Looking at the world from a bird's-eye view has enthralled people from the earliest of recorded history.
Just as maritime advancements have promoted humanity beyond its transportation needs, air travel has made the world a smaller place to comprehend.
Hot-air ballooning has advanced in the 330 years since a sheep, a duck and a rooster came crashing down in France after 15 minutes aloft in the first successful hot-air balloon flight ever recorded.
Two months later, in November 1783, the Montgolfier brothers manned a balloon over Paris and stayed in the air for 20 minutes. Two years after that, Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard and American John Jefferies flew across the English Channel.
Tackling the airways began.
Hot-air ballooning gave way to the invention of airships - zeppelins - that carried large numbers of people to far distances. During World War I, the German zeppelin was a formidable sight. World War II gave the world the greatest advancement in flying until the 1960s, when the spaceship allowed astronauts to visit the moon.
However, there are some people who still prefer the unpredictable air currents to power their flying vessel.
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Bob Carlton prepares a hot-air ballon for flight.
Michael Potthast |
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The feeling of floating through the air high above the ground is surreal. After bracing against the basket and looking over its edge, the world below glides by in silence.
It is easy to see nature in its undisturbed state - a herd of deer drinking at a creek, alligators sunning themselves and wild pigs rooting in the woods - completely oblivious to being observed from above.
Seeing the shadow of the balloon on the ground as it floats along with the air current gives a feeling of being one with the clouds to the occupants within the slowly moving basket. It is quiet and peaceful until the air burner is fired.
The air in the balloon has to be kept hot to keep it aloft. When the burner is fired, the noise is shocking.
The heated air inside the balloon has a lower density than the colder air outside of the balloon - hot air rises. The lower density makes the balloon buoyant and keeps it afloat in the air. However, the higher the balloon goes, the colder the air outside of the balloon; therefore, it is necessary to carry a source of heat that can be readily applied to the interior of the balloon.
In the early days of hot-air ballooning, anything that could be burned was burned to keep the balloon in the air. Now, hot-air ballooning is much safer because the open flame is controlled on a small burner that releases propane upon demand. In addition, the material used to construct the balloon usually is made of a lightweight nylon sewn together in strips bordered by "load" tape, which carries the weight of the basket.
The basket, usually made of rattan or wicker, can be a small, intimate square or a large rectangle manufactured to hold 20 or more people.
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A balloon floats across a section of East Polk County.
Michael Potthast |
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The balloon usually is very colorful and sometimes constructed into shapes such as the Disney castle balloon or balloons flown to advertise to consumers. An elongated, oval balloon carrying an enclosed basket with a directional engine is a blimp. Blimps have far more directional control than hot-air balloons.
Because there is no directional control with a hot-air balloon, the balloonist needs a team on the ground to follow the balloon and retrieve the passengers, pilot and the balloon if they fly off course. A balloon pilot can increase or decrease the heat in the balloon to gain or lose altitude, but only a very experienced pilot can read the air flow and travel an intended course. A passenger usually will not feel the wind as the balloon rides along with the airflow instead of against it. It is only upon the rise and fall of gaining or losing altitude that the passengers will feel the wind.
The allure of hot-air ballooning has risen in the past 30 years as balloon festivals have attracted thousands of visitors to various locations each year. Balloon festivals, such as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, have attracted huge interest.
The Albuquerque Fiesta is considered one of the most photographed annual events held in the United States. In 2000, more than 1,000 balloons of different colors and shapes were flying together during the nine-day festival. Last year, the event was downsized to a maximum of 600 balloons aloft at one time to ensure safety and to accommodate the needs of the balloonists.
In Polk County, several companies offer hot-air balloon rides for couples, families or larger groups. Balloons and Beyond is a Polk County-based ballooning company that offers balloon rides for couples or families. Aerostat Adventures and Orlando Balloon Adventures both are based out of the Orlando area. All of the area ballooning adventures offer views of the Disney World parks and wildlife in Central Florida. The typical balloon ride ends with a champaign breakfast.
