UP, UP AND AWAY
It’s your turn to fly high in a hot air balloon ride
By Alison Elsner For DMHN It all started in 1783 in Paris, France with the first untethered, manned balloon ride. The romance of the hot air balloon was officially introduced, propelling it through centuries of
culture with depictions such as Jules Verne’s 1863 breakout novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon, the 1956 film “Around the World in 80 Days” and the 1967 hit song by Jimmy Webb, “Up, Up and Away.” Modern hot air balloons were developed in the 1950s with the first
successful flight on October 22, 1960. On November 26, 2005, Vijaypat Singhania set the world altitude record for highest hot air balloon flight, reaching 68,986 feet in India. However, passenger and commercial balloon flights stay within a 1,000 – 3,000 foot altitude for safety and pressurization
reasons. A hot air balloon for manned flight uses an inflatable fabric bag (called an envelope), with an opening at the bottom called the mouth. The envelope attaches to a gondola usually made of rattan, wicker or aluminum for carrying passengers. Mounted above the Continues on page 6 >>
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