[ELI5] how do hot air balloons even work? How do they know where they’re going without steering?
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Air currents at different elevations are going at different speeds and possibly different directions. You adjust your elevation by making your air hotter or colder to ride those different air currents.
Air currents at different elevations are going at different speeds and possibly different directions. You adjust your elevation by making your air hotter or colder to ride those different air currents.
Meteorology is extremely important for hot air balloon pilots. It’s extremely important to understand weather patterns and how to change elevations to catch air currents. But basically there is no steering and you just go with whatever currents are there.
Meteorology is extremely important for hot air balloon pilots. It’s extremely important to understand weather patterns and how to change elevations to catch air currents. But basically there is no steering and you just go with whatever currents are there.
Here’s the FAA’s ‘textbook’ for prospective balloon pilots: https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/FAA-H-8083-11.pdf
Warm air is less dense. Things float in fluids when they are less dense due to buoyancy. Hot air balloons have basically up and down controls.
Balloons can also be tethered to the ground with a rope.
As others have pointed out already, it’s all about navigating the air currents above the ground.
But your question is indeed timely, as yesterday (October 22) was the 63rd anniversary of the first free flight of a modern hot air balloon with an onboard heater. Ed Yost first flew his prototype balloon (fueled by kerosene) on October 22, 1960, and ushered in the modern sport balloon.
Here’s the FAA’s ‘textbook’ for prospective balloon pilots: https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/FAA-H-8083-11.pdf
Warm air is less dense. Things float in fluids when they are less dense due to buoyancy. Hot air balloons have basically up and down controls.
Balloons can also be tethered to the ground with a rope.
Wind goes in different directions at various altitudes so balloons just go up and down by changing the temperating in the balloon and catch the wind that goes into the directly they would like to go.
As others have pointed out already, it’s all about navigating the air currents above the ground.
But your question is indeed timely, as yesterday (October 22) was the 63rd anniversary of the first free flight of a modern hot air balloon with an onboard heater. Ed Yost first flew his prototype balloon (fueled by kerosene) on October 22, 1960, and ushered in the modern sport balloon.
Wind goes in different directions at various altitudes so balloons just go up and down by changing the temperating in the balloon and catch the wind that goes into the directly they would like to go.
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