A lot of passengers are pleasantly surprised when they find out that we serve Champagne on all our standard and private hot air balloon rides. For most, sipping on Champagne at 1000ft whilst looking over Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset or Wiltshire is really a once in a life time experience. By why do we serve it?
The story behind ‘Champagne Balloon Flights‘ is one of great fascination. Dating back to 1783 and the worlds first hot air balloon flight, held in France by the creators ‘The Montgolfier Brothers’.
The balloons would be operated by their Peasants who would put charcoal on a fire in the balloon to make it rise up into the sky. The problem with this though, was that they would get black faces from soot and upon landing the balloon they would cause great commotion and install fear throughout the farm workers who would see these black faced ‘devils’ in a large ‘fiery dragon’ which they’d never seen or heard of before.
Farm workers and village people would then proceed to chase after the balloon and attack it, tearing the fabric and destroying any chance it’d have of ever being airborne again.
To prevent this from happening anymore The Montgolfier Brothers decided to chase after the balloon on their horses with bottles of champagne and then when the balloon would touch down on to the ground they’d offer the drinks to the locals, calming them and thus saving their new invention.
Now, 226 years on, Aerosaurus Balloons keeps up this tradition offering passengers complimentary champagne as well as offering farmers wine and a free balloon flight upon landing. All adding to that ‘Once in a lifetime experience.
