Tethered Hot Air Balloon Ride
A tethered hot air balloon will make your next company party, family get together, picnic, or celebration an impressive and memorable event. Because it attracts people to your location it is great for corporate marketing and media events.
What is a tethered balloon ride?
A balloon tether is an actual hot air balloon flight. The balloon is anchored to the ground with three very strong ropes long enough that the balloon is allowed to ascend to about tree top height (50-80 feet) where it hovers briefly with its passengers then slowly descends. Those passengers get out as new passengers get in and the balloon ascends with them. This is repeated to provide all of your guests the opportunity to enjoy a ride in the balloon.
What is required for a Hot Air Balloon Tether?
Hot Air Balloon Tether Rides – Kaleidoscope
We require a minimum of a 300’x300’ area that is free of trees, light poles, power wires, etc. We will need to anchor the balloon from three points. Depending on your location we may use large trees, posts or vehicles. We always use our chase vehicle but may need for you to provide additional vehicles.
How long do you tether?
Our minimum tether time is 2 hours and we have tethered as long as 6.
What time of day is best for a tether promotion? Because we need light winds to tether the best time of day is within 2 hours of sunrise or two hours of sunset. We can even tether after dark. The balloon lights up like a big jack-o-lantern after dark.
How many passengers can you take up in an hour?
Hot Air Balloon Tether Ride – In the Air / Aloft
This is a hard question to answer. It is dependent on many variables. We flew for a children’s camp where we had perfect weather conditions and the kids jumped in and out of the basket so fast we were able to take up over 115 kids in one hour. On a very hot day we cannot take up as much weight as on a cooler day. When you have a mixture of older and younger passengers it takes longer to trade out passengers. A good rule of thumb is approximately 75 per hour.
How high do you go?
The height is determined primarily by the location and the wind conditions the day of the event. Tethered balloons usually fly between 50’ and 80’ off the ground.
How many people can ride in the balloon?
We can take a maximum of 4 passengers at one time. This is determined by the combined weight of the passengers and the temperature of the day. During a typical tethered balloon event we can take approximately 75 passengers per hour. If you have a lot of passengers who will be riding, you might consider two tethered balloons.
Who can fly in the balloon?
We can take any one who has reasonable health and has the ability to get in and out of the basket. Small children must be accompanied by their parents.
How long are the rides?
Rides may be from 2 to 5 minutes long. This is largely determined by the wind conditions, weight of the passengers and the desire of the event.
How much does it cost?
We charge $1,350 per hour, with a 2 hour minimum, to tether plus $1.50 per mile one way from Ashland, MO to your event. Should circumstance cause us to need a hotel there might be added charges. Please call for specifics, deposit requirements, etc.
Why does it cost so much?
Tethering is much harder on our balloon than an actual flight. The balloon experiences stresses and wind loads while being restrained that do not occur during free flight. The fabric of a balloon is serviceable for somewhere between 3-600 hours and is very costly to replace. It has been estimated that tethering a balloon for one hour is equivalent to 2-3 hours or regular flight time in terms of life span. It is also much more work for our crew and pilot. We enjoy doing it because it gives us an opportunity share our wonderful sport with many people that might not otherwise experience ballooning, but compared to a free flight it is rather like all work and no play.
Can I use the tethered balloon for advertisement?
A tethered balloon offers two wonderful ways to advertise. The easiest is one to three banners attached to the basket. Everyone who gets close to the balloon, especially passengers will see the basket banners. For a much greater cost a large banner that can be seen from a great distance can be attached to the actual balloon. Please call for details.