Why book your Hot Air Balloon flight with us?
Experience
-
Not Just Hot Air!
has been providing people with a first class champagne hot air balloon
flight adventure in the Toronto and surrounding GTA areas since
2001. We are Toronto's only locally owned and operated hot air balloon company.
-
Our chief pilot, Ernie Lee, has over thirty
years experience flying balloons of all sizes. from
105,000 cubic foot sport balloons to massive 415,000 cubic foot
30 passenger ride balloons, throughout Canada, the United
States and Europe!
-
Your ground crew for the flight are carefully selected and trained
in all aspects of ballooning. Each member of our ground crew
has over ten years experience handling balloons and chasing
balloon flights!
Convenience
-
We now offer passenger pick-up at the York Mills subway stop in
addition to our regular meeting place at highway 400 & highway
7 at the Dave & Buster's parking lot.
-
If you live outside of the GTA we often can make arrangements to
meet you closer to where your flight will take place to save
you the trouble of driving into the GTA or Toronto.
Flexibility
-
Our prices are good for flights any day we fly
for either sunrise or sunset flights. You don't have to pay more just to
be able to fly on a weekend! (However you do need
to book early as flight dates are on a first come first served
basis and flight availability is limited!) so please book early to avoid disappointment.
-
We
do not charge you anything
until you actually get your flight. Book your flight reservation with us
with confidence - please see our
"Flight Guarantee" and pricing page for complete details.)
I would like to book a flight, but...
I am afraid of heights
Lots of people are "afraid" of heights - even some balloon
pilots! So how can they be afraid of heights and still fly a
balloon?
In a hot air balloon, because you are not "attached"
to the ground the way you are when you are standing on a ladder
or a balcony or a roof, you do not experience the sense of "vertigo"
you may get otherwise due to the lack of "perspective".
Because you are usually looking out towards the horizon when
in a balloon, you have less of a sense of the "height"
at which the balloon is traveling. It is much like riding in
an airplane - the scenery is just passing by the window!
In addition, as the balloon travels at the speed and direction
of the wind, there is no turbulence to make the basket sway
or rock!
Over the years we have been flying passengers, all those who professed
having a fear of heights prior to the flight indicated without
exception at the end of the flight that they did not feel at
all afraid in the balloon - even when flying at 1500 feet!
It seems expensive ...
While the price may seem expensive for a 1 hour flight, it is the
adventure of a lifetime for most people.
Like any other business, ours has significant costs for equipment
- a four passenger balloon can cost up to $45,000 (larger balloons
can easily cost 2 and 3 times as much) and usually is flown
for only about 300 hours before it will be "rebuilt"
to ensure the highest standards of safety; then there
are costs for support equipment like inflator fans (as much
as $2,500); radios ($1,000); a chase vehicle and trailer for
the balloon ($25,000, $7,500); and then there are the salaries
for pilots, ground crew and office staff! (we haven't even gotten
into champagne, office equipment, telephones, computers etc.
etc. etc..!) And to top it off, our business is very weather
dependant!
While it is not the most lucrative venture, we do it because we love
the flying and the adventure. Every flight is different and
you get to meet many interesting people, both passengers, land
owners and the many people who come out to watch the balloon
take off and land.
I'm still unsure ...
Then let us convince you that you will have one of the most exciting
experiences of your life!
Please feel free to
call us at 416.488.1342
at your convenience with any other questions you may have. You
may also want to check out our
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
page here on our website.
Other things we can do for you ...
Not Just Hot Air!
also provides corporate hot air balloon advertising services through
traditional full corporate programs as well as our new "
Flying Billboard" service designed to let those companies
with limited advertising budgets experience and test the advantages of
this medium of advertising without having to commit large sums of money
to a full blown hot air balloon program.
Check our
corporate advertising pages
to learn more about this unique form of mobile outdoor advertising. As well as hot air balloon advertising, Not Just Hot Air! also provides
kite advertising and displays.
In addition to the above Not Just Hot Air! is available to provide
tethered balloon rides for private functions as well as community
and special events programs.