Hot Air Ballooning

Imagine it—hundreds of feet above the earth, a gentle breeze at your back.  Sounds drift up from the ground below, as if carried on wisps of clouds.  You feel the rough basket beneath your feet.  Above you, a billowing cloud of fabric reaches to the heavens, held, it seems, by invisible strings.  The burners give off a whoosh as they heat the air inside the balloon.  It is an experience unlike any other.

Hot-air ballooning has its beginnings rooted in 18th century France with the Montgolfier Brothers.  They were paper makers and had noticed how paper floated up the chimney when there was a fire in the hearth.  They used a small silk bag, filled it with smoke and watched it float up.  After experimenting with various fabrics, their first unmanned balloon was launched in June of 1783.  The next balloon launched carried its first passengers, a duck, a rooster, and a sheep.  When that proved successful, a manned flight was launched June 21, 1783, which went to a height of 3,000 feet and lasted 25 minutes.

Fire-fueled balloons proved to be dangerous,  and so hydrogen-filled balloons became popular.  These balloons were more expensive to operate, but because the air was sealed into the balloon, the balloon stayed aloft longer than the Montgolfier balloons.  Modern hot air ballooning had its start in 1960 when a prototype propane gas balloon was launched by Ed Yost.

Hot air ballooning is a sport dependent upon the weather.  Balloons usually launch approximately an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset to avoid thermals, or air currents, created by the sun heating the air.  They normally prefer a wind speed of 5-10 miles per hour and definitely don't fly during thunderstorms.  Often balloons will launch together, giving a spectator an awesome sight.  The balloon pilot cannot steer the balloon like one does a car.  The balloon goes where the wind takes it.  However, the wind speed and direction change slightly at different altitudes, and a skilled pilot can use them to guide his balloon.  Balloon competition tests a pilot's skill by various contests such as dropping a flag on a marker.

The joy of riding in a hot air balloon is only part of the world of hot air balloons.  Crewing, or helping to set up, chase, and put away the balloon, has a thrill all its own.  We have been privileged to have had the opportunity to crew for a hot air balloon, and it has been an experience I will never forget.

Setup/Inflation
Up and Away
Landing

Balloon Web Sites

Balloon Federation of America
Kodak Alburquerque Balloon Fiesta
Balloon Association of Greater Illinois
Champaign County U.S. Balloon Nationals

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