Le Ballon Bleu, exclusieve ballonvaarten voor twee of drie etsonen in een privé-mand.

A matter of weight...

In ballooning, weight is everything. Under 'standard' summer conditions our relatively small sports balloon can carry between 150 and 160 kgs in passenger load (in addition to the pilot and fuel). Ergo, two adults of average weight (if you consider 75 kgs per person average, which in some countries it obviously is not...)

A few years ago someone asked us if we could take her and her two teenage daughters together - in other words, three slim ladies *). We calculated that it is possible to do that, provided the three passengers together do not weigh in at more than 180 kgs.
We can adapt the number and size of fuel tanks we carry on board to lighten the load a bit, so we can either carry up to about 180 kgs of passengers when it's not very warm or fly two people of average weight in warmer weather. In such cases, the flight may be a bit shorter as we have less fuel reserve to traverse large obstacles towards the end of the flight. When we carry three people, we always carry one fuel tank less to free up the neccessary space in the basket. There is less fuel reserve to fly more than one hour in that case, so the flight may be shortened a little bit, depending on the conditions.

Given the weight limit of 180 kg for three passengers, this adventure is typically suited for three sporting girls (of all ages between 16 and 70). For instance, a mother with her daughters, or a group of friends celebrating a bachelorette party in a holiday home in the beautiful Auvergne, with lots of outdoor challenges: canoeing, rock or tree climbing, mountain biking, horse riding, and of course ballooning....

As long as we organize 'private' flights and don't sell tickets we cannot demand a lot more for three people compared to two. In 2023 we ask 605 euros of passengers' participation when we take three featherweights - just 55 euros more than for two passengers. Like with the special adventure for two crazy ladies below, we 'compensate' for the lower participation per person, and for the possibly shorter flight, by organizing an extra special version of the after-flight baptism ceremony. LOL.
Use the adapted form to demand your participation in such an adventure.

For TWO sporting girls we have a special adventure: the Crazy Girls flight. In that case, we actually demand a smaller participation in the costs, because it allows us to fly with charming passengers in warm summer conditions when we might not be able to take two people of average weight. And we love to fly, so we gladly pay a slightly larger part of the costs ourselves instead of staying on the ground because it's too hot. Which is really sad.
Whether you're two or 3 crazy ladies, there is no escaping an extra special, XXL baptism ceremony afterwards (very wet and messy)! Bring a Red Nose or some crazy party ears and dress up for all that after-flight fun!

Back to the page on balloon flights.

* We talk about slender ladies, because in reality, there are very few men weighing less than 60 kgs. The few times we accepted a gentleman along with two ladies (or a family of three with dad, mum and one teenage child) the men turned out to be heavier than expected and the flight became both too short (because we burnt fuel like crazy) and uncomfortably tight in the basket. We also had to heat the balloon a bit over the reference temperature of 100 degrees Celsius, which is not a good idea either, as it wears down faster. We are happy to accept a really skinny guy though - as long as you don't lie about your weight!

** The actual flight time also depends on the temperature, humidity, the terrain and the age of the balloon - it gradually becomes more porous over its lifetime of only 300 flight hours, and thus consumes more fuel when it is relatively 'old', shortening its maximum flight duration. Note that our balloon has been mostly rebuilt in recent years and flies almost 'as new'. Still, with less fuel reserve the pilot may need to decide to cut the flight short and land a bit early to avoid traversing large 'inhospitable' areas (large forests, river gorges...) late in the flight, with an increased risk of a difficult landing.


