Ballooning Access is a hot air balloon company that offers unique flights for disabled people, with or without a wheelchair, to experience the most peaceful form of flight.

 

Ballooning Access offers you the chance to take a first-class balloon ride over one of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK. Flights over the Vale of Berkeley offer views not just of the Severn Estuary but also across the Brecon Beacons, to the Cotswolds, and across the Severn Bridges to Bristol and Cardiff. Our additional launch site is the prestigious Royal Victoria Park in Bath, allowing for stunning views of the city of Bath (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).  

 

We are the only UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certified air operator offering hot air balloon flights for disabled people and wheelchair users. Our pilots are among the very best, not just in the UK, but in the world, with thousands of hours of flying experience.

Our specially made wheelchair accessible basket has a bespoke door that opens at ground level to allow easy entry for all passengers. Wheelchairs are secured to the basket using a specially designed restraint system, and both the basket and the restraint system are certified by the CAA. For safety, a wheelchair lap-belt is used during take-off and landing. (Due to size and weight restrictions, the basket can only accommodate manual wheelchairs since powerchairs are too heavy.)

 

Although the basket can take up to four standing passengers, when a wheelchair user is flying, there’s only room for one guest – though this means you’ll have the balloon all to yourselves – along with the pilot, of course! It’s a much more private and personal service.

Enjoying the views

Flights last around one hour and although the altitude and distance flown are dependent on conditions on the day, our team will do everything they can to ensure that you have the best experience possible. Once in the air, if you are able to stand, you’ll be able to enjoy the views a little more; if not, the basket has viewing windows, and the pilot can rotate the balloon so you can see points of interest in the landscapes below. The pilot and crew will also take photos of your unique journey, to share with your family and friends.

 

Hot air ballooning is hugely weather dependent, so wheelchair accessible flights always take place in the morning around sunrise, when the weather is at its calmest. We have a good selection of accessible hotels in the launch areas, so you can stay overnight and not have such a tiring start if you’re travelling from far away. 

 

Weather

A weather call is made 24 hours before every flight to check wind speeds and ground conditions to ensure it is safe for you to fly. Typical British weather factors can all, regrettably, force a flight to be postponed, but we’ll contact you 24 hours before your flight to update you on the forecast. If your flight is postponed, we will rebook it on a mutually convenient date. 

 

For wheelchair passenger flights, we request that your friends or family follow our ground crew in your vehicle, since ours are not adapted. However, if a wheelchair passenger is able to transfer into our vehicle, then the crew will also be more than happy to transport them back to the launch site if needed.

 

Visit: www.ballooningaccess.com