Dreamtime Balloon Adventures - Rides & Instruction

Home Rides Photos Journal E-mail Q & A Links Magazine Guestbook Rates

Balloon Rides

Flying aboard a hot air balloon is an adventure like no other. Experience the world from a new perspective. Your flight will offer you a unique view, as you float over hills and valleys, fields and streams. We love the beauty of the Midlands landscape, and look forward to sharing our beautiful and exciting sport with you!

Flights take place year-round during the times of day when the winds are lightest: just after sunrise and during the last 2 - 3 hours before sunset. We launch from several locations near Omaha, depending on the season and wind direction.

The flight itself will last about an hour. The memories will last a lifetime! Birthday, anniversary, graduation, marriage proposal. . . make any celebration extra special with an unforgettable flight.

A one-hour flight for two in the Omaha area is $425.

Call (402) 672-1324 to schedule your flight.

Dreamtime Balloon Adventures was featured in an article in the June 2006 issue of Lincoln's Lifestyle Magazine. Click here to read the article.

Flight Locations

Weather conditions and wind direction determine our choice of launch site. Launch sites are selected to permit flights into rural areas that offer us a better variety of landing sites. We often launch from Lake Zorinsky, Chalco Hills, or Standing Bear Lake in west Omaha (see map). Launch sites near Springfield, Waterloo, Valley, and Ashland permit flights along the Elkhorn and Platte River valleys. We have even launched from our passenger's rural property! Every flight is unique.

Flight Instruction

If you've dreamed of taking the controls yourself, we can help. Flight training can take place in your balloon or ours. You'll learn the basic principles of balloon flight, federal regulations, weather, pre-flight procedures, in-flight maneuvering, navigation, landing and post-flight packup.

14 CFR - CHAPTER I - PART 61

Federal Aviation Regulations Pertaining to Hot Air Balloon Private Pilots

§ 61.102 Applicability.

This subpart prescribes the requirements for the issuance of private pilot certificates and ratings, the conditions under which those certificates and ratings are necessary, and the general operating rules for persons who hold those certificates and ratings.

§ 61.103 Eligibility requirements: General.

To be eligible for a private pilot certificate, a person must:
(a) Be at least 17 years of age for a rating in other than a glider or balloon.
(b) Be at least 16 years of age for a rating in a glider or balloon.
(c) Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language. If the applicant is unable to meet one of these requirements due to medical reasons, then the Administrator may place such operating limitations on that applicant's pilot certificate as are necessary for the safe operation of the aircraft.
(d) Receive a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who:
(1) Conducted the training or reviewed the person's home study on the aeronautical knowledge areas listed in § 61.105(b) of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought; and
(2) Certified that the person is prepared for the required knowledge test.
(e) Pass the required knowledge test on the aeronautical knowledge areas listed in § 61.105(b) of this part.
(f) Receive flight training and a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who:
(1) Conducted the training in the areas of operation listed in § 61.107(b) of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought; and
(2) Certified that the person is prepared for the required practical test.
(g) Meet the aeronautical experience requirements of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought before applying for the practical test.
(h) Pass a practical test on the areas of operation listed in § 61.107(b) of this part that apply to the aircraft rating sought.
(i) Comply with the appropriate sections of this part that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.

§ 61.105 Aeronautical knowledge.

(a) General. A person who is applying for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground training from an authorized instructor or complete a home-study course on the aeronautical knowledge areas of paragraph (b) of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.
(b) Aeronautical knowledge areas.
(1) Applicable Federal Aviation Regulations of this chapter that relate to private pilot privileges, limitations, and flight operations;
(2) Accident reporting requirements of the National Transportation Safety Board;
(3) Use of the applicable portions of the "Aeronautical Information Manual" and FAA advisory circulars;
(4) Use of aeronautical charts for VFR navigation using pilotage, dead reckoning, and navigation systems;
(5) Radio communication procedures;
(6) Recognition of critical weather situations from the ground and in flight, windshear avoidance, and the procurement and use of aeronautical weather reports and forecasts;
(7) Safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including collision avoidance, and recognition and avoidance of wake turbulence;
(8) Effects of density altitude on takeoff and climb performance;
(9) Weight and balance computations;
(10) Principles of aerodynamics, powerplants, and aircraft systems;
(11) (n/a)
(12) Aeronautical decision making and judgment; and
(13) Preflight action that includes --
(i) How to obtain information on runway lengths at airports of intended use, data on takeoff and landing distances, weather reports and forecasts, and fuel requirements; and
(ii) How to plan for alternatives if the planned flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered.

