Flight Information
Balloons launch by 6:30 am - returning to the ground by 8:30 am (WEATHER PERMITTING). You’ll need to arrive before the rooster crows to get a good look at the Festival’s sunrise balloon launch. Gates open at 6:00 am Saturday and Sunday to give spectators an early glimpse at the hot air balloons as pilots assemble them for their flights.
First, the pilot and crew spread the colorful canopy out across the grass and connect the balloon envelope (canopy) to the gondola. Balloons are inflated with giant fans. Then the pilot ignites the burner forcing hot blasts of air into the balloon canopy, which causes it to rise. Remember your early science lessons - "Hot Air Rises." For hot air balloons to fly, they need the cool air of Temecula’s early mornings. That means that the 50+ hot air balloons will launch between 6:30 am and 7:00 am, returning to the ground by 8:30 am. Part of the romance in ballooning, is not knowing exactly where the air currents take you. Balloon pilots navigate by ascending and descending the balloons into different air currents, but they are incapable of actually "steering" the balloon into a precise location and can land miles from their launch site. Chase crews follow the balloons to their destinations as the balloons rarely land where they launch. This is why spectators are always advised to reach the balloon launch early.
Balloon flights on Saturday and Sunday are available for $200 per person for approximately a one-hour flight which departed from the Festival grounds and transported passengers on an unforgettable picturesque flight. BALLOON RIDE RESERVATIONS ONLY MAY BE MADE BY PHONING 1-800-965-2122. Or, visit The Grape Escape website at www.agrapeescape.com for more information.
