Baloon Flights

Nothing could be finer on a summer's day with clear, blue skies than to float overhead in a hot air balloon. It's a great way to see the landscape and have an adventure. Baloon flights are very popular as gifts for family and friends. Companies that run flights usually provide some champagne at the end of the journey to celebrate and participants receive a certificate authenticating the experience. Some couples choose to get married in a wicker basket high up in the sky. This is not a legal ceremony in the UK as yet but it is possible in Florida.

The history of the hot air balloon goes back to 1783 when the French Montgolfier Brothers invented the transport. There is a model of their original balloon on display at the Science Museum in London. The contemporary balloon that we are familiar with today made its debut in 1960 when Ed Yosk took his design skyward in Nebraska. Yosk went on to use a light, nylon material for his balloon. Today, balloon flights are normally made with balloons of a nylon or polyester material.

Most people involve themselves in ballooning as a pleasant, leisure activity. The business world has also been enthusiastic to book hot air balloon companies for corporate hospitality and staff outings. Others take part in competitions and some adventurers have set out to make baloon flights for the record books. The World Record for Altitude was broken in India in 2005, when a balloon ascended to 21,290 meters (69, 852 feet). This isn't a height that many people will undertake as the crew would require oxygen at that level.

There are accidents from time to time, of course, mostly as a result of colliding with high voltage power lines. Designers and pilots have invested a lot of time and money into making the activity as safe as possible and reputable companies who take the public on baloon flights have very good safety records.

Enthusiasts like to come together at the many events organized in America, Canada, the UK and Europe. There are annual hot air balloon festivals where the public can enjoy a great day out and competitors take part in races. The US National Hot Air Balloon championship has a different location each year and was in South Carolina in 2006. There is also a world championship and this took place in Japan in 2006. Manufacturers of balloons, mostly to be found in the US and in Britain where the sport is very popular, like to design inventive animals and objects for their balloons. It has been known for balloon flights to take place with the aid of a big, green frog or a giant eagle.

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