The first flight in a hot air balloon, or aerostat, was made in 731, in Ryazan. The inventor is self-taught Kryakutnoy. who served as a clerk at the voivode's office, made a large bag, filled it with hot air and flew on it higher than the trees. And fifty-two years later (in 1783), French inventors, brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, built the world's second aerostat, its diameter was 13 meters. This is how aeronautics was born.
First, the balloons were filled with warm air. They could fly only until the air in the balloon cooled. Later, aeronautical vehicles began to be filled with light gas - hydrogen.
Why does the balloon fly? How does its lifting force arise?
Knowing Archimedes' law, it is not difficult to explain flight hot air balloon. Any body immersed in a liquid is subject to a buoyancy force equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by it. You can be convinced of the validity of this law by observing how a cork ball, lowered under water, floats to the surface. The ball is thrown out by a force acting from bottom to top and arising due to the fact that the ball weighs less than the water it displaces. at
On the contrary, if you throw a stone into water, it will sink. Why? Because the weight of the stone itself is greater than the weight of the water it displaces.
Archimedes' law is also valid for the air environment, where all objects also displace a certain volume of air and experience its lifting force from the outside. And if any body is lighter than the volume of air it displaced, it will “float” in the atmosphere. Such a body is a ball filled with some light gas, for example hydrogen.
Balloons filled with gas are unsuitable for regular communications, since they are uncontrollable and move in the atmosphere along with air masses, that is, with the wind. Currently, they are used only for scientific and sports purposes. -**
A balloon designed to fly with the wind is called a free balloon; attached to one end of a steel cable attached to a rotating winch drum - tethered (snake), Aerostat for flights in the stratosphere.
A sphere with a hermetically sealed cabin is called a stratospheric balloon. Balloons^
small-sized balloons and pilot balloons are used in meteorology for lifting recording instruments and instruments, the readings of which are transmitted using short-wave radio transmitters suspended from the balloon.
You can learn more about the history and current state of aeronautics at<-ч честь в книге И. Г. Стобровского «Воздухоплавание» (Изд ДОСАРМ, 1949 г.). оХ
HOW TO MAKE A BALLOON Mch
A balloon (or rather, a polyhedron), glued together from tissue paper and on.
filled with warm air, it flies like a real balloon, only it rises into the air not so high and descends after a few minutes.
To make such a ball, cut it out of white or colored tissue ~
paper from 12 to 24 (or more) spindle-shaped strips and glue their edges
The strips are cut according to the template. To make a template, you first need to glue several sheets of thick paper into a long strip and draw a pattern on it. The dimensions of the patterns for balls of different sizes are shown in Figure 1. For a ball with a diameter of 1 meter, you need to take a template with a length of 1572 mm, for a ball with a diameter of 1 .5 meters - 2400 mm long, etc.
The prepared strip of paper is folded in half in length (Fig. 3). Auxiliary lines are drawn from the fold line along the square, at a distance of 200 mm from one another. Segments are laid on them, the dimensions of which are indicated on the pattern. The ends of the segments are connected by one smooth curved line and the strip is cut along it. The finished template folded in half is unfolded.
Blanks for strips are glued together from separate sheets of tissue paper. To do this, the sheets are laid in the form of a “ladder” (Fig. 2) and all its “steps” are coated with glue. When gluing, the glue-coated edge of one sheet should be in contact with the uncoated edge of the other.
If there is paper of two colors, for example white and red, then the ball can be made striped or checkered. In the first case, you need to make the same number of strips of paper of both colors; in the second case, sheets of paper of different colors must alternate in each of the stripes. In this case, it is necessary to change the arrangement of the sheets in the stripes; for example, if in the first strip the sheets alternate like this: red - white - edge - white, then in the second strip they are glued together differently "white-red-white--JtpacKbtfl, etc.
For a ball of 1 meter (Fig. 1, -4) or 1.5 meters (Fig. 1,5), you need to prepare 12 TiiJL^ steps with a diameter of 2 meters (Fig. 1, B) - 16 stripes,
at 2.5 meters (Fig. iwjiOc at 3 meters (Fig. 1, D) -24 stripes. For one and a half
meter ball, |acjjJ»aiej»o<яз fa полос, понадобится 50 листов папиросной буц^у^"Ч
Civil aviation once began with balloons: airplanes and helicopters were like walking to the Moon, and people began flying in balloons back in the 18th century. Today we will tell you how it happens in the 21st: I went to Cappadocia - a region in central Turkey - where mass flights take place almost every day; There are several dozen balloons in the air at the same time, and, accordingly, several hundred passengers.
