Unfortunately, rescheduling some passenger flights will always be a reality of Ohio ballooning.
Although temperatures are finally rising, blue skies and warmer temps don’t necessarily equate to good balloon flying weather. Interestingly, blue skies are one of the least considerations when deciding a hot air balloon flight go or no go decision.
As mentioned in our website, hot air balloon passenger flights are only scheduled in the mornings near sunrise or late in the day near sunset. The reason- safety. Typically, sunrise and sunset are the times when daily wind speeds are the lowest. Mid-day flights are avoided by hot air balloon pilots because of presence of strong wind gusts, rapidly changing wind directions, and thermal activity which leads to loss of vertical control of the balloon.
So, we look for the forecasted winds to be less than 9 mph during the launch and landing times of your flight. For inflation, winds great er than 9 mph can make a 70 foot balloon very difficult to handle, to say the least! And when it comes to your landing, we want to be shielded from the wind to provide a soft, comfortable landing.
Besides favorable winds, we also want to ensure that all precipitation remains greater than 75 miles away throughout your flight.
Wet ground can also cause a flight to be rescheduled. If we’ve received accumulating rain for several days, ground conditions may not be dry enough for layout, inflation, landing, and pack-up.
Rest assured that the staff at Bella Balloons LOVES to fly, but safety is never compromised. Many factors are thoroughly considered prior to each and every hot air balloon flight.
So, if your flight is rescheduled, just relax, and we will get your reservation right back on the flight calendar. We’re committed to provide you the quality experience you expect and deserve.