How Balloons Fly

Have you ever wondered what keeps a hot air balloon flying? It is really quite simple and it’s a very basic principle, hot air rises and cold air sinks, the hot air in a hot air balloon pushes up, keeping the balloon floating.

A hot air balloon has three major parts, the envelope, the burner, and the basket. The basket is where passengers’ ride this is usually made of wicker, which is lightweight and flexible and carries and protects the occupants. The burner is positioned above the passenger’s heads and produces a huge flame to heat the air inside the envelope, when the air inside the envelope is heated, the balloon rises. For the Hot Air Balloon to descend the pilot allows the air in the envelope to cool down and the balloon gradually falls. At all times the pilot has complete control of the up and down movements of the balloon.