A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft with a large balloon-shaped top half and a basket below. The balloon's interior is heated, making it less dense than the surrounding cold air, generating lift to displace the overall weight.
The basket carries passengers and the heat source, often an open flame. Modern sport balloons are typically made of nylon fabric, with the opening reinforced with fire-resistant materials.
As early as the 3rd century BC, the principle behind the balloon's ascent was understood, thanks to the ancient Greek scientist Archimedes, who discovered the law of buoyancy. This law states that the buoyant force on an object immersed in a fluid equals the weight of the liquid the object displaces. However, this principle didn't directly lead to the development of balloon technology.
In the 18th century, French papermakers, the Montgolfier brothers, reinvented the hot air balloon in Europe. Inspired by watching scraps of paper rise in a fireplace, they conducted experiments using paper bags to collect hot air, causing the bags to ascend with the airflow. On June 4, 1783, they publicly demonstrated a simulated balloon with a circumference of 110 feet in Lyon's Annonay square, which flew 1.5 miles.
On September 19 of the same year, in front of the Palace of Versailles in Paris, the Montgolfier brothers ascended a hot air balloon for the king, queen, courtiers, and 130,000 Parisians. Then, on November 21, the brothers conducted the world's first manned hot air balloon flight over Paris, flying for 25 minutes, crossing half of Paris, and landing near the Italian Square.
This flight preceded the Wright brothers' airplane for 120 years. Regarding gas-filled balloons, the Robert brothers from France were the first to ascend into the sky with a balloon filled with hydrogen.
Before astronauts ventured into space, numerous issues needed solving, including the impact of cosmic rays on living organisms. Only balloons could fly at relatively low costs to heights of several kilometers to test the hazards of radiation on astronauts.
Aside from being aircraft, balloons are used in commercial advertising, tourism, sports, and other fields. Manned balloons, with a history spanning over 200 years since 1783, represent a significant invention for humanity before the advent of airplanes.
Hot air ballooning, while not as adrenaline-inducing as parachuting or hang gliding, offers a unique perspective akin to seeing the world from a deity's viewpoint. Observing sunrise from the closest vantage point to the sun presents a different spectacle. Gradually ascending as the hot air inside expands, pilots continuously ignite the burner for stable flight, offering a panoramic visual feast for passengers of all ages within the basket.
The International Aeronautical Federation once deemed hot air balloons the safest aircraft. Looking solely at data, the safety factor of hot air balloons is notably high. It's estimated that around 20,000 hot air balloons exist worldwide. In developed countries like Europe and America, hot air ballooning is popular, with balloon races or events nearly every day.
With the evolution of hot air ballooning, technological elements have been integrated into the sport, evident in the equipment used and the theoretical and practical training of pilots, signifying significant advancements.
Today, hot air ballooning is increasingly becoming mainstream as a sporting endeavor, having set a record ascent of 34,668 meters.
