Autumn is here!
This is the season that our balloon pilots absolutely adore for a few reasons, read on to find out why…
OPERATIONALLY
To be able to safety operate a hot air balloon flight for passenger flights, the air quality and conditions required must meet certain criteria.
Sunrise flights are conducted at this time because it is the time of the day when the air is the coolest and the weather conditions are at their most stable, less windy and less likely to fluctuate.
There is a very small window of timing in the morning that these conditions last for. The great thing about the season of Autumn is that the conditions of combined cool air temperatures and calm wind works in our favour for a large portion of the season, making it a HIGH FLYING season.
From the three months of March to May, it is not uncommon to be able to fly 5-6 days in a row thanks to the stable Autumn conditions. A typical Autumn day in Melbourne usually starts off chilly with clear skies, warming up just after noon (as high as 24-28 degrees) , then cooling down again after sunrise. The wind picks up speed in the afternoon which is the main reason hot air balloon flights occur best in the early morning, as well as it being the most picturesque!
Our passengers need to meet us on the morning, before sunrise which is around 5.30-6am. A lovely time to be up and about, not too early, compared to summer months, but early enough to catch the beathtaking views as a new day begins.
STUNNING LANDSCAPE
The views seen from a hot air balloon is what makes the experience so incredibly special and Victoria puts on spectacular scenery. Not everywhere in the world goes through the change of seasons like we have here, it’s really special and should be embraced before Winter comes along and the scenery is again very different.
Autumn provides a stunning landscape with the leaves on trees changing colour as much as weekly! From the luscious bright green of Summer, slowly turning to yellow, then orange, red and finishing with earthy shades of brown before the leaves fall off onto the ground. Remember as a child stomping through those crunchy leaves? That’s all thanks to the change of season, and you can see it all happen from above as well as from below.
Early Autumn is transformational as you can observe the first changes of leaf colour on various trees. It’s magical in the way that each tree is different, some can be mostly green with a few yellow or orange highlights, other trees are already completely orange or red in colour, which really stand out and make for gorgeous photography.
During an approximate one hour sunrise flight, view the scenery of the Yarra Valley or surrounding suburbs over the city of Melbourne change to these warm, comforting colours.
Weekends are always busiest so try to allow a few weeks in advance for bookings. Flights are scheduled 7 days a week, only up in the sky during sunrise.
Here are some Autumn in Melbourne inflight images which were taken in the Autumn month of May by Bronwyn Kidd.
Come & enjoy Autumn in the sky with us!
