Each day you will fly in one of magnificent balloons either in the morning or late afternoon. The rest of the day, you take in the awesome sites of the region and enjoy exquisite dining in the finest restaurants. You will be chauffeured by your own private guides.
No. The balloons are used solely for magnificent low level sightseeing, offering views that are truly out of this world.
Typically, we are in the air for approximately an hour and a half. Our balloon flights in Switzerland in Winter can be a bit longer due to the suitable flying conditions. You will be transferred to the balloon site and picked up upon landing by our expert chase team and we celebrate each landing with a champagne toast. All in all, each flight will take about 3 hours.
Age is no barrier to enjoying our tours. Our youngest guest was 6 years old and our most mature was over 80 (she wouldn't give us the exact age!).
No. We fly in calm conditions so there is nothing that makes the basket sway. Plus, you are always moving with the wind so the basket is motionless as it hangs in the air. It is as if you were standing still on the ground.
Our tours are conducted in areas chosen for the moderate weather and gentle wind patterns necessary for successful balloon flights. Over the past 25 years, we have been successful in launching approximately 85 percent of our scheduled balloon flights. If a flight is postponed due to weather, your hosts and drivers will be ready to whisk you off to another enjoyable grand adventure.
Since this is our unique form of sightseeing, we like to make sure you get a full view and appreciation of the area, so the height is which we fly varies. Sometimes we fly as low as the treetops or lower to get a glimpse of something wonderful on the ground. And, other times we go eye to eye with the mountain tops.
The balloon flies with the wind, so we choose a familiar take-off site upwind of a castle, a vineyard or an area we would like you to see. Then we drift downwind for a really good look.
You don't exactly steer a balloon like you do a car or an airplane. However, our highly skilled pilots are able to adjust the balloon's direction of drift by climbing or descending, to take advantage of layers of air moving in different directions.
We plan to fly at least once each day, except for our arrival and departure days.
There is no bad photographic shot taken from a balloon. With the magnificent colors of the balloon, the scenery all around, and the excitement in the faces of the passengers, your photographs will be wonderful reminders of your ballooning experience. Plan on taking at least twice, or maybe even three times, the number of photographs you would normally take. You won't be able to stop!
We pride ourselves on an outstanding safety record during 25 years of operation. Our highly skilled pilots have far exceeded the FAA requirement of 35 hours for a commercial balloon pilot's license. Our balloons are FAA safety inspected annually and must also pass our own regular maintenance and safety inspections.
The winter winds in the Alps are the most gentle of the entire year. Cool winter air lying in the valleys is very stable in comparison to the warm air of summer, and remains relatively calm for long periods of time. Soft breezes of less than 10 mph, the maximum wind in which we will launch our balloons, are the norm.
|
