Train to be a Hot Air Balloon Pilot
Aerosaurus Balloons are proud to teach and promote Hot Air Ballooning through out the South West of England. If you've had a balloon flight with us and been inspired to fly one yourself then why not contact us today and find out more.
Our Pilot School can cater to your needs supplying all the equipment, training, instruction and exams at the best possible price.
Pilot Requirements
To obtain a PPL (B) Balloon Pilots license you need to have completed the following:
- Minimum of 16hrs* logged.
- Minimum of 4 Flights with a BBAC improved instructor.
- Complete a 30minute tethered flight, watched and approved by a BBAC qualified instructor.
- Undertaken and passed all 5 exams: Aviation Law, Navigation, Meteorology, Ballooning Systems and Human Performance. These are usually sat at Bristol. (Read more about the ballooning exams)
- Attended a Landowner Relations Seminar.
- Completed all the above with in 24 months.
You can get taught and log flights with any balloon pilot, as long as they hold a full UK PPL(B) license. As for the instructor flights you can use one of our commercial pilots, who is also an instructor, or a choice of several other Westcountry (mainly Bristol area) based instructors.
Advice
To start logging your flights you’ll need your Training Log and Pilots Log Book. Both can be purchased via Pooleys or Aerosaurus. These books are used to record every flight you do. Your Training Log records advice and notes from the pilot who you were training with for each flight.
Weather
Ideal weather conditions for ballooning should be under 9kts on the surface and under 18kt gradient (2000ft). You want no rain or thunder, and visibility must be a minimum of 1000 meters with a cloud base in excess of 1500ft.
- The Met Office- Sign up for the free aviation service that provides Balloonist Forecasts and weather predictions for aviators.
- XC Weather- Obtain current and forecasted spot winds for Britain.
- BBC Weather- Watch forecasts 24/7 on their site and get forecasts for the area your due to fly.
Equipment Needed
All pilots in command must have the following for each flight.
- An altimeter
- A Compass
- A Secondary source of ignition
- A time piece (watch)
Training
Aerosaurus can train you directly, from start to finish. We are subject to British weather however. If time is an issue, and you wanted to do it quickly, we can recommend pilot training schools in Spain & Italy. Please contact us for more information about these schools.
Retrieving
To get an initial feeling for Hot Air Ballooning we can offer the opportunity to become part of our ground retrieve crew on commercial (Public Transport) flights. We strongly recommend that aspiring pilots spend some initial time in this role as it offers the opportunity of ‘hands on’ experience and the chance to actually see what is involved in the whole process from pre flight weather decision through to post flight refueling prior to committing to long term expense.
Retrieving does not allow you the opportunity to fly the balloon but covers core piloting ground skills such as meteorology, launch site decision, balloon inflation & deflation, navigation, passenger handling, flight paperwork, refueling. For those who wish to continue with retrieving in parallel to their training there is also the opportunity of partially offsetting crew remuneration against pilot training costs.
Interested in working for Aerosaurus Hot Air Balloons? Check our Vacancies page.
Flight Training Costs
Description |
Cost |
| 12* hours minimum flight time at £220 per hour to include provision of
balloon, training pilot, insurance, retrieve vehicle & balloon trailer, ground crew, propane, farmers wine |
£2,640 |
| 4* hours as above but with BBAC Instructor @ £250 per hour. | £1000 |
Tethered flight and instruction with BBAC Instructor |
£200 |
| BBAC Examiner recommendation flight. | £270 |
| BBAC Examiner flight | £270 |
| Any additional hours with a training pilot in addition to the minimum 16* hours as above |
£220 p/h |
| Witnessed ‘Solo’ flight | £200 |
| Aerosaurus Pilot Training Manual | £ Free |
| Exam Fees | £ Free |
| 5hrs Ground School (£20 per hour thereafter) | £ Free |
| Please Note: Prices exclude V.A.T and your Solo Flight and Tethered flight cost is dramatically reduced if done in conjuction with a flight prior or after. | |
To find out more please call and ask to speak to Charlie Street on 01404-823102 or drop an email to charlie@ballooning.co.uk .
