What is a Hot Air Balloon

A balloon is an aircraft, so it is built to aviation standards. It is subject to rigorouse quality controls during manufacturing and annual inspections in service. It is issued with a national Registration. In the UK the registration is four letters prefixed by the letter G-.

A balloon is composed of a fixed set of components which can be mixed and matched to customise the finished balloon.

The Envelope is the fabric area of the balloon, it can be specified in one of many different sizes, fabrics and shapes depending on its application. The artwork is applied in a number of different ways including printing.

The Volume of the balloon dictates how much the balloon will lift and how easy it is to operate. Passenger balloons are generally large, Advertising balloons are smaller. A typical balloon for advertising will be around 77,000 Cu ft. and will lift three people comfortably – one of these will be the pilot.

The basket is made traditionally of wicker, a resilient and lightweight material with a plywood floor, or more recently in a new super lightweight format comprising stainless steel frames, honeycomb panels, nylon rods and a plywood floor, which easily folds away for convenient transport.

The fuel system is made up of one or more burners, fuel hoses and stainless steel or aluminium fuel cylinders which contain propane. Flight instruments must be carried, generally an altimeter and variometer.