A little physics. How a hot air balloon flies
A modern passenger balloon is correctly called a hot air balloon, or hot air balloon, after the Montgolfier brothers, who made the first flight in an aircraft of this type in 1783. As part of import substitution, the story became popular that in fact the first hot air balloon was built half a century earlier by the Russian inventor Kryakutnoy, but this is just a hoax created after the French flight and promoted in Soviet times.
The principle of hot air balloon flight 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 Archimedes' law it tends upward under the influence of buoyant force. At the same time, the shell itself and the payload are attracted to the Earth (the 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 “hover” in the air at a certain height.
How to control a hot air balloon
The main control element of the hot air balloon is a gas burner located under the shell and directed upward. It burns a mixture of propane and butane, which is taken on board in cylinders similar to those that many summer residents have in their kitchens. With the help 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 down and the ball begins to descend, so you need to periodically “add the heat” to maintain a constant height. In general, everything is simple: more fire - we rise, less fire - we maintain altitude, a little, little, little, little, little fire - we descend.
However, in order to descend, you don’t have to wait until the air cools down: in the upper part of the shell there is a valve that can be opened and closed with ropes. If you open it, some of the warm air will come out and the ball will fly down.
They take with them at least two gas cylinders (one main, the other spare) - this is enough for about one hour of flight, a variometer for measuring vertical speed and a walkie-talkie for communication with the pilots of other balloons and escort vehicles (more about them below). And, most importantly, there are no sandbags. They are used as ballast on gas balloons (with helium and other similar gases inside), and are not needed for a hot air balloon.
The top valve is open and the balloon 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 register and have the numbers RA-xxxxG. Each balloon has a certificate of airworthiness, everything is as it should be.
Where is the hot air balloon going?
We can only control the vertical speed of the balloon. Horizontally, it flies where the wind carries it. That is why a hot air balloon is unsuitable as a full-fledged vehicle: it is, after all, a pleasure aircraft. Despite this, balloon flights are regulated by aviation authorities no less than airplane flights. Each balloon is registered in the aircraft register and has a corresponding number on board, and the pilots (there are two) have a license. Flights are carried out according to visual flight rules, that is, with good visibility, the absence of strong wind is also a prerequisite. The problem is that you can only fly early in the morning at dawn or, conversely, at sunset: during the day, rising air currents from the sun-heated earth's surface make flights unsafe (and in the morning there are up and down currents, just not so strong). So you can easily face a situation where you arrived but didn’t fly anywhere - plan for several days at once just in case!
Each balloon has its own escort vehicle: a jeep with a flatbed trailer the size of a basket. Jeep - because the ball will most likely land on the wrong road. Aerobatics involves landing directly on a 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 simply repel each other and fly further. In general, it is quite difficult for the balls to collide: after all, the wind carries them in the same direction.
How is a hot air balloon flight?
First you are brought to your balloon. At this moment, he is still lying on the ground, the basket is on his side, and with the help of a powerful fan the shell is filled with air, while simultaneously heating it with a burner. At some point, the limp ball becomes elastic and soars up. The basket is turned over, passengers sit in it, climbing over the side. 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, is that when landing you must sit down and hold on to the ropes, since there is a high probability of the basket tipping over: this will avoid injury.
Preparing for the flight
The pilot gives more fire, and... the ball smoothly soars up 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 even seasoned aerophobes are not afraid. And even those who are afraid of heights (and the ball rises to 1500 m with an average flight altitude of about 500) are not afraid: due to the high (about 1.5 meters) side of the basket it is impossible to fall out of it, and the standing pose provokes to look not down, but to the sides. Indescribable beauty! The real Tatooine! Turkish pilots try to fly in such a way as to get closer to the rocks, “chimneys” and give them the opportunity to examine them; they descend almost to the roofs of houses in ancient 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 are flying along with this very wind!
