A hot air balloon ride is quite an experience. However, it can be pretty intimidating if you don’t know what to expect.
People are often concerned about the safety of a hot air balloon ride. In fact, a common question people have is, “How fast and high do hot air balloons go?”
In this post, we’ll answer the question, “How fast and high do hot air balloons go?” and help clear some common misconceptions.
How fast do hot air balloons go?
One misconception people tend to have regarding how hot air balloons move is that they rely on fuel. Some people think the burner causes the hot air balloon to accelerate. However, this isn’t exactly the truth.
The hot air that a burner produces will propel the hot air balloon and causes it to ascend and descend. This doesn’t necessarily cause the hot air balloon to speed up, though.
The speed at which a hot air balloon moves comes from several factors. The main factor, though, is the wind speed. In short, the higher the wind speed, the faster the hot air balloon will move. This is one of the main reasons why hot air balloons take off early in the morning or at sunset when the wind is calmer.
Theoretically, a hot air balloon could go as fast as the wind. Some pilots have said to reach speeds of 65 mph. However, that speed is uncommon and isn’t optimal since it’s too hard to control the hot air balloon.
Some other factors that can affect the speed of a hot air balloon are the balloon size, weather conditions, and regional climate.
When it comes to your standard hot air balloon ride, you’ll be moving rather slowly. You can expect the speed to be around 3 to 8 mph. Most professional pilots wouldn’t take off if the wind speed were higher than ten mph or if the weather was bad.
How high do hot air balloons go?
Most people aren’t quite sure how hot air balloons can rise in the sky, let alone maintain their height.
We established earlier that in order for a hot air balloon to ascend, they use hot air generated from a burner. Let’s go a bit further into how hot air balloons work.
The hot air that fills the envelope of the hot air balloon is lighter than the air outside the envelope, which means the envelope will rise because its buoyancy is greater than the downward force of gravity.
The downward force of gravity on a hot air balloon is constant and won’t change. However, a pilot can increase the amount of hot air released, increasing its buoyancy and allowing the hot air balloon to rise.
Height limits
Another common misconception about hot air balloons is that they rise as high as the clouds.
This doesn’t happen too often, let alone during a commercial hot air balloon ride. There are several good reasons as to why.
For the most part, hot air balloons will travel between 1,000 to 3,000 feet. The main reason why they travel within this range is primarily due to legal limits. The legal limit in many parts of the world for how high a hot air balloon can fly is 3,000 feet in the air. Hot air balloons must also rise around 1,000 feet above the ground when in the air.
Even if you were to break the 3,000 feet legal limit, you run the risk of traveling in dangerous conditions. The higher a hot air balloon rises, the more unpredictable the weather and winds are. This makes it difficult for a pilot to control the hot air balloon.
One must also account for the lack of oxygen at higher altitudes. As you ascend higher, the air becomes thinner, and the temperature becomes much colder. For unprotected lungs, this type of environment is deadly.
Record for highest hot air balloon
While we established why hot air balloons don’t ascend beyond 3,000 ft, you might be wondering, “What is the record for the highest altitude of a hot air balloon?”
Despite the limitations mentioned, the record for the highest altitude of a hot air balloon was achieved by Dr. Vijaypat Singhania. He reached 68,986 ft in a Cameron Z-1600 hot air balloon in 2005 over Mumbai, India.
Enjoying a hot air balloon ride
When it comes down to it, safety and enjoyment are some of the top priorities in any commercial hot air balloon ride. Pilots will ensure the hot air balloon doesn’t move too fast and travels at a reasonable height.
Hot air balloons can ascend to great heights and speeds, but that’s not likely to happen during a commercial hot air balloon ride. Instead, you should focus on enjoying the views and experience.
At Napa Valley Aloft, we are committed to providing safe and enjoyable hot air balloon rides. Check out our flight options and book your hot air balloon ride today.