At four a.m. my alarm went off. I opened one eye and knew that there was no time to waste. I jumped out of the bed, brushed my teeth, washed my face and got dressed – all in the usual five minutes. No time for coffee, but, instead, grabbed the one essential item for the day, my digital camera. After getting out of bed – widely known as the hardest part of each day – I found myself happy to be awake so early in the morning.
It was still dark outside and very quiet. Unfortunately, when I got into the car I realized I’d be facing high humidity and some fog. After a few minutes in the car I was not only afraid of the fog and the risk of bad visibility later on, but my schedule was at stake! I ran out of petrol and had to make an uncalculated stop. I had to be at Festival City Centre at 5:15 sharp, and for a German that means being there at least ten minutes earlier. Entering a petrol station at this time is quite amusing – especially this particular one close to the Greens. I had the feeling that the people who had left the clubs were stopping at this station early on Friday morning to get something to eat or drink. When I looked at their faces, I was unafraid of looking as though I’d just gotten up. Some of them looked much worse then I did, for sure. Anyhow, I was in a good mood even with a tired face, as I thought to myself, today I will finally experience flying in a balloon.
History
Balloons are the oldest manmade flying objects in human history. Flying hot air balloons began about 1750 years ago in China. As time passed, the Chinese invented small balloons with candles burning underneath. The candle heated up the air and the small paper balloon was able to fly. These balloons were used to send signals, and are still known and used as flying candles for different occasions. The principle idea is like that of the big balloons used today, and the former can be considered the true beginning of ballooning history.
The first big balloons were invented in 1783 in France. One of the first was made of canvas and paper and flew for about ten minutes, at an altitude of up to 1500 meters. The world record for open balloons was set in 1933 with an altitude of 11,300 meters. Unfortunately, because of the low pressure and lack of oxygen, the pilots lost consciousness, but still returned safely to the ground. However, one year later those same pilots died in an attempt to break this record. The record for closed cabin balloons is more than 34km altitude and was set in 1961. There are two main categories for balloons; hot air balloons with an open hull (those with a device to heat up the air) and balloons filled with a light gas (e.g. helium or, historically, hydrogen). Today hot air balloons are mainly used for leisure flights, but they are also used as weather balloons or by adventurers attempting to use them to travel around the world.
On the day of my ride, I arrived on time at the designated meeting place where the ballooning tour operator picked us up. They also did hotel pick-ups for tourists as well as having a pickup point in Abu Dhabi. Usually you don’t drive directly to the launch spot of the balloon, as the balloon definitely won’t land in the same place where it was launched, so unless you have a remote-control car, you’ll be stuck without a vehicle upon landing. Rather, a bus will drive several passengers to the balloon and follow it to its landing spot. I was quite surprised when I saw a minibus full of people who would be our fellow passengers, and was told that even more people would be joining us. The good news was that we would have to fly with two balloons which would result in even more gorgeous views. We drove on Route 66, the Dubai-Al Ain Road for about one hour before we finally reached our takeoff location. During the drive, I was able to learn a lot about ballooning from the tour operator.
Function
A balloon is actually quite simple in how it functions. It utilizes the basic physical principle that hot air is lighter than cold air and if you have enough hot air you can lift even heavy weights. A balloon is simply a light hull filled with hot air. More specifically, the hull is open on the lower side where a gas-burner is placed. To control the height of the balloon, the air is heated with this burner. A balloon has no steering and no break, which makes flying more complicated; the height can be adjusted with the temperature of the hot air in the balloon, and turns around its own middle axis are possible using one flap where the pilot can release hot air on a side. To lower the altitude, the air is not heated up any more and the balloon descends slowly. To descend more quickly there is a flap (called the parachute) on top of the balloon which can be opened though a line by the pilot. When the hot air is released the balloon will inevitably descend quickly.
So do balloons fly wherever the wind takes them? Yes, in a sense, but winds do not simply blow in one direction. At certain levels of altitude, winds have different speeds and different directions. The pilot of a balloon uses these winds to guide the balloon – but with the use of the winds, the course is always a bit uncertain – and therefore adventurous! With weather radar and weather forecasts the pilot knows in advance the general speed and direction of the winds, and can therefore determine where the balloon will go.
However, I personally didn’t care as much about where and how the balloon was flying, as long as it would fly, and as long as we’d be flying over some amazing desert landscapes.
I found our Hungarian pilot Attila very experienced and the whole team of Balloon Adventures to be extremely professional, as well as being one of the world’s biggest and most experienced ballooning businesses. The equipment was well maintained and the ground crew as well as Attila knew exactly what they were doing. There was nothing to fear. Luckily on the whole way to our takeoff spot, close to the village Nahel (N 24°37,256 / E 055°30,057), there was no fog; it was a little bit cold but the clear view mattered most to me.
The ground crew prepared the two balloons, with each balloon able accommodate up to twenty passengers, plus the pilot. I was very much impressed by the large size of the basket, which itself weighs about 600kgs. The crew already had prepared everything for the launch of the two balloons. We got some brief instructions about onboard security, and then, in tandem with the rising sun, the first balloon arose!
