What if I’m afraid of heights?

This is a question we hear from so many people. Sometimes they don’t believe our answer at all. Let me first say that the last thing we want is to take someone flying that is scared the entire time. It is no fun for us, and no fun for our other passengers. That being said, very few people are afraid of heights! In fact most people are actually afraid of edges……….

As a pilot I can honestly say that when I am on a tall ladder, edge of a roof, cliff or building. These are all things that take but a simple slip to fall from, get injured or worse. I do not stand on or near edges! Balloons do not trigger the fear that many people have of falling for a couple of different reason. The first is that they are always moving with the wind rather than through the wind. There is no sense of motion in a balloon! The second is that balloon baskets are very tall the simple act of climbing on board can be challenging for some people. We tell all of our passengers “The best part of it being so difficult to get in the basket is that it is even more difficult to get out”. In all the years of flying we have had even exceptionally nervous passengers calm down and enjoy the flight in just a few minutes.

One of the best things about living is the ability to challenge ourselves and hopefully end up living in a much bigger box than our fears would like us to. Balloons are a fantastic and safe way to challenge a fear of heights. If you are nervous feel free to tell your pilot and he will help make the transition from Chicken to Eagle as smooth as possible for you. Remember it is only fun for us if it is fun for you.