General Questions

We alternate between a wide range of different flying regions in Zealand, Funen, and Jutland. In Jutland, we most often fly in the area around Silkeborg. On Funen, we typically start in the area between Tommerup, Årslev, and Ringe. In Zealand, we alternate between 4 flying regions: North Zealand, Roskilde, Jystrup/Ringsted, and Sorø.

DreamBalloon has an online booking system accessible from the website. Once you've purchased your ticket, you can book your flight.
Here you can book your actual flight

Hot air balloon flights take place either in the hours just before sunset or in the hours right after sunrise. During the flying season, the meeting and flight times will therefore vary according to the times of sunrise and sunset.

We are in the air for about an hour, depending slightly on wind and weather conditions, suitable landing spots, etc. However, you should plan for at least four hours for the entire experience.

Hot air balloons cannot be steered. They follow the wind's direction, and you never know exactly where you will land. After about 50 minutes, the pilot begins looking for a suitable landing site.

The chase vehicle follows the balloon on the ground and aims to arrive at the landing site shortly after the balloon has landed.

No. Flying in a hot air balloon is not dangerous in principle. Hot air ballooning is a well-proven and safe form of flight. There is a natural risk associated with all activities that, like ballooning, take place under physical and meteorological conditions that are dynamic and can change suddenly. And as a passenger, you must of course be aware of this. However, in Denmark, equipment and personnel are subject to a high degree of control, and there have been no serious accidents involving hot air balloon flights in this country.

In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers sent an 800 cubic meter balloon filled with smoke (hot air) into the sky in France. This revolutionary event amazed France, England, and several other countries. That same year, the brothers sent up an even larger balloon with two people on board, who became the first humans ever to attempt flight. The experiments spread to many countries, including Denmark, where pharmacist Mühlenstedt made his first attempt on November 23, 1783.

Since 1783, balloon flight has undergone significant development. For a period, gas balloons became totally dominant – and they also formed the foundation for the development of airships. In 1960, a gas burner was developed that could burn liquid propane. This sparked the modern technology that has brought hot air balloons within the economic reach of ordinary people. Today, flights are made in gas balloons, hot air balloons, and combinations of both. Balloons remain balloon-shaped, but modern construction techniques have also made it possible to create special figure balloons in virtually all sizes and shapes.

A hot air balloon works by utilizing the physical law that warm air is lighter than cold air. By gathering a large amount of relatively warm air, it can begin to lift a significant weight. A cubic meter of air heated by 100 degrees can lift about 300 grams. By heating approximately 2000 m3 of air to 100 degrees, you can create a lift of about 600 kg, which is the weight of a small balloon with gas, basket, and passengers. By operating the burner during the flight, the balloon pilot can also raise and lower the temperature in the balloon envelope, causing the balloon to ascend and descend. The temperature in the balloon envelope is naturally highest at the top, where it typically ranges between 80-110 degrees during flight. The balloon has the flight time that the carried gas amount allows and uses about 60-80 liters of gas per hour. When the balloon pilot wishes to land the balloon, they can slowly decrease the altitude and finally let the basket land on a suitable fallow or grass field.

In Denmark, there are approximately 25 hot air balloons and about 35 active private balloon pilots. Additionally, there are 3 commercially trained balloon pilots who are licensed to fly with paying passengers.

A hot air balloon can be controlled very precisely in terms of altitude. It rises and falls using the temperature in the balloon envelope, and an experienced balloon pilot can keep a balloon within 1 meter of altitude for a long time. However, the balloon's flight direction is solely determined by the wind direction at the balloon's flying altitude. Therefore, during the planning of a balloon flight, it is very important to know the wind direction and thus the balloon's flight path. It is only possible for a balloon pilot to decide on a launch site once he knows the wind conditions on the flight day. At different altitudes, there are often variations in both wind direction and speed. The balloon pilot can use these by changing the balloon's flight altitude and thus influence the flight path. But it's pretty much impossible to 'turn around' and fly back. Simply put, the balloon's flight direction can be controlled with altitude...

The typical, smaller hot air balloon for about 3-4 people weighs approximately 350 kg. That includes the balloon envelope, basket, and burner system, but before the pilot and guests get on board. It can lift a maximum of 700 kg, which is primarily determined by the volume of the balloon envelope. However, balloons can also be found in much larger sizes, and our largest passenger balloon weighs approximately 4.5 tons fully loaded and with passengers on board. Of this, the balloon envelope itself is about 500 kg, which is why we need many people to handle it during setup and packing.

