After Flight -  The position of the basket is horizontal before and after take-off.  The basket is divided up into 10 compartments, eight of which are for passengers, and the other two are for the gas tanks and the pilot.  Each compartment holds 2 passengers, and thus a total of 16 passengers and the pilot.  At take-off and landing, we are in a crouch position with our weight on the back.  Both take-off and landing were very smooth.