How to fly in a hot air balloon
Cappadocia, as you already understood, is a place where hot air ballooning is a developed and popular form of recreation. You will need to get to the city of Urgup, which is 70 km from Kayseri, where the nearest civil airport (ASR) is located. There are several daily flights from Istanbul (IST and SAW) to Kayseri by local airlines: Turkish Airlines, Anadolujet, Pegasus Airlines, etc. The flight is about an hour and a half. Of course, many different airlines fly all the way to Istanbul - from Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines to Onur Air and Pobeda. Buying two separate tickets to Istanbul and Kayseri can help you save a lot (and at the same time spend a couple of days in Istanbul).
Low passage over the mountain - one of the aerobatic maneuvers in hot air balloons
There are more than a dozen airlines with hot air balloons in Urgup; You can also purchase a flight through their Russian partners by simply typing the appropriate request into Google - convenient if you don’t know Turkish and want to plan everything in advance, or you can directly at the hotel in Urgup, but here everything depends on the hotel. Keep in mind that the cost of an hour-long flight is 13,000 rubles per person, including transfer from your hotel and back and a modest breakfast in the immediate vicinity of the starting point (tea, coffee, buns).
Video (pre-flight briefing, low-altitude passage, landing on an aircraft carrier, cleaning the balloon).
The hot air balloon marked the beginning of civil aviation. The principle of its operation has not changed to this day: there is no engine and no steering wheel. There is only a dome with a basket, a burner and sandbags.
History of creation
The balloon embodied man's most ancient plan to subjugate the air element. The first description of the balloon was made in 1306 by the French missionary Bassu, who witnessed its rise into the air in China, on the day of Emperor Fo Kien's accession to the throne.
And yet France is recognized as the birthplace of the balloon, and its first inventors were the brothers Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier. In 1783, in the city they launched a spherical balloon they had designed, 3.5 meters in diameter and weighing 155 kg, filled with hot air. His flight lasted only 10 minutes at an altitude of 300 m, and the distance traveled was about a kilometer.
The dome of the Montgolfier brothers' balloon was made of linen fabric and covered with paper. To heat the air, a fire of finely chopped straw was lit. And after a short time, the unit’s structure was supplemented with a special basket for travelers.
The rise of the first balloon was an unprecedented event for that era. In honor of their creators, the units began to be called hot air balloons.
Balloon device
Modern units are made from more technologically advanced materials, but the design remains the same as that of the Montgolfier brothers. Linen and paper are no longer used to sew the shell; they have been replaced by thin and durable polyester material. Instead of a fire, an adjustable gas burner is installed in the basket under the dome.
The balloon, based on its working design, has the following components:
- A dome that is filled with gas to rise to a given height.
- The burner is the most complex part, through which a flow of hot air into the dome is created.
- Basket for passengers, pilot and luggage.
Balloon dome
This is the main part of the balloon, which is sewn together from individual pieces of material into columns, which are then firmly attached to each other. The material used is high-strength polyester or polyamide fabric. On the inside it is treated with silicone impregnation, which does not allow gas to penetrate or escape.
The basic requirements for the dome are:
- Strength and resistance to external influences and mechanical damage.
- Thermal stability due to constant contact with heated gas.
- Elasticity, due to which it is possible to maintain a given shape.
The dome is inflated due to the supply of heated gas: air, hydrogen or another, and due to it it rises into the sky to the desired height. Gas is supplied through a technological opening in the lower part of the dome. For safety, this hole is treated with a special heat-resistant tape. The device is also equipped with a special valve, which is used to vent hot gas out during descent and landing.
Load tapes are fixed outside the structure. They are attached to the top of the dome using a ring, and at the bottom they are connected to the hanging ropes. The result is a reliable frame that can have different volumes and lift loads of different weights.
Burner
This is a technological element of the balloon that ensures heating of the gas mixture, lifting the unit into the air, and also maintaining a given temperature during flight.
The burner operates on liquid propane, which is supplied to it from the cylinders, heats up, becomes gaseous and is fed directly into the ball.
Modern burners are very powerful, about 6000 MW, and are made of stainless, heat-resistant steel. They are not dangerous to use because they are equipped with special protection against burns.
Basket
Designed to carry travelers and cargo. It is necessary to ensure its lightness and at the same time strength, so its frame is made of wicker, and the bottom is made of waterproof plywood. The basket is connected to the dome with a steel cable. To prevent the air from cooling, polyurethane risers are installed, which, together with the cable, are covered with special covers.
