Types of Balloons
People's desire to fly was first fulfilled by balloons. They may not be the fastest flying invention, but balloons were the first that successfully flew. Balloons are still popular today, and people who fly with balloons do it for the pleasure and excitement of flying. They are not practical for getting from one place to another, though. Does this Spark an idea?
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Definition
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Balloons are a type of aircraft that remain high up in to the air due to their buoyancy (upward force that keeps things afloat). They can't be propelled through the air and travel by moving with the wind. A balloon comprises a basket, an engine and an envelope. The basket is the bottom part of the balloon that carries the passengers and the pilot. The engine is what makes the balloon fly by propelling the hot air or gas into the envelope. The envelope is the actual fabric balloon, which holds the hot air or gas to lift up into the air. There are four types of balloons: hot-air balloons, gas balloons, Rozier balloons and super-pressure balloons.
Hot-Air Balloons
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Hot-air balloons are the most common type and fly by heating the air inside the balloon. To move the balloon up, the pilot opens the propane valve. The propane burns, and the bigger the flame, the higher and faster the balloon goes. To go down, the pilot uses the parachute valve. The fabric balloon has an opening on top that is kept closed, but the pilot can open it to let the hot air out and move the balloon downward.
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Gas Balloons
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Gas balloons, as the name suggests, are inflated with gas. Because the gas is lighter than the atmosphere, the balloon is able to fly. The gas most frequently used is helium. Hydrogen, ammonia and coal gas can also be used, but they are not as safe as helium. Ammonia has caustic qualities and limited lift, while hydrogen and coal gas are highly flammable. Hydrogen is used for some sport balloons, unmanned scientific balloons and weather balloons.
Roziere Balloons
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The Rozier balloon uses separate chambers of heated and unheated lifting gases to fly. The name comes from its inventor, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier. This type of balloon is mostly used for long-distance flights, because it has a reduced fuel consumption. The pilot can control the buoyancy with less use of fuel than other balloons. The fuel used today is non-flammable helium.
Super-Pressure Balloons
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In the super-pressure balloons, the gas that lifts it up is pressurized during flight. The pressure inside regular gas balloons is equal to the surrounding atmosphere pressure, but in super-pressure balloons, the pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure, eliminating the gas loss caused by daytime heating.
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References
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- Photo Credit Heaven`s Gate (John): flickr.com
