SKY WALTZ BALLOON SAFARI FAQs

How long is the hot air balloon flight?

A hot air balloon ride with us lasts for around an hour, depending on prevailing weather
conditions and suitability of landing sites, but you should allow at least three hours for the
entire experience.

Where do you fly from?

We have over 4 balloon launch sites between Lonavala & Pune. Depending on the wind
conditions, the launch site will be decided by the pilot.

Do you have a pickup and drop Service?

We have a pickup and drop service from the common meeting point i.e. Orritel Hotel, Old Pune
Mumbai Highway, Talegaon which is included in the Ticket price. The pickup and drop from
Lonavala / Mumbai / Pune will be charged separately on request.

When do you fly?

We schedule hot air balloon rides morning, seven days a week during the ballooning season
which is October to April End.

Why dont you generally fly during the day?

During the day, the sun heats the ground which in turn heats the air above causing thermals or
columns of rising air. These thermals cause updrafts and downdrafts which affect a pilots
ability to safely control the altitude of a hot air balloon. Lower temperatures in late October
mean these conditions are not as common which allows day flights to take place.

What time do I need to be at the launch site?

These are some approximate meeting times. You will be given the exact meeting time when
you call the flight confirmation line.

Time of Year AM
October to Jan 06:00
Feb to April 06:15

How high will we go?

Sometimes up as high as 4,000 feet - although this depends on instructions from the Air traffic
control of the Airports. It does vary from area to area and time of the year flown. Even at a few
hundred feet the views are incredible and over 1,000 you can start to see for miles!

How far will we fly?

Hot air balloons cant be steered in the normal sense so they travel on the wind with skilled
pilots controlling the altitude by heating the air inside the balloon. How far youll fly depends
on the wind speed. It also depends on how long it takes the pilot to find a suitable landing spot.
You could fly a relatively short distance or as far as 12-15 kms.

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com


Where will we land?

Hot air balloons cant be steered so they travel on the wind and you never know where exactly
youre going to land. The pilot will start looking for a suitable landing site after around 45
minutes. The retrieval crew will track the balloon on the ground and aim to arrive shortly after
landing.

Whats the landing like?

Flying in a balloon is a very serene experience while in the air, but it is an adventure activity in
the great outdoors and sometimes on landing the basket can tip and/or drag along before coming
to rest. This is how balloons have been landing for over 200 years and is perfectly normal. The
balloon and basket are designed for your comfort and safety throughout the flight. During
landing you will be in the safe, seated landing position within the basket as instructed by your
pilot. The landing is an exciting part of the experience and in many cases people say it is their
favourite part of the flight.

Will the balloon fly over my house?

Wed love to be able to promise this but, obviously, as hot air balloons cannot be steered, its a
bit tricky. If you take off from a launch site in your home town or county and the wind is on
your side, it is possible youll see your home. But, to avoid disappointment, please dont expect
it.

Can people come with me to watch?

Spectators are welcome but please let them know that there may not be toilets or other facilities
at the launch site. We would not recommend that spectators try to follow the balloon by road
for safety reasons. Passengers will be transported back to the common meeting site after the
flight, around 3 hours after the initial meeting time.

Is the passenger retrieval service from our home address?

No, you will need to make your way to the common meeting point before the flight and from
there our balloon crew will transport you to the launch site and back to the common meeting
point after the flight.

Clothing and Cameras

what should I wear?We recommend clothes suitable for a walk in the country depending on
the time of year and on the specific day you are flying. Generally warm, comfortable layers are
a good idea, plus a cap or other hat for the warmth from the burners. Depending on conditions,
sensible shoes or trainers are essential.Usually passengers are asked to help with the inflation
and deflation of the balloon which most people really enjoy. This is much appreciated because
it helps to make the process much quicker for everyone. So we also recommend you wear
clothes which you don't mind getting a little dirty. No designer wear, flip-flops or high heels
please as we are unable to accept responsibility for any damage to clothing and anyone who is
dressed inappropriately may not be allowed to fly.

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com


Can I bring a camera?

Use of Camera is Now restricted by the aviation authorities for security reasons, you cannot
carry a camera, binoculars or camcorder. Our pilots offer an in-flight photo & Video service
and if this is available they will explain this to you on the day.

The Balloon
How big is the hot air balloon?
Our hot air balloons are very large and, once inflated, tower at over 100ft tall or four storeys
high. They take between 210,000 and 400,000 Cubic Feet of air to fill.