In the corner of the basket, gas cylinders are placed and secured to belts. Compartments for a fire extinguisher and accessories necessary for travel must be made.
Ballast - sandbags - is hung from the outside of the basket. They are dropped if it is necessary to increase the flight altitude.
Classification of balloons
There are two most common types of classification according to:
- The method of filling the dome.
- Purpose.
According to the method of filling the shell balloon It happens:
- Teplov.
- Gas.
- Combined.
Hot air balloons are still called hot air balloons. They are lifted by supplying hot air.
In gas aircraft, the lifting force is created by light gases and their mixtures. They are otherwise called charliers after the Frenchman Jacques Charles who designed them. In 1783, he successfully tested a hydrogen-filled balloon for the first time.
Combined balloons use both hot air and a gas mixture in flight. For this purpose they are equipped with two shells. The French physicist Pilatre de Rozier developed such a scheme. Unfortunately, the inventor and his assistant died during a test flight in 1785, but his devices are used and are called rosiers.
In 1999, Englishman Brian Jones and Swiss Bertrand Piccard set off on the Rosière for the first ever trip around the world and returned safely.
According to their purpose, balloons are divided into:
- Free or unmanaged. They are used in sports, extreme recreation, for scientific purposes and advertising.
- Tethered. The same uncontrollable ones, but fixed on the surface of the earth with a cable. This allows you to control its remoteness. They can take off with or without passengers. The tethered ball has a streamlined shape and a tail. Used for training parachutists, for surveying terrain, for scientific and advertising purposes.
- Stratospheric balloon. An uncrewed device that ascends into the stratosphere, usually without passengers, for the purpose of scientific research. It is distinguished by its large size and sealed basket.
- Managed or airships. Their name comes from the French “dirigeable” - “controlled”. The airship was first launched into the air in 1852. It was made in the shape of a cigar, equipped with a propeller and a steam generator. Airships became widespread at that time. Today they have found their application in tourism, freight and civil transport. The engines used are steam engines, gasoline, diesel and electric engines, as well as gas turbines.
How a hot air balloon flies
The principle of balloon flight is based on the laws of physics. The air or gas entering the shell has a temperature higher than the surrounding environment and a lower density. Accordingly, under the action of the buoyant force it rushes upward. At a certain altitude, the force of gravity balances the buoyant force and the balloon “hangs” in the sky.
How to fly a balloon
Of course, the ball is very dependent on the wind. However, most modern units can be controlled. The flight altitude is set using a release valve at the top of the shell, and a side valve is used to change the direction of travel.
Preparation
Flying a balloon is not an easy task and requires training and careful preparation. Meteorological conditions such as visibility, cloud cover, wind direction and speed are of great importance. Based on this information, the route is built. There must be areas along the route suitable for landing, since unforeseen circumstances cannot be ruled out during the journey.
Takeoff
To start, choose a flat area, away from residential buildings, trees, poles and power lines.
Lifting the balloon into the air requires the efforts of the entire crew. First, the balloon is assembled:
- Attach the burner to the gondola and connect it to gas cylinders via hoses.
- Carry out a trial start of the burner.
- They stretch the canopy in the direction of the wind and fasten it to the gondola with carabiners.
Once assembly is complete, the dome is filled with cold air using a fan. Then turn on the burner. Hot air lifts the ball from the surface, and the crew takes their places.
If the flight is carried out on a tethered balloon, it is first fixed on the surface.
Flight
Flight control requires good skills. To increase the height, the air is heated by starting the burner, and to decrease the height, the exhaust valve is opened. Movement in the lateral direction occurs due to a tailwind. To move faster, the pilot can fly higher, where the wind speed is higher.
Descent
For landing, a large and safe site is selected in advance. The pilot releases air from the canopy using a valve and the balloon slowly descends to the surface.
It is noteworthy that if the balloons collide with each other in the air, then... nothing will happen. They will simply push off and fly further. And it is very difficult for them to collide, because they travel in the direction of the wind - in the same direction.
The hot air balloon has neither motors nor the usual rudder. From the entire technological arsenal - only burners, sandbags and a special valve in the upper part of the dome for air etching. How to control this aircraft?
From the history of aeronautics
The birth of hot air balloons was the first real embodiment of mankind's age-old dream of conquering the fifth ocean. In 1306, the French missionary Bassu first described how, while in China, he witnessed the flight of a hot air balloon during the accession of Emperor Pho Kien to the throne.
