adjust the descent rate by either letting out air or operating the burner to heat the air and slow the descent. As the basket touches down, it may jolt once or twice, before settling in for landing. Then the ground crew will come and assist everyone out, before the balloon is let down ready to be folded and stored.
Where to go hot air ballooning in Australia?
Now that you’re across all the details all that's left to do is fly! From soaring above the Barossa Valley to the Gold Coast Hinterlands, there are so many incredible places to hot air balloon. Check out our top 15 locations for hot air ballooning here for the best hot air balloon spots across Australia for more ideas.
Adrenaline
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