What better place to experience the change of summer to autumn than from up above. The autumn leaves are beginning to transform into a kaleidoscopic of visions that present themselves in warm shades. As the winter months approach, we are greeted by this transition and although a spectacle from all angles, from the skies, it is unforgettable.

Hot air ballooning is a memorable experience during all times of the year, however in autumn it allows passengers to appreciate the true beauty below. Air to Air Africa, based in the Cradle of Humankind offers flights above one of the most exquisite routes in all of the Highveld.

Visit www.airtoairafrica.co.za

Being located on the rural- urban fringe, hot air balloon guests flying with Air to Air Africa have the opportunity to experience nature whilst it is preparing for the cooler winter months.

Aerial photography

It doesn’t take state- of- the- art photography equipment or even photography experience to capture the beauty of below, from above. All hot air ballooning guests are encouraged to bring binoculars and a camera with them so that their experience can be captured and taken home with them.

Hot air balloon rides with Air to Air Africa fly passengers over Heia Safari, a private game reserve that boasts various kinds of wildlife. Taking off from the banks of Lake Heritage, the panoramic view opens up as the ascent begins, allowing guests to experience views of the landscape, birdlife and the autumn marvel that lies below.

Photography opportunities include:

• Sunrise
• Giraffe
• Zebra
• Wildebeest
• Blesbok
• Impala
• Springbok
• Zonky (Cross breed of Zebra and Donkey)
• Five rare Black Springbok
• Lake Heritage
• The unbelievable horizon

Early morning take off

Although early autumn mornings may be a bit frosty, all hot air balloon rides take off at this time of the day. Layers of clothing are advised as it will be chilly on the launch site but nice and warm in flight. This is due to the fact that hot air balloons move with the wind and that the heat in the envelope will move downwards towards guests.

Hot air balloon rides are a great way to spend time with those you love. Make it a special occasion, spoil someone on their birthday, any other memorable day or just enjoy the bird’s eye view.

Experience the oldest form of flight known to mankind and take home photographs to remember it all when it is over.

To book a hot air balloon ride with Air to Air Africa, call +27 84 602 3491 or email fly@airtoairafrica.co.za

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A birthday is always a great celebration. A milestone birthday should always be a bigger celebration. One of the most difficult parts of a birthday however, regardless of the age, can many a time be the choosing of the birthday present itself.

Giving a birthday present to someone and offering them an experience are two very different ideas. Hot air balloon rides provide an extra special sort of birthday present. Being the oldest form of flight, it is still a very popular form of entertainment.

Air to Air Africa strives to provide all its guests with the best possible hot air balloon ride experience. Surprising a loved one or a friend with a hot air balloon ride for their birthday will certainly provide more than a lift of spirits.

Visit www.airtoairafrica.co.za today

All hot air balloon rides take off from the Cradle of Humankind in the early morning. Not only is the air at its most stable at that time, but with a panoramic view and the sun rising in the distance, this is the perfect time to spot the wildlife that runs freely below. The World Heritage Sitewhich is made up of Game and Nature Reserves on the banks of the Crocodile River is also something to be marveled at. This allows guests the chance to indulge in some great photography opportunities.

Hot air balloon rides offer magnificent backdrops for birthday photograph portraits.

Air to Air Africa offers large groups of guests the chance to customise their hot air balloon ride by choosing a destination to take off from. This allows the birthday experience to be shared with friends or family and to be enjoyed whilst flying over land of choice.

To view a list of prices and times, click here

Once the hot air balloon ride has come to an end, the birthday experience need not be over. Guests are able to make a birthday toast and enjoy a glass of bubbly together whilst they enjoy the fresh air.

Make a birthday extra special in 2011 and treat someone to this magical, never to be forgotten birthday experience.

For more information on booking a hot air balloon ride, contact Air to Air Africa on +27 84 602 3491 or emailfly@airtoairafrica.co.za

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Lifting off a little past dawn and feeling the brisk morning air rushing over your face, is an excellent way to start our morning as you embark on one of the most exciting experiences of your life.

Hot air ballooning is one of the oldest forms of flight. This long heritage and closeness to nature that hot air ballooning brings then makes it ideal for flying near silently over wild game.

Air To Air Africa’s standard take off ground is in the Kromdraai area on the banks of Lake Heritage near Lanseria airport. The Cradle of Human Kind (as this area is also known) includes many game and nature reserves which we are able to fly relatively low and silently over.

For more information on booking your affordable air – venture in a hot air balloon over a game reserve, contact Air To Air directly on fly@airtoairafrica.co.za or call Sheree on +27 84 602 3491.

As the flight lifts off you will not even feel the pull of gravity trying to keep you flat on Mother Earth; nor will you get a rush of excitement and adrenalin that feeling may come on landing which are always interesting, no matter how many times you fly Swooping initially low over the scrub and trees; you begin to get a little perspective as to how beautiful the environment that we live in actually is.

