My husband & I enjoyed our 4th flight with Hot Air Expeditions in February 2016. Due to weather (which is obviously out of your control), our flight had to be postponed 3 times (which from our experience is unusual in Phoenix). It was worth the wait, though! Although each of our flights have been awesome in their own way, our most recent flight was probably our favorite. Our pilot this time was Mikey D (Captain Yee-haw), & he went out of his way to make sure everyone in his balloon was having a great time. We reached a height of over 1 mile in the air, so Mikey D told the couples in the balloon it's time to kiss at Mile High! LOL Throughout our flight, he told us about the area, what we were looking at, & how high we were. Because there were 3 anniversaries & a birthday being celebrated by guests in our balloon, Mikey D decided to give us all a longer-than-usual flight (which was also positively impacted by the perfect weather conditions the morning of our flight). We were up in the air ~90 minutes! The typical flight is around 45-60 minutes...much of that is weather contingent. Thanks Mikey D for an awesome flight!!
We made our flight reservations about 1 week in advance (after our prior flight was postponed due to weather). If you're a prior customer of Hot Air Expeditions, they'll give you a discount on your future flights.
Sunrise flights tend to be longer than sunset flights (although you obviously have to wake up early to do a sunrise flight). This is due to weather patterns including winds which are typically more calm in the AM. The company only does sunset flights during the cooler months given the warmer/hot conditions for several months out of the year which are not conducive to ballooning in the evening. For our sunrise flight in early February, we departed from the Deer Valley Airport at 7:00 AM. This departure time will vary depending on on sunrise time.
After the departure from the Deer Valley Airport, your driver will take you to the selected balloon launch site in the N/NW Phoenix metro (based on weather conditions that day -- we have launched from 3 different launch sites out of the 4 times we've ballooned with them).
Prior to your balloon launch, your pilot will give you various safety guidelines for a safe & fun flight. Our launch & landing in each of our 4 flights have been very smooth... At no time have we felt unsafe. I am afraid of heights, but ballooning is absolutely awesome! It's so peaceful & breathtaking when you're floating thousands of feet up!
After your balloon lands, you will be treated to champagne (or a non-alcoholic beverage) & various goodies from French restaurant Vincent's on Camelback. Because our group was celebrating anniversaries & a birthday, Mikey D also treated our group to a delicious cake. We were back to the Deer Valley Airport between 10:30 & 11:00 AM.
We'll definitely fly again with Hot Air Expeditions! Thanks again Mikey D!
Réponse de l'hôte
Feb 2017
Hello Taryn,
We LOVE our repeat customers! It's such a treat to get to show you a new area, or give another new experience! Mikey D. a.k.a Captain Yee-Haw is a hoot! He cracks us up here at the office and always has great stories to share when he's up in the air! It's really wonderful that the weather was playing nicely and allowed you to have a special flight lasting a little longer!
Thank you so much for your review, and for continuing to fly with us!