Many of us have already had the experience of flying by air. It may have been a small single-engine flight flying 100 miles per hour. Or maybe it was an airplane running at a speed of 960 kilometers per hour. The view is always impressive. But how many of us fly in a plane that only flies five to 60 miles per hour? (8 to 9 km / h), does it not sound and can fly so low that you can catch an apple from a tree?
Impossible? Why do not you go and see for yourself? Join me on a ride in my beautiful hot air balloon.
First a word about balloons
Today, two basic types of balloons are used. To lift it to the sky, the gas balloon, like a child's helium balloon in a circus, relies on gas that is lighter than air. It can be hydrogen or helium.
Today we go with the other boy, a hot air balloon. To create buoyancy, we simply heat the indoor air. A look at sparks coming from a fire shows that hot air is rising.
Of course, there are dangers associated with balloons. Not long ago, in the state of Georgia, a hot air balloon was killed when the vehicle collided with a power line. The man and his passengers were thrown to the ground at more than thirty feet. The passenger escaped death in the accident, but had a rib fracture. Not mentioned to scare you. However, it emphasizes the importance of common sense and vigilance.
We going for a Ride!
We start filling the balloon at 5:30. The airport has one main enemy: strong winds. The morning is usually the quietest part of the day during the flight.
Get in the car and follow me not to the airport but to a small courtyard on the outskirts of the city. When not inflated, the entire balloon can fit on a small trailer that is towed behind my car. And every area as big as a baseball field will be our private airport.
Help me take the basket and balloon out of the trailer and we will spread it on the floor to get me ready to inflate. When we start stretching or rolling the ball, the person begins to appreciate its enormous size. Well here we have over 900 meters of light nylon and almost 60 km of yarn! When the balloon is finally inflated, it will measure 24 meters and 15 meters high and 15 meters wide.
When we fill the bag with cold air with the help of a fan, the balloon begins to "breathe" or inflate and shows its many bright colors. Soon we begin to heat the air and the shell comes to life. Now it's right on top while we're in the basket or in the gondola hanging from the cable balloon.
You ask yourself, "When do we start? But you are alone in the middle of your question when you see the earth" fall. "So the earth seems to be moving instead of the ball.
When we look at trees and fields, words do not describe the experience. Since we can not steer the ball where the wind goes, let's go. Flying is most comfortable at low altitudes of about 150 meters. From this height you can hear dogs barking and children screaming, laughing and screaming, even asking for a ride. As we swam, we crossed a hill and saw a deer family jumping through the woods.
We going down
Time goes by too fast! Because before we know it, we've been flying for a few hours! Our propane fuel, which is used to heat the air in the balloon, is almost running out. So we go down and look for a big field. Once on the ground, I pull a long string tied to the top of the envelope. This opens the top and releases all the hot air. It took about half an hour to fill the balloon. However, it only takes twelve seconds to place it on the ground.
Our flight ended, but the memories remain. Float like a butterfly, fly over the treetops; we will not forget these experiences anytime soon. We took an unforgettable ride in my beautiful hot air balloon.
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