Does anybody know what is the cheapest and best way I can learn how to create (from zero knowledge)

Does anybody know what is the cheapest and best way I can learn how to create (from zero knowledge) 360° and spherical continental airlines flight information virtual tours and use them on websites? Searching around reveals some expensive software options, but deeper searching reveals that some of them are no longer giving anykind of real support. I need cheap (or better still free) and easy to use. There are plenty of decent free and easy to use HDR and panorama packages around out there, but I haven't found any virtual tour packages that fit that description. Have any of you? I want to try it out and test the market around here. If that works I would get a faster/better/more expensive package to use for the business.
If You managed to find a free solution (GPL preferably) than please share. I was looking for this some time ago w/o any good results. I've learned that one of the way is to use QuicTime VR, although there's not too much software for that.
I'm pretty sure Hugin will make it if your technique is right. But I tried a 360x180 pano once just for fun and had a lot of parallax and also didn't cover the frame completely. Maybe I'll try again sometime.
Hey Jonny, yes - it is 3/16" stainless which work hardens when bent so it is as rigid as heck now. There is a third bit which I could use if the head didn't rotate the camera around the nodal point of the lens. That Slik has a puck-like QD plate which works to rotate around which is OK for panos unless they are at the top of a mountain (not light to carry)!