How to make a balloon. What is the name of the balloon with a basket
What are the stages of preparing for a balloon flight?
Preflight preparation
For a safe balloon flight, he is obliged to check the weather conditions and choose a suitable starting point for takeoff. Current and forecasted weather should provide the pilot with the necessary visibility in order to be able to see and avoid obstacles (fog or low cloud cover), the wind should be weak enough to allow takeoff and landing (less than 8-16 km / h, depending on qualification and pilot experience, passengers, crews and ground services).
The starting point (take-off area) should be large enough to allow the balloon to decompose and inflate with the absence of such obstacles in the wind direction as: power lines, trees and buildings. Finally, the starting point should be located so that the predicted wind flow directs the balloon to a suitable landing site. There should be no ponds in the balloon landing area, large urban areas or forest; it is not safe to fly over obstacles without having sufficient fuel.
Before starting, hot air is pumped in using propane burners.
To do this, the shell of the balloon is laid out on the ground and attached to the basket and burner. A fan, often with a gas engine, is used to pump cold street air into the enclosure. Partial cold air inflates the ball, until it reaches its basic form, allowing the burner to start to heat the air. After the ball is upright, the pilot and passengers climb into the basket. When the pilot is ready to launch, he delivers more heat through the balloon burner and the balloon comes off ...
The ground crew places the equipment and follows the direction of the balloon's flight to the landing site.
Balloon flight.
It requires certain pilot skills to control the balloon - to rise or descend in the currents of air currents. Thus, it is important that the pilot determines at altitudes, in addition to the height of the balloon, in which direction the wind blows. To control this, the pilot uses various methods. It also uses visual tags, such as flags on flagpoles, smoke from pipes, etc. To determine the direction of the wind above the ball, the pilot uses data on the weather forecast before the flight, which includes a forecast of air flow in the upper layers. Data is also obtained experimentally by launching helium balloons known as weather ball, to start, to get information about where the wind actually blows. Another way to determine the actual direction of the wind is to move other balloons, the size of which is larger than the size weather ball.
Balloon Flight Control
The direction of flight of the balloon depends on the wind, but the altitude of the balloon can be adjusted by changing the temperature of the air inside the shell. The pilot can start one or more burner valves to increase the temperature inside the ball shell, thereby controlling the lifting force allowing the ball to rise or fall, or even stop. The pilot can also open the vent valves of the ball if the shell is equipped with it, thereby lowering the temperature inside the shell to go down or slow down or even stop the climb. If the pilot does not intervene, the air inside the shell will slowly cool.
Slow reaction
One of the tricks present at this is learning to deal with a delayed response. To slow down or stop the descent, an experimental experiment in opening the burner valve is required. The action of the burner facilitates the overall weight of the ball system and increases its buoyancy, but not immediately. From the time that the burner worked, slowing down or stopping, it may take 30 seconds or more, depending on the rate of decline of the ball, depending on the cooling of the air in the ball or how much the burner worked. This delay requires a lot of knowledge on the part of the pilot.
Third class
The ability to change flight direction at altitude is called the third class. In the northern hemisphere, air flows at a height moving in a spiral, viewed from above, from high pressure levels and counterclockwise to the low pressure level. But when flying close to the ground, the ball will tend to move in a more forward direction. Thus, the pilot must find a left turn during the descent to the landing. In the southern hemisphere, the direction of the spiral is exactly the opposite. In fact, interaction with rough terrain, these phenomena may decrease or be completely absent.
Level flight
The burner is designed to create enough heated air to quickly lift the ball. It is more effective only when it is wide open.
But when the balloon is not actively heated, it cools. This means that it is in perfect balance only for a moment. The rest of the time it is either heated or the air in it is cooled.
These two facts enable the pilot to use the burner at intervals of several seconds to maintain the ball on a slow drift up and down at the level of the desired height.
An exception is made when flying at low altitudes, as well as during landing. The burner can be used in very short bursts with a significant high frequency, thereby sacrificing efficiency for their accuracy.
Transport
Typical vehicles are jeeps with a trailer for equipment.
Although, of course, you can enjoy sports without a chase by car, move to the landing site on foot, by bicycle, many balloonists prefer to follow the chase by car. The transport crew during landing can help: with disembarkation, catch ropes when landing the ball in cramped circumstances; help with packing equipment.