When the balloon comes in over a grazing herd of wild game, be it impala, rhino or wildebeest; they are not scared away as they would be with a normal aircraft such as a helicopter due to the low noise that a hot air balloon makes as it glides effortlessly in the air. The occasional punctuation of the burner doesn’t scare the game away either. The intimacy that you feel with nature as you observe from above is unmatched by any other form of flight.

Hot air ballooning over wild game and game farms is ideal for both young and old as every time you go up you see something different and experience something brand new. Whether you are taking the balloon ride out of curiosity, for the thrill of it or as many hot air balloon enthusiasts out of sheer enjoyment, hot air ballooning with Air To Air Africa is guaranteed to be the perfect flight for you.

Taking photos from a hot air balloon is particularly special. Taking in the view from the sky gives you a completely different perspective on the world below you and capturing this on film is the perfect way to remember your flight. With the rolling hills forming the backdrop and the herding game taking centre stage of your photo; the scene is set from your hot air balloon vantage point.

Booking your sunrise hot air balloon ride over a game farm, or anywhere else, cannot be simpler. Simply call Sheree at Air To Air Africa on +27 84 602 3491 or click here. For more information on Air To Air Africa, visit their website at www.airtoairafrica.co.za.

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Balloon safari’s are one of the most popular and exciting ways to view wild game. The thrill of being so close to the wild animals is truly breathtaking and awe inspiring.

Air To Air Africa are able to launch their hot air balloons practically from anywhere which means that when the conditions are right, you can embark on your thrilling hot air balloon safari. For more information on arranging and booking your hot air balloon safari, contact Sheree directly on +27 84 602 3491 or by clicking here.

Balloon Safari times.

The best time of the day for a hot air balloon safari is in the early morning, just after dawn. This is because the hot air balloon is controlled by air currents and is seriously affected by cross winds.

In the early dawn, the convection winds and cross winds are a lot less strong and easier to manage for the balloon pilot.

This also coincides with the movements of the animals as they are waking up at dawn and making their way down to the watering holes before the heat of the day. Watching the wild animals in the early morning from the safety of the hot air balloon is simply breath taking. They are not phased by the presence of the balloon and go about their business as they are not threatened (and may show a mild interest) by your presence.

Equally beautiful is watching the sun cast its rays down on to the earth and breathe new life into another day. Nothing else is quite as moving or as beautiful to see from a hot air balloon.

The hour balloon flight slots perfectly in to this sunrise period before touching you gently back to earth.

Hot air balloon safari’s are the most affordable forms of flight that bring you so close to nature that you can almost reach out and touch it. Hot air balloons are unique as a means of flight because there is no engine generating a lot of noise and pollution to get you in the air. The propane burner of a hot air balloon only makes periodic short bursts of noise when the pilot burns to gain altitude.

Where to launch from

Air to Air Africa is able to offer large groups a flights form a location of your choice, (if at all possible. Balloons need about half a football pitch to launch and open spaces to land). Please call for a quote as the price may change.

Air To Air Africa is always available to help give you an experience of a life time in one of our hot air balloons. Simply call Sheree on +27 84 602 3491 or by filling in the form located here. With over 25 years worth of flying experience, Air To Air’s qualified hot air balloon pilot can guarantee that you will have a memorable hot air balloon experience.

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Being a hot air balloon pilot takes some skill. Although the controls look simple enough, flying a hot air balloon can be a very tricky procedure. Depending on the weather and the passengers involved in the flight, the pilot needs to take a lot of factors into account.

To lift the hot air balloon, the pilot adjusts a control that opens the propane valve. As the lever is adjusted, so is the flame. The pilot can increase the vertical speed of the hot air balloon by creating a larger flame to heat the air more rapidly. In addition to this lever, most hot air balloons have a second lever. This lever burns the propane in liquid form rather than gas form and is used mostly over areas where noise levels are best to be kept at a minimum. Areas such as this would be game farms where you are flying over animals either at a drinking hole or on the hunt. At the top of the hot air balloon, there is a cord to open the parachute valve. When the pilot pulls the attached cord, some of the hot air escapes, decreasing the inner air temperature. This causes the hot air balloon to slowly descend.

Now that you understand how the pilot moves the hot air balloon up and down, your next question would be “how do you steer the balloon?”. With wind blowing in different directions at different altitudes, the pilot has to make use of this by adjusting the height of the hot air balloon. Consequently, when adjusting the height, the pilot can control which direction the balloon travels. Of course, this means that the pilot cannot have complete control over the direction of the balloon at all times, but an experienced pilot learns to deal with these wind changes and uses it to his advantage. Very rarely will you find that the pilot will be able to land the hot air balloon at the exact spot of where you took off and in some cases, ground crew are available to help the balloon land where needed.

