COMMERCIAL & LEISURE

HOW THE BALLOON WORKS

The basis of how the balloon works is that warmer air rises in cooler air. This is because hot air is lighter than cool air as it has less mass per unit of volume. To help keep the balloon in the air and rising, hot air needs to be propelled upwards into the envelope using the burner.

A hot air balloon is made up of 3 main parts:

§ The Envelope

The actual fabric balloon which holds the air

§ The Burner

The unit which propels the heat up inside the envelope

§ The Basket

Where the passengers and pilot stand

The controls for piloting a balloon are actually extremely simple:

1 - To move the balloon upwards - the pilot opens up the propane valve which lets the propane flow to the burner which in turn fires the flame up into the envelope.

2 - To move the balloon downwards - the 'Parachute Valve' at the very top of the balloon is what is used to bring the balloon down towards the ground.

How does the balloon move from place to place? The pilot can maneuver horizontally by changing the vertical position of the balloon because the wind blows in different directions at different altitudes.

THE HISTORY OF HOT AIR BALLOONING

On the 19th September 1783 Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, launched the first hot air balloon called 'Aerostat Reveillon'. The passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster.

The first manned attempt came about 2 months later on 21st November, with a balloon made by 2 French brothers, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier.

The next major point in balloon history was on January 7th 1793. Jean Pierre Blanchard became the first to fly a hot air balloon in North America.

A great altitude record was set in 1960 when Captain Joe Kittinger parachute jumped from a balloon that was at a height of 102,000 feet. The balloon broke the altitude record and Captain Kittinger, the high altitude parachute jump record. He broke the sound barrier with his body!

In 1978, the Double Eagle II became the first balloon to cross the Atlantic, another major benchmark in the History of Ballooning.

The first Pacific crossing was achieved 3 years later in 1981. The Double Eagle V launched from Japan on November 10^th.

Finally, in 1999 the first around the world flight was completed by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. Leaving from Switzerland and landing in Africa, they smashed all previous distance records, flying for 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes.

HOW HOT AIR BALLOONS ARE USED

COMMERCIAL & LEISURE

The most popular use of hot air balloons is obviously for commercial leisure flights where members of the public book flights and go up in the balloon for a ride.

CORPORATE

Some companies decide to take their employees on a hot air balloon trip for a day out as a team building exercise. Hot air balloon rides are also popular as employee incentives, certainly better than a department store voucher! Corporate hospitality is another favourite use companies have for balloon rides.

PROMOTION & ADVERTISING

Some companies choose to use hot air balloons as a means of advertising their products, so will have a 'Special Shape' balloon envelope made or will simply advertise on the side of a typical hot air balloon envelope.

SPORTS

Ballooning is a popular sport these days and is growing all the time, from competitions in smaller races at local balloon festivals through to larger national and international events.

WEDDINGS

Perhaps the most romantic use for a hot air balloon is weddings, when a couple decide to actually get married on board the balloon. While a hot air balloon wedding may be a strange concept to some, it has proved to be a popular option for many couples.

Date: 2015-12-18; view: 1310