Ballooning is the natural way of moving in the air. Ballooning is a journey with the wind, hovering above our world, from which we escape for a few hours. As a pilot or passenger, the pleasure factor is indescribably high and every balloon flight is unique.
While the balloon pilot determines and controls the height of a balloon, its direction and speed depend solely on the wind current. The aim is to make optimum use of the wind currents prevailing at different altitudes in order to achieve the desired direction of travel or a specific destination.
From its invention in 1783 to the 1970s, the gas balloon was the best way to take off into the third dimension without an engine. The gas, hydrogen or helium, is lighter than the surrounding air and carries the balloon with crew and manoeuvring ballast up into the air. Climbing or descending can be regulated with ballast release (sand, water) or gas release. It is not possible to refill gas during the ride. The starting place is usually at a gas works, so that the gas does not have to be transported far.
The hot air balloon experienced a revival in the 1970s thanks to modern technical fabrics. Large quantities of hot air in a balloon envelope can be produced from propane gas using special burners, virtually anywhere. If the air in the balloon is heated, it becomes lighter than the air surrounding the balloon. The larger the balloon volume and the greater the temperature difference to the surrounding air, the more weight can be lifted. The ride height is thus controlled by temperature regulation in the envelope.
The so-called hot-air airship functions according to the same principle as a hot-air balloon. The hull is built in the shape of a cigar. The lift is generated by the temperature difference between the internal air and the air surrounding the envelope. The rise and fall are regulated by more or less heating, a motor with propeller generates the thrust, the direction of travel of the airship is controlled by fabric rudders.