HOT AIR EXPEDITIONS
702 W DEER VALLEY RD
PHOENIX, AZ
480-502-6999
Decided to take the sunrise Hot Air Balloon ride over Scottsdale, AZ. Booked the tour on Viator and the communication and service was fantastic. We opted to drive out to the airport rather than have a hotel pickup. Viator provided a credit of around $50 for this which pleasantly surprised me. We arrived at 5:30AM and filled out some paperwork. A van then picked us up and took us to a field where a chase/support vehicle met us with the gondola and balloon. We watched as large fans filled the balloon with air and then large heaters were turned on to complete the process. When the balloon was ready we entered into four zones that hold 3 people each. That's 12 people plus the Captain in the balloon. I was scared and stayed back so I could not look over the basket and down. Kept my eyes fixed on the horizon most of the time. We went up to 7000 feet which is over a mile in the air. Our Captain maneuvered the balloon perfectly. At times it was so quiet and peaceful and then boom, the sound of the gas filled the air. Condensation from the gas fell upon our bodies but it was nothing but drips of water. Once we were up, I couldn't wait to go down. My Daughter however was loving it and hanging her head over the side taking it all in. We spent about an hour in the air and then came down with a perfect landing. Our Captain was phenomenal, and he cracked jokes and kept in constant communication with the ground crew that was chasing us to the landing spot. The Captain also kept a close eye on wind speed and altitude through the entire flight which helped make me feel more confident that we were going to land safely. We began our decent and returned to the ground with a little slide across the desert and then stopped smoothly. Impressive I thought. The crew then set up a light breakfast with champagne which almost everyone drank. After three bottles of bubbly and some jokes we were given certificates and then boarded the vans for the drive back to the airport. The service, teamwork and professionalism of the entire crew was great!
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HOT AIR EXPEDITIONS - SCOTTSDALE, AZ
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BLOWING UP THE BALLOON
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| FANS FIRST |
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| AND THEN THE FIRE |
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| READY FOR OUR FIRST HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE |
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| YES, I WAS SCARED! |
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| SLOW MOVING UP AND UP |
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| BACK ON LAND AFTER A PERFECT LANDING |
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| BREAKFAST WITH CHAMPAGNE IS SERVED |
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| BUBBLES WERE JUST WHAT I NEEDED |
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| A LITTLE BREAKFAST |
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| CUSTOM CHAMPAGNE GLASSES YOU CAN PURCHASE |
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| CERTIFIED HOT AIR BALLOON SURVIVOR |
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