Get Involved

West Essex Balloon Balloonists are an active group of hot-air balloonists who fly in the West of Essex. We are always looking for new recruits to join us, those who want to get involved on either an occasional or a regular basis are always welcome.

Why Get Involved ?

Why does anyone do it? Lots of reasons! How else could you get to float high above the Essex countryside moving at 5 mph taking in views that most people have never seen? The unexpected - every flight is different as you are never sure in which direction you are going to fly or where you are going to land, there is something new each flight. It is a very sociable sport - you get to meet a whole new group of people, you also get to explore parts of Essex that you have never seen before.

What is Involved ?

It takes a team of three or four 45 minutes to assemble and launch the balloon at one of our sites. Once the balloon takes off the ground crew follow in the retrieve vehicle - either a car and trailer or a transit van. The flight lasts about an hour after which we land in a field. The crew then contact the landowner to ask for permission to enter the field. Packing the balloon away takes about an hour. We return to the launch site about three hours after take-off. So you usually need to allow four hours from start to finish.

Can I Do it ?

To get involved you need to be able to drive, own a car so that you can get to the launch site and have some basic map reading skills. Everything else you need to know will be taught to you when you first crew.

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