A hot air balloon consists of 3 main parts. The balloon itself (which we call the envelope), the basket, and the burner system. The balloon envelope can be made of either polyester or rip-stop nylon. The fabric is designed to keep the heat inside the balloon, while the balloon's supporting structure is a large network of strong webbing, around which the fabric is sewn. The balloon basket is woven from willow, but its supporting structure consists of oak planks and strong steel cables that connect to the balloon. Willow wickerwork has the great advantage of being both flexible and strong, making it very suitable for balloon landings. The burner system consists of gas cylinders, hoses, and a large burner that can be activated and which, by burning gas, can send heat up into the balloon during flight.

Clearly, there are as many prices for balloon equipment as there are sizes. A smaller hot air balloon for recreational use with space for 3-4 people can typically be purchased for around DKK 300,000. As the balloons get larger, the prices also increase, and our largest hot air balloon cost around DKK 1,500,000 when new. In addition, you should expect additional costs for trailer, radio equipment, and vehicle. Hot air balloons are quite suitable advertising platforms - they are visible in the sky and have large surfaces. You might be lucky to arrange a partnership with a company that would like to display a logo or message on the balloon. This can often help keep costs down.

Modern hot air balloons float because hot air is lighter than cold air. When the balloon is filled, we gather a large amount of hot air that can carry the basket and passengers. We burn propane gas to create the necessary heat to make the balloon rise. It's important to distinguish between a gas balloon and a hot air balloon. Unlike the hot air balloon, the gas balloon uses a light gas to float. At DreamBalloon, we only fly hot air balloons, not gas balloons.

In principle, everyone can fly in a hot air balloon. It's a relaxed and calm form of flying, which is more like a gentle glide than normal flight as we know it from airplanes. This is because the balloon constantly moves with the wind during the flight and therefore feels completely still.

To ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all who fly, passengers must be in a physical condition that allows them to participate in the experience. This means, for example, being able to stand for the hour-long flight and not being physically frail. Additionally, all passengers must be able to understand and follow the instructions given by the pilot and crew.

According to the Danish Transport Authority's rules, the balloon pilot is responsible for the passengers, and ultimately it's the pilot who decides whether a passenger is able to participate in the flight in a safe manner on the given day.

As a general rule, we don't offer flights if:

• You are more than 12 weeks pregnant on the day of the flight
• You are a child under 130 cm in height (typically 6-7 years old)
• You are a wheelchair user
• You have severe mobility issues or appear physically frail to such an extent that you're deemed unable to safely complete the flight - including standing for about 60 minutes, which is how long the flight lasts.
• You are intoxicated or appear to be under the influence

A hot air balloon is a vessel of considerable size. Our largest balloon is a Lindstrand C600 with a capacity of up to 32 passengers. It is one of the world's largest hot air balloons, which once flew over the center of Stockholm. Now it has come to Denmark and flies here. However, DreamBalloon has hot air balloons in many different sizes, and the volume of the balloon envelope is crucial for how much weight and thus how many guests it can lift. Our Cameron Z-425 has a volume of 425,000 cubic feet. This translates to about 12,000 cubic meters or the equivalent of the volume of 181 40-foot containers. It is over 35 meters high when filled and can lift over 3.5 tons.

Yes, it's a good idea to bring a camera and/or binoculars, as a balloon ride offers many great photo opportunities. However, you bring them at your own risk, and during landing, larger binoculars/cameras should be packed away under your jacket.

We recommend clothing and footwear suitable for a countryside walk in the weather conditions expected on the day. Generally, it's warm during the flight, but it's a good idea to have a jacket handy for after landing, when it can quickly get cooler.

It's a good idea to wear a hat or cap to protect against the radiant heat from the balloon's burners. On warm days, it's also important to bring some drinking water. Sensible footwear is essential, as you might end up walking on damp and uneven fields.

Passengers are usually invited to help with the setup and takedown of the balloon, so it's also a good idea to wear clothes you can work in and that can handle a bit of dirt.

We recommend having a friend who can either pick you up at the landing site and transport you back to your car - or alternatively drive your car to the landing site. If arranging such transportation is problematic, you can of course also call a taxi instead.

Spectators are very welcome, but it might be a good idea to inform them that there won't be toilet facilities near the launch site, for example.

It's also possible to follow the balloon by car during the flight. You can track the balloon's position online at www.minballontur.dk.

We recommend trying to follow the balloon yourself rather than following the chase car. After landing, you can call the chase car to get the exact landing location.

