Janesville Hot Air Balloon Company
Welcome to the Janesville Hot Air Balloon Company where we specialize in private two person balloon rides, as well as offer rides for up to six passengers. We even carry skydivers.
We fly year round from Janesville Wisconsin. Our flights are about one hour long though we do fly longer if our fuel and available landing sites allow it. We enjoy flying balloons and are in no hurry to end the flight.
Our Pilots are FAA certified Commercial Balloon Pilots as well as FAA certified Balloon Flight Instructors. Our Chief Pilot holds an Airline Transport Pilot certificate as well as Commercial Balloon Pilot and Flight Instructor ratings.
About balloon rides
Hot Air balloons fly only during the early morning and late evening hours when the winds are light and the Earth is at it coolest temperatures. Mornings are generally the better time because the Earth has had all night to cool and let the winds dissipate.
Balloons drift on the winds. We control our direction by climbing or desending into different wind currents. Sometimes a change in altitude of only 20 feet will allow us to change direction.
We launch the balloon somewhere upwind of Janesville and fly across the city because there are more places to land within the city than there are outside of town. Yes, there are many fields outside of Janesville, but they contain crops and we do not want to land in anyones crop. If the winds are light, the balloon does not need a lot of space to land. An area 100 feet by 100 feet is usually large enough.
During a typical flight we will fly from a few inches above the surface to 1000 feet or more. Within that range of altitude the temperature does not vary much from the surface temperature. Since we drift on the wind currents, and are traveling at the same speed as the wind, there is no relative wind and no wind chill factor. If it's warm on the surface it will be warm in the balloon.
We flight plan for an hour of flight time. The actual time aloft depends on how much fuel we are burning, what the surface winds are doing, and landing site availability. Safety is the number one consideration. If the pilot determines that weather conditions are becoming unsafe, the balloon will land as soon as practical.
As we look at the weather report, we are looking for surface wind speeds of 3mph or less at the launch time and forecast to remain 6 mph or less throughout the flight period. The skies should be clear with no thunderstorms within 100 miles, and the upper winds should be below 15 mph. Balloon flights are supposed to be gentle, slow and relaxing, not a thrill ride.
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