10/05/2024
🥳Bucket List rides and event planning Do's and Don'ts! 🎈💜
✅- Always book your balloon ride, event, or activity directly from the actual registered company not through a referral-based or partner-based organization. That is NOT the legitimate balloon business you are looking for. This will save you costs on their commission and ensure your working with a professional operator, all state and federal compliances are met, and liabilities are appropriately covered for your safe activity.
✅- Ask questions! Are you a certified LTA commercial balloon pilot legal to operate for compensation or hire? Do you have insurance? Are your balloons and pilots all listed on that insurance policy? Do you have the required 2nd class medical to legally operate for compensation or hire as a commercial pilot? Only certified pilots can be insured on aircraft, student pilots for example cannot carry independent insurance their instructor has to be additionally insured and may not sign off on their activity at which time you would not be covered.
✅-Ask Do you own the ride business or are your referral based? If referral based, do you have a copy of all the referred companies' paperwork? What's your fee and why can't I talk to the company directly?
✅-Just because a balloon may not be inflight such as a static display, photo session, glow, basket tour, or walk in, does not mean the risk isn't there and the appropriate training and insurance doesn't need to be in place for the safety of all those involved. It absolutely does.
✅-Aircraft? Let's talk about inspections! All balloons must have annual inspections for continued airworthiness. A great question to ask. Is your balloon system that's the (basket, burners, tanks, and balloon) current? Have all components been inspected and been released for service? If not...it's dead/ retired...it cannot be insured without very specific limitations in its policy to almost all of its operations.
✅- Compensation? First ask "Are you a commercially certified pilot with a 2nd class medical able to operate for compensation or higher?" If the answer is anything but YES. We suggest you seek out other service providers, like us! Deposits- each operation is different. We do not take deposits however in the case of a requested deposit we suggest no more than half.
Professional operators have all the documents, policies, and procedures listed above at the ready anytime as they submit them multiple times a year for various events, rides, and activities both public and private in nature. It's also customary for them to add you to their policy for additional coverage at special events, city parks, schools, private properties etc.