How many passengers are there in the balloon?

Our balloons have large baskets which carry 8 passengers at a time. The balloon basket is split
into compartments with between two and four people in each, so you have your own space and
can enjoy an intimate experience with your guest.

Can anyone fly in a hot air balloon?

In order to ensure the safety and enjoyment of everyone who flies, passengers must be satisfied
they are physically able to take part in the experience. This means that they can climb in and out
over the sides of the basket (which is about 42 inches or 1.1m high), stand unassisted for an
hour and adopt the bended knee seated landing position. Passengers must also be able to fully
understand and follow all instructions given by the pilot and react quickly to them in the
unlikely event of an emergency. Under Civil Aviation Law the balloon pilot has a duty of care
for all passengers and, ultimately, it is their decision if someone is able to safely participate on
the day. Please see the sections on age & weight restrictions, medical conditions, pregnancy and
disability below.

Is there an age or weight restriction?

Children must be aged (5) Five or over and at least 4ft 6in (1.4m) tall. Children under the age of
16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. We know that our passengers come in all
shapes and sizes, but due to weight and space restrictions of hot air balloons and baskets,
anyone who is over 20 stone will be required to pay a supplement. This may also be the case for
anyone who is over 18 stone and under 6ft tall.

What if I'm pregnant?

Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we are unable to fly women who are pregnant. However, if
you become pregnant when you already have a voucher, we will extend the validity until after
you've had the baby. All you need to do is contact us and provide us a copy of your MAT B1
form which you will receive from your midwife.

What if I have a medical condition?

All passengers should be sure they do not have any pre-existing medical conditions which could
be affected by the ballooning experience or could prevent them from safely taking part and
should seek professional medical advice if unsure. You must not fly if you are suffering from

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com


any significant medical condition or if you have recently undergone major surgery. We require
you to tell us about any medical or physical condition that could be considered to affect your
safety or the safety of others. We may request a certificate of fitness to fly from a doctor or
specialist.

Can I fly if I have a disability?

We make every effort to ensure people with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in
balloon flights with us wherever it is possible and safe to do so. As everyones particular
situation is different and some disabilities present greater challenges than others in the unique
context of ballooning, we require you to tell us about any disability before purchasing a flight
voucher or booking a flight. This is so we can best advise you; consider any necessary
arrangements to accommodate you, if we can safely do so, and to ensure we fully attend to our
duty of care for all passengers safety. We can provide information about disabled facilities at
specific launch sites on request. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we are unable to fly anyone
who requires a wheelchair.

Can I fly the balloon?

No, our pilots are all licensed, qualified and highly experienced and we think it's best to leave
the actual flying up to them. However, they will be happy to answer questions about how they
got into flying balloons and how it all works.

Safety and Insurance

Is hot air ballooning safe?
Hot air ballooning is an extremely safe activity which is highly regulated with strict safety
guidelines. We are licensed by the Director General Civil Aviation Authority (DGCA) and all
of our hot air ballooning pilots hold full commercial pilots licences. We also use the latest
equipment and have the most modern fleet of balloons operating in India.

What about insurance?

Sky Waltz is insured for public and employers liability, so if you fly with us you dont need to
worry about insurance.

Weather & Cancellations

Why would a flight be cancelled?
The weather is our friend because it is what makes every flight unique but, unfortunately, we
cannot control it (no matter how hard we try!). This means sometimes pilots will cancel
flights because the weather conditions are not safe to fly in.Our pilots are all highly
experienced and they decide whether it is flyable. We are not allowed to question a pilots
judgment as this could be seen as pressuring them to fly which could compromise safety.Our
pilots put your safety first at all time. When cancelling a flight, either on the flight line
beforehand or occasionally on site, the pilot will usually try to offer some explanation as to
why. Our pilots make their decision to fly based on the most relevant and up to date forecast
available just before they set their flight line message. Sometimes the actual conditions may
be different to what was forecasted. There are also different forecasts and they can be
interpreted in different ways. So, like all weather people, we do occasionally make mistakes

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com


but unfortunately we can only go by what the forecaster says and some forecasters are better
than others. We can tell you some of the general reasons why a pilot may cancel a flight:

The weather looked nice and sunny so why was it cancelled?