However, the birthplace of aeronautics is considered to be the French town of Annoney, where on June 5, 1783, the brothers Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier lifted into the sky a spherical balloon they created, filled with heated air.
The flight of the aircraft, weighing about 155 kg and with a diameter of 3.5 meters, lasted only 10 minutes. During this time, he covered about a kilometer at a 300-meter altitude, which was an outstanding event for its time. Later, hot air balloons began to be called hot air balloons in honor of their creators.
The Montgolfier brothers' balloon consisted of a linen shell covered with paper. To fill it with hot air, a fire of finely chopped straw was lit. 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 advanced, but they are made according to almost the same design. To make the spherical shell of the ball, a special thin and durable polyester material is used. The air heating system has changed. The fire function is performed by an adjustable propane gas burner installed in a basket directly under the dome.
Despite their greater dependence on the wind, modern hot air balloons are controllable. The flight altitude is adjusted by an outlet at the top of the canopy using a rip cord. A side valve is provided to change the course. There are also more complex designs, where another one filled with helium can be placed inside the main dome.
How to control a hot air balloon with a basket
Flying a balloon is an activity that requires serious preparation and considerable financial costs. Suffice it to say that a balloon pilot training course today costs about 200 thousand rubles. The price of the balloon itself (depending on the model) is comparable to the price of a passenger car.
Preparation
The flight is preceded by careful preparation. First of all, it is necessary to study the weather conditions - cloudiness, visibility and wind speed. In accordance with the received data, the flight route is planned. Due to unforeseen changes in weather conditions, a route is chosen where there are enough places along the way for safe landings.
Takeoff
It takes the entire crew to make the balloon take off. The best place to start is a flat area 50 x 50 meters in an open field, where there are no foreign 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 begins to stretch the canopy (necessarily in the direction of the wind). Next, the stretched canopy is fastened to the basket with special carabiners.
The next step is to fill the dome with cold air using a fan, after which the burner starts to heat the air. The heated air lifts the dome from the ground, and the crew (with passengers) takes their places. To prevent the ball from flying away, it is first 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 the burners and the exhaust valve. To gain altitude, the burner is turned on and the air is additionally heated, and to decrease, the valve opens slightly. Horizontal flight occurs due to a tailwind. This is where the pilot's skill comes into play. So, to fly faster, it can increase its flight altitude, where the wind speed is stronger.
Descent
The landing site is selected in advance. It must be large and safe. The ideal option is a football field next to the highway. The crew radios to the ground about the landing site. Next, the pilot releases air from the canopy using a valve. The ball smoothly falls to the ground.
The flight can last from 30 minutes to 1 hour. It all depends on the speed and direction of the wind on the day of the flight. The flight duration is limited by the size of our flight area, which includes the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg.
Are parachutes provided?
Parachutes are not issued, since the flights take place at relatively low altitudes and, if you urgently need to land, it will be faster and safer to land in a hot air balloon.
Are passengers insured?
Hot air balloons belong to general aviation. And in aviation, passenger seats on an aircraft are required to be insured. Therefore, when you step on board a hot air balloon, you are already insured.
How long have you been flying with passengers?
In St. Petersburg for more than 5 years.
How many passengers can travel in a basket?
2-4 passengers, depending on their weight and flight season.
What does the whole process look like, starting from the moment of the meeting?
The journey through the sky begins from the moment the novice aeronauts meet the crew.
Next, we take our passengers to the starting point; this stage usually takes no more than half an hour. After this, you can watch the balloon being filled with air and the team preparing for takeoff, or we can bring you directly to the moment of launch, if you so desire. The process of preparing the balloon for takeoff also takes about half an hour. After takeoff, you can admire the sights; the flight usually lasts from 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the direction and speed of the wind.
From the moment of take-off on the ground, an escort team will follow the flying balloon, which will meet you at your landing place and after the traditional ceremony of initiation into aeronauts, which will take about 30 minutes, we will take you back to the meeting point.
How long will all the activities take us?
The entire process from meeting the team to returning to the meeting location can take up to three hours. In this case, the pilot before the start can postpone the flight for the necessary time in order to wait for more comfortable weather conditions for take-off. We recommend that you reserve at least 5 hours for your flight, including travel.
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