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IS
IT SAFE?
 Yes, very much so.
Ballooning is the safest form of air travel. Your pilot is a
qualified Commercial Pilot and has been flying for twenty three
(23) years. He has an unblemished record. He has flown both
domestically and internationally. All flights are carried out in
accordance with strict guidelines set out and monitored by the
F.A.A.
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WHEN DO WE FLY?
We fly all year long and
flights are flown primarily at dawn. We do not fly during the
day because the air is turbulent with thermal activity.
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WHERE WILL WE
GO?
The best answer that comes
to mind is “Where Mother Nature sends us.” After receiving a
pilot briefing from the F.A.A. Flight Service, your pilot will
determine where to set up and in which general direction we will
go. The winds at altitude travel in “layers” and it is these
layers that are used to steer the balloon towards its final
landing location. The chase vehicle (van)
will be following to retrieve the passengers and balloon
equipment.
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HOW FAR WILL WE
FLY?
The distance we fly
depends upon the speed of the wind. Usually you can expect to
average approximately 5-10 miles from the point of departure.
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HOW LONG WILL WE
BE IN THE AIR?
We average at least forty
(40) minutes and most flights are an hour long.
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WHAT SHOULD I
WEAR?
Dress comfortably for the
surface temperature. We recommend long pants and closed-toe,
low-heeled shoes. We will be walking in fields, so dress casually
and remember the grass is usually wet, so waterproof shoes are
handy. Sandals and high heels are not recommended. In cooler
weather, dress in layers.
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IS IT COLD UP
THERE?
It is not colder aloft;
in fact it is usually warmer. There is no wind chill factor as we
are traveling with the wind.
On warm days the burners can be hot so caps are
recommended, especially for tall persons.
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HOW LONG DOES IT
LAST?
We suggest you allow for
the whole excursion to take about 3 ½ hours. This will include
set-up and pack-up times as well as travel time back to the
centralized meeting place (map).
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WHAT WILL I BE
ABLE TO SEE?
As we take off you will
have a 360 degree panoramic view of the local terrain. Spectacular
sunrises, the Everglades, the Atlantic Ocean. On clear days you
will be able to see as far North as West Palm Beach and as far
South as Miami.
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WHERE WILL WE
LAND?
The pilot will use
different criteria to determine whether to land at a grass field,
school playing field, park, or other wide-open area. We do not
land on golf courses and we avoid landing near livestock or crops.
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CAN MY FRIENDS
FOLLOW THE BALLOON?
Of course. If you have
friends who wish to follow the balloon, please let your pilot know
before the flight. There are times your friends can even follow our retrieve crew in the van.
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WHAT IF I
AM PREGNANT?
Consideration should be
made depending upon the length of term of your pregnancy. This is
an adventure journey and not all events go as planned. If you have
any doubt consult your physician.
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IS THERE AN AGE
LIMIT?
No. We love families. We
try to accommodate children of all ages, but they must be mature
enough to understand what they are undertaking, which generally
means at least 6 years of age.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. We have no upper
age limit but ballooning is an outdoor sport requiring a degree of
agility. We recommend that people should be fit enough to climb in
and out of the basket and stand for about an hour.
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WHAT IF I
AM AFRAID OF HEIGHTS?
Balloon flight is very
gentle and stable because you start from the ground and gently
lift up, rather than looking over the edge of a building – the
sensation is very different. You do not get any sensation of
movement or speed. From
our experience even the most nervous of passengers soon relax
after takeoff and thoroughly enjoy the flight.
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SHOULD I BRING A
CAMERA?
Absolutely! With the
beautiful balloons and smiling faces they produce, even an
instamatic will create a marvelous record of your trip. Be sure to
bring extra film, people never seem to have enough. A balloon
basket is a very stable platform for photography and videos.
However, we are not responsible for their safety. Please remember
there will be other passengers and the size of your equipment
should be limited. Some people bring binoculars as well. Do not
forget your neck straps.
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AM I COVERED BY
INSURANCE?
Yes. We carried third
party and passenger liability.
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CAN I CHANGE MY
BOOKING?
Yes. If you have booked a
flight and wish to change the date, you will need to give us seven
(7) days prior notice.
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WHERE DO WE
LAUNCH FROM?
Prior to your arrival at
the centralized meeting place (map),
your Pilot has been busy compiling weather reports. After you have
checked in you may see him watching small helium filled balloons.
These tell him the local wind speed and direction. We will then
load our chase vehicle (van)
and drive to the launch site that gives us the longest possible
flight that ends in the safest possible landing area.
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HOW HIGH DO WE
GO?
Every flight is
different. Most passengers prefer low-level flights as more can be
seen and heard. Quite often we are at tree top heights or skimming
across a lake. We will go high and go low and search for the most
favorable wind directions. Most flights are flown between 500 and
2000 feet.
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HOW MANY
PASSENGERS DO THE BALLOONS CARRY?
