How Hot Air Balloons Work

Hot air balloons are based on a very basic scientific principle: warmer air rises in cooler air. Essentially, hot air is lighter than cool air, because it has less mass per unit of volume. A cubic foot of air weighs roughly 28 grams (about an ounce). If you heat that air by 100 degrees F, it weighs about 7 grams less. Therefore, each cubic foot of air contained in a hot air balloon can lift about 7 grams. That's not much, and this is why hot air balloons are so huge -- to lift 1,000 pounds, you need about 65,000 cubic feet of hot air.

A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries passengers and a source of heat, in most cases an open flame caused by burning liquid propane. The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. As with all aircraft, hot air balloons cannot fly beyond the atmosphere. The envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom, since the air inside the envelope there is at about the same pressure as the surrounding air. In modern sport balloons the envelope is generally made from nylon fabric and the inlet of the balloon (closest to the burner flame) is made from a fire resistant material such as Nomex. Modern balloons have been made in all kinds of shapes, such as rocket ships and the shapes of various commercial products, though the traditional shape is used for most non-commercial, and many commercial, applications.

If you actually need to get somewhere, a hot air balloon is a fairly impractical vehicle.You can't really steer it, ­and it only travels as fast as the wind blows. But if you simply want to enjoy the experience of flying, there's nothing quite like it. Many people describe flying in a hot air ballo­on as one of the most serene, enjoyable activities they've ever experienced.

Hot air balloons are also an ingenious application of basic scientific principles. In this article, we'll see what makes these balloons rise up in the air, and we'll also find out how the balloon's design lets the pilot control altitude and vertical speed. You'll be amazed by the beautiful simplicity of these early flying machin­es.

The hot air balloon is the first successful human-carrying flight technology. The first untethered manned hot air balloon flight was performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes on November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, in a balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers. The first hot-air balloon flown in the Americas was launched from the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia on January 9, 1793 by the French aeronaut Jean Pierre Blanchard. Hot air balloons that can be propelled through the air rather than simply drifting with the wind are known as thermal airships.

To keep the balloon rising, you need a way to reheat the air. Hot air balloons do this with a burner positioned under an open balloon envelope. As the air in the balloon cools, the pilot can reheat it by firing the burner.

Modern hot air balloons heat the air by burning propane, the same substance commonly used in outdoor cooking grills. The propane is stored in compressed liquid form, in lightweight cylinders positioned in the balloon basket. The intake hose runs down to the bottom of the cylinder, so it can draw the liquid out.

Hot air balloons are able to fly to extremely high altitudes. On November 26, 2005 Vijaypat Singhania set the world altitude record for highest hot air balloon flight, reaching 21,027 m (68,986 ft). He took off from downtown Mumbai, India, and landed 240 km (150 mi) south in Panchale. The previous record of 19,811 m (64,997 ft) had been set by Per Lindstrand on June 6, 1988, in Plano, Texas.

Because the propane is highly compressed in the cylinders, it flows quickly through the hoses to the heating coil. The heating coil is simply a length of steel tubing arranged in a coil around the burner. When the balloonist starts up the burner, the propane flows out in liquid form and is ignited by a pilot light. As the flame burns, it heats up the metal in the surrounding tubing. When the tubing becomes hot, it heats the propane flowing through it. This changes the propane from a liquid to a gas, before it is ignited. This gas makes for a more powerful flame and more efficient fuel consumption.

In most modern hot air balloons, the envelope is constructed from long nylon gores, reinforced with sewn-in webbing. The gores, which extend from the base of the envelope to the crown, are made up of a number of smaller panels. Nylon works very well in balloons because it is lightweight, but it is also fairly sturdy and has a high melting temperature. The skirt, the nylon at the base of the envelope, is coated with special fire-resistant material, to keep the flame from igniting the balloon.

The hot air won't escape from the hole at the bottom of the envelope because buoyancy keeps it moving up. If the pilot continually fires the fuel jets, the balloon will continue to rise. There is an upper altitude limit, however, since eventually the air becomes so thin that the buoyant force is too weak to lift the balloon. The buoyant force is equal to the weight of air displaced by the balloon, so a larger balloon envelope will generally have a higher upper altitude limit than a smaller balloon.

