Hot Air Balloon Visit

We were lucky enough to have a hot air balloon visit us this morning.
We learnt that the baskets are made out cane so that they can bend and survive the crash landings because according to aviation law every landing a hot air balloon makes is an emergency landing. Did you know the material for the creme egg balloon we saw weighs 130kg?
The pilot Andy Nicholson told us how ballooning is a team sport because you need lots of people to help you set the balloon up and they have to follow you in the car to pick you up when you land.
Have you ever wondered why we see hot air balloons in the morning? Well it's because the air is calmer at that time of day. Pilots can get around 500-600 hours flying from a hot air balloon. Now that's a lot of flying! Because if you flew for one hour every Saturday of the year that would only be 52 hours of flying in a year.
The creme egg balloon had a really cool story behind why the pilot brought it. When it was originally designed in England it was meant to be in the same of an egg. Round at the bottom getting skinner at the top. But the way it was made ended up being the opposite way round. The balloon was not wanted in England and was brought over to New Zealand to see if Cadbury (the chocolate company) wanted it. Cadbury didn't and it got sent back to England. After a few years still brand new no one wanted it and it was set to be dumped in the Bristol dump as a brand new never flown hot air balloon. At a cheaper price then normal the current pilot Andy Nicholson brought it back to New Zealand and now flys it with his crew.
Check out who got to stand in the basket.