Hot Air Ballooning around Cairns

Feeling creative and have a few spare black plastic bin bags lying around? Get some inspiration from this video!! Solar Balloon

If you are sitting at your desk, staring at your computer monitor while your eyes slowly dry out in the airconditioning, or vacantly resting your head in your cupped hand whilst you catch a microsleep as you procrastinate over making that phonecall, maybe its time to re-evaluate your job satisfaction.
Ballooning has its ups and downs. In fact, ballooning is the business of ups and downs. As a nightowl, ballooning is not recommended. Early morning starts necessitate early bedtimes in order that you are sharp and ready to take it all in.
And that’s the downside!
The upside is that early dawn is simply the best time to be up and about. In Cairns and Port Douglas, in the middle of summer, when the humidity is high and the temperatures hot, the best time to be up and about is when life is awakening and the sun is rising.
Hot Air ballooning offers so many varied roles that there is probably a job out there for you. In larger operations, there are requirements for ground crew, pilots, photographers, drivers, guides, sales and marketing staff, reservations team members, and various other operational roles.
I highly recommend working for a hot air balloon company for job satisfaction. From meeting people from around the world and sharing some of their stories, to running across fields to assist with a landing, to packing up the balloon after the flight, enjoying the sumptuous breakfast with champagne for our guests, to taking orders for the one-of-a-kind photos from the morning, to organising operations for the next day - there is always something different to do, and it is never the same. Each day brings a new flight path, a new group of eager excited faces, shaking off their slumber as they board the transfer bus to the launch site.
So if you’re sitting there at your computer, watching that stray dog wander aimlessly across the road, turn your attention to Google and have a look for hot air balloon
jobs.
If you’re planning on visiting Cairns or Port Douglas or the Atherton Tablelands in the near future, book a flight and experience a flight - it could be the beginning of a whole new career!

Have you heard two balloon pilots talking and wondered what language they were speaking? Maybe you are going on an upcoming balloon flight and want to understand a few of the terms that are used.
Here are a few of the main terms used in ballooning that will help you appear an expert when you meet your pilot on your upcoming flight:

Carabiner - d shaped locking metal clamp used to secure fly wires to the basket structure.
Flying wires - steel wires that run from the load tapes on the envelope to the burner frame.
Load tapes - heavy-duty nylon tapes that run the length of the envelope and carry the load distributed throught the envelope
Burner - the device used to feed and ignite flammable fuel into the envelope through the mouth to heat the air within.
Envelope - the large portion of the balloon that holds the heated air, providing lift. Made of various types of nylon, and includes the load tapes. Is packed away by squeezing the air out and stuffing into a heavy-duty bag.
Basket - the compartment used to carry the pilot, fuel and passengers. Has the burner frame with burners attached above, which in turn are attached to the envelope. All tied together through a combination of flying wires and carabiner couplings.
Crown line - thick nylon rope running from the top (crown) of the envelope. Used to secure the balloon during inflation, and to pull the balloon “over” after final landing as part of the deflation process.
Quick release - device securing the balloon to a support vehicle that once armed, can be quickly disengaged by the pilot upon lifting off. Typically used in less stable flying conditions.
Scoop - a curved shape piece of fabric running from the mouth to nearly the top of the burner frame.
Mouth - the open, narrow end of the balloon envelope through which the hot air is introduced.
Fan - powerful motor-driven blower that forces cold air into the envelope as part of initial, cold inflation.
Cold inflation - the initial stage of inflating a hot air balloon. Cold air is forced into the envelope prior to using the burners.
Cowburner - a softer, yellow flame, used in nightglows. Quieter than a full burn.

Hot Air has arguably the most identifiable and unique balloon designs on our fleet in Australia. A quick flick through our website will show you iconic balloon photographs http://www.hotair.com.au Do you remember the balloon you flew on? Perhaps it was many years ago, maybe it was yesterday. Let us know which one YOU like the best so we can continue to have our balloon designs the most popular and recognisable in Australia and around the world. Better still, suggest improvements and new designs - could you be the next Hot Air balloon designer?! Have your input via our Facebook discussion http://bit.ly/czIiFv to make your mark!

Want to thank your driver, pilot or crew for some special act of kindness, for that little bit of extra effort during your hot air balloon experience? Let us know via Facebook http://bit.ly/9oe0VY

Romance, tranquility, peacefulness, champagne breakfasts; these are the natural ideas that enter into people’s minds when thinking of hot air ballooning. And of course you would be correct. However, there is more to ballooning than the romance and sunrise. Technology and high fashion are inexorably intertwined.
I was looking at the latest battle in the technology arena, that of the “Tablet” where the iPad is now facing competition from other manufacturers such as HP, Sony, Microsoft, and Dell to name a few, and I realised that we see more and more passengers carrying smart phones such as the iPhone to take photos, update social networking accounts, record their journey through third-party GPS applications, and communicate to their family and friends their balloon adventure.
In fact, some of the GPS software is so useful and accurate, our pilots use it to log their flights for their own personal records. For an example of how this can be applied for your hot air balloon flight, visit this site http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/mmframe?prid=531599&attachid=1051584
And fashion? Well, the I guess its debatable as to whether the iPhone is fashion OR technology, or a bit of both. My guess is that it is so popular because the gurus at Apple appear to be design focused, and appealing design helps to aid successful marketing. So yes, it is fashion as well.
Which means therefore, that our pilots are fashionable! Welcome to the world of ballooning.