For some people, it’s a lifelong dream to go up in a hot air balloon and gaze out at the open vistas by themselves or take friends and family up for a one-of-a-kind experience. If you’re looking for hot air balloon training in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, and San Antonio, TX to achieve this dream, come to Austin Aeronauts Hot Air Balloons. We take pride in teaching budding aeronauts the skills they need to be balloon pilots themselves.
Our Qualifications
What makes us qualified to give hot air balloon pilot lessons in Austin, TX? The answer is an unmatched experience. Our founder David Smuck has over 4,500 hours of flight time in balloons and an additional 600 hours in fixed-wing aircraft. This extensive knowledge has led Austin Aeronauts Hot Air Balloons to fly more than 10,000 passengers in hot air balloons over the course of our company’s many decades in business. We’re also an FAA-certified company.
The road to becoming a pilot
Some of our trainees come to us as balloon owners, who want to refine their knowledge of hot air balloon operation and become pilots for personal or financial gain. Others just want to work for a company like Austin Aeronauts Hot Air Balloons! Whatever your reason for wanting to learn how to fly a balloon, everyone starts in the same place.
At Austin Aeronauts Hot Air Balloons, students spend about a year in training and a considerable amount of time on the ‘retrieve team,’ to learn exactly what the team on the ground goes through. It is also a time to learn why the instructor pilot makes certain “go” and “no go” decisions. We’ll make sure you know the ropes from every angle—from the operation of the balloon itself, to the proper action and reaction in certain situations.
We suggest coming out to observe a flight or to participate as a student/passenger before you decide to take up hot air balloon pilot lessons.
Cost of Training
The outright cost to obtain your balloon pilot certificate is $2,400. Quite often, Austin Aeronauts Hot Air Balloons can either partially or totally fold the cost of this training into the purchase price of a balloon, or adjust the cost by how much time you can spend with the retrieve crew.
For more information about our hot air balloon training, rides, and advertising or to inquire about the cost of certification, please contact us today by calling 512-440-1492.