Hot air balloons use hot air to rise into the sky, allowing passengers to view the landscape from above. They were invented accidentally in 1783 by the Montgolfier brothers in France. While hot air balloons offer scenic views, they cannot be steered and depend on wind direction, posing some safety risks. Pilots require a license and must meet training and safety requirements to operate hot air balloons commercially.

1. Why do people
use them?

2. Hot air balloons are used to give tours,

because they can give a good view
 Can see a birds eye view
 Or can be used just for fun!

3. A hot air balloon has three essential parts: the burner, which heats the air; the balloon envelope, which holds the air; and the basket, which carries the passengers.
Who: Joseph and Etienne

de Montgolfier
 When:1783
 Why: they invented the hot
air balloon on accident!

4. Hot air balloons
are not exactly
They depend
safe because
on wind
you can not
steer it yourself.
Hot air is lighter Most of them
then cooler air use a whicker
so that is how basket to hold
they rise! passengers

5. Hot air balloons were discovered in France in 1783.

It was discovered that a fabric bag filled with hot air would rise.

Initially Balloons without any Passengers were sent up.

Then, animals of all sorts were used for experimenting like a

sheep, rooster, and duck, to be sent high up.
Finally, they sent up a balloon with two men in it. It traveled over Paris for

5.5 miles. It stayed up 23 minutes.
This was the first attempt made by man to fly. Bravo!

Balloons have been important in science as they have helped us study

the weather and the atmosphere.
Hot Air Balloon has a Special basket for passengers to sit in it.

It has flying wires to attach the basket to the balloon.

The skirt helps direct the hot air into the balloon.

Each long section of the Hot Air Balloon is called the gore.

Smaller pieces of the gore are called panels.

A Parachute is placed right at the top of each Hot Air Balloon.


6. Balloon pilots need a commercial pilot's license (fixed-wing). They must
›
have at least 35 hours of flight instruction, attend ground school for basic
aviation training, pass a written test for hot-air balloons and have a flight
check from a Federal Aviation Administration official.
According to the FAA, balloons must meet air-traffic control requirements if
›
they are in a controlled air-space, and pilots must have radio contact with
controllers.
There are no official safety requirements for passengers, but passengers
›
should know with whom they're flying and their qualifications.
Accidents are rare, especially in the Northwest. The only serious injuries for
›
the area -- found in a check of National Transportation Safety Board balloon
accident reports back to 1984 -- were a broken leg and a broken ankle,
both from rough landings.
Hot air balloons don't fly in the rain because balloon heat can cause water
›
to boil atop the balloon, and boiling water destroys the fabric.
Area balloon operators can carry from two to 10 passengers at a time,
›
depending on balloon size.
Children under 5 usually aren't allowed.
›
Ballooning is not a silent sport. There are some quiet moments, but those
›
burners are noisy.
Balloonists dress like hikers: Pants, sturdy flat shoes and layers of shirt,
›
sweater, jacket, for example. Carry cameras and lots of film.

7. Described as one of the most serene experiences

One of the closest experiences to flying

warmer air rises in cooler air. Essentially, hot air is

lighter than cool air, because it has less mass per unit
of volume. A cubic foot of air weighs roughly 28
grams (about an ounce). If you heat that air by 100
degrees F, it weighs about 7 grams less. Therefore,
each cubic foot of air contained in a hot air balloon
can lift about 7 grams. That's not much, and this is
why hot air balloons are so huge -- to lift 1,000
pounds, you need about 65,000 cubic feet of hot
air(howstuffworks.com).