Hot-Air Balloons! Trivia Quiz

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.

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.

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.

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Answer: False

False; the group was called "The 5th Dimension".

"The Third Policeman" is a novel by Irish writer Flann O'Brien (real name Brian O'Nolan). It was first published in 1967 as well, the year after his death.

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