How these balloons rose to fame
What we have today in terms of modern balloon technology we owe to the Josef and Etienne Montgolfier of
Annonay, France who flew the first successful hot air balloon in 1783, with
animals onboard as passengers. As paper manufacturers, the brothers had
initially noticed that ash rose with the flames when they burned paper. When
animals survived the flight, it was decided that humans can safely go
onboard.
King Louis XVI, also known as Marie Antoniette's husband, declared that only condemned criminals should be allowed to man balloon flights.
Two very brave men, Marquis Francois d'Arlandes and Pilatre de Rozier, a
physicist, successfully lobbied to be allowed to participate in the first
flight. Their balloons were made of cloth with hot air supplied by a grill.
The military connection
The earliest recorded use of hot air balloons were those employed during the Shu era by Chinese General Zhuge Liang, a
distinguished administrator and strategist. His unmanned balloons, called
Kongming lanterns, were used by the military as a means to exchange signals with
their comrades.
Manned use for military purposes was done by the French during the Revolutionary wars when they used a hydrogen balloon to spy on the
Austrian army in 1794. Balloons were also used by the Confederate army during
the American civil war, although they were unsuccessful and incompetent enough
to be captured by the Union.
How balloons rise
Today's balloons are almost similar to the ones flown during the early years, except that modern
balloons use more durable and safer materials. Basically, a hot air balloon
consists of the gondola, which carries the passengers and holds the heat source
and the balloon or envelope which keeps the warm air contained. The cloth used
for the balloon is usually made from nylon and the mouth closest to the flame is
made from fire-resistant fabric.
A flying balloon is operated by partially inflating the envelope with cold air and then using propane burners to
inflate the balloon through the opening or mouth. The heat source produces
enough heat to create a difference in temperature between the air inside the
balloon and the air surrounding it. When the air temperature inside the balloon
is higher than the ambient air, it becomes lighter and rises, carrying its
gondola and passengers with it.
The altitude a balloon can reach depends on the difference between the temperature inside the envelope and the
surrounding air. Theoretically, the higher the temperature difference (with the
inside envelope temperature higher than the ambient air), the higher the balloon
will go. However, increase in temperature can cause faster degradation of nylon
so internal temperature is limited to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Why hot air balloons are so popular
Modern use of flying balloons is primarily recreational, although they are also used for other purposes, for example, as
methods of transportation for scientific studies involving tree canopies and
animal life at higher altitudes.
Hot air balloons have continued to attract new enthusiasts because they are relatively simple to operate and are
provide an exhilarating experience coupled with spectacular views. They are also
relatively smooth and quiet, aside from the sound of occasional bursts from
propane burners.
Sport balloon highs
The highest altitude ever achieved on a balloon was made by Vijaypat Singhania of Bombay, India, reaching
69,852 feet on November 26, 2005. He broke the previous record set by Per
Lindstrand by 4,872 feet.
The farthest flight ever completed on a hot air balloon was made by the Virgin Pacific Flyer when Per Lindstrand and Richard
Branson of U.K. flew to Northern Canada from Japan. They covered 7,671.91 km. on
January 15, 1991.
The longest flight duration was clocked at 50 hours and 38 minutes. Two Japanese, Hirosuke Tekezawa and Michio Kanda completed this
flight on January 2, 1997.
The largest balloon ever built was measured at 2,600,000 cubic feet and was used during the Virgin Pacific Flyer record-setting
flight. The manned flight also recorded the highest ground speed at 394 km per
hour.
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