What Is the History of Hot Air Balloons?

A hot air balloon is a lighter aircraft than the air. The upper half is a large balloon and the lower half is a gondola. The inside of the balloon heats the air so that it has a lower density than the cold outside air, which acts as a buoyancy to cause the overall displacement; the gondola can carry passengers and heat sources (mostly open flames). Modern sports balloons are usually made of nylon fabric with refractory openings.

A balloon using hot air as a floating gas. There are large openings and hanging baskets for heating the cold air at the bottom of the airbag. After heating, the density decreases. At a temperature of 100 ° C, the density is about 0.95kg / m3, which is 1 / 1.3 of the air, so the liftoff is not high. Modern hot air balloons have simple flight instruments, fuel tanks and

18th century, French papermaker

The only driving force of a hot air balloon is wind. For a hot air balloon flying around the world, a high air current with the appropriate speed and direction must be selected and then moved to complete the flight efficiently. Just like the need to constantly change planes when traveling around the world, hot air balloons need to take different airflows.

In the eighteenth century, the brothers of the French papermaker Montgolfier (ie the brothers Montgolfier) were inspired by the rising of shreds of paper in the furnace, using paper bags to collect heat as an experiment, so that the paper bags could rise with the airflow .

On June 4, 1783, the brothers of Montgolfier were at

Hot air balloons make use of heated air or certain gases, such as hydrogen or helium, which have a lower density than the air outside the balloon to generate buoyant flight. The hot air balloon mainly adjusts the temperature of the air in the airbag through its own onboard heater, so as to control the lifting of the balloon. The basic principle of hot air balloon is thermal expansion and contraction. When the air expands due to heat, the specific gravity becomes lighter and rises.

Hot air balloons were the earliest launch vehicles for humans. French paper maker in November 1783

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Military role

Hot air balloons were originally used for military communications and reconnaissance. Paris was besieged during the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. The French used balloons to send people and letters out of the encirclement. Because of the good performance of the hydrogen balloon and long dwell time, it is widely used. However, hydrogen balloons have the disadvantage of being flammable and explosive, so helium balloons appeared in the 1920s. Hydrogen and helium balloons are mostly used for high-altitude scientific exploration.

Sports and tourism

After the Second World War, with the development of the economy, the application of high and new technology, the development of chemical fiber and the popularization of propane gas, the hot air balloon sport has developed rapidly. The hot air balloon is mainly used for aviation sports and sightseeing. Hot air balloon operation is simple, and the requirements for takeoff and landing sites are not high. Hot air balloon sport has truly developed into a stylish and healthy outdoor leisure sports. In developed countries such as Europe and the United States, there are hot-air balloon competitions or events almost every day. Most of the hot-air balloon are owned by large enterprises or sponsored by enterprises to participate in the competition.

Now hot air balloon has become a kind of tourism and entertainment project. Many scenic spots have begun to introduce hot air balloon sightseeing in order to enrich the entertainment activities in the scenic spot.

Hot air balloon race

The National Hot Air Balloon Championship is the largest hot air balloon event in China with the highest level of competition and the largest number of participants. It is also the most attractive and influential event in the domestic hot air balloon industry and attracts the attention of the news media. The World Hot Air Balloon Championship is the highest event of a world-class hot air balloon championship hosted by the International Aviation Federation. Currently, the top 5 of the domestic championships can represent China in the World Hot Air Balloon Championship.

Hot air balloon sports have multiple functions such as aviation sports competitions, adventure, leisure, aerial photography, aerial work, meteorological exploration, tourism, aerial advertising, geomorphological surveying and mapping, and youth science education. Hot air ballooning is a popular sport in foreign countries and a new sport in China. Hot air ballooning is a sport for all ages.

business activities

Transparent hot air balloon

Many savvy entrepreneurs around the world have invested heavily in sponsoring hot air balloon competitions and adventures. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, TDK, Michelin and Fortune Magazine all have their own huge hot air balloon teams. Honda Japan has sponsored a 100-ball hot air balloon competition in Japan for more than ten consecutive years, and Kodak has sponsored a hot air balloon competition in the United States that has grown to more than 700 hot air balloon competitions. China's hot air balloon has been under development for more than a decade, and it is becoming more and more popular. Entrepreneurs and flying enthusiasts have paid attention to the development of this fashionable sport from different angles.

On February 26, 2013, Cairo, Egypt, a hot air balloon aboard a foreign tourist crashed near the ancient city of Luxor, killing at least 19 foreign tourists. The hot air balloon caught fire and exploded, crashing into a sugarcane field. The person in charge of the Luxor Emergency Rescue Center disclosed that the accident killed 18 people, including 9 tourists from Hong Kong, China, 4 Japanese, 2 Britons, 2 French and 1 Egyptian tour guide.

Hot Air Balloon Accident with "Most Fatalities": On July 30, 2016, an unfortunate accident occurred during a hot air balloon fire and crash near Lockhart in the central city of Texas, U.S.A. All were killed.

