Fascinating Facts About Hot Air Ballooning

Hot air ballooning is the oldest form of human flight, and it's full of surprises. Here are some of our favourite facts, from the animals that flew first to the records set high above the clouds.

History

1. The first passengers were animals. In September 1783, a sheep, a duck and a rooster flew for about eight minutes at the Palace of Versailles, watched by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. All three landed safely.
2. The first human flight lasted about 25 minutes. On 21 November 1783, Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes flew around 5 miles across Paris.
3. The inventors made paper. Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier came from a family of paper makers, and their first balloons were made from paper and fabric.
4. The first flight in Britain was in Scotland. James Tytler flew a hot air balloon in Edinburgh in August 1784.
5. Champagne has a long history with ballooning. The story goes that early balloonists carried a bottle to reassure startled farmers they weren't monsters from the sky. Celebrating with bubbly after landing is still a tradition today.

Flying

6. You can't steer a balloon. Pilots change height to find winds blowing in different directions, which is the only way to choose a route.
7. There's no breeze in the basket. Because the balloon travels at the same speed as the wind, it feels completely still, even when you're moving.
8. The air inside is about 100°C. That's what makes the balloon lighter than the cooler air around it.
9. Balloons fly best on cold days. The bigger the difference between the inside and outside temperature, the more the balloon can lift.
10. Baskets are still wicker. Woven wicker is light, strong and flexible, so it absorbs the bump of landing better than modern materials.
11. Balloons are aircraft. In the UK, every passenger balloon is registered, inspected and flown by a pilot licensed by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Records

12. The highest hot air balloon flight reached around 21,000 metres, nearly 69,000 feet, set by Vijaypat Singhania over Mumbai in 2005.
13. The Atlantic was first crossed by hot air balloon in 1987, by Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand.
14. The first non-stop flight around the world by balloon took place in 1999, when Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones flew the Breitling Orbiter 3.

Britain

15. Bristol is a ballooning capital. The first modern hot air balloon built in the UK, the Bristol Belle, flew in 1967, and Cameron Balloons, founded in Bristol in 1971, is one of the world's biggest balloon makers.
16. The Bristol International Balloon Fiesta began in 1979 and is one of the largest balloon events in Europe, with mass launches from Ashton Court every August.
17. Balloons can be almost any shape. Special-shape balloons have been built to look like houses, animals, bottles and even a French château.

The best fact of all? You can see it for yourself. Find out how hot air balloons fly, read about the history of hot air balloons, or find a launch site near you.