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Launching a balloon requires the help of dedicated volunteers. One of the ways pilots find such enthusiastic early morning people is by offering them free balloon rides in exchange for labor.
Here, the pilot is testing the burner. There's a giant tank of propane in the basket. Smoking is not allowed.
In this picture, you can see the balloon laid out and ready to launch. The gondola is laid on its side while the balloon is inflated. The fan is used to blow hot air into the balloon.
After setting up the balloon, the ground crew becomes the chase team. They use two-way radios to communicate with the pilot and retrieve the balloon when it lands
You can see that the balloon is not one sealed piece of fabric. The separate circle at the top of the balloon and the propane gas burners are the only controls the pilot has. When a pilot wants the balloon to rise, a lever on the burner will send more hot air into the balloon. When the pilot wants to lose altitude, pulling on a rope will cause the circle at the top of the balloon to open, allowing hot air to escape. By varying the altitude, the pilot will hopefully find a wind current that will push the balloon in the desired direction of travel.
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This page last updated on Saturday, September 20, 2003 05:40 PM |
