Hot air balloon flight

Pioneers of aeronautics

The first to practice the law of Archimedes in the air was the Portuguese monk Bartelomeo Lorenzo de Guzmao. In 1709, his model of a hot air balloon took off from the ground as much as 4 m! And after 70 years, the two Montgolfier brothers, on the basis of the priest’s devices, designed their own aerostatic machine. The first demonstrations were with a 3.5 m balloon, which rose 300 m into the air and flew a little over 1 km in 10 minutes. And in 1783, in the central square of the city of Annone, with a large number of spectators and officials, they … flew! The first official flight in a balloon with a diameter of 10 m lasted 10 minutes, during which the brothers covered just over 2 km. The first passengers of the balloon, though no longer the other, were a rooster, a ram and a duck, who flew 4 km and landed successfully. This success of the Montgolfier brothers served as an impetus for the rapid development and improvement of the design of the ball, the creation of its modifications. Until the advent of motorized aircraft in the early 20th century, balloons were the sole masters of the sky.

Hot air balloon flight

King Louis XVI of France also attended the first balloon flight. He also decided that the prisoners would be the first to rise into the air — those who are not sorry. But the nobility was indignant, because in the event of a successful outcome, the first conquerors of the sky would be criminals. Therefore, already in November 1783, the first two daredevils that the Montgolfier brothers launched into the sky were the physicist Pilatar de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlande. As a result, air flights, as a very expensive hobby, became an occupation of the nobility, and the king granted aeronautical nobles the right to confer a title of nobility on those who took to the air. Since then, this beautiful tradition has existed in almost all countries of the world.

Safety is above all. Flying in a hot air balloon is completely and absolutely safe. An average round tourist hot air balloon consumes about 2 cylinders of gas for heating the air in 1 hour of flight, with a supply of 4 cylinders on board. Even if suddenly you descend without gas, the average basket descent speed is up to 4-5 m / s — just like when landing with a parachute. With such a speed of cold descent, you can get bruises as a memory as much as possible.

The weather is of fundamental importance for controlled and safe flight. The ideal case is a moderate wind up to 5 m/s, clear and cloudless weather without precipitation and sudden movements of air masses. Therefore, a balloon flight is possible only at certain times of the day — the first 2-3 hours after dawn and 2-3 hours before sunset. Indeed, in summer, due to uneven heating of the earth and air, various vertical air movements, gusts of wind, etc. are possible. In the cold season, when it gets dark early, usually only the morning flight is carried out. The optimal period for balloon flights is from April to the end of October. But do not worry — your flight will take place only under ideal weather conditions. All aeronautical societies warn that the flight may be postponed due to weather conditions even immediately before the start.

In Ukraine, launch sites for balloon flights are usually Kyiv, Makarov, Kamenets-Podolsky, Feodosia, Pereyaslav-Khmelnitsky, Bila Tserkva, Chernihiv, Lvov, Kherson, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk. The place depends on the company, although many will bring a balloon for an additional fee and you can fly over almost any corner of Ukraine. The cost is also quite different — depending on the number of people (group, individual, corporate), duration, region. Usually it is from 1000 UAH for a group flight and 3500 UAH for an individual balloon flight and up to tens of thousands of hryvnias if you want to organize a romantic surprise and a small show for your soulmate or celebrate a wedding in the air. The price usually includes:

• a trip to the launch site and from the balloon landing site
• about 1 hour balloon flight
• presentation of commemorative letters
• traditional ceremony of initiation into aeronauts
• insurance

The whole program is usually designed for 4-5 hours, of which at least 1 hour you will enjoy the flight and the beauty of nature from a height of 500 m. All details (date, time, place) must be agreed in advance.

During major corporate events, it is possible to organize tethered lifts. The balloon is tied to supports and works on a certain site without flying away. Payment for such lifts is usually hourly and a large number of guests at your event will be able to use the balloon.

In addition, balloon flights and tethered lifts are actively used during promotions and exhibitions. Banners are placed on the ball or on the side of the basket, which are very difficult not to pay attention to. It is also possible to manufacture a balloon of almost any shape and color specially to order. But it is advisable when conducting long-term promotions. Another powerful tool is the sponsorship of teams during balloon flights with participation in various Ukrainian and international competitions.

You can find some teams that can organize balloon flights in Kyiv in our catalog. We will be happy to add information.

Hot air balloon flights are another great way to actively relax, get indescribable impressions and a sea of ​​emotions. Most importantly, do not forget to take a camera or video camera with you so that you can experience the moments of takeoff and landing, the stunning silence of the sky and the beauty of morning nature over and over again at home in a quiet and calm environment.

Author: Vladimir Selivanov.

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