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Hot Air Balloons Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Hot Air Balloons Quizzes, Trivia

Hot Air Balloons Trivia

Hot Air Balloons Trivia Quizzes

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Fun Trivia
3 quizzes and 30 trivia questions.
1.
  Hot-Air Balloons!    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
'We'll find a cloud to hide us....we'll keep the moon beside us...Up, Up, and Away!' This is a quizzie about hot-air balloons! Float on up to a high score!
Average, 10 Qns, catnippin, Jun 18 20
Average
catnippin
Jun 18 20
2897 plays
2.
  It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
That's right Albuquerque is famous for something other than Bugs Bunny's wrong turn. Who knew? Every year the Balloon Fiesta consumes my hometown, both the streets and the skies, in a spectacle unlike any other in the world. Here is my tribute.
Average, 10 Qns, Leah457, Feb 25 19
Average
Leah457
Feb 25 19
425 plays
3.
  Ballooning    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Come float gently with me on a trip in a balloon - all about the people, journeys, and equipment from this fascinating mode of transport...
Tough, 10 Qns, Rowena8482, Jul 23 09
Tough
Rowena8482 gold member
305 plays

Hot Air Balloons Trivia Questions
1. This one should be easy. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta happens in which US state?

From Quiz It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Answer: New Mexico

New Mexico is really a terrific place that has fascinating tourist attractions, a relatively temperate climate, and me!

2. In 1783, the first hot-air balloon got off the ground. Who launched it?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier

The Montgolfier brothers worked in a family run paper factory at Annonay, France. They experimented by throwing scraps of paper into a fireplace, which could then be seen leaving the chimney. At first, they mistakenly concluded that smoke, and not hot air, had lifted the paper.

3. The town of Tullamore, in Ireland, was the setting for a ballooning first in May 1785. The event is commemorated to this day on the town crest; what event was it?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: The first disastrous balloon crash burned down 100 houses

The advent of balloon aviation also brought the advent of the aviation disaster. Tullamore holds the dubious honour of being the site of the world's first. The town crest shows a phoenix rising from the ashes in memory of the crash.

4. The chief official of the Balloon Fiesta has a unique title, which is it?

From Quiz It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Answer: Balloonmeister

I find this quite amusing, as do our local news anchors, but you can otherwise verify this, and many of the bits of trivia I've included, at the Balloon Fiesta's official web site.

5. The first hot-air balloon passengers were animals. Who were these lucky critters?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: A sheep, a duck, and a hen

The flight lasted eight minutes and reached a maximum height of 500 meters. Louis XVI, the King of France, witnessed the flight in Versailles on 19 September 1783. The animals landed, unharmed, 3.5 kilometres from their starting point.

6. During the American Civil War, there was an official Union Army Balloon Corps, who carried out reconnaissance duties using tethered gas filled balloons. Which scientist and veteran balloonist was appointed by President Lincoln to lead them?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Thaddeus Lowe

Thaddeus Lowe later wrote about his time with the Balloon Corps, including the story of how the Union Army captured "the last silk dress of the Confederacy." The Confederates had gathered together all the silk they could find by appealing for ladies to donate their dresses and made a single patchwork balloon. This balloon was attached to a boat on the James River where it became stranded by the tide and was duly captured by the Union Army. The loss of their only balloon in such circumstances prompted General Longstreet to write, "This capture was the meanest trick of the war and one that I have never yet forgiven."

7. Who was aboard the first manned un-tethered hot-air balloon flight?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Pilatre de Rozier and Francois D'Arlandes

Two months after the flight of the animals, Pilatre de Rozier, a physics professor, and the Marquis Francois D'Arlandes, a major in the infantry, became the first humans to fly above Paris. The flight lasted about 28 minutes, at an altitude of roughly 1000 meters.

8. The modern hot-air balloon is made up of three essential parts. The 'balloon' part holds the air and is known as what?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Envelope

The balloon 'envelope' is made of nylon, with a cross-woven reinforced webbing to prevent it from ripping. It is also referred to as the 'canopy'.

9. The first ever balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was achieved in 1978 by three American pilots. What was the name of their balloon?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Double Eagle II

On August 16th 1978, Larry Newman, Ben Abruzzo and Max Anderson successfully landed in a field 60 miles from Paris, having spent just over 137 hours in flight since taking off from Maine.

10. What is the official name of the nutty people willing to be up in the air, freezing their butts off at 5:45 am (official time)?

From Quiz It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Answer: Dawn Patrol

The Dawn Patrol goes up early to check out wind and weather conditions before tha Mass Ascension.

11. The passenger compartment of a hot-air balloon is known as the 'basket', or 'gondola'. Of what material is the 'basket' traditionally made?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Wicker

Wicker works best because it is sturdy, flexible, and lightweight. It needs to be flexible for landings, so passengers don't feel the brunt of the impact. The basket floor is generally made of wood.

