The History of Hot Air Ballooning
Since 280AD the Chinese have flown small lantern-like-balloons unmanned, but it wasn't until 1783 that the first manned tethered flight of a large balloon big enough to carry people took place. It happened in France, and the Montgolfier brothers were responsible for it, the same brothers previously responsible for putting animals in a hot air balloon which successfully obtained an altitude of 1,500 feet, and lasted for around 10 minutes.
The First Untethered Flights
In September 1783 Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes flew the first untethered flight with humans, in a Montgolfier balloon. The flight was a great success, but sadly Pilatre de Rozier died a couple of years later when his balloon crashed in his attempt to cross the English Channel. He and Pierre Romain who was his companion, were the first known fatalities in an air crash.
In 1784 the very first powered hot air balloon was developed, by a man named Gen. Jean Baptiste Marie Meusnier. It had an elliptically shaped balloon and was driven by propellers, with the crew cranking three propellers to give the balloon a speed of around 3mph.
Safety Issues Caused Many Fires
In the 1880's the balloons weren't as safe as they are today. There were a lot of safety issues, with many balloons catching fire when they landed. The first manned 'modern' Hydrogen balloon, was flown in 1873 by Jacques Charles and the Robert Brothers, and like many other balloon flights, it was flown in Paris. It was also the first measured flight, and ascended to around 1,800 feet.
In 1785 Jean-Pierre Blanchard successfully managed to do what Poliatre de Rozier and Romain failed to do two years earlier, he crossed the English Channel in a hot air balloon. Sadly 1785 was a bad year for ballooning, as a hot air balloon crashed in a town in Ireland, seriously damaging the town and burning down over 100 houses in a huge fire as a result!
Modern Hot Air Ballooning
In 1793 George Washington was present to see the first manned hot air balloon flown in North America. Just over 100 years later, in 1935, a Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard and a German, Paul Kipfer, ascended over 52,000 feet in a hot air balloon, and were therefore the first people to achieve a manned balloon flight to the stratosphere.
In 2012 all previous records were smashed when Felix Baumgartner jumped from a balloon that had risen to over 125,000 feet. He became the first person to go faster than the speed of sound when freefalling from a balloon, and made history for the highest hot air balloon ascent.
About the Author
British School Of Ballooning provides Hot Air Balloon Flights throughout the south of England. Hot Air Ballooning is the perfect way to enjoy the scenery in the Home Counties. Find out more about flying a hot air balloon at http://www.hotair.co.uk/
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