I don't really understand the one-star review that's up here right now, so I'm going to get a little long-winded describing what a positive experience I had flying with the U.S. Hot Air Balloon Team last weekend.
On the day of my flight, there were about sixteen passengers divided between two balloons. The pilot for my balloon was friendly and chatted with us while our balloon was being inflated, and a member of the crew offered to use our cameras to take pictures of each of us standing inside the still-inflating balloon. (They encourage you to fly with a camera but discourage you from taking anything else up in the air with you. You might want a hat to put a layer of clothing between your head and the propane jets, though, especially if you're tall. Leave everything else in the car.)
About half the members of the group climb into the basket while it's laying on its side, then the crew flips the basket upright and the other half climb in, so if you have any reason to think you might have difficulty climbing over the edge of the basket, let the crew know and they can make sure you're one of the people in the basket before it flips up. Once everyone is in the basket it's definitely snug, but not uncomfortable.
I felt momentarily nervous as we first started ascending, but once the balloon is in the air it moves along with the wind and so the basket is completely stable - it does not rock at all - it feels like you're standing on solid ground even though you can look over the edge at the tiny little cars and houses below.
Our pilot was friendly and extremely professional. He told us how he got into ballooning - his father was also a balloon pilot so he grew up with it - and he's been flying hot air balloons for more than 30 years. Please know that hot air balloon pilots are required to be FAA certified, just like airplane pilots - these are not kids running carnival rides but highly trained professionals.
Since the balloon goes where the wind goes, the pilot doesn't have a lot of control over what scenery you're going to get to see on any particular trip. Our flight was over Amish country and we did get to see plenty of horses and buggies from the air, but we ended up drifting over mostly houses and shopping centers, nothing exactly breathtaking, unfortunately.
Our landing was incredibly smooth, and our pilot chose to land us on a residential street, which was a blast because kids came pouring out of the houses to watch, and they were all so! excited! The pilot and crew let the kids help squeeze the last of the air out of the balloon by rolling down the length of it, and then the passengers helped the crew pack the balloon and basket back into the truck. They loaded us all into a van and gave us a ride back to our cars, where we had a champagne toast.
The experience was definitely five-stars, though there are a couple of things you should know before you get on a flight. You do have to sign a waiver that basically says you will not hold them responsible no matter what happens, including things like pilot negligence or arrest for trespassing. Also, know that it is standard practice in the hot air balloon industry to give the crew a gratuity at the end of the flight - most websites I read suggested 10% is the industry standard.
One really cool thing about the U.S. Hot Air Balloon Team that I also want to mention is that they're one of the few places you can fly in a hot air balloon if you're in a wheelchair or have other disability or mobility concerns. Their policy is "If you're comfortable, we're comfortable," and that definitely gets them an extra thumbs-up from me. read more