We would love to guarantee this, but since hot air balloons cannot be steered, we obviously cannot make any promises. If you take off from a launch site in your local area and the wind is in your favor, it's certainly possible that you'll get to see your house from above, but to avoid disappointment, it's best not to count on it.

Flying in a hot air balloon is in many ways a calm and peaceful experience, but it's also an adventure-filled outdoor activity, and the landing is definitely the part of the flight that offers the most action.

Sometimes the basket drags along the ground for a while before stopping, and occasionally the basket may tip over during landing. Balloons have been landing like this for over 200 years, and it's completely normal.

The balloon and basket are built for this, and safety is top-notch even during landing. The pilot provides you with thorough instructions both before and during the flight on how to handle the landing.

The landing is an exciting part of the experience, and passengers often say afterward that the landing was the best part of the flight!

Hot air balloons cannot be steered. They follow the wind's direction, and you never know exactly where you will land. After about 50 minutes, the pilot begins looking for a suitable landing site.

The chase car follows the balloon on the ground, aiming to arrive at the landing site shortly after the balloon has landed. As a guest, you can follow our balloons' flight routes via the website www.minballontur.dk, where the balloons' current position is shown on a Google map.

Hot air balloons cannot be steered in the conventional way, but follow the wind's direction and speed, while the pilot skillfully controls the balloon's altitude by managing the temperature inside the balloon envelope.

How far you fly therefore depends on the wind conditions on that particular day, as well as how long it takes the pilot to find a suitable landing site.

You can fly anywhere from a very short distance up to 35 kilometers, but normally the trip will be somewhere between 10 and 20 km.

We fly up to 1,500-2,000 feet (500-700 meters). At this height, you can see for miles around, but even at a few hundred feet, the view is spectacular! We also fly part of the journey at low altitude, which offers unique nature experiences as animals and plants are seen from a completely new angle.

During the day, the ground surface is heated by the sun's rays. The ground surface then heats the air above it, resulting in thermals – columns of rising warm air. The thermals create upward and downward air currents that affect the pilot's ability to maintain control over the balloon's ascent and descent.

Therefore, hot air balloon flights take place during the hours around sunrise and sunset, when thermals don't occur.

Hot air balloon flights take place either in the hours just before sunset or in the hours right after sunrise. During the flying season, the meeting and flight times will therefore vary according to the times of sunrise and sunset.

We're in the air for about an hour, depending slightly on wind and weather conditions, suitable landing spots, etc. However, you should plan for at least four hours for the entire experience, including unpacking, setup, packing up, and the closing ceremony.

The booking is binding and, as a rule, unfortunately cannot be changed. However, if you contact us well in advance (72 hours) before a flight, we can often assist with rebooking. If you become ill before your flight, please contact customer service as soon as possible at 51422036.

We alternate between various flight regions in Zealand, Funen, and Jutland. In Jutland, we most often fly in the Silkeborg area. On Funen, we typically start in the area between Tommerup, Årslev, and Ringe. In Zealand, we set up flights in the Central Zealand region, which can include launch sites in Skibby, Ishøj, Roskilde, Jystrup, Ringsted, Sorø, Stenlille, Tølløse, Lejre, and other towns. The weather, and especially the wind direction on the flight day, is crucial in determining where we can take off from.

NOTE - The offered flight regions in Zealand and Jutland are indicative. If we can fly in the advertised flight region on the flight day, we will do so. If flying is not possible in the advertised region on the actual flight day, but is possible in another nearby region, the flight will proceed there. This ensures you get your flight on your desired day, if flying is possible at all.

The chosen launch site depends entirely on wind and weather conditions on the actual day, and is therefore only decided on the flight day itself, when it will be communicated via email and SMS.

On the flight day, you will receive information about the meeting location and time before 3:00 PM (and usually much earlier).

DreamBalloon only conducts flights when weather conditions are suitable for safe balloon flying. If the weather is not suitable for balloon flying on your booked flight day, you will receive notification by email and SMS on the day about the cancellation. As soon as the flight is cancelled, your booking number will be released, after which you can book yourself for a new flight date through the online booking system.

• The ground wind or altitude wind might have been too strong and exceeded the allowed limits. There might also have been a risk of gusts exceeding the limits.
• Rain may have been forecasted in the flight area. We cannot fly in the rain as it means poor visibility and the balloon will be heavier to fly. The balloon envelope can also be damaged by getting too wet.
• Thunderstorms, known as Cumuli Nimbus, may have been forecasted in the area. These are dangerous for the balloon, and we must not fly within 50 km of one.
• If your flight was a morning flight, there may have been poor visibility/fog in the morning, within our flight period, which then cleared up later in the day.