First, air was pressed with ventilators in the balloon before the burner was started and the first huge flames lit up the still-dark surroundings. Within about ten minutes, the balloon was ready for take off and the first group jumped into the balloon. To secure the balloon so that it doesn’t take off before the passengers got onboard, it was anchored by two cars on the ground. As soon as the balloon was ready, the passengers needed to quickly jump in, because the pilot needed the weight in the balloon. As soon as everybody was in the balloon, the pilot cut the security line to the car and the balloon lifted impressively fast into the air. As I watched the process with the first balloon, I couldn’t wait until ours was ready to follow. About fifteen minutes later I was the last one to hop into our balloon to take off. The compartment was not very spacious but there was enough space to stay comfortable and have great views from all around. In the beginning the pilot has to use the burner at full power, even for our big balloon which had a four-burner. I could feel the heat in my face while we were lifted up into the air. The huge flames and the sound from the burning gas being blown out with high pressure were quite impressive.
Usually balloon flights are in the morning or the evening here in the UAE, mostly mornings. This is due to thermal lift, another air phenomenon. The sun heats up the ground and therefore heats the air on the ground (as previously mentioned, hot air is lighter than cold air). The hot air ascends up in higher levels and, in exchange, cold air comes down from the higher levels of altitude. This vertical circulation is used in some aviation (like with gliders) but during balloon flights, it can be dangerous. It is possible that cold winds going down vertically could theoretically press the hot air, from the top of the balloon out of the lower opening and the balloon would crash downwards. To avoid this effect and risk, it is best to takeoff as the sun rises, and finish the flight before this effect begins. Another great part of this flight time is that it allows one to see the sunrise from the balloon. As long there aren’t fog and clouds, the view is also much better than during the day or evening, and in good conditions, one can see a view of hundreds of kilometers.
I have already experienced several helicopter flights in the UAE as well as visiting the desert many times. However, seeing the desert from the perspective of a balloon passenger – it’s breathtaking. During takeoff everybody in our group was so exited that we cheered. We ascended directly up to the highest altitude for our flight, which was about 900 meters (about equal to the peak of the Burj Kalifa). And that was just the peak of the antenna, not the viewing platform. During my ride, the dark orange shape of the sun was rising behind the mountains of the east coast. The desert was still slightly covered by a thin haze and the sky was covered in warm red and orange tones – by far one of the most amazing sunrises I’ve seen during my four years in the UAE. After a mere few minutes in the air I knew it was worth getting up so early and that this experience was worthy every dirham it cost.
It is especially interesting if you have (as I have) been to the desert many and like to navigate a 4×4 through the dunes; it’s incredible to see it from a bird’s eye view. From high above, the desert seemed like a yellow or light red ocean with frozen waves. Especially in the morning, with the low sun and long shadows, the effect was emphasized. The warm and smooth morning light covered the scene with perfect ambiance. The twenty of us in the balloon were quiet, as everybody simply enjoyed the amazing views in serenity. From time to time Attila broke the silence by turning on the burner to navigate the balloon.
I glanced at the faces of my co-passengers, and it was apparent how amazed they were – like children, as they suddenly discovered a gorgeous area, a camel, a green farm, a unique dune or even a rare ‘Al Maha’ – desert antelope. After having spent countless hours in the desert, I saw the first wild living desert antelopes. While we still hovered above them at about 600 meters off the ground, they appeared very small. But, as always, seeing wildlife in the desert is a nice, albeit rare, experience.
After a while Attila lowered the balloon down to about 100-200 meters. From this perspective, everything was more familiar to me, and not as abstract as it was from higher up. From this altitude we could see all of the small details, like wind cutting the edge of a dune, footprints of animals, and the unique desert vegetation. The closer we got to the ground, the better I could feel the speed of our balloon, which was about 15-25km/h. The wind carried us quietly and smoothly over the dunes, so we, and our colourful balloon, cast our own shadow before us.
When it was time to land, I recalled the short and simple instructions we were given on our landing positions. Attila told everybody that we would land soon (N 24°1,207 / E 055°32,168) and that we should secure our cameras and other belongings, and hold tightly to the slings in our compartment. While hovering only a few meters over the dunes, I realized that 20km/h was not as slow as I’d previously thought. Attila gave the signal to assume our landing position and only a few meters were left until we skimmed the sand. We hit a glitch on small dune first, and the basket shook a bit, before we touched down. As aforementioned, a balloon has no breaks, but is still easy and safe to land and to stop. I won’t spoil the exact experience of the landing for everyone, as it should be left for one’s own experience. I’ll just say that it was a little surprising for me and my fellow passengers, but it was the perfect end to our journey, and made everybody laugh, or at least smile.
A few minutes after landing, the ground crew arrived at the scene to pick us up and stored the balloon on a truck. We got some refreshments and everybody chatted about our flight. On the way back to our meeting location, most of the people used the hour-long drive to take a nap. I was dropped off at Festival City by 10am and had a whole Friday of beautiful weather and a great mood ahead of me.
My verdict: – A balloon flight may not be cheap (it costs about 900 AED per person), slightly more if you choose to buy souvenir photographs (which cost about 100 AED and the 8×10 photos will be sent to your P.O. Box even outside the UAE); but the experience is completely worth it for the great morning, including about one hour up in the sky.
I flew with Balloon Adventures Emirates LLC (www.ballooning.ae, Phone 04 2854949) which I most definitely recommend. They comprise of a friendly and very professional team which was necessary for my unforgettable adventure. Special thanks to Attila our pilot and to Peter for an amazing experience and safe flight.
