Hotair Balloon Team
Ballooning and Amateur Radio Club of Ireland
Please note the below information is for illustrative purposes only. BalloonTeam.net flies in a non commercial capacity and as such all flights are private.
Launching
Everyone meets at a predetermined spot, usually half an hour before daybreak for a morning flight or in the late afternoon for an evening flight.
After a cup of coffee and a short flight briefing, the adventure begins.
At this time, the wind direction is determined and a launch site is chosen.
Launch sites are dotted around the north east, so that no matter where the wind is coming from, we are guaranteed a lovely flight.
The actual launch of the hot air balloon usually takes no more than half an hour after arrival at the launch site.
The balloon and basket are carried in a custom built trailer.
The basket is laid on its side and the gaily coloured fabric is pulled out of its bag.
Flying wires from the "envelope" are attached, and the whole system is given a "walk around" inspection by the pilot.
Initially, a large fan is used to direct cold air into the envelope - later the burner is fired, thus heating the air already in the balloon.
As the warm air expands, the envelope rises into position above the basket, ready for flight ... a sleeping beauty... Puffin is brought to life.
Landing
As Puffin can only move in the direction the wind is blowing and cannot return to the launch site, it is necessary for the ground crew to follow in a retrieve vehicle.
Communication between the pilot and ground is maintained via two-way radio link on the aviation frequency of 122.475 Mhz (a.m).
Flights are usually 45 minutes to 1 hour in duration.
At the final landing point, the retrieve crew assist in packing up Puffin, and then everyone joins in for the traditional beer... 'a Puffin pint' at the nearest hostilary.
From start to finish the balloon adventure takes about 3 hours,
yet the experience leaves warm memories which will last a lifetime and then, come a nice stable day, we do it all over again!