The wind at ground or gradient level or the gust speed might have been too strong and
outside operational limits.
Rain may have been forecasted in the area. We cannot fly in rain because it means there
will be poor visibility and it also makes the balloon heavier to fly. Getting a balloon
envelope wet can lead to some damage.
Thunderstorms or CB (Cumuli Nimbus) clouds may have been forecasted. These are
dangerous and we would not fly in their vicinity.
If yours was a morning flight, the visibility early in the morning during our flight period
could have been poorer than later in the day.
There may have been a wind direction which would have taken the balloon towards
something unsuitable, like a large town or restricted airspace.


I saw another balloon flying in the area so why was my flight cancelled?

Our pilots decision whether to fly is not related to what other balloonists decide. Our
pilots consider all the weather factors and make their own decision, always putting your
safety first.
The other balloon could have had better shelter at take-off from the wind on that
particular wind direction.
It might be a private balloon and they can legally fly in much poorer visibility than
balloons on public transport licences like ours. Private balloons are also generally a lot
smaller and therefore easier to inflate and land.

What happens if my flight is cancelled?

Don't worry, if your flight is cancelled because of the weather or related factors, you can just
book onto another date. Plus if you have a cancelation near the end of your voucher validity
period we will extend it free of charge at our discretion so you have another opportunity to
fly.

What is the weather refund option?

Our vouchers and Gift Experience Packages have our weather refund option which means
they are refundable if you are very unlucky with the weather. Most people prefer to keep
trying until they fly, but with these vouchers you have the following options:Weather
Refund In the unlikely event that you have seven or more weather cancellations; we will
give you a refund once you have returned the original vouchers to us, less Rs. 500 admin fee
per voucher.After three cancellations, you can choose to take an early opt-out without taking
up your flight and we will refund two thirds (66.66%) of what you paid. - Refunds can only
be paid to the original purchaser and merchandise must be returned in saleable

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com


condition. Experience gift card Alternatively, in both of the above cases, you can exchange
your vouchers for a

Advantages of a Gift Card are:we can exchange these with the gift recipient rather than the
original purchaser which ensures they still get a great gift experienceno merchandise needs
to be returned and there is no admin fee.Full details are available in our voucher terms &
conditions.

What are Back-up Sites?

Sometimes a flight will be moved to a back-up site because the forecast conditions are not
flyable at the original launch site, because the wind direction from there is not suitable (i.e.
going towards a large town, an airport or out to sea) or because the site is otherwise
unavailable or unsafe to fly from. Back-up sites are alternative locations which give flights
improved chances of going ahead and your pilot will advise you of this on your flight line. If
this happens you will need to attend the flight at the back-up launch site at your own cost or
your voucher will become invalid and you will be required to buy a new voucher to fly.
Please ensure that you have all maps, directions and transport arrangements in place to get to
all of the potential launch sites on the day of your flight.

How do I find out if my flight is going ahead?

Once you have a voucher and book onto a specific flight, you will receive a booking
confirmation. This will include your dedicated flight line phone number which the pilot will
update to let you know if the flight is going ahead, if it is being moved to a back-up site and
any other important information. If it is a morning flight you will call the night before and if
it is an evening flight you will call in the afternoon on the day.

FLIGHT TIME TIME TO CALL FLIGHT LINE

Sunrise FLights from 03pm the day before your flight

In the unlikely event that the flight line is not updated within 30 minutes after these times,
you can call the pilot on the emergency number which will also be provide on your booking
confirmation.

What if I want to cancel or change my flight?

You can cancel off a flight up to Fifteen days before by emailing at
goballoonning.mh@skywalttz.com . After these times you will need to attend the flight.

Vouchers & Packages

What is the difference between our vouchers and packages?
Everyone who flies with Sky Waltz receives the same fantastic 3 to 4 hour experience. Our
flight vouchers vary in terms of flexibility i.e. when you want to be able to fly, morning or
evening, weekday or weekend, weather refund option, and exclusive merchandise or additional
gift products.

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com


Is the Photograph & Videos in my gift pack of my flight?

No, the Photograph & Videos can be purchased at an additional cost.

Are there any Merchandise on Sale?

Yes, We do have CAPS, T-SHIRTS, COFFEE MUGS for sale. Which can be
purchased at an additional cost after the ride.

A/2, Godavari Apt, Bhosalenagar, Shivajinagar, Pune 411007

Call: +91-9822988800 | Email: goballoonning.mh@skywaltz.com | Website: www.skywaltz.com