How long can a hot air balloon fly continuously?

Answer 1

for as long as it has fuel to heat the air - it takes a lot of fuel to keep a large amount of air warm enough for flight which is why most hot air balloon flights dont last very long there is a technique that piper cub pilots used to do pre WW2 for long endurance flights that could work for balloons as well though i dont know if its been tried - piper cubs can fly very slow so would fly just above a car that would then hand off fuel and oil and food - the cubs were modified to be able to add fuel and oil by the pilot in flight by opening the windshield and standing half out of the aircraft - some very long endurance records were set, dont remember exactly but i remember hearing one of at least 30 days - same sort of thing could be done with balloons by using chasers to hand off fuel and supplies - but not easy as balloon direction, speed and fine control are not that great but it probably could be done for a very long time with luck

Answer 2

Hot air balloons can fly continuously for several hours, typically 1-3 hours, depending on factors such as weather conditions, fuel supply, and altitude. After this time, the burner will need to be refueled with propane in order to generate more hot air and sustain flight.