Index : H : Hot Air Balloons

Structure Sub-topic of: Aviation Interesting Questions, Facts and Information There are a total of 10 general entries. Frequently Asked Questions & Answers There are 30 user-asked question matches ( goto ) Special Topics It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information

Hot Air Balloons

Who was aboard the first manned untethered hot-air balloon flight?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


Pilatre de Rozier and Francois D'Arlandes. Two months after the flight of the animals, Pilatre de Rozier, a physics professor, and the Marquis Francois D'Arlandes, a major in the infantry, became the first humans to fly above Paris. The flight lasted about 28 minutes, at an altitude of roughly 1000 meters.



Traditionally, when a hot-air balloon lands after a flight, what beverage is shared with the passengers and crew?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


champagne. It is written that back in 1783, local farmers were very suspicious of the 'fiery dragon' descending from the sky into their vineyards. To placate them and celebrate the first flight, the pilots offered champagne!



The passenger compartment of a hot-air balloon is known as the 'basket', or 'gondola'. What material is the 'basket' generally made of?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


wicker. Wicker works best because it is sturdy, flexible, and lightweight. It needs to be flexible for landings, so passengers don't feel the brunt of the impact! The basket floor is generally made of wood.



The heart of the hot-air balloon is called the 'burner'. What gas is used to heat the air that fills up the balloon?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


propane. The propane is stored in compressed liquid form, in lightweight cylinders. When the burner is started, the propane flows out quickly through hoses to a heating coil around the burner, and is ignited by a pilot light. As the flame burns, the metal in the tubing heats up. This heats up the propane flowing through it and changes it to a gas.



The first hot-air balloon passengers were animals. Who were these lucky critters?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


a sheep, a duck, and a hen. The flight lasted eight minutes and reached a maximum height of 500 meters. Louis XVI, the King of France, witnessed the flight in Versailles on 19 September 1783. The animals landed, unharmed, 3.5 kilometers from their starting point.



In 1783, the first hot-air balloon got off the ground! Who launched it?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier. The Montgolfier brothers worked in a family run paper factory at Annonay, France. They experimented by throwing scraps of paper into a fireplace, which could then be seen leaving the chimney. At first, they mistakenly concluded that smoke, and not hot air, had lifted the paper...



A hot-air balloon is equipped with several instruments. What is the name for the vertical speedometer?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


variometer. The altimeter measures height above sea level. The pyrometer measures the temperature at the top of the balloon's envelope. The compass tells which direction the balloonist is heading..



'The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon...It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon...We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky...For we can fly..we can fly...Up, up, and away...' Who sang this hit song from 1967?

Hot-Air Balloons! (catnippin)


The Fifth Dimension . Thanks for playing...I hope you did well!

• Helium is used in hot air balloons because it does not burn. What other gas, which does burn, used to be used in balloons? ( goto )



• "Hot Air" is the title of the in-flight magazine of which airline? ( goto )



• Which film has a cow strapped to a hot air balloon in it? ( goto )



• Who was the first person to go up in a hot-air balloon? ( goto )



• What are the names of the first two balloonists to circumnavigate the world in a hot air balloon? ( goto )



• What film is based on a true story of two families escaping from East toWest Germany by hot air balloon? ( goto )



• In festivities prior to a Super Bowl game, a hot air balloon race ended abruptly when which team's balloon crashed into the stands? ( goto )



• When popping popcorn with hot air what can be done to significantly decrease the amount of unpopped kernals that end up mixed with the popcorn? ( goto )



• What comic strip was the first to use speech and thought balloons? ( goto )



• In my local art gallery there is a sign saying, "No Helium Balloons." Why is this? ( goto )



• Who invented balloons? Why do we have them at parties? ( goto )



• Why are hot dogs called "hot dogs"? ( goto )



• How hot is the sun? ( goto )



• What is a hot flash? ( goto )



• Why is fire hot? ( goto )



• How many ordinary helium party balloons will it take to send aloft a medium sized man, 140-190 pounds? ( goto )



• What are 'snowballs' to a hot-rodder? ( goto )



• This sounds funny, but it's trivia and has a correct answer. How many balloons does it take to light a light bulb temporarily? ( goto )



• Why does it hail in the hot summer? ( goto )



• Why do hot liquids bubble? ( goto )



• What are hot dogs made out of? ( goto )



• What causes Air Currents? ( goto )



• Who were the goddesses of the air? ( goto )



• What are Kosher hot dogs made out of? ( goto )



• Where is the hottest place on Earth and how hot is it? ( goto )



• What causes the temperature to get hot or cold? ( goto )



• What was the first video to air on VH1? ( goto )



• In which year was Lauda Air founded ? ( goto )



• What are the three zodiac signs for air? ( goto )



• Who is the current president of Korean Air? ( goto )