Flying a balloon is simple in principle. Hot air goes up, cool air comes down. Fill a balloon with hot air, and it goes up too. Let it cool...well, you get the idea. Follow along and we'll illustrate a typical flight in detail.
When the pilot and crew arrive with the balloon at the launch site,
the balloon is
unloaded and assembled
The basket, also called the gondola, is attached to the envelope
The envelope is the big, colorful part of the balloon.
Once the wind is calm enough to safely start the inflation, a powerful
fan is started to fill the balloon with air.
Air is continually pumped into the envelope until it is full.
There's a lot of air in there, folks!
When the balloon is filled, the pilot starts the burner. The
tremendous heat from
the burner quickly heats the air in the
envelope, and the balloon soon begins to lift
off its side.
When the balloon is upright, passengers can climb into the gondola.
More heat is needed to bring the balloon to the point of bouyancy.
The crew remains on the ground, packing up the ropes and the
inflation fan into the
chase vehicle, and prepares to follow the
aircraft as it drifts with the wind toward an undetermined
landing site.
Bon Voyage!
A typical flight lasts for about an hour.
The pilot chooses a landing site and the crew does their best to
meet the balloon as it descends.
When the balloon reaches the ground, the
pilot releases
the hot air from the balloon by
opening vents at the top of
the envelope.
As air escapes from the envelope, it shrivels up and sinks back
down to the ground.
The remaining air needs to be squeezed from the envelope.
Packing up is a lot of fun!
Most folks are skeptical that the envelope will fit back into the bag!
Tradition dictates a toast to celebrate the occasion!
