What a view

[Lucas1860]

In the DM, shit paper, good article,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... light.html

[Mayfly]

When I was in NZ we went up Auckland Sky Tower 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall by lift - it has a glass floor it was a horrible feeling looking down!!!

[Jigsaw]

That looks pretty fu*@in scary, awesome, whatever. WOW.

Highest I have been was the observation deck of Rialto Tower in Melbourne. No glass tower but you could go outside and stand on an enclosed grid.

Not sure the balloon would float my boat or not but...you would have to do it eh?

[Lucas1860]

When I was in NZ we went up Auckland Sky Tower 328 metres (1,076 ft) tall by lift - it has a glass floor it was a horrible feeling looking down!!!

I'll bet!

[Thumper]

I think I'd sooner have a nice solid plate of glass beneath my feet than some dodgy old twisted sticks tied together coz essentially thats all it is I hate hot air balloons, been in one once and never again. Not enough control for my liking!

[Spitfire]

Funny that - completely disagree - went on a flight from Bristol for a birthday treat and was totally gobsmacked with the whole experience - only a small basket - just 5 of us

Flew from Grevill Smyth Park - right over the Clifton Suspension bridge - on over the middle of Filton Airport - over the M5 and came down in the Tockington Village area ..... Going over Filton was fun - he had to radio them and say we were going over at 1500 ft - and there were actually aircraft landing beneath us - all air traffic did was advise aircraft we were there ... not that we couldn't be seen All very civilised

It was astonishing how much control the pilot actually had - ok we were with the wind - but height and stuff was very precise - he always wanted to be 'at the front' so to speak and as we hit another stream of air coming up the Severn estuary the balloon started to rotate very gently and he had to keep moving across the basket 'to the front' - quite funny actually - we had to keep shuffling around which made the wicker basket creak The view down through the wicker floor was actually quite good in itself

Best bit was descending north of the M5 and moving along at about 50ft for a while - very calm and serene - talking to people on the ground was easy - only noise was the occasional thunder of the burner.

I'd go up again no bother and would love that glass bottom one Don't think I'd like those huge African Safari ones that take 20 or 30 people at a time

[Xplumberlives]

Much more fun jumping out of planes, nothing to stand on at all!

[Mayfly]

I always thought ballooning was Toffs sport?

[Xplumberlives]

Bloody Toffs!

[Thumper]

I take it back then Spitfire, the "pilot" that "controlled" the one I went up in obviously got his certificate from a cornflake packet. It really was the most frightening experience of my life. Only 5 of us in the balloon, me and the boyfriend limped away and the elderly couple got seen by St John's finest. The "pilot" hit a huge galvanised water trough in the landing field which threw us all out. That was expected as he had spent the previous 10 minutes with the burner on full blast shouting "come on, FFS come on, NO, NO, NO, come ON" which I must say was less than encouraging

Still wouldn't get me in one again even if the pilot had 50 years experience and had won a load of championships or something!