As you have just found out, flying a hot air balloon is not as easy as you first thought. Eddie from Air to Air Africa has over 23 years and over 2000 hours of flying experience. Eddie is qualified as a balloon pilot in Austria and has flown extensively over Asia and Europe. To find out how Eddie can be your pilot and make your flight a memorable event, contact us on 084 602 3491 or send an email to fly@airtoairafrica.co.za

Air to Air Africa has a host of packages that cater for all hot air balloon enthusiasts. To find out more about these packages, click here

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Hot air ballooning is becoming a sought after activity in South Africa. With our beautiful countryside there is so much to see, and what better way than from a birds eye view in one of the oldest forms of flight known to man.

Air to Air Africa is a Licensed Non Scheduled Airline and therefore meets with Civil Aviation laws and regulations. We fly as sunrise daily from the banks of Lake Heritage on the grounds of in the Cradle of Humankind approximately 35km north west of Johannesburg, close to Lanseria Airport. For groups of 8 or more, we can arrange hot air balloon flights from anywhere in South Africa if at all suitable.

The hot air balloon flight experience

Hot Air Balloons is the only for of aviation that moves with the wind. For this reason where you will go what you will see and when you will land differs with every flight

Balloons need cool stable conditions in order to operate safely and the period at sunrise is the most suitable. Thermal activity begins approximately two hours after sunrise as the air begins to become unstable and the upper winds come down to the ground. For this reason flights begin at sunrise and last approximately an hour.

What can be seen on a balloon flight

Air to Air Africa is situated in the Cradle of Humankind a World Heritage Site which includes game and Nature Reserves and the Crocodile River. This allows for excellent panoramic game viewing as the balloon floats just above ground, over rivers and waterfalls you may get to pick a leaf from the tops of trees. The less wind the lower the hot air balloon can go.

As you float majestically above the ground, passengers are awarded an uninterrupted view of the landscape below. The sunrise and the spreading light extending over the horizon as you look down from above is a magnificent sight to behold.

At the end of the flight the basket will begin to drift gently down to the ground below. The pilot may warn passengers to get down in the basket as instructed prior to take off as the balloon basket may bounce a few times before it comes to a complete stop. The ground team will meet you on landing to secure the basket and pack up the envelope. The pilot will offer the traditional toast of Sparkling wine and/ or orange juice. You will then be transported to the base for breakfast, and awarded you wit a commemorative certificate.

Book your hot air ballooning experience with Air to Air Africa

For more information on our hot air balloon flights and pricing contact us on +27 84 602 3491 or complete our << back to articles

Air Balloon History

The Montgolfier Brothers launched the first passengers in a hot air balloon on 19 September 1783 in Versailes. Little has changed since then with hot air balloon companies all round the world still practicing the old traditions of ballooning.

Eddie Jacobs started Air to Air Africa as a commercial hot air balloon operation in 1999. His wife Sheree Jacobs joined the company in 2004. With three large commercial balloons designed around the safety of the passengers, Air to Air Africa has maintained a 100% safety record to date.

Hot Air Balloons Description

All the baskets are double T shaped with two compartments either side of the Pilots Cockpit, which hold 4 gas cylinders and the very limited aviation equipment required for a hot air balloon flight. Air to Air Africa will try and keep all partners together and meet with your individual special requirements.

Passenger arrangement can all be set up as follows:

- Two per compartment up to 8 passengers
- Three per compartment up to 12 passengers
- Four per compartment up to 16 passengers

Location Information

Individual passengers are able to join a group balloon flight 30 minutes before sunrise at the Heia Safari Game Ranch in the Cradle of Humankind approximately 35km from Johannesburg.

Air to Air Africa have a number of launch-sites available in the “Cradle” so that the pilot may choose the best site once he has a current aviation forcast of the upper wind for that particular day. We may also launch the balloon on the banks of Lake Herritage, a man made lake 2.5 km long with a beautiful waterfall flowing into the Crocodile River.

Flight Information

Regardless of where we take off or where we land, the chance to interact with wild life is possible while having breakfast at Heia Safari. The giraffe will come to greet you at reception while the Zebra drink from the swimming pool and the buck roam the grounds of the Ranch.

All flights include tea/coffee prior to an hour flight, and sparkling wine and / or orange juice on landing wherever that may be. Once you have landed safely you will be transported back to the venue for a buffet style breakfast where you will be awarded your commemorative certificate. Duration of this excursion is 3-4 hours.

In the winter when the ground takes longer to heat up and the wind are more stable we can offer team building, corporates and product launches, a double hop flight. Groups of 16, 20 or 32 will be divided into two, for a 30-45 minute flight. The second group follows the 1ast group swopping over on landing. Unfortunately this is not advisable in summer as the 2nd group may not get to fly if the winds pick up during the first flight.

Air to Air Africa will bring the balloon(s) to a venue of your choice if at all suitable. This is only offered to a minimum of 8 passengers. There may be an additional cost for the transport and accommodation of the pilot crew and balloon(s).

Book your first hot air balloon flight with Air to Air Africa

Air to Air Africa has highly experience pilots to navigate your first hot air balloon flight and hopefully many more after that.

For more information on booking your first hot air balloon flight contact Air to Air Africa here >>
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