The connection between the ball and the vehicle is via two-way radio, mobile phones, or even screaming when it is close enough.
Landing
Most pilots try to land as soft as possible. This becomes a difficult task if the wind speed at ground level is more than 8 km / h or so. If the ball moves at this speed or more when it is in contact with the ground, the basket (which usually does not have wheels or any other kind of bottom) can stretch along the ground or even roll over. Even the crew present on the ground cannot provide sufficient assistance. The total weight (for the average passenger balloon system) can easily exceed the weight of the car (it is better not to stand on the touchdown side of the balloon to avoid being between a rock and a hard place). Pilots can improve landing by landing in places protected from the wind, for example, behind a line of trees or in a small valley.
Civil aviation once began with balloons: before planes and helicopters it was like walking to the moon, and people began to fly on balloons in the 18th century. Today we will tell you how this happens in the 21st: I went to Cappadocia - a region in central Turkey - where mass flights are carried out almost every day; balls in the air - several dozen at the same time, and passengers, respectively, several hundred.
A bit of physics. How a balloon flies
It is correct to call a modern passenger balloon a hot air balloon, or a hot air balloon - by the names of the Montgolfier brothers, who in 1783 made their first flight on an aircraft of this type. In the context of import substitution, the story became popular that in fact the first hot air balloon was built half a century before by the Russian inventor Kryakutnaya, but this is just a hoax created after the flight of the French and spread in Soviet times.
The principle of flight of a hot air balloon is very simple: inside its shell there is air whose temperature is higher than the temperature of the surrounding air. Since the density of warm air is lower, according to the law of Archimedes, it tends to rise up under the action of a buoyant force. At the same time, the shell itself and the payload are attracted to the Earth (a shell measuring approximately 25x15 m with a basket and all equipment weighs 400-500 kg, plus passengers: there were about twenty people in our basket). The equality of these forces allows the balloon to "hang" in the air at a certain height.
How to fly a balloon
The main governing body of a hot air balloon is a gas burner located under the shell and directed upwards. It burns a mixture of propane and butane, which is taken on board in cylinders similar to those that are found in many summer residents in the kitchen. By means of fire, the air in the shell is heated; the temperature rises, the ball rises. Depending on the volume of the shell (2-5 thousand cubic meters of air), payload and ambient temperature, the temperature inside is 50-130 degrees Celsius. The air in the shell constantly cools and the ball begins to decline, so you need to periodically “lend heat” to maintain a constant height. In general, everything is simple: more fire - we rise, less fire - we keep the height, little, little, little, little, little fire, we decrease.
However, to decrease, you can not wait until the air cools down: in the upper part of the shell there is a valve that opens and closes with ropes. If you open it, part of the warm air will come out and the ball will fly down.
They take at least two cylinders of gas with them (one main, another spare) - this is enough for about one hour of flight, a variometer for measuring vertical speed and a walkie-talkie for communicating with pilots of other balls and escort vehicles (about them a little lower). And, most importantly, there are no sandbags. They are used as ballast on gas balls (with helium and other similar gases inside), but they are not needed for a hot air balloon.
The top valve is open, the ball is deflated. Pay attention to the number. In Turkey, balls are registered as TC-Bxx, for example, TC-BUM. In Russia, they are registered in the general aviation registry and have RA-xxxxG numbers. Each ball has a certificate of airworthiness, all as expected.
Where does the balloon fly?
We can control only the vertical speed of the balloon. Horizontally, he flies to where the wind carries him. That is why, as a full-fledged vehicle, a balloon is unsuitable: it is still a pleasure aircraft. Despite this, the flights on balloons are regulated by the aviation authorities no less than on airplanes. Each balloon is registered in the aircraft register and has a corresponding number on board, and pilots (two of them) are licensed. Flights are carried out according to the rules of visual flights, that is, with good visibility, the absence of strong wind is also a prerequisite. The problem is that you can fly only early in the morning at dawn or, conversely, at sunset: during the daytime, ascending air currents from the earth's surface warmed by the sun make flights unsafe (and there are flows up and down in the morning, just not so strong). So you can easily encounter a situation when you arrived, but did not fly anywhere - plan just in case several days at once!