§ 61.107 Flight proficiency.

(a) General. A person who applies for a private pilot certificate must receive and log ground and flight training from an authorized instructor on the areas of operation of this section that apply to the aircraft category and class rating sought.
(b) Areas of operation.
(8) For a lighter-than-air category rating with a balloon class rating:
(i) Preflight preparation;
(ii) Preflight procedures;
(iii) Airport operations;
(iv) Launches and landings;
(v) Performance maneuvers;
(vi) Navigation;
(vii) Emergency operations; and
(viii) Postflight procedures

§ 61.109 Aeronautical experience.

(h) For a balloon rating. A person who applies for a private pilot certificate with a lighter-than-air category and balloon class rating must log at least 10 hours of flight training that includes at least six training flights with an authorized instructor in the areas of operation listed in § 61.107(b)(8) of this part, that includes --
(2) Balloon with an airborne heater. If the training is being performed in a balloon with an airborne heater, at least --
(i) Two flights of 1 hour each within 60 days prior to application for the rating on the areas of operation appropriate to a balloon with an airborne heater;
(ii) One solo flight in a balloon with an airborne heater; and
(iii) At least one flight involving a controlled ascent to 2,000 feet above the launch site.

§ 61.113 Private pilot privileges and limitations: Pilot in command.

(a) Except as provided in paragraphs (b) through (g) of this section, no person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire; nor may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft.
(b) A private pilot may, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if:
(1) The flight is only incidental to that business or employment; and
(2) The aircraft does not carry passengers or property for compensation or hire.
(c) A private pilot may not pay less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees.
(d) A private pilot may act as pilot in command of an aircraft used in a passenger-carrying airlift sponsored by a charitable organization described in paragraph (d)(7) of this section, and for which the passengers make a donation to the organization, when the following requirements are met:
(1) The sponsor of the airlift notifies the FAA Flight Standards District Office with jurisdiction over the area concerned at least 7 days before the event and furnishes --
(i) A signed letter from the sponsor that shows the name of the sponsor, the purpose of the charitable event, the date and time of the event, and the location of the event; and
(ii) A photocopy of each pilot in command's pilot certificate, medical certificate, and logbook entries that show the pilot is current in accordance with §§ 61.56 and 61.57 of this part and has logged at least 200 hours of flight time.
(2) The flight is conducted from a public airport that is adequate for the aircraft to be used, or from another airport that has been approved by the FAA for the operation.
(3) No aerobatic or formation flights are conducted.
(4) Each aircraft used for the charitable event holds a standard airworthiness certificate.
(5) Each aircraft used for the charitable event is airworthy and complies with the applicable requirements of subpart E of part 91 of this chapter.
(6) Each flight for the charitable event is made during day VFR conditions.
(7) The charitable organization is an organization identified as such by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
(e) A private pilot may be reimbursed for aircraft operating expenses that are directly related to search and location operations, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees, and the operation is sanctioned and under the direction and control of:
(1) A local, State, or Federal agency; or
(2) An organization that conducts search and location operations.
(f) A private pilot who is an aircraft salesman and who has at least 200 hours of logged flight time may demonstrate an aircraft in flight to a prospective buyer.
(g) A private pilot who meets the requirements of § 61.69 of this part may act as pilot in command of an aircraft towing a glider.

§ 61.115 Balloon rating: Limitations.

(a) If a person who applies for a private pilot certificate with a balloon rating takes a practical test in a balloon with an airborne heater:
(1) The pilot certificate will contain a limitation restricting the exercise of the privileges of that certificate to a balloon with an airborne heater; and
(2) The limitation may be removed when the person obtains the required aeronautical experience in a gas balloon and receives a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who attests to the person's accomplishment of the required aeronautical experience and ability to satisfactorily operate a gas balloon.
(b) If a person who applies for a private pilot certificate with a balloon rating takes a practical test in a gas balloon:
(1) The pilot certificate will contain a limitation restricting the exercise of the privilege of that certificate to a gas balloon; and
(2) The limitation may be removed when the person obtains the required aeronautical experience in a balloon with an airborne heater and receives a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor who attests to the person's accomplishment of the required aeronautical experience and ability to satisfactorily operate a balloon with an airborne heater.