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Both, a balloon and a blimp, are considered aircraft, and fall under the category of "Lighter Than Air Aircraft" as regulated by the F.A.A. They both have a huge bag of some sort of gas that is lighter than the air around it, and therefore creates lift. Since the Hindenburg, Helium has been the lifting gas of choice, as it is an inert gas, therefore safe and manageable. Some balloons use hot air for lift for shorter, less expensive flights. Suspended from this bag, called the "Envelope", is the passenger compartment. This "Gondola" or "Car" also houses the Pilot, and controls for the aircraft. That is where the similarity of the two part ways.

To simplify the big difference, balloons climb quite readily, but have no means of propulsion, therefore primarily drift in the ambient air. Their path and destination are determined by how the Pilot uses the existing winds. Most times the winds travel at different directions in different altitudes and your Pilot will navigate using these variations to the destination. Truly, an artform. However, if the entire air mass is moving to the east, guess what? You are going east. On the other hand, a blimp has engines and propellers, and therefore is steerable, even against the wind, to the destination. Blimps almost always land at airports, whereas, balloons almost never do. In other words, blimps operate like other aircraft for point-to-point navigation, only slower, and lower. With balloons, you are blissfully and romantically casting your fate to the wind. A finer, more elegant, adventure is hard to find.

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What has more mass a hot air balloon or a blimp?

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Is a blimp a type of hot air balloon?

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How do you lower a hot air balloon?

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Why does a hot air balloon fly?

A hot air balloon flies because hot air inside the balloon is less dense than the cooler air outside. This temperature difference creates lift, allowing the balloon to rise and float in the air. By controlling the temperature of the air inside the balloon, the pilot can control the balloon's ascent and descent.


Why is an hot air balloon called a hot air balloon?

A hot air balloon is called such because it is filled with hot air to make it rise. When the air inside the balloon is heated, it becomes less dense than the surrounding cooler air, causing the balloon to float upwards.


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