Characters in Flight at Downtown Disney - I can't figure out how...

[rkelly42]

Put the ballon at DHS and then your problems should be gone. Call it Muppets in Flight and everything is fixed.:lol:

 

[MissM]

You can't see the balloon from MK but you CAN see it from Bay Lake Tower. Our room on the 14th floor had a great view of Spaceship Earth and you could also see the Characters in Flight balloon throughout the day too.

 

[majortom1981]

hmm

I did this ride a month ago. Its well worth the $20 but if your scared of heights don't do it. The balloon kinda rocks a little (a liuttle rougher on the way down).

The pilot is very knowledgable. He points out where everything is and even walks around the balloon and takes pictures for you .

 

[Tom]

I don't think anyone on the ground in MK would be able to see the balloon. The lines of sight in the picture linked above show only the top of Space Mountain and by the looks of it the Castle well above the level of the stage out front.

Like I said, even without the hotels, you wouldn't see much at all.

Besides, is there ever such a thing as a "clear day" in Florida? The air is 80% water, 20% haze :lol:

To those complaining that the placement of Characters in Flight is terrible because you cannot see the Castle when you are in the air... please look at the following picture.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2555/4007257434_53491f7525_b.jpg

To explain what each shape represents:
1) The small solid PINK circle inside the thin PINK ring is Cinderella's Castle. (CC)
2) The small solid YELLOW rectangle inside the thin YELLOW rectangle is the Contemporary Resort. (CR)
3) The small solid YELLOW circle inside the thin YELLOW ring in the location of Characters in Flight. (CIF)

Now to explain the lines:
1) The RED line is the actual sight line from the CIF to the Castle.
2) The BLUE line is the farthest western point on Downtown Disney Westside that they could have put CIF, it's right next to Cirque du Soliel. Notice the view of CC is still partially blocked by the CR. This means that anywhere along the waterfront at Downtown Disney, Westside or Marketplace side, would have an obstructed view.
3) The PURPLE line shows the sight line needed to see an unobstructed view of CC from a spot located closest to Downtown Disney. It's all the way across the street from Downtown Disney!
4) Finally the GREEN line shows the sight line had CIF been placed somewhere along Disney's Boardwalk. Not that CIF fits well in Downtown Disney now, but does it fit better at Disney's Boardwalk?? Absolutely not.

So... to those who are complaining and don't like the fact that you can't see Cinderella's Castle, where would you put Characters in Flight instead? And "nowhere" isn't a choice.

I'm so glad you did this. I was going to, but then figured someone would beat me to it...then I got lazy.

Nice job!

 

[EpcotServo]

I'm guessing pilots on the balloon are as reliable as bus drivers and boat captains at WDW.

That's because they're high, they're so HIGH.


lol

 

[mrerk]

KSC is 55 miles from the Characters in Flight balloon. To be able to see KSC from the balloon over the curvature of the earth would necessitate an altitude differential of approximately 3000 ft. Given the altitude of Lake Buena Vista is 94 ft, there's no way you could see KSC from the balloon on the clearest day imaginable. You could see a launch from KSC after its gained some altitude.

I'm guessing pilots on the balloon are as reliable as bus drivers and boat captains at WDW.

This has been bugging me since I read it.

LBV altitude is 94 ft above seal level. The balloon goes up 400'. Say the person on the balloon is 6' tall. That gives us a total of 500'. The formula I located states "1.17 times the square root of your height of eye = Distance to the horizon in nautical miles" which gives us 26.16 nm.

I'm guessing the tallest thing at KSC would be the Vehicle Assembly Building. The VAB is 525' tall. I couldn't find the altitude of KSC, so let's just say it is at sea level. So using the same formula gives us 26.80 nm, for a total of just under 53 nm or about 61 miles.

Driving distance from WDW to KSC is about 59 miles. Line of sight has to be less than that. So I would say it is possible to see KSC from the balloon. Or is my math off somewhere?

Monty, how did you come up with "an altitude differential of approximately 3000 ft" ?

 

[Fantasmic]

So how long is the "ride"? Do you just raise up to the max altitude and then float back down?? The only reason I would want to ride it is for the view but it seems there isn't much of one, lol.

You fly up, stay up for about 5 mins, then fly down

I wonder if you can see Sea World or Universal :X

Yeah, you can see Seaworld's tower and Kraken, and you can just see Dr Doom if you look realy hard... we got on this side cause we got on first.

we couldn't see Disney very well cause it was obscured by some "larger" people (the bit you stand in was tilting....their way...)

 

[Montyboy]

KSC is 55 miles from the Characters in Flight balloon. To be able to see KSC from the balloon over the curvature of the earth would necessitate an altitude differential of approximately 3000 ft. Given the altitude of Lake Buena Vista is 94 ft, there's no way you could see KSC from the balloon on the clearest day imaginable. You could see a launch from KSC after its gained some altitude.

I'm guessing pilots on the balloon are as reliable as bus drivers and boat captains at WDW.

Just great. Now I have to check your math.
What did you use for the radius of the Earth?

 

[Monty]

This has been bugging me since I read it.

LBV altitude is 94 ft above seal level. The balloon goes up 400'. Say the person on the balloon is 6' tall. That gives us a total of 500'. The formula I located states "1.17 times the square root of your height of eye = Distance to the horizon in nautical miles" which gives us 26.16 nm.

I'm guessing the tallest thing at KSC would be the Vehicle Assembly Building. The VAB is 525' tall. I couldn't find the altitude of KSC, so let's just say it is at sea level. So using the same formula gives us 26.80 nm, for a total of just under 53 nm or about 61 miles.

Driving distance from WDW to KSC is about 59 miles. Line of sight has to be less than that. So I would say it is possible to see KSC from the balloon. Or is my math off somewhere?

Monty, how did you come up with "an altitude differential of approximately 3000 ft" ?

OK, I didn't add in the height of of the VAB... By your calculations, if you are in the balloon at its highest point and know exactly which direction to look you might catch a glimpse of the upper tip of the VAB in the distance as a white spot peaking over the horizon, assuming there are no trees in the line-of-sight... Even if I could see it, I'd hardly call that "seeing the KSC". :shrug:

 

[hemloc]

That's ok. You really can't even see too much of the MK from the park-side of the Contemporary, anyways :shrug:...

 

[Atomicmickey]

We were going to do Characters in Flight last week.

However, we went to Blizzard Beach, first.

From the top of Summit Plummet, as you wait to be bruised and beaten on your way down, you have the same view as you would from the balloon!

A spectacular vantage point from which you can see all of WDW, including the castle, and the balloon!

We all agreed that "we'd seen it" and were very happy to have gone up there!

The trip down, well . . . it was a rush, we did it twice, but I did end up with some huge bruises on my calf and thigh. Obviously, the ride down
was worth the aftermath. I hit 63 MPH on the way down! Woosh!

 

[urbanvegan]

You can also see all of WDW (and be astounded by the distance between parks) if you turn around on the Everest lift hill. Or, if you are in the front car when you stop at the section with the ripped up track.

You can save $20 per person! :ROFLOL: