Resources Weather
Weather
Since a hot air balloon has no direct means of steerage or control the weather and ground conditions are an all important factor when deciding whether or not to fly. Prior to each flight pilots reserch and receive weather information relevant to ballooning from the MET office and other meteorological service providers in order to have the most up to date and accurate weather reports for the period intending to be airborne.
As a rough guide a pilot looks for ideal conditions, good visibility, gentle winds on the service and at 2000ft (the gradient wind). The best time these winds exist are just after sunrise and just before sunset. As a result that's why we schedule our balloon flights at these times, when the temperature is cooler and the weather is at its most stable period of the day.
Additionally the ground conditions must be suitable for our tow-vehicles and trailers to drive on during the process of launching and retreiving.
If you're booked on a flight and want to check the weather we recommend the following sources and websites. Don't forget the passenger information area for more information regarding reserving a flight date.
