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Hot air balloons DON'T need any ballast. However gas balloons which get their lift from lighter-than-air gases, typically helium or hydrogen, do need ballast. The ballast allows the pilot to control the altitude at which the balloon flies. To gain altitude the pilot releases some ballast or vents out some gas to descend. During flight some gas will be lost through natural losses through the material of the gas envelope and the pilot counters the loss of lift by releasing ballast to maintain the altitude he wants. On long distance flights the variation between night and day time temperatures affects the amount of lift the gas exerts of the balloon. This requires further adjustment of gas venting or release of ballast to maintain the desired altitude.
What else can I help you with?
Why does a balloon need hot air?
A balloon needs hot air to make it rise because hot air is less dense than cold air. When the air inside the balloon is heated, it becomes lighter and causes the balloon to lift off the ground and float in the air.
What is the difference between a hot air balloon and a gas balloon?
A hot air balloon uses heated air to generate lift, while a gas balloon uses a lighter-than-air gas, such as helium or hydrogen. Hot air balloons are propelled by wind currents, while gas balloons can be steered to some extent using ballast and vents. However, gas balloons typically have longer flight durations compared to hot air balloons.
Is a hot air balloon a balanced or unbalanced force?
A hot air balloon is balanced because the upward lift force from the hot air inside the balloon is equal and opposite to the downward force of gravity on the balloon and its contents. This balance allows the hot air balloon to float in the air.
What kind of energy does a hot air balloon have?
The hot air has thermal energy, and when the balloon is up in the air, it also has gravitational potential energy.
Why doesn't the hot air escape out of the bottom of a hot air balloon?
Because hot air rises, the warmest air in the balloon is at the top of it. As time passes the balloonist has to fire the burners to maintain the temperature of the air in the balloon, and to prevent it being squeezed put by the higher pressure of the cold air surrounding the balloon.
About how much ballast does a tour hot air balloon have onboard?
The amount of ballast a tour hot air ballon would need is about six bags of sand. You will need engough support to hold the big group of passengers.
What is the name of the sand bag dropped for a air balloon?
I believe the word you're looking for is Ballast.
What qualifications do you need to fly a hot air balloon?
qualifying in a hot air balloon and a pilots license.
What do you need to go hot air ballooning?
a hot air balloon
What would you need for a hot air balloon?
For as long as it can provide hot air.
Does a hot air balloon need heat or cold air to float?
hot
What should a hot air balloonist do to go higher?
They can drop weight over the side, increase the hot air volume, or both. A hot air balloon will rise when its buoyancy exceeds its weight. So the balloonist can increase the buoyancy by increasing the amount of hot air contained in the balloon. Or they can simply reduce the weight of the balloon, including the gondola, its contents, and contained hot air.
Does a hot air balloon need CO2 to lift?
No, a hot air balloon does not need CO2 to lift. Hot air balloons work on the principle that hot air is less dense than cooler air, causing it to rise. When the air inside the balloon is heated, it becomes lighter than the surrounding air, allowing the balloon to lift off the ground.
How does a hot air balloon gain altitude?
Altitude is controlled by the propane burner and the parachute valve. The parachute valve is an opening at the top of the balloon envelope. When closed, it traps hot air from the burner inside the balloon, making the hot air balloon rise. When opened, it allows hot air to escape, and the hot air balloon descends. The reason a hot air ballon rises is because the density of the balloon is less than the density of the surrounding air. Its the same thing as "why does a boat float". In the case of the balloon, the operator modulates the flame on and off to maintain the desired altitude - increase the flame, and the balloon goes up - decrease or shut off the flame, and the balloon goes down. A better metaphor to a boat is a submarine - add ballast and the submarine goes down - blow ballast and the submarine goes up.
Why do hot air balloons have sandbags?
A hot air balloon needs to be slightly negatively bouyant. If a particular design can lift 1000lbs, an ideal flight weight might be 900 lbs so that, in the event of a burner failure, the balloon will slowly descend. If the payload for a given flight is only 600lbs (fuel, pilot, passengers) then 300 lbs of ballast (sandbags) will be needed to keep the bouyancy in the correct range. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sandbags or other ballast is used mostly for helium balloons, not hot air balloons. The rate of descent of a hot air balloon is controlled by the time the burners are burning. If it is going down too fast, you burn longer. You may have two burners but if you lose one, the other one can keep the balloon aloft. they are always much larger than needed. The design weight is based upon the volume of the balloon and a particular temperture of the air in the balloon which must be below the melting point of the fabric. Typically you don't need ballast to adjust payload in a hot air balloon. IN a helium balloon, the only way you can go back up after starting a descent (by dumping helium) is the drop some weight. So ballast would be helpful with helium balloons.
Why does a balloon need hot air?
A balloon needs hot air to make it rise because hot air is less dense than cold air. When the air inside the balloon is heated, it becomes lighter and causes the balloon to lift off the ground and float in the air.
How much ballast is generally used on a typical hot air balloon ride?
The ballast is determined by how many passengers are present on each trip and the amount of lift that the balloon provides at takeoff. So if there's a lot of people onboard less ballast is needed and vice versa. In general it's less than 300lbs.