As with aircraft, hot air balloons require regular maintenance to remain airworthy. As aircraft made of fabric and that lack direct horizontal control, hot air balloons may occasionally require repairs to rips or snags. While some operations, such as cleaning and drying, may be performed by the owner or pilot, other operations, such as sewing, must be performed by a qualified repair technician and recorded in the balloon's maintenance log book.

To ensure long life and safe operation, the envelope should be kept clean and dry. This prevents mold and mildew from forming on the fabric and abrasion from occurring during packing, transport, and unpacking due to contact with foreign particles. In the event of a landing in a wet (because of precipitation or early morning or late evening dew) or muddy location (farmer's field), the envelope should be cleaned and laid out or hung to dry.

The burner and fuel system must also be kept clean to ensure safe operation on demand. Damaged fuel hoses need to be replaced. Stuck or leaky valves must be repaired or replaced. The wicker basket may require occasional refinishing or repair. The skids on its bottom may require occasional replacement.

Balloons in most parts of the world are maintained in accordance with a fixed manufacturer's maintenance schedule that includes regular (100 flight hours or 12 month) inspections, in addition to maintenance work to correct any damage. In Australia, balloons used for carrying commercial passengers must be inspected and maintained by approved workshops.

The 2020 Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

The 2020 Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta will be on March 6-8, 2020! This year, the Hot Air Balloon Festival venue will be moving from North to South of Manila. In this post, we are sharing the  Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2020 Schedule of Activities (PIHABF), ticket prices, and other important updates!

Yes! The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is back this 2020.

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta Entrance Fees / Tickets Prices

• ECONOMY CLASS TICKET : 500 Php person / day
• BUSINESS CLASS TICKET: 3,500 Php person / day
• FIRST CLASS TICKET: 6,500 Php person / day

Continuing to spread this advocacy across the Philippines, the organizers will be launching “The Flying Carnival 2020: A Weekend of Almost Everything that Flies,” a 3-day spectacle of hot air balloons, helicopters, and air sports events, combined with aviation career seminars, fly markets, food booths, and family entertainment! The event will be held at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite on March 6-8, 2020.

Set in a more comfortable viewing space, spectators will be treated to the sight of early morning balloon flights followed by non-stop flying exhibitions – paragliding, skydiving, helicopter demonstrations, RC control line exhibitions, and kite flying.

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta is an annual four-day event held between January and February previously in Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles, Pampanga.

For over two decades, the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, known as “The Weekend of Everything that Flies,” has been the most highly anticipated and longest-running sports aviation event in Asia. Over the years, it has stayed true to its longtime objectives: to spark interest in aviation; to instill discipline in young pilots and to impart a spirit of volunteerism to the whole community.

The 23rd Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta gates open at 4AM with events start at 5:30AM. The Fiesta grounds close at 9:30PM.

Now we only need to know where the good show will happen!

Filipino pilots have made their mark in aviation history, among them, Filipina top gun pilot Monessa Catuncan and first Pinay U.S. aviation scholar Catherine Mae Emeterio Gonzales.

AirAsia Philippines is also giving aspiring Filipino pilots a chance to study for free under the new AirAsia Cadet Pilot Program.

TELL US in the comments below, are you also excited for the good skies coming over the south of Manila?

Constructing the cauldron was not excessive

Many online have aired their disbelief at the price tag, and feel that the money could have been spent by the government on other needs, such as public school classrooms and further funding for local athletes.

What was supposed to be the landmark of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines has become the centerpiece of controversy in the host country days before the regional meet, as Filipino taxpayers question its P50-million price tag.

Senator Franklin Drilon, at a Senate hearing on Monday, November 18, also said as much.

The Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) initially requested P9.5 billion for the hosting of the games, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) only approved P7.5 billion. The Phisgoc itself raised the P1.5 billion through sponsorship.

For many Filipino netizens, it would not be on a gigantic kaldero (cauldron) for the torch-lighting ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) this December. However, the actual kaldero has already been built, and now sits in wait at the New Clark City in Tarlac.

For the design, the national artist was paid P4.4 million, although government seems to misrepresent that fact by insistently pointing out that the monument’s cost was largely because it is a work of art. While it is a work of art, there really isn’t much information on the structural integrity of this concrete torch and as to how faithful it is to Mañosa’s design. The artist earned his name for incorporating indigenous materials into modern design, and that much we may find wanting in the final version that Cayetano wants to sell.