Each balloon has its own escort car: a jeep with a platform trailer the size of a basket. Jeep - because the ball sits, most likely, not on the road. Aerobatics is landing directly on the platform; much cooler than landing a fighter on an aircraft carrier.
If the balls collide with each other in the air, then ... nothing happens, they just push off from each other and fly on. In general, it is rather difficult to collide with balls: after all, the wind carries them in the same direction.
How is the flight in a balloon
First you are brought to your balloon. At this moment, it still lies on the ground, the basket is on its side, and with the help of a powerful fan, the shell is filled with air, while heating it with a burner. At some point, a limp ball becomes elastic and soars upward. The basket is turned over, passengers sit in it, climbing overboard. Inside there are two-point belts, which, however, few people use, as well as ropes that you will need to hold on to when landing. The pre-flight briefing, in fact, consists in the fact that during landing it is necessary to sit down and hold on to the ropes, since there is a high probability of the basket overturning: this will avoid injuries.
Flight preparation
The pilot gives more fire, and ... the ball soars upward and to the side. It feels like riding a Ferris wheel, only much higher. And at the same time there is no noise or vibration, so it is not scary even for seasoned aerophobes. And even those who are afraid of heights (and the ball rises to 1,500 m with an average flight height of about 500) are not afraid: because of the high (about 1.5 meters) side of the basket, it is impossible to fall out of it, and a standing pose provokes to look not down, but to the sides. Indescribable beauty! The real Tatooine! Turkish pilots try to fly so as to get closer to the rocks, "chimneys" and give them the opportunity to see them, they go down almost to the roofs of houses of old villages - of course, everything can be photographed and filmed, the main thing is not to drop the camera.
Flight altitude reaches 1500 m
By the way, there is no wind at altitude - or rather, it is not felt, because you fly with this very wind!
How to fly in a balloon
Cappadocia, as you already understood, is a place where ballooning is a developed and massive form of recreation. You will need to get to the city of Urgyup, which is 70 km from Kayseri, where the nearest civilian airport (ASR) is located. There are several daily flights to Kayseri from Istanbul (IST and SAW) by local airlines: Turkish Airlines, Anadolujet, Pegasus Airlines, etc. Fly about one and a half hours. To Istanbul itself, of course, many different airlines fly - from Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines to Onur Air and Victory. Buying two separate tickets to Istanbul and to Kayseri can help you save some money (and at the same time spend a couple of days in Istanbul).
Low pass over the mountain - one of the aerobatics in balloons
There are more than a dozen airlines with balloons in Urgup; You can also purchase a flight through their Russian partners, simply by typing the appropriate request on Google - it’s convenient if you don’t know Turkish and want to plan everything in advance, or you can directly at the hotel in Urgup, but it all depends on the hotel. Focus on the fact that the cost of an hourly flight is 13,000 rubles per person, including a transfer from your hotel and back and a modest breakfast in the immediate vicinity of the starting point (tea, coffee, rolls).
Video (pre-flight briefing, low-level passage, landing on an aircraft carrier, ball cleaning).
general information
A balloon is an aircraft lighter than air, which moves not with the help of motors, but when heating the air in the dome. A balloon always flies in the direction of the wind, that is, where the wind blows, and as much as the wind blows.
In summer, as a rule, they fly on balloons early in the morning (5.00 - 9.00 o’clock) until the thermals (vertical air flows) begin, and in the evening (18.00 - 21.00 o'clock) when the thermals calm down. In autumn and spring, morning flights begin a little later (8:00 a.m.), and evening flights a little earlier (at 4:00 p.m.).
Balloon flight lasts about an hour on average, although from a technical point of view it can last 2-3 hours or more.
In an hour, a balloon flies on average 10 - 20 kilometers.
A balloon can rise to a height of more than 10 km, but at a height of 3 km a person already lacks oxygen. Therefore, balloons, as a rule, fly low.
Flight preparation
Balloon control begins with a thorough preparation for the flight. First, the pilot learns the meteorological information. For the flight in a balloon, the most important are three meteorological parameters:
cloud cover - so that there is no storm or cumulus clouds,
visibility - not less than 5 km,
wind speed - no more than 5 m / s.
