Hot air ballooning is the oldest form of flight for humans, and the hot air balloon is the first successful human-carrying flight technology.
The first untethered, manned hot air balloon flight was performed by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d’Arlandes on November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, in a balloon created by the Montgolfier brothers.
For the group of enthusiasts who spent the Heritage Long Weekend at Battlefields Country Lodge, this is a landmark day. They travelled in from Southern KZN and Gauteng, and the seven pilots brought with them four balloons – the largest as big as a six-storey building! Pilots have to study map reading, the theory of balloons and also have to study air law and navigation as well before qualifying.
“Good public relations is also needed – especially when you land on a farmer’s property, as we did on Saturday morning,” quipped Martyn Evers, who is treasurer and secretary of the association.
Webpage and social media official for BAFSA, Hanke Fourie said air heated by the propane burner gives it the lift to rise above the ground and balloons come in different sizes from small one man 30000 cu ft to huge commercial 20 passenger 415000 cu ft.
See Thursday’s Courier for more
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