| The Hot Air Balloon I went up in was a
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| | on the gondola, which in turn is
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| rainbow of colors, one of three owned and
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| | suspended under the open balloon. It
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| operated by a local ballooning company.
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| | takes a lot of practice to get the feel
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| For $125.00, a ride of at least forty
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| | for achieving that near exact balancing
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| minutes duration is promised and we were
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| | act between ascent and descent.
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| aloft for just under an hour. It's
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| | The growing popularity of ballooning is
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| certainly serene when floating along
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| | reflected by the number of meets, the
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| through the air, but it is deafening when
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| | largest (certainly the oldest) of these
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| the pilot turns on the burners! A
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| | probably being in Albuquerque, NM, where
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| sharpening breeze blew our balloon
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| | the meet has been in operation for
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| further adrift that expected and we
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| | thirty-four years. In 2005 there were
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| landed in a pasture amidst an interested
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| | over 600 balloons participating, most
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| herd of Hereford steers. The chase
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| | from the western United States, but also
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| vehicle soon arrived, the pilot popped
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| | a few hardy souls who shipped their
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| open a celebratory bottle of champagne
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| | balloons in from Australia, the UK and
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| (as promised in their literature), and I
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| | elsewhere around the world. Officially
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| inquired about booking another flight!
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| | termed the Albuquerque International
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| Hot Air Ballooning is very popular
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| | Balloon Fiesta, this year (2006) it will
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| nowadays, with clubs and ballooning
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| | be running from October 6 -15, with over
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| companies offering rides and even
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| | 700 balloons expected.
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| instruction for wannabe pilots. However,
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| | Another interesting aspect of hot air
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| the pastime is not new on the scene, in
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| | ballooning is the advertising facet.
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| fact the very first hot air balloon rose
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| | Clever designers and fabricators have
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| from the ground in 1783. In France, the
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| | come up with balloons that look like most
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| Montgolfier brothers were the early
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| | anything that one can imagine. Last year
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| developers, sending up tethered balloons
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| | at a local meet, I saw such oddities as
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| with no passengers, then experimenting
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| | Barney the Dinosaur, the Planters Peanuts
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| with first geese and then a dog, and
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| | man, a Shell Gas Pump, a soft ice cream
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| finally mustering the courage for two men
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| | cone and Senator Foghorn the Leghorn from
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| to try it. The next step was an
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| | cartoons, just to name a few. Some of
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| untethered balloon, which stayed up for
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| | the larger ones, like Barney, seemed
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| 23 minutes flying over Paris, landing in
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| | quite unwieldy both to inflate and to
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| a park in the Bois du Boulogne. They had
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| | fly. Balloonists sell advertising or
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| little control over their balloon, a
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| | enlist sponsors to underwrite their
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| condition that exists to a great extent
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| | ballooning activities and it seems to
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| to the present day; basically the pilot
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| | work out fairly well for all concerned.
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| still goes where the breeze blows him.
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| | Most balloonists I've talked to have a
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| If you actually need to get somewhere, a
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| | well-developed sense of humor, a
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| hot air balloon is a fairly impractical
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| | necessary asset when dealing with the
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| vehicle. You can't really steer it other
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| | vagaries of the prevailing winds. Our
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| than rising or descending to find
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| | pilot told us this story; mostly I think
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| crosscurrents in the wind, and it only
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| | to divert our attention while passing
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| travels as fast as the wind blows. Hot
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| | over an open stretch of water.
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| air balloons are based on a very basic
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| | A man is flying in a hot air balloon and
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| scientific principle: warmer air rises in
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| | realizes he is lost. He reduces height
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| cooler air because the hot air is
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| | and spots a man down below. He lowers
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| lighter. A cubic foot of air weighs
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| | the balloon further and shouts: "Excuse
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| roughly 28 grams (about an ounce). If
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| | me, can you tell me where I am?" The man
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| you heat that air by 100 degrees F, it
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| | below says: "yes you're in a hot air
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| weighs about 7 grams less. Therefore,
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| | balloon, hovering 30 feet above this
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| each cubic foot of air contained in a hot
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| | field." "You must work in Information
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| air balloon can lift about 7 grams.
| |
| | Technology" says the balloonist. "I do"
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| That's not much, and this is why hot air
| |
| | replies the man. "How did you know?"
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| balloons are so huge -- to lift 1, 000
| |
| | "Well" says the balloonist, "everything
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| pounds, you need about 65, 000 cubic feet
| |
| | you have told me is technically correct,
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| of hot air!
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| | but it's no use to anyone." The man below
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| Inside the balloon's envelope there is a
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| | says, "You must work in Management". "I
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| constant variation between the pressure
| |
| | do" replies the balloonist, "but how did
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| of the hot air against the top of the
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| | you know?" "Well", says the man, "you
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| envelope versus the pull of gravity. The
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| | don't know where you are, or where you're
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| pilot's objective is to maintain
| |
| | going, but you expect me to be able to
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| equilibrium between the two forces
| |
| | help. You're in the same position you
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| through the judicious use of the
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| | were before we met, but now it's my
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| propane-fueled burners, which are mounted
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| | fault.
|
