The oldest form of flight
was developed by two French brothers, Joseph and Etienne
Montgolfier. Assuming the smoke of a fire caused ashes to
rise, they built a sphere with this "magical
smoke" and floated it into the air. The Montgolfiers
launched a paper balloon and basket containing a duck, a
rooster and a sheep which returned safely to Earth. This
proved the upper atmosphere was breathable and led the way
to manned flight. Once perfected, they demonstrated their
invention to King Louis XVI at Versailles, France. The first
manned hot air balloon flight took place in November 1783.
Hot Air and Champagne: Steeped in Tradition
In the olden days in
Europe, pilots frequently flew over rural areas, where folks
had never heard of flying balloons. In 1783, a group of
farmers saw an unmanned balloon descend upon them from outer
space. Not knowing what this creature was, they attacked
with pitch forks and dragged it behind a horse to ensure it
was dead. Carrying
wine or champagne on board during a flight became necessary
to pacify angry farmers. This custom is still followed
today. A beverage reserved for special festive occasions,
champagne is traditionally offered at the end of a flight.
Wicker and Suede
The advent of powered
flight in the early 1900's soon outmoded balloons. Not until
the 1960's did their popularity re-emerge as fire retardant
rip-stop nylon fabric and propane powered burners became
available. Surprisingly
though, gondolas are still made out of wicker and suede as
they were many years ago. Synthetic materials cannot match
the combination of strength, impact resistance, low weight
and reasonable cost. Today's gondolas matched with strong,
light weight fabrics and efficient fuel systems make
ballooning a safe and fantastic sport.
Silent Motion
Balloons
are bubbles of warm air that rise in their cooler
surroundings. Flights begin by blowing cold air into the
envelope with a gas powered fan. This air is heated with
propane fuel fed through the burner system. The hot air
expands the balloon to its full shape. Further heating
carries passengers aloft. Balloons have no steering
mechanism but use the wind for their direction. The pilot
can change direction by changing altitude. To ascend, air
inside the envelope is heated. To descend, the air cools or
is vented.
In the balloon, you
travel with the wind and don't feel it blowing! It's a very
smooth and quiet experience except for the occasional sound
of the burner. The best
weather for ballooning is a clear temperate day with light
winds. These conditions usually occur just after sunrise or
1-2 hours before sunset. Balloons are flown in the early
morning or late afternoon to take advantage of these
conditions. Part of the allure and fun of ballooning
is not knowing exactly where the landing site will be.
Flights usually cover 5-10 miles from the take off point and
last about an hour. Seeking permission to take off or land
in someone's yard is a wonderful opportunity to meet people
and share the sport.
Piloting the Balloon
Balloons are
certified aircraft which require a pilot's license to
operate. Balloon pilots must pass a written test, meet all
FAA requirements for certification and pass a flight test
with an examiner. If you
are interested in learning to fly a balloon please let us
know. We are certified to instruct and offer pilot training
in hot air balloons and airplanes.
