Even passengers are saying that it was dangerous:-

A:      “I felt the balloon take-off was dangerous!  Good thing the trainee had a backup pilot.” (OAT015833, Trip Date July 18, 2008, Survey Date Aug. 4, 2008);

Strong wind puts the wind-up balloon passengers:-

B:                  “The trip should have been cancelled due to high winds.” (OAT020377, Trip Date Aug. 24, 2008; Survey Date Sept. 16, 2008);

I concede, , it's no always  the romantic flight one might expect, it's extreme ballooning.

Short flight due to wind:- @ $500 per passenger, this equates to $14 per minute per passenger.

C:                   “Because of the wind, the trip was only 35 minutes, and the landing was quite rough.” (OAT023232, Trip Date Sept. 4, 2008, Survey Date Oct. 1, 2008);

NP: It is my experience that due to the normal windy conditions, along with only one takeoff site, it can be very difficult for a pilot to deliver the planned flight duration of one hour. Upper wind speeds dictate that the pilot may have little alternative but to adopt a flight profile of flying just above the ground In order to stay out of the stronger upper  winds.

Trees often getting in the way of Serengeti passenger  balloon

D; “The driver (pilot) did not pay attention and ran into a tree hurting one of our people.” (OAT023826, Trip Date Sept. 21, 2008, Survey Date Oct. 10, 2008);

NP:  To attempt to give the passengers anything near the planned flight duration of one hour, pilots will often fly very low to keep out of faster upper winds. I would not be the only pilot to admit that, at times, it was embarrassing to deliver the shortest of flights before landing within the confines of the normal flying area. We were encouraged to add the time taken to inflate the balloon as flight time. it can take 10 minutes to hot inflate these passenger balloons. Passengers are not normally aware of the fact that it is a legal requirement to log operational time from the moment the burners are ignited.

NP: From time to time even pilots get anxious in the Serengeti:- (Best not to talk about it )

E; “[The balloon pilot] seemed anxious to land.  He was a substitute driver.” (OAT027370, Trip Date Oct. 17, 2008, Survey Date Nov. 15, 2008)

NP:  Due to the high wind speed in the Serengeti, most pilots experience times of anxiety (intense concentration) during flight operations.

NP:   Another short flight, was it too windy or not enough fuel? Possibly both? Not another low-flying tree

F:                    “The animals were frightened, we crashed into a tree, we were only in the air 50 minutes, then crash landed.” (OAT010772, Trip Date June 13, 2009);

Passenger pinned to the ground:-

G:         “They should have had more control of the balloon because it shifted and pinned my husband to the ground!” (OAT013043, Trip Date June 17, 2009, Survey Date July 22, 2009);

At the risk of labouring the point, if the Serengeti balloons were appropriately equipped with the rapid deflation system, the common occurrence of the protracted basket over-dragged landings could be improved upon and provide potentially life-saving safeguards for their passengers.

A recent survey indicates that SBS is the only operator not to be using some form of rapid deflation system. In a recent cross-examination, I found that pilot owner Colin MacKinnon was painfully economical (Opinion, to the point of deceiving) when making reference to the inferior system used in his company's passenger balloons.

Very hard landings for SerengetiBballoon Safaris passengers:- Passenger rear ended

H;         “. . . all passengers compared landing to being rear-ended by speeding car.” (OAT015977, Trip Date July 19, 2009, Survey Date Aug. 9, 2009.)

Unfortunately, due to strong winds commonly experienced in the Serengeti, along with solid hidden termite mounds, bone-jarring impacts shall remain part of the experience. I made this fact known during my passenger pre-flight briefing. This fact is conveniently omitted from promotional literature.

Many of SBS's passengers support my claim that it is very windy in the Serengeti:-

I:       “Our ‘pilot’… had just come to the Serengeti (as he told us after the trip). This was obvious when, because he wasn’t experienced enough with the Serengeti winds and rough terrain! First we bounced along the ground excessively before lift-off… the takeoff was extremely rough.

When we finally achieved lift-off, he said we could stand; he almost immediately shouted, “Landing positions!” and the balloon basket hit the ground… the ‘pilot,’ it seemed, then kept the balloon too high to see the animals that were below.  The landing was just as rough as the basket bounced repeatedly across the ground, slinging dirt and rocks into our faces. Be sure their pilots have enough experience.” (OAT040559, Trip Date May 18, 2010, Survey Date June 22, 2010 (underlining in original).)

Trouble getting off the ground, in strong wind ? :-

J;         “[Our ‘pilot’ needed more experience in the Serengeti winds and rough ground. He had trouble getting us up and then couldn’t keep the balloon aloft. He shouted, ‘Landing positions!’… His face expressed concern as he tried to get the balloon up and landed as he frantically handled the controls! He had us so high that only a rider with binoculars was able to see the animal specks and point them out.”

      (OAT009760, Trip Date May 18, 2010, Survey Date June 23, 2010.)

Without a doubt; I loved flying in the Serengeti

NP: On a good day when everything goes right, it cannot be argued that this location can be a wonderful place to fly; however, whilst it is void of the dangers of power lines and built-up areas, due to the terrain and, most importantly, the predominant high wind, balloon safaris in the Serengeti should be classified as extreme ballooning therefore not recommended for the fainthearted. Passengers should be made aware of this so they can make an informed decision. Remember the statistics quoted on this website: passengers are more likely to sustain injury in a hot air balloon than when they go parachuting; indeed, that was a surprise to me. SBS Have had  Accidents iInvolved parachuting and Ballooning.

Supporting SBS everybody should understand there are risks when we defy gravity, However both operator and pilot must  do all that is possible to mitigate risk.

Short balloon flight and ran into a tree in the Serengeti

Just six weeks before Frank Ballantoni crashed:- potentially you say ? fact is, it had already happened in 1999,2006,2009

K:         “The pilot of our balloon - Frank - was a bit arrogant & under-experienced in the Serengeti. The landing was rough enough that older people could be potentially hurt.” (OAT043969, Trip Date July 11, 2010, Survey Date Aug. 11, 2010).

Note the date above is July 11 2010. Weeks later, on September 29th, A pilot by the name of Frank Ballantoni crashed his SBS balloon, in doing so, killing one American and one Danish passenger. It is reported that eight others were seriously injured. In May 2010, I had already forewarned that there would be a serious accident in the Serengeti.

Travel agents Survey

Highlights Balloon Passenger Safety Concerns

At UK owned Serengeti Balloon Safaris

Injuries and fatalities follow