Every pilot seems to land their aircraft differently. Former Korean Air force pilots tend to drop the passenger plane onto the runway, giving all the passengers a big jolt. That was how they were trained to land in the Air Force and they carry that training to civilian flight jobs.
Hot-air balloons land by slowly decreasing the intensity of the burner. Balloons float because the air within them is hot and expands. this causes the surface area of the balloon to increase and generates a strong upward force. When the fire dies, the air cools, and the upward force disappears.
Different pilots land their planes as they were trained with some providing a smooth landing without surprising the passengers. It is the same with hot air balloons. Your pilot will land the balloon you are in according to how he or she was trained.
To find out more details on landing a hot air balloon, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know about so you can be mentally and physically prepared for your landing when it happens.
How do hot air balloons find a place to land?
They say that whatever goes up must come down. However, they do not say how soft or hard that coming down will be. The way a hot air balloon lands will depend on the pilot operating the craft.
The key to landing the hot air balloon is controlling the landing speed. If the pilot does not do a very good job of this, then he or she may make a harder impact than you would like to experience.
Some of those hard impacts can cause injury especially if the pilot does not see any obstructions that may be in the way. The controlling of the landing speed depends on how often the pilot uses the burners to inject more hot air into the balloon.
If he or she does not use the burners often, expect a harder than usual landing that may hurt. if he or she does, you probably will be ready for your next hot air balloon trip right away. The landing makes all the difference in your enjoyment of this form of air travel and fun.
This question may be one you will want to ask before you get inside the gondola or basket holding you and your friends.
How does the hot air balloon driver make it land?
The term ‘driver’ would not be the best term to use when talking to hot air balloon employees or enthusiasts. It is better to refer to those people operating the balloon as pilots. That way you do not insult the person or cause them to give you a rougher landing than you want.
But there are several factors involved to guide the pilot in landing the hot air balloon. The first one is the landing speed which is totally under the pilot’s control. He or she uses the burners to slow the descent down enough so you get a soft landing.
However, the pilot error does come into play at times and they may not use the burners enough to slow the balloon down where that soft landing is possible. The next factor will be the wind.
If there is no wind or it is a gentle breeze, then the pilot should be able to control the landing and provide you with a soft experience. However, if the wind kicks up, then the balloon is at the wind’s mercy and there is little the pilot can do.
The third factor is the landing site. Most pilots stay in contact with ground crews. These ground crews help the pilot see what is in the area helping him or her avoid dangerous obstacles and unsafe landing sites.
Also, the ground crew will be there to catch any lines thrown down by the pilot or co-pilot. Those lines are the guides for the balloon helping the crew members bring the balloon in for a soft, safe landing. Without either element, your landing is at the whim of the pilot.
Human error is not reserved for pilots alone. Sometimes the ground crews can make mistakes and rougher landings take place.
How does a hot air balloon come down?
This process is all in the temperature of the air inside the balloon. Cold air is heavier than hot air, or in this case, hot helium or propane. Thus the colder the air, the faster the balloon will descend.
Also, there is this little thing called gravity. Its pulling force will depend on the weight of the balloon, gondola, and the passengers as well as any other equipment or supplies inside. How much weight there is will play a role in the descent of the balloon.
Also, the pilot needs to find a flat area to land on. A hilly region is not safe for landing as the balloon can tip over and cause injury or more serious harm. Then that flat area needs to be extremely large.
Some people say up to 30 times bigger than the balloon itself. Anything less and you may be in for a hard landing that you won’t enjoy but that is only a possibility. The pilot’s experience will play a large role in the balloon’s landing and landing site no matter how large or small.
The balloon comes down when there is more cold air inside the balloon than hot air. How fast you descend will depend on how much cold air is inside the balloon.
Do hot air balloons land in the same place they take off?
This is a very good question. As you know a hot air balloon does not have a motor or wings to help direct its flight or allow the pilot to control its flight path. Hot air balloons travel with the wind, and they go where the wind blows.
What that means is that there is relatively no chance that you will be landing where you took off. Plus, there is no set landing spot for any hot air balloon. it is said that the average balloon flight is one hour.
After that time limit has expired, then the pilot has to start looking for a safe place to land. This is not always possible due to the uncontrollable nature of the balloon. You may stay up longer than planned as it will take time to find a suitable landing space.
This is where good communication with a ground crew is important. Without a ground crew to help, the pilot would be on his or her own and the landing may not be as much fun as it should be.
The ground crew plays an important role in helping the pilot find the perfect landing site. With their scouting and communication, the pilot can hope to find a safe place to discharge his or her passengers.
What the ground crew does is make sure there are no animals, trees or power lines, etc., in the path of the descent of the balloon. Their scouting ensures your safety as well as the safety of animals and the people in the surrounding area.
If the organization providing the balloon rides does not make the right preparations to return you to the take-off point, you may have to make your own arrangements. Make sure to clarify this point before you take off.
The speed of the balloon’s landing
This is an important piece of information you need to know about. The average flight speed of a hot air balloon is between 5 and 10 miles per hour. Depending on the wind, it may go faster or slower than that but that cannot be predicted.
If the pilot is good, then he or she may be able to slow the landing speed down to a lot less than 5 mph. That low speed should be good enough for a nice soft landing if there is no ground crew there to help.
That speed is under ideal weather conditions. The landing speed may be a lot faster due to wind and weather conditions. Weather plays a strong role in landing and it may not be possible to slow the balloon down enough to make a soft landing.
The length of the balloon ride
This is usually up to the company that is offering balloon rides for everyone. Sometimes, the ride can be as short as 45 minutes, and sometimes it can be as long as 2 hours. It all depends.
Also, you should wear long pants or shorts that are very tight around your thighs. The reason this is being said is that you may have to climb over the gondola or basket wall to get in or out of the balloon. Of course, your attire is your call, just be prepared for possible embarrassing moments.
Some final words
Landing the hot air balloon is done through complete manual effort. There is no landing gear, no motors to help, and no guidance for the most part. The pilot is on his or her own when they bring the balloon down to the ground and what landing you get is up to their skill level and experience.
