Ride Information
Hot Air Balloon Ride Oklahoma City
We fly year round in the NW Oklahoma City area weather permitting. We get to fly once or twice a week (that's all mother nature allows in Oklahoma) and we don't get to pick which days the weather will cooperate so please be patient and be as flexible as you can with your schedule.
Flights are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. Once you have your ticket you can call to schedule your flight in one of two ways.
First available: We watch the weather everyday and when a nice day is approaching we start calling the first passengers on our list to see if you will be free that day.
Specific
Days of the week: When you call, let us know which days you can take off work
etc. When the weather looks like it will be good on a day you are available, we
will give you a call and confirm the meeting time and place.
Note: You will get your ride sooner if your schedule can be
flexible, if you limit yourself to weekends only, the line is longer
and there are five days that might have better weather you will be passing up.
If you want to try for a specific date, we can schedule it as the first try, but
understand it may have to be rescheduled if the weather doesn't cooperate.
Hot Air Balloons can fly during 2 parts of the day, when the sun is low in the sky, (Sunrise Sunset Calendar) launching at sunrise in the summer and launching 2 hours before sunset the rest of the year (as long as afternoon temperatures stay below the mid 80s). We fly year round when the winds are light, 8 mph or less (depending on your age and health) and even sometimes with snow on the ground if it's frozen, not slush.
When we agree on a day that looks good for everyone, we will call the evening before to confirm the weather forecast and the meeting time and place.
That morning I will get up first and check the weather, if it's not flyable, we will not call and you can stay in bed. If it looks flyable, we will give you a wakeup call and join you at the meeting site for a closer look at the weather. For afternoon flights, I will call you after I have watched all the noon weather reports.
When we get to the meeting site, we will look at the winds by letting a helium filled balloon go as a test and watch its speed and direction. If everything still looks good, we all get in the chase vehicle with balloon in tow and head up wind a few miles to launch the balloon. Don't worry; we will bring you back to your vehicle.
You
will begin by helping inflate the balloon, for the full experience and it's
appreciated by the volunteer crew as much as tips.
If you are unable to help,
please let me know several days in advance so we can try to find more helpers
and don't have to cancel your flight.
We fly for a few miles and
about an hour (plan to spend about three hours for the whole experience).
It all depends on the wind. Steering a Hot Air Balloon is done by changing
altitude to find slight changes in the wind speed and direction so no two
flights are the same. We will find the best landing sight ahead and tell the
others in the chase vehicle following us where we are landing by radio (no cell
phones allowed). They will meet us and help us pack up the balloon and then we will
drive everyone back to the meeting site.
Restrictions:
Age
16 (with parental consent form), to age 60 something, depending on health and
wind speed.
Age 12 to 15 can fly with a parent in the basket, in very light wind conditions.
Landings can be a bit bouncy, and you will be required to climb into
and out of the basket (let us know if you think you will have any problem
climbing over the side quickly but safely). Although it's not quite like an amusement park ride, the list of
reasons you should not ride are the same. (Recent surgery, back, knee or ankle problems, pregnancy, etc.)
We can accommodate people that shouldn't have a rough landing, but scheduling is
more difficult and up to the weather to give us a day with winds under 5 mph.
You will need to be able to stand in the basket for over an hour.
Clothes and Shoes appropriate for a nature walk. We may need to walk through mud or tall grass. (long pants and no open toed shoes or heels) also there is a possibility of ink like stains from the burner condensation so don’t wear your favorite clothes. Cotton is best and in layers so you can adjust to the temperature as the morning warms up. The temperature in the basket will be warmer than the temperature on the ground. If you would wear a jacket or sweater on the ground, then you will want it in the balloon until we get flying.
No shirt, No shoes, No service. Management reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.
Please note, we are not a nation wide "discount" ticket seller. Be careful dealing with these companies who don't have a balloon and only sell tickets. Make sure there is a pilot that accepts their tickets in your area and compare prices. If you bought a ticket somewhere else, such as Soaring Adventures, see our Pricing page to find out if we accept it.
I hope this answers your questions. If you would like to discuss it in more detail, feel free to e-mail or call me at
(405)
410-5004.
freespiritballoon@hotmail.com
Keith Mills
Free Spirit Balloons, LLC
109 Vandiver Ln.
Piedmont, OK. 73078
Purchase your tickets early so you can get on our
flight schedule, working with the weather limitations can take a while.
Purchase information can be found on the
Pricing page.
Thanks
Keith Mills
Free Spirit Balloons
Hot Air Balloon Ride Oklahoma City