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Hot Air Balloons

The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France - the first manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created by the Montgolfier Brothers.

A hot air balloon consists of a bag called the envelope that is capable of containing heated air.

Suspended beneath is the gondola or wicker basket which carries the passengers and a source of heat.

The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant since it has a lower density than the relatively cold air outside the envelope. Unlike gas balloons, the envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom since the air near the bottom of the envelope is at the same pressure as the surrounding air.

In today's sport balloons the envelope is generally made from nylon fabric and the mouth of the balloon is made from fire resistant material such as Nomex.

Recently, balloon envelopes have been made in all kinds of shapes, such as hot dogs, rocket ships, and the shapes of commercial products. Hot air balloons that can be propelled through the air rather than just being pushed along by the wind are known as airships or, more specifically, thermal airships.

History

The history of ballooning, both with hot air and gas, spans many centuries. It includes many firsts: first human flight, first flight across the English Channel, first flight in North America, and first aircraft related disaster.

Pre-Modern and Unmanned Balloons

Unmanned hot air balloons are popular in Chinese history. The Three Kingdoms era (220-280 AD), airborne lanterns were used for military signaling. These lanterns are known as Kongming lanterns.

There is also some speculation that hot air balloons could have been used by people of the Nazca culture of Peru some 1500 years ago, as a tool for designing the famous Nazca ground figures and lines.

The first documented balloon flight in Europe was by the Portuguese priest Bartolomeu de Gusmão.

First Manned Flight

The first clearly recorded instance of a balloon carrying passengers used hot air to generate buoyancy and was built by the Montgolfier Brothers. After experimenting with with animals, the first tethered balloon flight with humans on board took place on October 19, 1783.

The first free flight with human passengers was on November 21, 1783. King Louis XVI had originally decreed that condemned criminals would be the first pilots, but de Rozier, along with Marquis Francois d'Arlandes, successfully petitioned for the honor.

Reference / Image Credits:
Wikipedia
1. Aoife Mac
2. Bob Cat North
3. Bob Cat North
4. Bob Cat North
5. Wikimedia
6. Wikimedia