Rep. Joey Salceda (Albay) himself said the cost was “imeldific,” and if he understood his adjective, he’d just pointed out the obscenity of the spending. Does the P50 million budget also cover the tower on which the cauldron was mounted or does it only cover the cauldron itself and its fuel contraptions?

The government spent some P18 million for a "mechanism" that would keep the game's symbolic flame burning for 11 days, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who also chairs the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), earlier said.

Organizers have yet to clarify if the contraption was meant to be installed inside the cauldron's hollow space.

The government also shelled out some P7 million for the design and construction of the main cauldron, among the last pieces of national artist for architecture Francisco "Bobby" Mañosa before he passed away in February 2019.

Some P17 million was earmarked for the development of the structure's site.

Cayetano had said constructing the cauldron was "not excessive."

Suspension of classes during SEA Games

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has recommended the suspension of classes in at least seven universities and colleges in Manila as part of its traffic management plans for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games next month.

La Salle chancellor Br. Bernard S. Oca on Tuesday announced the development at the Manila campus "in view of activities directly connected" to the country's hosting of the SEA Games.

The approval will come from the Department of Education or the Commission on Higher Education but so far, none of the agencies has responded, MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said on Tuesday.

Classes and office work are likewise suspended in Benilde Manila and the Benilde Deaf School "due to the anticipated traffic conditions" during the SEA Games.

While the MMDA did not identify the schools where it had recommended the suspension of classes for the sport event, the Inquirer learned that these were the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Assumption College, Arellano School and Wesleyan College, all on Taft Avenue; St. Paul College Pasig and Poveda School, both in Pasig City.

One of the schools, however, De La Salle University (DLSU), announced that there would be no classes at its campus on Taft Avenue from Dec. 2 to 7 to give way to the SEA Games. DLSU officials said they would also limit access to the campus.

During the nearly two-week games, centerpiece events, like athletics and swimming, will be held at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, while the other major sporting events – like basketball, volleyball, and weightlighting – will be conducted in Metro Manila.

She said road closures were recommended around the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, including parts of Adriatico Street and Pablo Ocampo Street.

Since the current sales ban only covers weekdays, the MMDA also recommended banning sales on weekends for malls along EDSA and other SEA games routes, including billeting and sports venues.

At the Balintawak Toll Plaza, two dedicated toll lanes will be provided for SEA Games official vehicles. These lanes will be manned by NLEX traffic personnel.

When the vehicles reach the main NLEX thoroughfare, the convoy will go along the leftmost lane.

The agency has also coordinated with the Truckers’ Association of the Philippines to prohibit trucks from plying NLEX from 11 am to 6 pm on November 30. Truck drivers will make their deliveries earlier than 11 am.

The MMDA will also deploy 2,000 men to assist the convoys along yellow lanes.

Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan

Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan marked a defining moment in the deathly struggle and ultimate victory of the Angeleno over the devastations of the Mt. Pinatubo eruptions.

Much similar to Bacolod City’s Masskara Festival which signature smiles defined that city’s rise from the hardships that came in the wake of the collapse of the sugar industry in the ‘80s, if I have my chronology right.

That Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan became the signature festival of Angeles City was a testament to its lasting impact the psyche of the city residents, and a recognition of its prime value to their survival as a people.

The two-night event features dancing and singing in the street, drinking beers and feasting on various local cuisine served in food stalls on the street. The party is heighten with performances of celebrity bands and DJ’s that moved the crowd all night long. Many people even consider it as the local version of the German Oktoberfest.

Tigtigan Terakan Keng Dalan (TTKD) 2018 commenced as seven stages dominated the one kilometer stretch of Macarthur Highway. Thousands of party goers danced and rocked the night away with some of the country’s most celebrated acts.

Considered as Rio de Janeiro’s ‘Mardi Gras’, and Germany’s ‘Oktoberfest’, the two day merriment consisted of unlimited beer drinking, sumptuous Kapampangan cuisine, and back to back concerts. OPM industry pioneers Gloc 9 and Moonstar 88 amped up the crowd on separate stages by performing their very own chart topping hits. Joining them are acts such as Gracenote, Rocksteddy, Jason Fernandez, and The Juans, among others.