12. The world's premiere balloon race, the "Coupe Aeronautique" is named after the man who founded it in 1906. Who was he?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Gordon Bennett

Gordon Bennett was the French-born newspaper publisher of the "New York Herald". It was he who provided backing to send Stanley to search for David Livingston in Africa in 1869. The "Coupe Aeronautique Gordon Bennett" is the most important event in the ballooning world. Each year teams of international balloonists compete to see who can travel the furthest distance from the start point. The inaugural event, in 1906, was won by Frank Lahm and Henry Hersey of the USA, who travelled just over 641Km from the start point in Paris.

13. The heart of the hot-air balloon is called the 'burner'. What gas is used to heat the air that fills up the balloon?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Propane

The propane is stored in compressed liquid form, in lightweight cylinders. When the burner is started, the propane flows out quickly through hoses to a heating coil around the burner, and is ignited by a pilot light. As the flame burns, the metal in the tubing heats up. This heats up the propane flowing through it and changes it to a gas.

14. The 'lift' of a hot air or hot gas balloon comes when the heated gas in the envelope becomes lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. Which scientist's principle is this in accordance with?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Archimedes

It is Archimedes' buoyancy principle in action. The amount of lift generated is dependent upon the temperature difference between the gas inside and the air outside the envelope.

15. What ballooning feat did Steve Fossett achieve in June/July 2002?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: First solo non-stop flight around the world

Steve Fossett's balloon "Spirit of Freedom" took off from Northam, Western Australia, on 19 June 2002, and landed back in Queensland a fortnight later, on 3 July. Fossett also held numerous endurance records in other disciplines, including sailing and fixed-wing aircraft. He died in 2007 when a light aircraft he was piloting crashed in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

16. The vast majority of modern balloons have an envelope made of nylon. Smaller panels are sewn together to make up several larger "strips" which are then sewn in turn to form the envelope. What is the correct term for these "strips"?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Gores

The panels form gores, which in turn form the envelope. The gores are attached to a circular 'skirt,' which is shaped like a hoop, at the lower end, and meet at the crown of the envelope at the top end. The skirt material is coated with fire resistant substance as it is closest to the flame from the burner.

17. The general Mass Ascension at 7:00 am only happens on which two days of the week?

From Quiz It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Answer: Saturday and Sunday

It's worth giving up your weekend sleep in to see the sky full of over 1000 balloons, with the lovely Sandia Mountains as the background.

18. A hot-air balloon is equipped with several instruments. What is the name for the vertical speedometer?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Variometer

The altimeter measures height above sea level. The pyrometer measures the temperature at the top of the balloon's envelope. The compass tells which direction the balloonist is heading.

19. Which gas is used in most modern hot gas balloons?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Propane

Modern balloons use liquid propane tanks to supply the fuel to the burner. The tanks containing the compressed liquid propane are situated in the bottom of the gondola, and an intake hose connects the bottom of the tanks to the burner. The propane runs through a heating coil of copper tubing, around the burner and is gasefied before it emerges to be ignited by a pilot light. This system gives a hotter flame and greater fuel efficiency than just igniting the liquid propane.

20. After some initial experimentation, it was determined that the fall was the best time of year to hold the event. Which month has been designated?

From Quiz It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Answer: October

Hot Air Balloons need cooler temperatures to fly well. In the beginning coordinators held the Fiesta in the spring, but they learned that the New Mexico spring wind storms were not willing to reschedule.

21. Traditionally, when a hot-air balloon lands after a flight, what sparkling beverage is shared with the passengers and crew?

From Quiz Hot-Air Balloons!

Answer: Champagne

It is written that back in 1783, local farmers were very suspicious of the 'fiery dragon' descending from the sky into their vineyards. To placate them and celebrate the first flight, the pilots offered champagne!

22. In order to descend in a hot gas balloon, it is necessary to spill out some of the hot gas from the envelope. At the very top of the envelope is a valve, worked via a cord control. What is this valve called?

From Quiz Ballooning

Answer: Parachute Valve

The parachute valve control cord runs down from the parachute valve to the gondola so the pilot can open and close it as necessary. The only controls on a balloon are the burner and parachute valve ones. Although much at the mercy of the prevailing winds, a skilled pilot can steer a balloon laterally by adjusting the height of the balloon and having an extensive knowledge of the wind directions at various altitudes.

23. In 1992 a sponsor added its name to the official title of the event. The official web site claims that this accentuates the claim that the _____ Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the most photographed event in the world.

From Quiz It's the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Answer: Kodak

So that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this quiz even a fraction as much as I have enjoyed the skies each October for as long as I can remember, and I hope to see you at the next "Kodak" Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta!

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