Having the purpose of the flight, knowing the direction and speed of the wind, the pilot plans the flight path. Since the meteorological situation is constantly changing, it is impossible to accurately plan a flight or landing site. Therefore, when choosing a launch site, the pilot should always evaluate whether there are enough sites in the direction of flight for a safe balloon landing.
If you plan to fly over the city, the balloon pilot must have a local government permit, and before the flight itself, the pilot must present his flight plan to the Flight Control Service.
Flights over the city are also specific in that they provide air traffic control services. Therefore, the pilot must carefully prepare their maps, and coordinate the flight details with the flight control service.
Balloon take off
Ballooning begins with the start of the balloon. The pilot and all his team, only 4 people, take part in the balloon launch. Passengers are also included in this process, unless, of course, they agree. For passengers, a start is no less impressive sight than the flight itself.
Firstly, a suitable place to start the balloon is selected. Best if it’s a meadow of at least 50 x 50 meters. There should not be any obstacles in the meadow (field): trees, poles, electric lines. With a stronger wind, a place protected from the wind is sought.
After choosing a place, all balloon equipment is unloaded. Burners are mounted on the basket; they are connected to gas cylinders using special hoses. The pilot tests how the burners and gas supply system work.
Then the dome is stretched. The dome always stretches in the direction of the wind. The dome with the help of special carbines is connected to the basket and burners.
Cold air is launched into the prepared dome with the help of a fan.
A powerful fan fills the dome with air in about 5 minutes.
When the dome is sufficiently inflated, the pilot, using the flame of the burners, begins to warm the air in the dome. Heated air expands and rises. Thus, the dome is inflated and begins to rise from the ground.
Before inflating, the balloon is tied to the car. This is done so that the wind does not throw away a completely unprepared balloon. When the pilot makes sure that the balloon and passengers are properly prepared for flight, and when the air in the dome heats up to the required temperature, the balloon begins to rise. After that, the balloon detaches from the car and rises.
Preparing the balloon for flight takes 10-15 minutes.
Piloting a balloon
Although piloting a balloon at first glance seems very simple, in reality it requires special knowledge and skill of the pilot.
Since the balloon has neither a motor nor wings, during the flight the balloon is controlled by two main devices: burners and a valve. When the air is heated, the ball rises up, and opening the valve, the ball begins to descend. Therefore, the height of the balloon is adjusted by changing the temperature inside the dome.
For many people, the question arises: if a pilot can only adjust the flight altitude, then how does the ball reach the desired location?
The answer lies here: atmospheric conditions are used for ballooning. The direction and strength of the wind at different heights is cast, so the pilots, when changing the vertical position of the ball, can direct the flight of the ball in one or the other direction. Wind power is usually strong in the higher atmosphere, so pilots can partially control the speed of flight.
Although even the most experienced pilots cannot fully control the direction of the balloon. Typically, wind conditions provide the pilot with little choice. In rare cases, you can return to the starting place on the ball. Therefore, piloting a balloon is usually an improvisation under existing weather conditions.
For this reason, the ball is always accompanied by a ground crew, which later helps the ball go down, collect equipment and passengers.
Descent
Even during the flight, the pilot tentatively plans in which place to go down. The team on the ground is informed about this by telephone or by radio.
As a rule, no special requirements apply to the descent site. It is important that it is large enough for the safe descent of the balloon, and that the descending balloon does not harm the land owners. If the wind is not strong, the balloon can go down in an ordinary stadium. If the wind is stronger, the pilot is looking for a larger area.
Experienced pilots know how to plant a ball so that there is almost no contact with the ground. A team on the ground also helps to plant a ball. However, with a large wind, the descent of the balloon may be “hard”. Before the flight, the pilot instructs passengers how to behave during the "hard" descent. Such a descent is the most fun part of the flight for many passengers.
As a rule, pilots try to go down next to the road so that a companion car can drive up. However, sometimes a balloon descends in a large meadow. In this case, the team working on the ground and assistants help move the ball to a better place.
After the pilot opens the dome valve, air leaves the dome. The ball bends and lies down on the ground. On the ground, a working team completely releases air and packs the ball.
The descent process lasts approximately 20 minutes.