The changing Danish weather is one of the things that makes each hot air balloon flight a unique experience. However, the weather is also the factor in hot air ballooning that we simply cannot control. This means that the pilot sometimes cancels the planned flight because the wind and weather conditions are not suitable for a safe flight. Our pilots all have extensive experience, and it is the pilot who decides whether the weather on the current day is safe to fly in.

Our pilots always have safety as their highest priority. When they cancel a flight, either in advance by SMS/email, or in rare cases at the launch site, they will often give an explanation as to why. Our pilots make the decision about whether the weather is suitable for flying based on the most relevant and up-to-date weather reports that are available immediately before they notify passengers via SMS/email.

Occasionally, however, the weather will turn out to be different from what the forecast predicted. There are different weather forecasts, and they can be interpreted differently by different meteorologists. So, like everyone who works with weather and wind, we also sometimes make mistakes. Here are some of the general reasons why a pilot may choose to cancel a flight:

On the day of the flight, the pilot will send a text message and an email to all passengers. This will let you know whether or not the flight can proceed, and if so, exactly where and when to meet the pilot.

The pilot will send you this message no later than 3:00 PM before an evening flight. However, the message often comes earlier if possible, and we try to send it before noon if the weather forecast is clear. For a scheduled sunrise flight, the pilot will send the message no later than 9:00 PM the evening before.

DreamBalloon has an online booking system that you can access from the website. If you click on 'Flight Calendar' from the main page, you will be taken to an overview of flights. If you already have a ticket, you can book your desired flight in the desired flight area.

We try to have flights open for up to a month ahead and seats always available in all flight areas.

Our balloons can accommodate 12 and 19 passengers respectively, plus the pilot and any crew on board. We also have a smaller balloon with two passenger seats, which we use for our VIP flights and for competitive flying at balloon events both in Denmark and abroad.

The large balloons are divided into smaller sections with space for 3-5 passengers each. The basket is shaped like an elongated rectangle, so everyone has the opportunity to stand at the edge and get the optimal view during the flight.

Children must be seven years old and 140 cm tall to participate in the flight.

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. We know our passengers come in different shapes and sizes, but due to weight and space limitations in a hot air balloon, we ask all passengers weighing more than 130 kg to purchase an extra seat.

The pilot's decision on whether to fly or not is not influenced by what other pilots do. Our pilots assess the situation based on the most accurate weather reports available and make their own decision with your safety as the top priority.

It might have been a private balloon you saw. They are allowed to fly in more challenging weather conditions than balloons permitted for commercial flights like ours. Private balloons are also generally much smaller than passenger balloons, making them easier to set up and land.

All passengers must ensure that they do not suffer from any pre-existing medical conditions that could be aggravated by ballooning or that could prevent them from participating in the flight in a safe manner. If in doubt, consult your doctor.

We make every effort to ensure that people with disabilities also have the opportunity to participate in balloon flights with us, wherever possible and safe to do so.

As everyone's specific situation is different and some disabilities pose a greater challenge than others in relation to ballooning, we ask you to contact us and tell us about any disability you may have before purchasing your ticket and booking your flight. This will enable us to advise you in the best possible way and make special arrangements to accommodate you and guarantee your safety during the flight.

We can provide information about accessibility at different departure points upon request. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, it is not possible to have passengers who are wheelchair-dependent in the basket.

Unfortunately, for safety reasons, it is not possible to fly in the balloon if you are pregnant. If you become pregnant after purchasing a ticket, we will gladly extend the ticket's validity until after you have given birth. Simply contact us and send a copy of your maternity record, which you receive from your doctor.

No. Our pilots are all certified and very experienced, and we believe it's best to let them handle the actual flying. However, they're more than happy to answer questions about how they got hooked on balloon flying and how it all works.

See under the menu "about the pilots" for more information.

As we are a company licensed for commercial flights, you are fully insured with us according to the Danish Transport Authority's regulations.

Hot air balloon flying is an extremely safe form of aviation, and ballooning in Denmark is conducted under very strict regulation and control. We are licensed for commercial flights under the Danish Transport Authority, and all our skilled pilots are certified for commercial flying. Our balloon fleet consists of the latest models and is fully equipped with safety equipment according to Transport Authority regulations.

Our balloons are all made by Cameron Balloons, the world's largest manufacturer of quality hot air balloons, https://www.cameronballoons.co.uk/