So at its staging in the last weekend of October since 1992, Tigtigan, Terakan Keng Dalan serves as a look-back to the nights of fear and anxieties, to the days of hope and struggles until the rebirthing of the city now soaring in the firmament of economic development. Truly a cause for celebration. Of the very soul of the Angeleno in triumph.

Despite being a yearly challenge, TTKD 2018 surpassed its previous records making it the city’s most successful street party yet to date.

During the event, traffic enforcers from the Angeles City Traffic Development Office were also positioned in different points surrounding the event venue to manage and ease the flow of traffic.

Angeles City did survive, and how! No, Angeles City even excelled its purely Sin City past.

Clark Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2020

Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2020
Where: Omni Aviation Complex in Clark Airfield, Angeles, Philippines
When: Thursday, February 6, 2020 - Sunday, February 9, 2020 - Estimated date!

Once a year, in Clark, Pampanga, a four days aerodynamic event is held.

In the colored event, various aerial shows take place. The remarkable event is the Hot Air Balloons which climb up in a various shapes and colors.

Due to the numerous visitors during the festival days and the high demand for accommodations it is recommended to check hotel rates and book rooms well in advance.

In addition there are other aerial shows such as; flying flying-models, choppers, radio guided gliders, skydiving, shows of launching models of rockets, ultra-light flying formation, building and flying kites, contests between ultra-light planes and motorcycles, etc…

This is a four days fiesta for more than 100,000 visitors, locals and tourists.

Newbie actor Jansen Magpusao

Newbie actor Jansen Magpusao is a revelation in the lead role of John Denver, a regular kid given to occasional misdemeanors. His character was not one of many words -- he would keep his problems to himself so as not to bother and add more concerns to his harried mother -- so mostly it was only his face which had to convey the turmoil of emotions within him.

Fortunately, the camera loves the 15-year old's expressive face, and the angles and lighting made his silent close-ups so poignant. His inexperience is occasionally betrayed by some awkward line delivery -- however, in this case, it actually enhanced the film's authenticity.

Everything that could go wrong in a case like this was explored. The most maddening scene was that when the video statement of copra farmer Mang Mando (Glenn Mas) was digitally manipulated to seal John Denver's fate. The most chilling scene was that one-on-one confrontation scene where police officer SPO1 Rolando Corpus (Sammy Rubido) was intimidating and coercing John Denver to confess to something he never did.

John Denver Trending is so successful in embracing a growing universe of problems that when it decided to end as a morality play that pins blame, its enormous efforts suddenly shrink. Sure, there is undeniable and immediate emotional heft in an ending that pits life with something as petty as an unsubstantiated theft. However, with an ending that is underwhelming, John Denver Trending loses its real luster – which is not its currency, but its willingness to explore with comprehensive and exacting detail the full picture of fragile innocence under the most unreasonable of doubts.

Maybe because if the film focuses on the fact that John Denver beat up a classmate, the narrative would be difficult to push through. So it focuses instead on what would hurt the victim the most: being accused of something that he didn’t do.

John Denver is already guilty of physical violence, but he’s not guilty of stealing and writer/director Arden Ron Condez uses this instead to propel the plot. It hurts like hell if you’re falsely accused by a person, but for the entire town charging you of a crime that you didn’t do, with some even jumping in to embellish the lie, it effectively breaks the spirit.

Arden Rod Condez’s John Denver Trending will most likely be beloved not just for its currency but also for its unsubtle messaging. In a world that has been drastically made smaller by social media, a film that puts at the center of its concerns the glaring dangers of the conveniences of virtual connections is not just pertinent, but also important.

Condez does not rely on relevance, as John Denver Trending is a profoundly layered film. It situates its story of the school boy amazingly played by Jansen Magpusao in the remotest of communities to pit physical disconnect with the haphazard judgments made from quick accusations, conjectures, alarming photos and sensational videos that are all uploaded online. The film works hard for verisimilitude.

It creates a living and breathing ecosystem where past and present collide, and tradition and technology merge, all in the service of not just exposing a society’s hypocrisy but also for tying such dangerous presumptuousness with all other vices that have existed long before the advent of the internet.