Suitable clothing for Ballooning.
Although hot air ballooning is one of the safest forms of transport, there are some risks associated with ballooning. These risks tend to appear when people are engaged in very unfamiliar activities, movements and situations. Knowing about where these risks crop up can help everybody involved stay safe and avoid injury.
The most common injuries are minor and for the most part avoidable with a little thought. The most often seen injuries include twisted, sprained or broken ankles and rope burns to the hands and arms.
You can reduce the risk of these injuries by ensuring that you have the most appropriate footwear and clothing for what is a very physical activity.
Wearing the right clothes will allow you to enjoy ballooning to the fullest extent and keep yourself safe.
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Flat shoes or walking boots are perfect
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long sleeves to protect your arms from bumps and scrapes
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A warm jacket.
Shoes that support your ankles, such as sturdy walking boots are ideal.
Foe pilots and crew, wearing long sleeves made of natural fibers and thick gloves can provide protection from heat and flame and friction.
PUT (Pilot Under Training) Fliss Simpson tries a Saudi Airforce flying suit from Pete Bish's Ballooning emporium in Newbury.
Amongst a fantastic array of ballooning related goodies to be found at Pete Bish's hot air ballooning emporium in Newbury. Fliss Simpson found this flying suit from the Saudi Arabian Air Force. Perfect with lots of pockets for secondary sources of ingnition, pens and phones etc, complete coverage of arms and legs. Possibly not this season's colours though!
(If you are ever in the Newbury area you really have to pop in and have a look around. Pete has absolutely everything you could imagine related to ballooning. He also houses and curates a marvelous collection of old balloons from the very earliest hot air balloons in this country and he will happily talk you through the history of each one.)