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Hot Air Balloons: A Leisurely, Unpredictable Flight
I think there is no more beautiful manmade sight in the sky than a hot air balloon. Late in the day hot air balloons launched from the nearby Post Mills Airport often float over my farm.
Based on Nazca drawings etched into the Peruvian desert and fabric from their tombs that has a finer weave than present-day parachute material, some speculate the Nazca Indians may have flown hot air balloons more than a thousand years ago.
The first modern hot air balloon was launched in France in September of 1783. The passengers were a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. Two months later, a hot air balloon developed by brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier was flown over Paris by a young physicist, Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis Francois d'Arlandes. In 1794, the French used hot air balloons to observe the movement of Austrian troops during the Battle of Fleurus.
Hot air balloons have three essential parts: the envelope, the burner, and the basket. The envelope is the colorful fabric sack that contains the warm air. A vent, usually a disk-shaped flap of fabric called a "parachute vent" is provided at the top of the envelope. The pilot uses the parachute vent to control the vertical movement of the balloon. If the vent is opened, hot air escapes and the balloon descends; if the vent is closed, hot air builds up in the envelope and the balloon ascends. Since the balloon moves with the wind, the pilot has limited control over the horizontal direction. Because wind directions may vary with elevation, a skilled pilot can sometimes change the horizontal trajectory by moving the balloon vertically.
The second essential component is a burner that heats the air. In some of the early balloons, a fire was built on a grill hung beneath the envelope; propane burners are used in most modern balloons. The basket, which hangs from the envelope, is the passenger compartment. It is from the basket that the pilot operates the vent and burner.
Brian Boland offers hot air balloon rides from Post Mills Airport twice a day, from May until November, subject of course to wind and weather. The Post Mills Airport is located 6 miles west of I-91, Exit 14 near the intersection of Routes 113 and 244.
In addition to piloting hot air balloons, Brian operates Boland Balloon Company. Located at the Post Mills Airport, Boland Balloon sells hot air balloons and kits for making hot air balloons. A new wing was recently added to the building where the balloons are manufactured to accommodate the Balloon Museum where more than 100 balloons are on display.
Brian and his wife, Louise also run balloon- and blimp-building camps where, under the supervision of Brian and Louise, attendees build and test their own blimp or hot air balloon.
There is no more leisurely way to travel than in the basket of a hot air balloon and there are few more spectacular times to take a balloon ride than during the fall foliage season. If you would like to enjoy spectacular fall foliage from just above the tree tops, I suggest you call Boland Balloons at 802-333-9254 and make reservations for a foliage season balloon ride.
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