There is no steering wheel, a balloon travels with the wind, it rarely lands back at the same place from which it launched.

The wind at different hights travels in different directions, on some days there is a great variation of direction with height and on some days very little.

The wind speed also normally varies with height, usually the wind near the surface is slower than the wind higher up, but this is not always so.

In stable weather conditions and with practice and concentration the pilot can control the height at which the balloon flies very accurately, in this way they can use the changing wind flow directions at height to steer by.

Before the launch the team will usually release several small Helium filled balloons in order to assess the wind speed and directions which might be encountered as the flight progresses. This is a standard practice with passenger balloon flights everywhere in the world and helps the pilot assess some of the landing options they might have available at the end of the flight. However, the precise location of the landing place is never certain until the basket finally touches down.