Fiamma to the rescue again! H.A.T. (Hot Air Trotter) - just kidding - Hairy A. Trotter wasn't able to do his post on Wednesday because of electronic malfunctions. We've been real close to "da feet" this week (thanks, Tom), but we are flying high today! Hairy wanted to tell you about hot air balloons, and I will be telling you about zeppelins.
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology! The first tethered manned balloon flight was made by Etienne Montgolfier on October 15, 1783. On Nov 21, 1783, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created on Dec 14, 1782 by the Montgolfier brothers. The first military use of a hot air balloon happened during the Battle of Fleurus (1794) where the French used the balloon l'Entreprenant as an observation post.
Today, hot air balloons are used primarily for recreation. On November 26, 2005, the world altitude record for the highest hot air balloon flight was 68,986 feet set by Vijaypat Singhania in India. The previous record of 64,997 feet had been set by Per Lindstrand on June 6, 1988 in Plano, Texas! In 1999, distance, endurance, and time records were set by Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard, Auguste Piccard's grandson, and Briton Brian Jones, traveling for 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes. This was the first nonstop trip around the world by balloon (taking off from Switzerland and landing in the Egyptian desert 300 miles south of Cairo). Steve Fosset broke the record for shortest time around the world on July 3, 2002.
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology! The first tethered manned balloon flight was made by Etienne Montgolfier on October 15, 1783. On Nov 21, 1783, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air balloon created on Dec 14, 1782 by the Montgolfier brothers. The first military use of a hot air balloon happened during the Battle of Fleurus (1794) where the French used the balloon l'Entreprenant as an observation post.
Today, hot air balloons are used primarily for recreation. On November 26, 2005, the world altitude record for the highest hot air balloon flight was 68,986 feet set by Vijaypat Singhania in India. The previous record of 64,997 feet had been set by Per Lindstrand on June 6, 1988 in Plano, Texas! In 1999, distance, endurance, and time records were set by Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard, Auguste Piccard's grandson, and Briton Brian Jones, traveling for 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes. This was the first nonstop trip around the world by balloon (taking off from Switzerland and landing in the Egyptian desert 300 miles south of Cairo). Steve Fosset broke the record for shortest time around the world on July 3, 2002.
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Unmanned hot air balloons are popular in Chinese history. Zhuge Liang of the Shu Han kingdom (220–80 AD) used airborne lanterns for military signaling. These lanterns are known as Kongming lanterns.
The 2011 Lions Balloon Festival is held every third weekend in August and is charity event run by the Highland Village Lions Club with help from the Lewisville Lions Club and The City of Highland Village, Texas. The balloon action runs from 6 am to 6 pm (Friday 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm. You can enjoy pancakes in the morning while watching the hot air balloons do their thing! Activities last all day. There will be live music, carnival rides, arts & craft exhibits, car bash, food, and beverages. Raffle drawing for prizes include a hot air balloon ride! Admission is free but parking is a $5 donation. All proceeds go to Lions Club Charities. There will also be collection boxes for eyeglasses, sunglasses, lenses, frames (adult/children), eyeglass cases, and old cell phones for soldiers.
The zeppelin is an airship that was pioneered by Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a German Count. His plans were patented in the U.S. in 1899. The first zeppelin flight was July 2, 1900. The first zeppelin used for commercial transport was the LZ6 in 1906. By 1914, state-of-the-art zeppelins were able to carry loads of around 20,000 pounds. They were typically powered by three Maybach engines of around 400 to 550 horsepower each, reaching speeds of up to 50 mph. They became popular in the 1920s and reached their heyday in the 1930s with transatlantic flights from Germany to North America and Brazil. The end of the era came after the Hindenburg disaster, along with economic and political issues.
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| USS Los Angeles over southern Manhattan |
Let's watch Mr. Bean in his hot air balloon ride:
