have you ever been in a hot air balloon

[big zorb]

i will say the balloon festival is really striking to see

[Fine Wine]

cause of all of the balloons?

[Locke]

i would freak and jump out

[mactheo]

yeah , those photos are so cool. i realize i didn't know the story of the Hindenberg; i iwas surprised to see this photo (not a hot air balloon)

[Mr Squishy]

I did this with my family in Phoenix, Arizona when I was a teenager. The main thing I remember is that the top of my head was extremely hot because of the giant flame that continually ignites directly above it over and over.

[shark week]

there's a big balloon festival here every year around Labor Day weekend that is a big deal

i think i would get in a hot air balloon but i'd never get in a helicopter.

[FourLegsGood]

That Egyptian hot air balloon disaster video from 2013 is one of the scariest things

[200mer]

i was going to do this in Cappadocia but there was a deadly accident/crash the day before and all of the "flights" got canceled

it was caused by two balloons getting pushed together. this was in 2013

[joe]

i did not realize that people died on these things.

yeah i entered this thread ready to say "no, but i want to!"

[rex]

I did this with my family in Phoenix, Arizona when I was a teenager. The main thing I remember is that the top of my head was extremely hot because of the giant flame that continually ignites directly above it over and over.

Yeah, I did one of these things in Colorado Springs when I was like 10. I remember that the fire thing was extremely fucking loud and hot even though I could hardly see over the side of the basket. And that once we got up in the air I basically had to choose boredom or inducing fear of heights.

[Chyet]

i think VR hot air ballooning would satisfy my interest

[Chyet]

plus thats a vr game my living room would be big enough for

[Merciel]

Those pictures are amazing.

I have never been in a hot air balloon (I don't think, it's possible I might have done like one of those really short state fair rides where you go straight up and down in ten minutes as a kid). I wouldn't say no if the opportunity came up, but I'm also not interested enough to go out of my way to line up a balloon-specific excursion just to do one.

[Jeremy]

we need to bring rigid airships back as a mode of transit

Yeah. And if the Suez Canal issue has taught us nothing else, it is that we should be shipping more stuff by dirigible.

[Future]

yeah i had the opportunity to do this last summer. a family friend has a balloon ride biz and my dad works with him sometimes to chase down and pack up the balloons as they land.

i was not prepared for how quick the ascent would be and the sensation of going up very quickly sometimes pops into my head randomly when i'm awake in bed in the middle of the night. everything else was quite pleasant though.


this is us over Canandaigua Lake, looking south. the clearing near the water on the right is apparently Wegmans' organic farm.

[The Fool on the Hill]

I went in a hot air balloon but it was tethered. Does that count? We still got up to like 300 feet in the air.

[garbiel]

That Egyptian hot air balloon disaster video from 2013 is one of the scariest things

christ sake

According to a nearby balloon pilot, Mohamed Youssef, a fire started in the Sky Cruise balloon a few meters off the ground as it was attempting to land, as a result of a leaking fuel line.[1][6] As the fire engulfed the basket, the pilot and one passenger leaped to safety as the craft rose rapidly aided by a wind gust.[1][11] As the balloon rose, approximately seven passengers jumped to their deaths to escape the fire.[1] At an altitude of approximately 300 meters (980 ft), there was an explosion which could be heard several kilometers away.[1] The balloon and remaining passengers plunged to the ground, killing everyone remaining on board. Youssef said it appeared that a gas leak in one of the balloon's tanks caused the fire and resulting explosion, consistent with information reported in state-run media.[1][4] Earlier reports had indicated that the balloon may have contacted a power line.[6]Toggle Spoiler

[k_uger]

yes I have!

my band was playing a hot air balloon festival in presque isle maine in 2012

we drew straws and me (bass) and the brand new keyboard player got to go up... the dude was def disappointed that one of the two guitarists and songwriters weren’t up there lol SUCK IT

[k_uger]

[garbiel]

album covers that dont exist

[Cornwallis]

we need to bring rigid airships back as a mode of transit

Yeah. And if the Suez Canal issue has taught us nothing else, it is that we should be shipping more stuff by dirigible.

i wrote a lengthy paper on this very topic advocating this as a way to open up landlocked countries in central africa / asia to global markets

unfortunately it seems most of the walrus/hula derivative concepts have been shelved for good...

[k_uger]

oh the humanity!

[Cornwallis]

They launch balloons all the time down by the river where I grew up, and I always wonder where do they go? I've never seen them land anywhere