FAQs

After you’ve reserved your flight date online or by phone, we will contact you the day before (for morning flights) or day of (for evening flights) your flight to confirm meeting location and time. The weather plays a big role in our flying, so if the weather is not looking favorable, we will reschedule at that time. Weather decisions can change last minute. We only cancel flights for your safety.

On the day of your flight, after meeting the pilot and crew, we have a short briefing and review of the passenger liability waiver while our crew begins to inflate and prepare the balloon for flight. Inflation takes between 15-30 minutes. Once the balloon is standing, passengers will board and your flight will begin. You’ll enjoy views of local wildlife, gorgeous landscapes, and a beautiful sunrise or sunset.

Most flights are about an hour. However, they can be anywhere from 45 minutes to as long as an hour and 20 minutes. It all depends on weather conditions and landing site availability.

Your adventure will begin approximately fifteen minutes before sunrise for morning flights, or two hours before sunset for evening flights. The flight itself is typically about one hour. However, the entire process will last about 2-3 hours from the pre-flight briefing to the post-flight champagne toast.

Please dress for an outdoor adventure. Dress in layers with long pants preferably. If flying in the fall and winter months, it is often warmer in the air and you may want to remove a layer or two. Bring a hat or sunglasses and wear comfortable closed-toed flat shoes. Also, don’t forget your camera; you’ll want to share your pictures with everyone!

If you dress to the ground temperature, you should be comfortable in the air as well! Due to our balloon traveling with the wind, you won’t feel much of a wind chill. Also, if you are standing near our burners it is similar to standing near a fireplace. So ultimately, the coldest thing is going to be your toes!

Due to insurance restrictions, we cannot fly pregnant women or children under 6 years of age. There is no maximum age on hot air ballooning. We just ask that all passengers can comply with the following physical requirements:

• No recent surgeries or broken bones
• No current pregnancy
• Must be able to stand for at least an hour and a half on your own
• Must be able to climb into and out of our basket with 45-inch tall sides
• Must be able to jump off of the third step of a ladder (sometimes a bumpy landing can feel like this!)

If you have recently had any medical procedures or surgeries, please give us a call to discuss the potential impact on flying. If you’ve recently had a joint replaced or a similar surgery, we don’t want to have a bump that damages any healing.

Due to the size of our balloon system, we cannot accommodate parties with a combined weight of more than 800 pounds.

Ballooning is always weather dependent. If we need to postpone a flight, it will only be for your safety. In case we have to cancel because of the weather, we recommend that you have a backup date in mind. If you are not able to reschedule and you have prepaid, a refund will be issued. Gift certificates are non-refundable.

If you need to cancel or postpone your flight, please try to give us 48 hours’ notice. You can contact us via phone or email to cancel your flight. If you do not give us sufficient notice or do not show for your flight, you will still be charged the full rate and no refunds will be given.

Payment can be made online when you book, or we accept cash or credit cards at the launch site if you book over the phone. We do not accept checks. There is no tax on balloon rides in South Dakota. Cash tips are welcomed and encouraged for our wonderful crew members.

Safety is our highest priority. FAA Certified Repairmen annually inspect our balloons, and we do frequent preventative maintenance as well.

Our pilot, John, is an FAA licensed commercial balloon pilot and flight instructor. He attends safety seminars annually and is an FAA Safety Team Member.

All flights are at the discretion of the pilot, with special consideration to wind and weather.

Flight times vary throughout the year based upon sunrise and sunset times. For sunrise flights, we meet a few minutes before sunrise. For afternoon/evening flights we meet two hours before sunset.

Hot air balloons fly at sunrise and within two hours of sunset because it’s when the winds and weather conditions are most stable. We only have control over up and down, and since there is less thermal lift from the heating of the earth’s surface during these times, we are never out of control.

There is no easy answer here. They are both great! However, weather tends to be more favorable in the mornings and we have better success getting these flights off the ground. But we also do a lot of evening flying. It all depends on Mother Nature.

Balloons operate through the basic principles of gravity and heat transfer. As air inside the balloon is heated, it rises. As the air inside the balloon cools, it descends. To make the balloon fly, an inflator fan fills it with air, which is then heated.

Not to worry. Because you are not attached to the ground, you don’t get the same sensation as you would standing on a tall building or ladder. Most people forget about their fear very shortly after takeoff.

There will be a chase vehicle that follows your balloon for the entire duration of the flight. Once landed, the 605 Balloon Ride chase crew will drive us back to our original meeting point.

Unfortunately, we cannot allow pregnant women to fly.

You will put your foot into a slot in the side of the basket and swing your legs over the top, and then into the basket. There is no graceful way to do it but don’t worry, our crew is always available to help!

We will determine a meeting point and launch site based on wind direction and speeds. This is often fairly last minute due to Mother Nature. We always try to select a site that gives us a combination of city views, wildlife and nature. We also keep in mind the Sioux Falls airport and avoiding congested landing areas.

Our landings are always “wherever the wind takes us!” We typically look for low traffic roads, open/non-planted fields, or any nice spot with easy access to our chase vehicles.

Our balloons accommodate between two and four passengers, plus the pilot.

Once the balloon is inflated, we will fly from ground level to a couple thousand feet above ground level, depending on wind direction and speed. Because of the burners, the temperature will be a few degrees warmer than the surrounding air. The sensation will be like you’re floating, and it is very quiet, other than the sound of the burner. Your experienced pilot steers the balloon by moving it to different altitudes to get different wind patterns, so the height of the balloon will vary throughout the flight.

The chase crew members are volunteers, family and friends who follow the balloon via radio contact and GPS tracking throughout the flight. They will meet you when you land, pack up the balloon and return you to the launch location.

After landing, we provide a celebratory toast and post-flight refreshments.

Like all service providers, a gratuity is always appreciated. A typical tip would be 15-20% of the total price. Like the saying: If you like the ride, tip your guide.

Yes! We have banner space available on both of our balloons! Or we can work with you to create a custom balloon for your brand! https://www.605balloonride.com/advertising-corporate-programs/