HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE FAQS

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Frequently Asked Questions For Balloon Rides

We make our best effort to have a flight about an hour long. However, sometimes they are as short as 45 minutes or as long as 75 minutes. We will meet you about an hour before sunrise (so that changes throughout the year) and you will be with us for about 3 hours total.

For our private flights, but we can accommodate small groups of up to 4, weight permitting. Our larger balloon used for shared flights can accommodate up to 12 passengers.

Sort of. There is no direct way to steer a balloon, but pilots can climb and descend to find different wind currents. Most importantly, we evaluate wind conditions before each flight to plan the safest and most scenic journey.

Layers! For our morning flights, it can be below freezing before takeoff, warming up to our favorite SoCal weather in flight. And for our evening flights it can become a little chilly after landing. As a reminder, you will be climbing into a balloon basket. Most people find pants and closed toe shoes helpful and we strongly recommend them.

Southern California has some of the world’s finest weather. On average, we’re able to fly hot air balloons 300 days a year! That said, sometimes it rains and sometimes the winds blow. We continuously monitor the weather and if it looks like your selected date might be impacted, we will let you know as soon as possible. In case of inclement weather, you will have the choice of a full refund or rescheduling at your convenience.

In a nutshell, we want stable air. The “calmest” conditions occur before the sun has a chance to heat the Earth’s surface or after it starts to cool off. If you’re curious about the science behind this, ask your pilot! They’re usually a little dorky. 🙂

Temecula are hot air balloons safe
temecula hot air balloon rides

We recommend you be in good physical health, able to climb in and out of the basket, and not pregnant. Age wise, it depends! Children younger than 6 may have difficulties seeing over the side of the basket and may be more prone to fear of the flames, and/or noises associated with flying. On the other hand, there is no maximum. Guests have celebrated birthdays well into their 90s with balloon flights.

Not at all! In flight you will travel with the wind and there is no perceived motion. We recently had a passenger who said she was so nervous that she couldn’t sleep the night before her flight, but after landing thought it was the experience of a lifetime.

We want you to be safe and feel safe! As an outdoor activity, we believe our COVID risks are relatively low. However we do currently require employees and passengers to wear face coverings in accordance with official guidance. And of course, we keep our equipment as clean as possible. Please understand that transportation to our launch and from our landing site will be in a vehicle. If you book a private flight, we can arrange that your only contact outside your group will be with your pilot.

We are licensed and insured every step of the way! We promise your pilot will have years of experience and hundreds (or even thousands!) of hours of balloon flying experience. Balloons are FAA registered aircraft which are maintained to high standards. And we are proud to operate the newest (and bluest 💙) balloons in Southern California!

There are only a few companies in the world who build hot air balloons. Ours are built in Spain by Ultramagic, who we believe are the finest. Learn more here: www.ultramagic.com