Our balloon system is
designed to carry four passengers (sometimes 5) plus the
pilot very comfortably. If you prefer a private basket (pricing)
for just the two of you (Sweetheart Flights) please
let us know in advance.
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WHAT HAPPENS IF
THE WEATHER IS BAD WHEN I’M BOOKED TO FLY?
We believe “it’s
better to be on the ground wishing that we were flying, than
flying and wishing we had stayed on the ground”. The pilot is the only one who can make the decision to fly or
not. If the weather is not suitable for ballooning on the day of
your flight, we will let you know as soon as possible, so that you
may reschedule your flight to a later date. A good pilot is one
that knows how to say NO.
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HOW DO I BOOK A
FLIGHT?
Call WINDSWEPT
BALLOONS at (954) 344-9522 and book a date
most convenient to you. ALL flights are by reservation only all
year long and are scheduled weather permitting. Our gift
certificates are valid for one (1) year from date of purchase.
They are non-refundable; however, they are transferable.
Reservations are confirmed upon receipt of your deposit. This
deposit is applied to the cost of the flight. The balance is due
the day of the flight. You may pay by cash, check, travelers
checks, or credit card (MasterCard or Visa). Feel free to contact
us at (954) 344-9522. Please make checks payable to WINDSWEPT
BALLOONS.
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WHAT ABOUT
SAFETY?
Tremendous advances have
been made in the balloon manufacturing industry, and today
ballooning is safer than it has ever been. In fact, the most
dangerous part of a balloon flight is the ride in the van back to
the centralized meeting site (map).
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ARE THE PILOTS
CERTIFIED?
Yes. A Balloon Pilot
Certificate is issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. The
process is similar to the one required to obtain a license to fly
an airplane or helicopter. You must pass the FAA written exam,
receive a prescribed number of hours of instruction, make a solo
flight, a flight to a specific altitude and pass a flight test
with an FAA examiner. Pilots need to have different levels of
experience before they are allowed to progress to be commercial
pilots, and this is carefully monitored by the FAA.
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HOW DOES THE
CHASE CREW KNOW WHERE THE BALLOON IS GOING?
The chase crew is in
radio contact with the pilot for the entire flight as well as a
visual contact. Our chase crewmembers have been with us for many
years, they are actually the silent heroes of our operation and
are quite good at what they do. They know all of the good landing
sites and quite often will be there in advance of the pilot’s
actual landing.
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WHERE AND WHEN
DO WE MEET?
We meet at approximately
6:15 a.m. for sunrise flights, year round. After your wake up call we
will meet at the Dunkin Donut located at 2250 West Sample Road,
Pompano Beach (map). From
there we will transport our guests to one of a selection of launch
sites.
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HOW LONG HAS
WINDSWEPT BALLOONS BEEN IN BUSINESS?
Windswept Balloons brings
23 years of experience to the sport of ballooning, as well as a
sense of adventure. We love what we do and are anxious to share
the joy of ballooning with as many people as possible.
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DO WE NEED TO
MAKE RESERVATIONS?
Yes. Reservations in advance are
required!
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HOW DOES A
BALLOON FLY?
Hot Air Rises! The envelope
(fabric portion of the balloon) traps a large bubble of hot air.
If the air in the envelope is heated by a burner, the balloon will
rise. If the air in the envelope is allowed to cool or if the hot
air is released from the top of the envelope, the balloon will
descend.
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HOW DO YOU STEER
A BALLOON?
Balloons simply float with
the wind. The Pilot can control the balloon’s altitude to find a
wind going in the desired direction, but you cannot fly upwind or
crosswind. So even though the Pilot cannot steer the balloon, he
can move up and down to find a layer of air that will allow the
balloon the change direction. Some days the amount of change is
very small, other days the balloon may be able to actually fly in
the opposite direction from which it launched.
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HOW IS A BALLOON
INFLATED?
The envelope (fabric
portion of the balloon) is stretched out on the ground and
attached to the basket. A powerful fan is used to inflate the
envelope with cold air. When once inflated, the air is heated by
the burner and the envelope rises above the basket. With further
heating, there is sufficient lift for the balloon to fly.
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WHAT TYPE OF
FUEL DOES A BALLOON USE?
Hot air provides lift. To
heat the air, the burners are fueled by propane gas. The burners
do not run continuously, only to heat the air as required.
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WHY IS THERE A
CHAMPAGNE CELEBRATION AT THE END OF THE FLIGHT?
The tradition of champagne
celebration began in the early days of ballooning in France.
Balloons flights were met by irate farmers and thought to be
demons set forth by King Louis XVI. In order to appease the
landowners the aeronauts began to carry champagne with them and
the tradition stands today.
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CAN WE GET
MARRIED IN A BALLOON?
WINDSWEPT BALLOONS has
flown many happy couples on their wedding day. Weather permitting,
nuptials can be performed in flight and we are able to tailor
flight packages to your needs and wants. We are here to help in
any way possible with any and/or all arrangements and ideas for
this very special day.
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