Hot air balloons

[DieselFan]

Hi there

How do hot air ballons control which direction they fly in? My only guess is with strings and they pull one side and blow the flame, but that sounds too untrustworthy...

I'm confused and NO ONE I talk to has ever even thought about it...

Thanks

[Tailspin]

From my understanding they don´t they are totally at mercy of the prevailing wind but i could just be totally wrong

[Wart]

From my understanding they don´t they are totally at mercy of the prevailing wind but i could just be totally wrong

I think you have hit the nail on the head Tailspin.

The winds usually move at differenct directions at different levels and so by balloons adjusting their height they are able to "control" their direction. There is also a lot of "local knowledge" that is used as part of the micro-climate in controlling direction.

Basically you are at the mercy of the winds.

Maybe a ballonist can confirm this for us???

[DieselFan]

This is scary! "So um, could you pick me up where I land?"

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Ballooning is much like glider flying. You can not do it alone. Both have biggish recovery teams who have to calm down irate farmers, dodge the odd bull and climb many fences... It is great fun though....

[DieselFan]

Ballooning is much like glider flying. You can not do it alone. Both have biggish recovery teams who have to calm down irate farmers, dodge the odd bull and climb many fences... It is great fun though....

- So much for a romantic getaway.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Ballooning is much like glider flying. You can not do it alone. Both have biggish recovery teams who have to calm down irate farmers, dodge the odd bull and climb many fences... It is great fun though....

- So much for a romantic getaway.

Can be alot of fun especially if muddy and wet, but those who do it luv it... Romance definitely, but not in the sense that the misses would see it...

[Oddball]

Tailspin and Wart are correct. The ballons are at the mercy of the prevailng wind and the winds are different at different AGL's/ altitudes (which is also where we get windshear from...), so by controlling thier height (pretty much the only thing that a balloon pilot can directly control) the pilot can sort of control the direction of the balloon.
There is a book that is about the trip that Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones took around the world in a balloon (in 20 days) that makes for very interesting reading regarding the subject (see http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047139 ... 1?n=283155 or search for "Around the world in 20 days").
They had very accurate forcasts and up to date wind info with a dedicated and experienced weather forecaster on duty to figure out at which altitudes theyshould fly to get the required direction- sometimes they found that the balloon was going one way and the gondola the other way in the winds, causing the entire balloon/ gondola to almost lie horizontally! There is violent wind shear at high altitudes when you are messing with the jet stream..

Whilst you are on the subject, have you ever considered a balloon landing? It's a planned crash... "right me mates, here comes the ground, hold onto the basket..." so much for the serenity of ballooning...

[DarkHelmet]

Well landing an aerie is also a controlled crash!

[Tailspin]

I think the baloon is a little more rough than a microlight i would say

[Cali]

I think the baloon is a little more rough than a microlight i would say

You have'nt seen my landings have you :D

[Tailspin]

Hmmmmm

True True.

[Henry6iix]

There`s 5 controls on a balloon :
1:The burner
2:Red and white line to control the Parachute Valve
3:Green to Rotate the balloon to the pilots right
4:Black line to rotate the balloon to the pilot`s left
5:Red line to open the Rip panel

I wanted to post a pic to indicate the lines but battle to get it right.

[DieselFan]

There`s 5 controls on a balloon :
1:The burner
2:Red and white line to control the Parachute Valve
3:Green to Rotate the balloon to the pilots right
4:Black line to rotate the balloon to the pilot`s left
5:Red line to open the Rip panel

I wanted to post a pic to indicate the lines but battle to get it right.

That'd be great if you could! Dumb question though, why would you want to rotate the balloon, when you could just turn yourself?

[Microwave]

Have you ever tried landing your aerrie (under controlled circumstances) on its side or backwards??? I reckon its nice to always be on the same position of your baloon every time you land it to assist with judging height and speed.