Characters in Flight closed for the next couple of days for refurbishment

Sep 29, 2015 in "Aerophile: The World Leader in Balloon Flight"

Posted: Tuesday September 29, 2015 11:29 EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

Characters in Flight at Disney Springs will be closed from today through to October 2 for routine maintenance.

The balloon ride is expected to reopen to guests on October 3 2015.

View all current and upcoming refurbishments.

Characters in Flight new balloon inflated
Characters in Flight new balloon inflated

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PolydwellerOct 01, 2015

They didn't replace the skin, in fact they never do that, they replaced the entire balloon with a new design. This was after the accident in Hong Kong in 2012 that injured five people. The new design fixed the deficiencies of the original design. Characters in Flight was taken down immediately after the accident and remained down until a new balloon was available. It's probably more mechanical. The tether cable has to be replaced on a regular basis and this would be close to that time. For that matter, they also fully replace the balloon on a schedule because it too wears out. I think that's at least a year away. But it wouldn't take months since it wouldn't go down until the new one is ready.

French QuarterOct 01, 2015

Ahhhh, yes. This would make sense. Is it still down?

BoltSep 30, 2015

It was changed when it was down for a few months

djkidkazSep 30, 2015

I wonder how difficult it is to replace the skin of the balloon? The last time they replaced it they changed the whole design. I'd imagine it would take more than a couple days to replace the whole skin.

ABQSep 30, 2015

Wouldn't be surprised if they're somehow placing a big ol' Disney Springs sign on the balloon as part of the official renaming ceremony.

French QuarterSep 29, 2015

It's nice to actually hear something about CiF, even if it is about it being closed. You don't hear too many mentions of it anywhere.

BoltSep 29, 2015

Pretty sure they are holding off on that until next year at least as the construction creates all that dust that is attracted to that. A couple day refurb sounds more like mechanical work.

Next Big ThingSep 29, 2015

The skin of the balloon has looked a bit faded of late, I wonder if they plan on replacing it once again.
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