If you wish to fly a hot air balloon, you must have a pilot license.

You can not fly a hot air balloon in the rain.

Joseph Michel Motgolfier and his brother, Jacques Etienne flew the first hot air balloon in 1783. They had first tested this out on farm animals.

A hot air balloon is fueled by liquid propane gas.

A hot air balloon rises because the hot air weighs less than the air outside. Because it weighs less, it will float. With enough hot air, it will carry the weight of several people.

There are three main parts to a hot air balloon. There is the basket, the burner, and the balloon.

Increasing the gas makes the flame larger, which in turn, makes it go higher. A larger flame will increase the balloon’s vertical speed.

To let air out, the pilot pulls a special cord, called a parachute valve. By letting air escape, the balloon will descend.

A pilot maneuvers the balloon in different directions by going to different levels of altitude to follow the wind path.

There are not many pilots who can land the plane where they started from, so a ground crew follows the balloon until it does land.

It only takes about 15 minutes to launch a balloon, if you have a good crew.

Modern hot air balloons came onto the scene in the 1960’s. Because the design is quiet good, they have not been changed much.

The balloon is made from rip-stop nylon.

There are many hot air balloon festivals around the world, including the World Honda Grand Prix.

By Penny S. Harmon