FAQ

Monticello Country Ballooning offers the only all-inclusive package in the area. Our rates already include tax, digital photographs, and the traditional celebratory toast (champagne or beverage of your choice). Transportation to and from the launch site is included with private flights if you are staying locally.

Monticello Country Ballooning adheres to the highest standards of safety and quality for your flight. For added safety and passenger comfort, we offer special features that you may not find with other companies such as padded floors and tanks in our baskets for soft, cushioned landings, turning vents on the balloon to better position our passengers for views, landings and photographs, and enough seating and seatbelts for all passengers in the chase vehicle (a 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe). We also employ the most experienced pilots and crew in the area.

In addition to having a perfect safety record, we want our passengers to know that we understand the best experience is a safe experience. We can’t control the weather, but we want our passengers to have the best flight possible, and we take not only the safety of the experience, but also the quality of the experience into consideration when making our flight decision. Monticello Country Ballooning focuses on the quality and enhancement of your flight, we are out to provide the best experience possible!

Hot air ballooning is a year-round activity. Weather conditions for ballooning are best just after sunrise and about 2 hours before sunset. Light, ideal winds (0-8 mph) often occur during these times. During the day, when the sun is high, thermals (large bubbles of hot air that rise from the sun-heated earth) and stronger winds make ballooning difficult and unsafe. We fly seven days a week, weather permitting, but our busiest seasons are spring and fall due to the foliage.

After being in this business for over 2 1/2 decades, we are finding that afternoon flights are becoming more of a rarity as the climate becomes more unstable. Morning flights are recommended over afternoon flights at all times of the year due to overnight atmospheric cooling and stabilization, thus making these flights much more likely to happen, as well as having better conditions. This is especially true during the winter/early spring and during the hot, unstable summer months when most of our flights get canceled due to high heat, humidity and afternoon thunderstorms. For safety reasons, we cannot fly within 75-100 miles of any convective activity.

Please note that afternoon flights are more age/weight restrictive for safety reasons. As the afternoons flights are often breezier, the landings can be rougher and the basket is harder to get into. All passengers must be under age 70, in good physical health, and capable of climbing into the basket unassisted. There are no age restrictions on the morning flights when takeoff and landings are generally much calmer.

View monthly meeting times on our Schedule page. Please note that all times are approximations and subject to change due to weather conditions and sunrise and sunset time changes.

The air temperature during the flight is about the same as on the ground, so don’t overdress. We don’t go high enough to create a temperature difference. Wear casual outdoor attire, like jeans and sneakers, not your best clothes. Dresses, skirts, sandals or high heels are not recommended. We suggest waterproof footwear for morning flights since grass can be wet with dew, a baseball cap and sunglasses for the summer flights (the burner puts off quite a bit of radiant heat), and a jacket or sweater for all flights during cooler times of the year.

Airtime on our flights usually ranges from 45-60 minutes. While we try to get that full hour in; fuel, temperature, landing options and conditions are what ultimately determine how long we get to stay aloft.  Morning flights tend to be longer, closer to an hour, while afternoon flights tend to be a little shorter, closer to 45 minutes.

From the time that we pick you up, to returning to the meeting/pickup location, you can plan on 2 1/2-3 hours.  Where does all the extra time come from? We have to determine where we will launch from, given the wind conditions that day then drive you to the launch site. Most of our launch sites are within 15-20 minutes of the meeting location. The assembly and inflation process of the balloon can take any where from 20-30 minutes. We fly for roughly an hour. Once we land, packing up the balloon is another 30 minute process. We do a traditional champagne toast and then transport you back to the meeting site (not always in that order) which usually takes another 30 minutes.

We have many launch sites in and around the Charlottesville area depending on the wind speed and direction the day of the flight.  As launch site selection is entirely based on conditions that day, locations cannot be predetermined or guaranteed. The final decision is made on the field based on providing our passengers a safe and scenic flight path. If you are staying in the Charlottesville area, our meeting sites are usually within 10-15 minutes from where you are staying. Occasionally, if a private flights is reserved, we are able to launch from private residences providing the prevailing winds and launch site are suitable.

We want the flight to be a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. After many years of parenting and piloting, we have learned that children under the age of 8 are generally not great candidates for a balloon ride. In spite of many parents best intentions and assertions over the years, children 8 and under are often not tall enough to see over the edge of the basket, are alarmed and startled by the sudden sound of the burner which can come on unexpectedly, and do not have the attention span required to be in the air for an hour. We would love for you to join us with your family when your children are old enough to enjoy the experience!

Due to the nature of ballooning, weight restrictions apply and can vary at different times of the year based on heat and humidity. If combined weight for a couple is over 375 pounds, you may reserve for a group sunrise flight, or a private sunset flight. If combined weight for 2 passengers exceeds 400 lbs. please contact us prior to making a reservation. If combined weight is over 425 lbs, we are happy to accommodate you on a private flight. Please understand these weight restrictions are based on safety parameters of our operation and are not unique to our company. You will find similar weight restrictions with companies operating similar sized aircraft. 

The balloon envelope is spread on the ground and the gondola laid on its side and attached to the envelope cables. A portable (gasoline powered) fan pushes cold air into the envelope. When the envelope is about half inflated with outside (ambient) air, a propane burner is ignited until the air inside is heated enough for the balloon to rise to an upright position. With a small amount of additional heat, the balloon becomes buoyant. Typically, the inflation takes about 20 minutes.

A typical balloon system – envelope, gondola, fuel tanks, and 30 gallons of fuel – will weigh about 500 pounds, deflated on the ground. In the air, the complete system, including the weight of the air inside the envelope, will weigh about 2 1/2 tons. Our envelope weighs 267 pounds with 475 approximately loaded basket weight.

As commercially rated, licensed FAA pilots, it is our job to gather and evaluate as much information as possible related to each flight. We have access to many different weather-related resources, as well as two and half decades of local knowledge and experience with local weather patterns related to piloting hot air balloons. After gathering as much information as possible related to each flight, the pilot makes a “go/no-go” decision. However, one of the more important things that we do doesn’t happen until we meet up with our passengers. We release a “pibal” (short for pilot balloon) which is a small, helium filled balloon that we watch and track at the altitudes we will potentially be flying at. The pibal shows us many things pertinent to our flight such as wind speed, directional variability (also known as steerage) at different altitudes, thermal activity, wind shear and turbulence. We may release several pibals for your flight. The pibal is the most accurate representation of what is going on at the altitudes that we will be flying at, and is therefore the true final decision maker. We determine where we will launch from, the general area where we may be landing, and whether we will actually go or not, all from that test balloon.

Thank you for booking your flight with us! As part of the 72 hour cancellation agreement, if you should need to cancel -or- change your reservation, please let Mandy know 72 hours in advance. Your spaces are reserved specifically for you; a late cancellation fee of 100% will be charged for any reason within 72 hours of your flight time. We are happy to accommodate necessary changes with appropriate notice, and we always work to avoid charging the fee when possible. The sooner we know, the more likely we are able to do so. Help us help you! Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to flying with you!