Hot Air Ballooning — Fun Facts! — SkyWaltz
Hot Air Ballooning — Fun Facts! — SkyWaltz
A whole different world
There isn’t a single person on the planet who hasn’t fantasized about taking to the sky and experiencing the globe from above. While this isn’t as far-fetched as it was a few centuries ago, most individuals only get to experience it when travelling in a plane. However, while the vistas can be amazing, trying to see something through the little aeroplane window is not a breathtaking experience. Fortunately, there are other ways to appreciate the beauty of our world from above. Hot air balloon tours continue to captivate people all over the world because they offer an unequalled opportunity to climb to the skies and take in the slowly changing scenery below while breathing in the fresh air. But balloons are more than just a terrific instrument for recreational flying; they have a rich history that makes knowing about them fascinating in and of itself — there are a number of entertaining facts about hot air balloon rides that can be great conversation starters and provide interesting insights. So, let’s look at some of the most fascinating facts that will undoubtedly pique your interest and make you want to do hot air ballooning in India.
How did ballooning come to existence?
Hot air balloons predate all other types of piloted aircraft by over a century. They were invented, tested, and eventually operated by men (and occasionally women) of extraordinary daring and brilliance. A hot air balloon is made of heated air that rises into the air, carrying whatever payload is attached to it. This is usually in the form of a basket in which a pilot and a few passengers can stand. However, several aspects of the balloon and its history may surprise even experts. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the strangest hot-air balloon facts.
#Fact 1: The first hot air balloon passengers were animals
A bewildering truth is that the original balloonists were not humans. When the Montgolfier brothers were fine-tuning their hot air balloon design in 18th-century France, they began with test flights to establish if it was safe. After successfully performing unmanned flights, they determined that the next step was to launch animals. As a result, they loaded a sheep, a rooster, and a duck onto a hot air balloon and launched it into the sky. The balloon ascended to a height of 600 meters before landing safely in a field after travelling more than two miles due to fabric failure. The animals were then examined by a physician, who found that they were alive and healthy, and thus the three animals became pioneers of hot air balloon flying, paving the way for future successful human flights.
Fact 2: The highest hot-air balloon excursion in the world is 70,000 feet set by an Indian
Alan Eustace, a Google executive, holds the global record for the highest balloon flight, having climbed more than 135 thousand feet into the air before plummeting to Earth, smashing the previous record notably achieved by Felix Baumgartner in 2012. However, these records were set with helium balloons rather than typical hot-air balloons. The record for a hot-air balloon is far lower, at just over 70,000 feet. It was set by an Indian named Vijaypat Singhania in 2005 and has yet to be broken.
#Fact 3: Superstition Inspired the Drinking of Champagne Tradition
As you may be aware, sipping champagne is a very popular practice when flying a hot air balloon — it’s customary to participate in the ‘balloonist’s prayer’ before a flight and toast with a glass of champagne. But, it actually has a fascinating backstory. Local farmers were not pleased when brothers Montgolfier performed test flights with their balloons; they didn’t appreciate the balloons landing in their fields, mostly because they were afraid the balloons were dragons falling from the heavens and posed a hazard. To alleviate tensions and allow their experiments to continue, the brothers began distributing champagne to the farmers whose land the balloons would land on, appeasing their rage and allowing them to continue their work.
#Fact 4: There’s no mention of a hot air balloon in the novel ‘Around the world in eighty days’
Sorry, but there was no hot air balloon in Jules Verne’s novel “Around the World in 80 Days” — it was added for the 1956 film! Phileas Fogg never rode a balloon, at least not on his epic tour around the world; instead, he employed trains, elephants, yachts, steamboats, and sledges, but what about Willy Fogg and his cinematic adaptations? Well, that’s a different story for some other day.
#Fact 5: No hot air balloon rides in the rain
As romantic and surreal as it may sound, one can not experience a hot air balloon tour while it rains. Rain obscures visibility and cools the balloon, implying that additional heat is required. Furthermore, it adds weight to the balloon and drips down the sides onto passengers.
If you wish to fly during peak season, get in touch with SkyWaltz Balloon Safaris . Our team consists of highly experienced commercial pilots from the UK, Europe, India, and the USA. Professionally trained operational staff and technical crew. Our balloon equipment is sourced from the UK and Europe. We operate on globally recognized standards of safety and international procedures have been implemented from the outset.
Originally published at https://www.skywaltz.com on June 2, 2022.
