Equipment Outfitters

Floating about the clouds without a care is a feeling that many would like to be able to enjoy. In fact, of all the extreme sports, this may be the one that has the most universal appeal, in its less extreme forms of course. By that I mean ballooning for relaxation, and not the limit-testing stuff like altitude record setting or distance record setting. Recreational Ballooning is an easy sport to try out, as most regions of the world have commercial operations of some sort.

What has been referred to as “The Holy Grail” of ballooning is the around the world attempt. As yet never successfully accomplished, the logistics required are enough to end most attempts, if the weather doesn’t. Only a brief weather window exists each year when a trans-global balloon trip is even remotely possible, between mid-November and mid- February. During this time, global jetstreams capable of driving a balloon fast enough to make an attempt feasible are typical, but often erratic. As recently as late 1995 trans- global attempts have been readied, most notably by Richard Branson of the Virgin Group. His attempt in a massive 900,000 cu ft (2,743 cu m) balloon proved that no amount of money or preparation can make the weather co-operate. Of the two other attempts that year, only one got off the ground, and that only briefly. Trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights are more likely to succeed, and have several times. The most difficult and lengthy is the trans-Pacific.

Not anyone can fly a balloon, it requires a License. However, the examination process is not nearly as difficult as what is required of an airplane pilot—generally ten hours of lessons and one hour of soloing. A written test is required in most countries, consisting of ballooning rules andmeteorology knowledge.

Almost all modern recreational balloons use air heated by a propane burner shot into the bag (or envelope) to create buoyancy. The burner is used constantly to keep the air inside the envelope warm enough that it maintains or gains altitude, as it is constantly cooled by the surrounding air temperatures. To descend, the pilot allows the air within the envelope to cool enough that the balloon loses altitude. If a rapid descent is necessary, a vent on top of the envelope is opened.

A basket, or gondola, is attached to carry passengers. Balloons are not steerable, so the pilot is at the mercy of the wind. Therefore, each balloon flight requires a ground crew who can follow the craft and meet it on landing. Flights in wind speeds exceeding 10 mph (16kph) are not recommended, and altitudes of 2,000 feet (600m) are roughly all that is sought unless there are mountains to cross. Top pilots can steer the balloon if they are aware of the wind direction at each altitude level. Since the wind directions vary with altitude, a good pilot can raise and lower their balloon to get close to where they want to go.

Ballooning is one of the oldest extreme pursuits in recorded history. Flight using a balloon was first successfully accomplished in late August of 1783—a busy year—when the Charles Balloon was launched at Champ de Mars, France by Ann-Jean and MN Robert. One month later, Etienne Montgolfier successfully launched the first passenger-carrying balloon under a waterproof envelope made of linen. The “passengers” were a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. Only the sheep was at risk.

First air accident

Next, Montgolfier joined with army officer Pilatre de Rozier to build the first manned hot air balloon. On October 15, de Rozier rode the balloon up to 84 feet (26m), and stayed there for approximately 25 minutes. He reported after landing that there was “nothing up there to worry about,” however he was said to be quite pale when making the statement.

De Rozier soon made an appeal to King Louis XVI to sponsor a manned hot air balloon flight, “for the honor of France.” Benjamin Franklin was in France during 1783 and reported the balloon’s weight to be 1,578 lbs (716.4kg), with a lifting force of 578 lbs (262.4kg). So began the race to define the possible in ballooning. In December Jacques Alexander Cêsar Charles invented and launched the first hydrogen balloon—the first to possess a valve designed to release gas for quick descents. He also used sandbags to provide discardable ballast, and a barometer to measure altitude.

Opera singer Madame Thible broke the gender barrier by becoming the first female aeronaut during a flight from Lyon in June, 1784. The first recorded flight across a body of water was made by America’s first aeronaut, Dr John Jeffries, a Boston medical student. Jeffries, with Jean-Pierre Blanchard, crossed the English Channel in January, 1785. Another limit of manned flight tested and broken. A less happy event took place in the same year, when pioneer aeronaut de Rozier became the first victim of an air crash. His revolutionary combined hot air and hydrogen- filled balloon burst into flames, and he fell to his death.

Strategists quickly noted that using a balloon allowed for a complete view of the opponents’ layout and fortifications. In April of 1794, the first military ballooning school was began in Meudon, France. Luckily, ballooning’s strategic importance was short lived with the appearance of the airplane, and so balloonists were once again left to their own devices where they could dream of testing the limits of balloon flight.

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