A tethered hot air balloon ride was recently proposed at a Fort Myers city council meeting. The proposed location is a city-owned property at the corner of Hendry Street and Edwards Drive in downtown Fort Myers.

The tower would stand at 131 feet tall. Each ride would seat up to 16 people with options for 5 and 10-minute rides. Patrons can bring drinks while enjoying panoramic views of downtown Fort Myers and the Caloosahatchee River.

This particular model is called the Aerobar, and is manufactured by the Paris-based company, Aerophile. Aerophile has one other tethered helium balloon ride in Disney Springs, which ascends to 400 feet during an 8-minute ride.

James Burch, owner of Heads Up! LLC, the company who proposed the Fort Myers tower, said that the ride would be lit-up with the ability to change colors for different holidays and seasons, without being too bright for nearby residents. It would be designed to withstand 200MPH winds. With any winds over 40MPH or lightening within 20 miles, the ride would shut down. Additionally, with any wind over 70MPH, the balloon would be deflated.

At this point, the proposal is very preliminary. Since the subject property is in the ‘Community Redevelopment Agency’ district, the city must seek various proposals from different developers before approving and proceeding with anything.