There are several theories to explain the reason for the ability of balloons to fly. In a broad sense, this process is due to the ratio of the weight of air and gas. If the balloon is full ...
There are several theories to explain the reason for the ability of balloons to fly. In a broad sense, this process is due to the ratio of the weight of air and gas. If the balloon is filled with gas, then it rises and does not fall to the ground. When filling it with air, for example, when a person independently inflates a balloon, his ability to fly decreases. Gas is much lighter than air, so helium-filled balloons fly best.
Depending on the filling, balloons can perform different manipulations:
- if the ball is filled with carbon dioxide, air or argon, then it will fly worse;
- neon, methane, nitrogen, helium and hydrogen cause the balloon to skyrocket due to the minimum weight of these gases and the large difference with the mass of air.
Balloon flight in terms of physics
From the point of view of physics, any body placed in a gas or liquid is affected by the force of displacement equal to the weight of the body. The balloon in this case is a body "placed" in the air. Because the gas filling the ball makes it light in comparison with air, then the buoyancy force begins to take place. Due to this, the ball rises rapidly and begins to fly.
Using physics, one can also explain the reason for the not-so-good flying properties of balloons filled with air. The weight in this case is almost the same, so the ball can only soar in the air, but without force, it sinks to the ground.
Flying a balloon in the air is comparable to sailing ships on water. In both the first and second cases, the lighter body is pushed out with heavy water or air. Moreover, water and air have almost the same degree of buoyancy.
Why balloons fly for ballooning
Large balloons intended for aeronautics fly for the same reasons as small balloons. The explanation of the ability to fly in this case is also the laws of physics. The size of the ball, the weight of the basket and passengers are closely interconnected. The ball rises by heating the air in it and the resulting gas. Due to this effect, the ball becomes lighter than air and a buoyant force is exerted on it. 
Balloon control
It is impossible to control any balloons. The main driving force is always air or wind. If you let go of a small balloon and hold it by the thread, then, despite the efforts, it will not work to turn it in the right direction. A similar situation occurs with balloons for ballooning. The only thing passengers in the basket can do is lower the ball to ground level or lift it higher into the air. Height is gained by reducing weight (special loads are dumped), and the ball is reduced by reducing the amount of gas by controlling the temperature of heating the air inside the rubberized material. The temperature changes by changing the burner level.
Why are balloons and airships filled with hydrogen or helium
In childhood, everyone played with balloons. No one wondered why balloons are filled with hydrogen or helium. To answer this question, we should recall some questions from the school physics course. 
A bit of physics
If the body is in the air, several forces act on it. The greatest influence is exerted by Archimedean force and weight. Their difference is called lift. If they are equal, then the balloon hangs freely or moves through the air along intricate curves, the shape of which depends on the flows. If the Archimedean force turns out to be more than the weight, a lifting force arises, acting upward on the balloon. 
The weight of the aircraft is the sum of the gas itself, the shell in which it is located, and the load to be lifted.
If the shell is filled with ordinary air at ambient temperature, the ball will not rise. Air needs to be heated. Therefore, the balloon must be equipped with a burner to constantly heat the air inside the shell.
Archimedean force depends on the volume of the shell and the difference in the densities of air and gas in it.
With increasing height, the temperature decreases, air pressure and its density in a closed shell decrease. Accordingly, the Archimedean force decreases, and the ball begins to sink. To prevent this from happening, a hole is made in the lower part of the shell under which the burner is placed. By reducing or increasing the amount of fuel burned, you can control the flight altitude.
Closed-shell aircraft use gases whose density is lower than ambient air at the same temperature.
Among the available gases, hydrogen has the lowest density. In industry, it is produced in large volumes, so its cost is relatively small.
Today, for safety reasons, the spherical shell of a balloon is filled with helium. This rare chemical element was first discovered by spectral analysis in the sun and got its name Helios, which means solar. Much later, this gas was discovered on the ground.
At the same temperature, the density of helium is 10 times less than air. Hydrogen has an even better indicator - 20. Therefore, initially the balls were filled with hydrogen. But it, unlike helium, is a combustible and explosive gas. Using this element is safe, but a ball filled with helium has much less lift.
A bit of history
Large balloons are called balloons, in the past they were intended mainly for scientific research. Most of them represented spheres of various diameters.
