Fly Away Bounce Houses

We’ve all seen the news stories titled “bounce houses go airborne” or “fly away bounce houses.” Scary, right? It absolutely is. The fact is inflatables “going airborne” in high wind conditions is absolutely possible however it can be prevented. But how? If these two simple steps are followed, there would never be another case of a fly away bounce house.

• First and foremost, inflatables should NEVER be setup in conditions where the wind speeds or gusts meet or exceed 25mph. Some inflatables are actually rated for a lower-maximum wind speed than others and may have a maximum wind rating as low as 15mph.
• Second, inflatables should always be secured with stakes or sandbags. At ACP Entertainment, we use 36″x1″ metal stakes and 60 pound sandbags on all inflatables and for every event. The amount of stakes or sandbags used on each inflatable really depends on the individual unit. For example, a regular bounce house would get 4 stakes and 6-8 sandbags while a large slide could get up to 12 stakes and 20 sandbags. Just like wind speeds, each inflatable has it’s own specifications for anchoring. Please note that using plastic stakes or stakes less than 18″ is never safe for the use of inflatables.

Camera crews from Wood TV8 filming a segment about safe inflatable operations with ACP Entertainment.

Even if inflatables are properly anchored, there is always a chance that high winds could still rip anchor points off of the ground which is why both guidelines absolutely must be followed. Weather is unpredictable and sometimes winds may increase during an event. If that is the case and winds exceed the maximum ratings, then it is crucial to shut them down immediately.

With over 4,000 events under our belt, ACP Entertainment has never had an inflatable go airborne and we will never allow it to happen in the future. We value the trust that you put into our team at ACP Entertainment and will always make safety our number one priority and concern.