"The Most Tragic" Hot Air Balloon Accident: In March 2012, a hot air balloon in the United States fell into a storm while flying at an altitude of 610 meters. A controller on the hot air balloon, Lista Ino, calmly calmed down in the storm. Ask 5 skydivers to jump out. But the wind quickly rolled up the hot air balloon and dropped it. Four days later, the search team found his body in the forest.

"The luckiest" hot-air balloon accident: In October 2012, a ladybug-shaped hot-air balloon named "She's A lady" hit a telephone pole on the way to landing on Albuquerque balloon fiesta, New Mexico, USA, causing a large-scale power outage. Fortunately, the two of them were unscathed, but hundreds of thousands of dollars of balloons were torn.

"The Most Sad" Hot Air Balloon Accident: On the morning of January 7, 2012, a sightseeing hot air balloon crash occurred in Caterton, a town on the North Island of New Zealand. Of the 11 victims, 5 were couples or lovers. ^[8]

To prevent life-threatening accidents, as passengers, be fully prepared when you go on the ball. Once a danger occurs, you should calmly follow the steps:

1. Observe the gondola: find the location of the fire extinguisher, the location of the fuel bottle valve, and the location of the exhaust rope.

2. Obey the pilot's command: In the event of a fire, you should obey the pilot's command. If the pilot is incapacitated, close the fuel bottle valve regardless of everything.

3. Use a fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire: use a fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire; if someone jumps out of the basket and the hot air balloon rises, you can open the top umbrella by pulling the exhaust rope to prevent the ascent.

1. Wear cotton fabrics and sports shoes as much as possible, not skirts, high heels, sandals, etc. To prevent burns, be sure to wear long trousers and cotton hats.

2. When the hot air balloon is ignited and lifted off, a flame of up to 3-5 meters will be emitted in an instant, and a loud sound similar to the sound of an explosion will be emitted at the same time. Therefore, the experiencer should make full psychological preparations and hold the basket tightly during ignition.

3. The best time to fly a hot air balloon is within two hours after sunrise or two hours before sunset, because the airflow is the most stable during this time. Hot air balloons are not suitable for flying in the windy season.

4. The hot-air balloon basket is made of rattan and has a quadrangular shape. The gondola is about 1.4 meters long, 1.1 meters wide and 1.1 meters high. Pilots, flight assistants, users, and 4 bottles of gas and related equipment should be carried in the gondola, so it will be very narrow. In order not to affect the operation of the pilot, it is recommended that the experiencer stand as far as possible and do not touch the related equipment in the gondola.

5. The structure of the hot air balloon is very special. Even if there is a sudden flameout phenomenon, the hot air balloon will not descend rapidly, but will land very slowly on the ground. In this case, the landing speed of the hot air balloon will not exceed 5.5 meters per second, which is slower than the normal descending speed of the parachute. As long as the passengers do not panic, obey the pilot's instructions, rest assured that the hot air balloon will land naturally, and there will be no danger.

6. Equipped with GPS global positioning system, electronic compass, walkie-talkie, tool knife, windproof lighter, etc. to ensure personal safety in the event of an accident.

7. Patients with hypertension and heart disease cannot perform hot air balloon exercise.

8. Pay attention to cold protection when flying at high altitude. For every 1,000 meters, the temperature drops by 6.5 degrees. ^[9]

The National Hot Air Balloon Championship is the largest hot air balloon event in China with the highest level of competition and the largest number of participants. It is also the most attractive and influential event in the domestic hot air balloon industry and attracts the attention of the news media. The World Hot Air Balloon Championship is the highest event of a world-class hot air balloon championship hosted by the International Aviation Federation. Currently, the top 5 of the domestic championships can represent China in the World Hot Air Balloon Championship.

Hot air balloon related events are held in China every year. For example, in the 2013 China Hot Air Balloon Open, this open tournament will be held in Changzhou, Jiangsu from November 15-17. The China Hot Air Balloon Open is a national class B special sports event registered and certified by the Aviation Management Center of the State General Administration of Sports. At that time, there will be 30 professional hot air balloon teams from all over the country, and they will complete professional competitions in more than ten subjects including target shooting, treasure hunting, and competition flight within 3 days. During the event, a series of entertainment activities such as hot air balloon real-life light show and national experience will be arranged at the venue to create a hot air balloon carnival. ^[10]

Tools / raw materials

• 1. Large and extremely thin plastic tote bag

• 2, about 60cm long fine copper wire

• 3. Cotton and alcohol

Steps / methods

Take a large, extremely thin plastic tote bag and cut it flat at the hand.

Take a thin copper wire with a length of about 60cm (one strand of copper wire can be obtained from multiple strands of flexible copper wire), and the two ends are tied to the sides of the convenience bag.

A small amount of cotton dipped in a small amount of alcohol on a thin copper wire tundish, a simple hot air balloon is made. ^[11]