The largest Record balloon with a sphere volume of more than 4000 m³ took off in the fall of 2010. 36 people traveled in its gondola.
The maximum height that the balloon rose is more than 21 km. A record flight was made by Indian citizen Vijaypat Singhania in 2005. The balloon was filled with warm air.
At the beginning and middle of the last century, cigar-shaped airships were used to transport people and goods.
The largest airship in human history, Hindenburg was built in Nazi Germany in the late 30s. He made 21 flights across the Atlantic and died in 1937. At that time, there was no helium in Germany and all of the Hindenburg tanks were filled with hydrogen. The cause of the accident is unknown. After the tragedy, hydrogen-filled balloons and airships are not used to transport passengers. They are used only for scientific purposes.
There are no motors or the usual steering wheel in a balloon. Of the entire technological arsenal - only burners, sandbags and a special valve in the upper part of the dome for etching the air. How to control this aircraft?
From the history of aeronautics
The birth of balloons was the first real embodiment of the centuries-old dream of mankind to conquer the fifth ocean. In 1306, the French missionary Bassou described for the first time how, while in China, he witnessed the flight of a balloon upon accession to the throne of Emperor Fo Kien.
However, the birthplace of ballooning is considered to be the French town of Annone, where on June 5, 1783, the brothers Etienne and Joseph Mongolfier raised a balloon-shaped balloon created by them, filled with heated air, into the sky.
The flight of the aircraft weighing about 155 kg and a diameter of 3.5 meters lasted only 10 minutes. During this time he overcame about a kilometer at a 300-meter height, which was an outstanding event for his time. Later, balloons in honor of the creators began to be called hot air balloons.
The balloon of the Montgolfier brothers consisted of a linen shell glued with paper. To fill it with hot air, a bonfire of finely chopped straw was built. And 3 months later, an addition was made to the design of the aircraft in the form of a special basket for passengers.
Modern balloons are undoubtedly more perfect, but made almost the same pattern. For the manufacture of the spherical shell of the ball, a special thin and durable polyester material is used. The air heating system has changed. The function of the fire is performed by an adjustable propane gas burner installed in a basket directly under the dome.
Despite being heavily dependent on wind, modern balloons are controllable. The flight altitude is regulated by the outlet in the upper part of the dome using a bursting cord. A side valve is provided for changing course. There are more complex designs, where inside the main dome another one filled with helium can be placed.
How to fly a balloon with a basket
Balloon control is an activity that requires serious preparation and considerable financial expenses. Suffice it to say that the aerostat pilot training course costs about 200 thousand rubles today. The price of the balloon itself (depending on the model) is commensurate with the price of a car.
Training
A thorough preparation precedes the flight. First of all, it is necessary to study weather conditions - cloudiness, visibility and wind speed. In accordance with the received data, a flight route is planned. Due to unforeseen changes in weather conditions, such a route is chosen where there are enough places on the way for safe landings.
Takeoff
For the balloon to take off, the efforts of the entire crew are necessary. The best place to start is a flat area of \u200b\u200b50 x 50 meters in an open field, where there are no extraneous objects nearby - poles, trees, power lines.
Then the assembly of the ball begins: burners are attached to the basket, which are connected by special hoses to gas cylinders. After a test run of the burner, the crew proceeds to stretch the dome (mandatory in the direction of the wind). Then the extended dome is fastened with special carabiners to the basket.
The next step is to fill the dome with cold air using a fan, after which the burner starts to heat the air. Heated air raises the dome from the ground, and the crew (with passengers) takes its place. So that the ball does not fly away, it is pre-tied to the car.
Flight
Despite the lack of a motor and wings, the balloon is controllable, which requires certain skills. The main controls are burners and an exhaust valve. To gain height, the burner turns on and the air heats up additionally, and to reduce it, the valve opens slightly. Horizontal flight occurs due to tailwind. This is where the pilot's skill manifests itself. So, to fly faster, it can increase flight altitude, where the wind speed is stronger.
Descent
Place of landing is pre-selected. It should be big and safe. The ideal option is a football field next to the road. The crew reports on the ground about the landing site to the ground. Next, the pilot releases air from the dome using a valve. The ball gently drops to the ground.
