Ballooning Trivia Quiz

Answer: Convicted criminals

The first tethered manned balloon flight took place in October 1783, with three passengers, including de Rozier, in Paris. King Louis wanted criminals to be the passengers in the first free flight in case of a disaster, but d'Arlands and de Rozier were eager to participate and persuaded the King to allow them to go instead.

Their balloon was designed by the Montgolfier brothers, and was a true "hot air" balloon, rather than gas-filled.

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.

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."

Answer: Hoppers

The most well known hoppers are the "Cloudhoppers" made by British company Lindstradt Balloons, and the term cloudhopper is often used synonymously for all hoppers, in the way that British vacuum cleaners are called 'hoovers.' The harness on a hopper is very similar to a parachute harness, and often swivels independently of the envelope to allow the pilot to turn in all directions at will.

The famous "lawn chair" balloon flight of Larry Walters would be classed as a hopper flight.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.