⚠ Wind is a factor in 78% of balloon accidents — NTSB

What if you could see
every wind layer
before you fly into it?

AeroScout deploys autonomous scout drones that orbit your balloon, mapping wind speed, direction, and shear across every altitude — live, continuous, on your tablet in the basket.

Request Early Access →See the 3D View
78%
of balloon crashes
involve wind
66%
blame unforecast
wind changes
12%
cite sudden
wind shear
81%
of crashes happen
during landing
The Reality

Pilots make altitude decisions with stale data and instinct

Your pibal is 45 minutes old. The winds aloft forecast was issued at 3 AM. The smoke shows surface wind — but what's at 1,500 feet? You won't know until you're in it.

"The initial forecast called for calm winds, but pilots were met with gusty conditions after takeoff. The wind dragged the balloons across the ground for 300 feet."— NTSB Report, Wyoming 2020 · 3 balloons, multiple hospitalizations
"Two-thirds of weather-related balloon incidents involve winds that were not in the forecast."— NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System
Hot air balloon in flight
How It Works

From launch to landing, you see everything

AeroScout runs autonomously. You focus on flying.

01

Scout drones orbit your balloon

Two high-endurance hexacopters launch and orbit your GPS position at different altitudes — carrying ultrasonic anemometers, barometric sensors, and thermometers sampling at 10Hz.

02

A live wind field builds around you

Telemetry streams to the compute unit in your basket. An interpolation model turns the samples into a continuous 3D wind map — every layer's speed, direction, temperature, and shear.

03

Your tablet shows where to go

A sunlight-readable display shows the optimal altitude corridor with ascend/descend guidance. Shear alerts warn you before you enter dangerous layers.

Interactive 3D View

This is what the airspace around you looks like

Drag to orbit. Each layer shows real wind direction and speed. The green corridor is your optimal path.

● 4 SCOUT DRONES ACTIVE
● OPTIMAL CORRIDOR: 1,500–2,200ft
● BALLOON: 1,800ft
DRAG TO ORBIT · SCROLL TO ZOOM
Who It's For

Built for how you actually fly

Passengers in hot air balloon basket

Tour Operators

You cancel flights when conditions are uncertain. AeroScout gives you the data to confidently fly — or confidently stand down.

  • Reduce weather cancellations with pre-flight wind scans
  • Document wind conditions for every flight (insurance)
  • Give passengers confidence with visible safety tech
  • Differentiate your operation from competitors
Competition hot air balloon target flying

Competition Pilots

Every task is won or lost on wind reads. AeroScout shows you the layers before you commit.

  • See wind direction at target altitude before ascending
  • Find the layer that aligns with your target heading
  • Detect shear zones before you enter them
  • Update strategy in real-time, not from a stale pibal
Balloon festival mass ascension

Festival & Event Ops

Mass ascensions with 100+ balloons. AeroScout adds intelligence that protects pilots and spectators.

  • Real-time wind field shared across all launch officials
  • Go/no-go decisions backed by live atmospheric data
  • Continuous monitoring through the flight window
  • Post-flight data for safety review and compliance
Capabilities

Built for the basket

📡

Real-Time Wind Telemetry

Wind speed, direction, and temperature from surface to 4,000ft AGL — updated continuously.

Balloon-Following Orbit

Drones autonomously track your GPS. As you drift, they drift with you — always scanning.

✅

Optimal Corridor

Nav engine scores every altitude band for heading alignment and safety with confidence rating.

⚠️

Shear Alerts

Automatic wind shear, gust, and turbulence detection before you enter hazardous layers.

☀️

Sunlight-Readable

800-nit ruggedized tablet with 14-hour battery — designed for the open basket.

🔄

Fully Autonomous

Drones launch, orbit, scan, and return on their own. You focus on flying.

Pilot HMI

Your wind field, at a glance

Every layer, every drone, every recommendation — designed for the open basket.

AEROSCOUT — LIVE · T+14:23
The Business Case

The math works — for safety and for revenue

For a 6-balloon tour operation

Average revenue per flight$2,400
Flights cancelled for uncertain winds / season~45 flights
Revenue lost to weather cancellations$108,000
Cancellations recoverable with wind intel~30%
Revenue recovered per season+$32,400

What you tell your insurer

Real-time wind monitoring every flight✓
Automated shear & gust alerts✓
Wind conditions logged per flight✓
Go/no-go backed by measured data✓
Potential premium reductionSignificant
From the Basket

Pilots talk about the problem AeroScout solves

You know that moment at 1,200 feet where you're not sure if the next layer pushes you toward the highway or the field? That's the moment I want data for.
22-Year Commercial Pilot3,200+ flights · Southwest US
I lost my last task because my wind read was wrong at 2,000 feet. The pibal was almost an hour old. By the time I committed, the layer had shifted 30 degrees.
National Championship FinalistCompetition pilot · 14 years
We cancelled 38 flights last season we probably could have flown. But I'm not putting 8 passengers in a basket on a maybe. Give me data and I'll fly.
Tour Operator, 14 Balloons6,000+ passenger flights/year
Early Access Program

Be first to fly with
real wind intelligence

We're selecting a small group of commercial operators and competition pilots for field trials. Priority goes to operators with 3+ balloons.

No spam. Just launch updates and early access invites.