Two centuries old, and still at the mercy of the wind

On 21 November 1783 Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes lifted off from Paris in a Montgolfier balloon, the first people to fly free of a tether. The principle has not changed since. A propane burner heats the air inside the envelope, the hot air is lighter than the cooler air around it, and the balloon floats. Modern nylon envelopes are generally kept below about 120 degrees Celsius, because hotter air weakens the fabric.

A balloon cannot be steered sideways. It drifts with the wind, and the pilot controls only altitude. Because the wind direction changes with height, the pilot can go up or down to find a layer of air that carries the balloon somewhere useful.

A balloon is made ready on an open field before the flight

Why you fly at sunrise or just before sunset

According to the Dutch weather institute KNMI, ballooning only works when the atmosphere is calm. Wind can distort the envelope, tilt it or stop the burner from heating the air properly, and it should not blow harder than about force 3. Rain is a problem as well: it cools the air inside the balloon. That is why balloons are mostly seen early in the morning and about two hours before sunset, when the air is calmest.

Heat works against a balloon too. On a hot day it needs more fuel and can carry fewer passengers, which is one reason pilots prefer the cooler ends of the day.

A private morning, built around the balloon

In our programme the flight is private and starts from a farm location with a large terrace, a drinks bar and on-site catering, so the morning can begin with coffee and end with a glass of champagne. Each balloon takes 8 to 12 guests, and several balloons can fly side by side when the group is larger. The launch area lies near Tilburg or Utrecht.

The morning meet-up is around 07:00. An evening flight starts around 18:00, and both times can shift with the weather. When the group lands, the flight can end with live music or a story, a quiet closing moment after the view from above.

Guests in the basket above open farmland

A balloon flight works best as the calm point in a programme full of movement. After a sports day or a fast city game it gives a group time to look at the landscape instead of at the clock.

A quiet moment high above the landscape

Practical

• Group size: 8 to 12 guests per balloon, and several balloons can fly in parallel.

• Timing: sunrise, with a meet-up around 07:00, or about two hours before sunset, with an evening start around 18:00.

• Location: a private farm location near Tilburg or Utrecht, with a terrace, a drinks bar and on-site catering.

• Weather: the pilot decides on the day whether a flight goes ahead. Keep the itinerary flexible, because when the weather says no, the balloon stays on the ground.

• Combines well with: a dinner on the farm terrace, live music or a story on return, or a high-energy programme earlier in the trip.

Sources

• KNMI, Ballonvaren (22 September 2020): weather requirements, steering by altitude, the best times of day and the effect of heat.

• Wikipedia, Hot air balloon: the first untethered flight on 21 November 1783, the burner and the temperature limit of nylon envelopes.

• Endless Minds programme description: Hot Air Balloon Journey.