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A matter of weight... In ballooning, weight is everything. Under 'standard' summer conditions our relatively small sports balloon can carry between 150 and 160 kgs in passenger load (in addition to the pilot and fuel). Ergo, two adults of average weight (if you consider 75 kgs per person average, which in some countries it obviously is not...) A few years ago someone asked us if we could take her and her two teenage daughters together - in other words, three slim ladies ). We calculated that it is possible to do that, provided the three passengers together do not weigh in at more than 180 kgs. We can adapt the number and size of fuel tanks we carry on board to lighten the load a bit, so we can either carry up to about 180 kgs of passengers when it's not very warm or fly two people of average weight in warmer weather. In such cases, the flight may be a bit shorter as we have less fuel reserve to traverse large obstacles towards the end of the flight. When we carry three people, we always carry one fuel tank less to free up the neccessary space in the basket. There is less fuel reserve to fly more than one hour in that case, so the flight may be shortened a little bit, depending on the conditions. Given the weight limit of 180 kg for three passengers, this adventure is typically suited for three sporting girls (of all ages between 16 and 70). For instance, a mother with her daughters, or a group of friends celebrating a bachelorette party in a holiday home in the beautiful Auvergne, with lots of outdoor challenges: canoeing, rock or tree climbing, mountain biking, horse riding, and of course ballooning.... As long as we organize 'private' flights and don't sell tickets we cannot demand a lot more for three people compared to two. In 2023 we ask 605 euros of passengers' participation when we take three featherweights - just 55 euros more than for two passengers. Like with the special adventure for two crazy ladies below, we 'compensate' for the lower participation per person, and for the possibly shorter flight, by organizing an extra special version of the after-flight baptism ceremony. LOL. Use the adapted form to demand your participation in such an adventure. For TWO sporting girls we have a special adventure: the Crazy Girls flight. In that case, we actually demand a smaller participation in the costs, because it allows us to fly with charming passengers in warm summer conditions when we might not be able to take two people of average weight. And we love to fly, so we gladly pay a slightly larger part of the costs ourselves instead of staying on the ground because it's too hot. Which is really sad. Whether you're two or 3 crazy ladies, there is no escaping an extra special, XXL baptism ceremony afterwards (very wet and messy)! Bring a Red Nose or some crazy party ears and dress up for all that after-flight fun!* Back to the page on balloon flights. * We talk about slender ladies, because in reality, there are very few men weighing less than 60 kgs. The few times we accepted a gentleman along with two ladies (or a family of three with dad, mum and one teenage child) the men turned out to be heavier than expected and the flight became both too short (because we burnt fuel like crazy) and uncomfortably tight in the basket. We also had to heat the balloon a bit over the reference temperature of 100 degrees Celsius, which is not a good idea either, as it wears down faster. We are happy to accept a really skinny guy though - as long as you don't lie about your weight! ** The actual flight time also depends on the temperature, humidity, the terrain and the age of the balloon - it gradually becomes more porous over its lifetime of only 300 flight hours, and thus consumes more fuel when it is relatively 'old', shortening its maximum flight duration. Note that our balloon has been mostly rebuilt in recent years and flies almost 'as new'. Still, with less fuel reserve the pilot may need to decide to cut the flight short and land a bit early to avoid traversing large 'inhospitable' areas (large forests, river gorges...) late in the flight, with an increased risk of a difficult landing.		...and temperature. The load carrying capability (or the 'Maximum Take-off Weight, MTOW) of a hot-air balloon depends on the ambient temperature and the flight altitude. The higher we fly, and the higher the ambient temperature, the thinner the air gets and the more we need to heat the balloon. As you can't heat a balloon above a certain maximum, its maximum weight decreases as the ambient temperature rises. For our balloon, 1 degree Celsius means a difference of about 10 kg. So if we can take passengers weighing a total of about 150 kg in average conditions (a temperature of about 15 degrees C at 1000 m above sea level, which in our area is just 300 m above the ground), once the temperature rises by five degrees C, we have to reduce the weight by 50 kgs. Meaning we can no longer take those two passengers, even if we reduce our fuel load somewhat (we cannot fly without any fuel after all !). 15 degrees C at one kilometre above sea level is the equivalent of some 22 degrees at sea level (the temperature in 'standard' conditions falls by 6 to 7 degrees per kilometre) - so a balloon taking off at sea level and then climbing to 1000 m can take the same load. But of course, someone flying at sea level in flat country does not need to climb that high... while we do as we already start at about 700 metres. 22 degrees at sea level around sunrise in the early morning is fairly warm, but in the south of France it is not unusual. And at altitude, heat often lingers even if air close to the ground cools during a clear night (so all the 'standard' numbers then go right out the window). Doing a careful load calculation based on the predicted temperature at the flight altitude is part of good flight preparations. Extremely high temperatures are as good a reason to cancel a flight as are high winds, rain or nearby thunderstorms. During a heat wave we may not be able to carry two people of average weight. And with climate change, heat waves are becoming more common. Which is why we are happy to fly two people who are light in spirit and body weight (usually slender girls, or lightweight couples) on hot summer days, and introduced the Crazy Girls adventure... If our passengers are a bit heavier than average, we try to organize their flight on a cooler day, for instance in autumn. And to be honest, for extremely heavy people it just won't work in a small balloon like ours.

Le Ballon Bleu - Les Buissons - 63390 Sauret-Besserve - Tel: 04 73 85 31 57 - e-mail - Portable: 06 25 06 24 38 De foto's op deze pagina zijn gemaakt door het team van Le Ballon Bleu. (c) Le Ballon Bleu.

A matter of weight...

...and temperature.