Hot air balloons are aircrafts, and the companies who operate them are companies of aerial work, i.e. regulated by the normative of the European Aviation Safety Agency under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. On the other hand, they are very special aircrafts, which do not need an airfield, or airdrome neither a runway, […]

Once in possession of a  balloon pilot license and certificate, the pilot needs an experience of at least 100 hours in order to fly passengers. Having the necessary experience, the pilot must apply for a commercial pilot license. Flight hours are signed off in the hot air balloon log book and the flight manual; this paperwork […]

The Envelope is constructed from various gores, formed by the load tapes, made of nylon or polyester. Attached to the load tapes, there are the steel cords that are later attached to the gondola and the burner. The space between each load tape, i.e. each gore, is divided in panels made of strong, lightweight synthetic […]

Absurd as this question may sound; I heard it from a reporter during a press conference in the 2007 ballooning king´s cup, celebrated in Villanueva del pardillo Madrid. Besides funny, it may represent a disquietude of a segment of the population, curious, but unaware of semantics. In fact, as its name indicates, dirigibles *(the term […]

Hot air balloons float because the air trapped inside the balloon is heated up by a burner, making it less dense than the air that surrounds it which allows to lift the weight that hangs below. To control the ascent and descent the pilot depends on the fuel carried on board and with the help […]

As we have seen before, pilots do have control of climbing and descending and will use the wind directions at different altitudes to manoeuvre the balloon, something that may sound impossible. Instruments such as GPS, intuition and skills may help them with their purpose. All the tasks are based on the abilty of the pilots […]

The first aeronauts in history were Jean-Francois Pilâtre de Roziers and le marquis d’Arlandes, after flying over Paris in 1783 they celebrated their achievement with a champagne toast. The tradition still stands to this day, wherever there is a hot air balloon flight ,the crew and passengers will toast champagne afterwards. In Spain we have […]

Of course, although it is not a passenger´s duty, any help would be appreciated, the more passengers flying, the bigger and heavier the balloon is, therefore the deflation process might require a little more energy. The first thing to pack is the envelope, the most delicate part of the equipment, which should be protected from […]

After a certain time of flight, to select the landing field. The pilot must consider various factors. Except for the small flight direction changes as the balloon descend due to the different wind directions, the pilot must select the most suitable field from all the ones that fate has put in his path. The landing […]

When the burners are set and the pilot aims the 4 meter flames inside the balloon, the cold air  blown from high-powered fans to partially inflate the envelope, quickly rises its temperature . Suddenly the air trapped inside the envelope, that has been laid on the floor ,is heated and rises for the temperature difference. Balloons […]