Nancy Robinson Masters - How Does It Fly? Hot Air Balloon

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com Content Adviser: Jacob Zeiger, Production Support Engineer, the Boeing Company Photo Credits: Cover and page 1, douglas knight/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 5, Manfred Steinbach/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 7, Steve Adamson/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 9, iStockphoto/duckycards; page 11, Jonathan Lenz/Shutterstock, Inc; page 13, afarland/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 15, italianestro/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 17, Oleg Kozlov/Shutterstock, Inc.; page 19, Michael Rolands/Dreamstime.com; page 21, Yoav Sinai/Dreamstime.com Copyright 2012 by Cherry Lake Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Masters, Nancy Robinson. How does it fly? Hot air balloon/by Nancy Robinson Masters. p. cm.(Community connections) Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-61080-068-6 (library binding) ISBN-10: 1-61080-068-0 (library binding) 1. Hot air balloonsJuvenile literature. I. Title. II. III. Series. Series.

TL638.M37 2012 629.13322dc22 2011003310 Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information. Printed in the United States of America Corporate Graphics Inc. July 2011 CLFA09

A hot air balloon is a kind of aircraft. It has three main parts. The envelope is the largest part.

It is the colorful part that looks like a large balloon. The envelope is also called a bag. Huge pieces of strong fabric are sewn together to make the bag. Have you ever seen a hot air balloon in flight? The burner system is under the bag. The burner burns fuel to heat the air in the bag. The basket carries the pilot and passengers.

Some baskets can carry about 20 people. Most baskets are made of wicker fiber. Wicker fiber is made from plants. The pilot uses the burner to heat the air in the bag during flight. The most popular balloons are made in fun shapes. They often have bright colors.

Artists design pictures on some balloon bags. They draw their designs on paper first. They make sure the image will fit the shape and size of the balloon. Bag fabric can be sewn in many different shapes and sizes.

Imagine you are a hot air balloon artist. Draw a picture you would paint on a balloons bag.

Remember to think big!

Calm winds are needed to launch a hot air balloon. Chase crew workers unpack the bag on flat ground. They check for tears in the fabric. They make sure the bag is correctly attached to the basket. The pilot plans where to land the balloon. The landing site may be a field or park.

The empty bag is spread on the ground before it is hooked to the basket. The bag is ready to inflate . The chase crew holds the bottom of the bag open. Fans blow air into the bag. The pilot uses the burner to heat the air. The hot air causes the bag to stand up.

Passengers climb into the basket. The filled bag lifts the basket off the ground. The pilot and crew work together to inflate the balloon bag.

Balloon bags are made of fabric. If you were making a balloon bag, what properties would you want the fabric to have? Why? Flash! The burner sends a blast of heat into the bag. Cool air in the bag will not keep the balloon up.

The pilot is careful not to waste fuel. He does not want to use the burner too much. Too much heat can burn the fabric. A passenger takes pictures after the pilot has turned off the burner. The pilot does not have controls to steer the balloon. He uses the burner to make the balloon climb or descend .

He climbs and descends to find wind that will blow the balloon toward the landing site. The pilot must find a safe altitude at which to fly. This keeps the balloon from blowing into trees or other tall objects. Pilots use maps and other instruments to help them know about they area they are flying over.

Hot air balloons depend on wind for movement. Which way will a balloon go if there is no wind blowing? The chase crew follows the balloon to the landing site.

The pilot and the crew use radios and telephones to talk with each other. The pilot watches for the landing site. He stops using the burner to heat the air. The air in the balloon cools. The balloon descends. The pilot pulls a rope attached to the top of the balloon. The pilot pulls a rope attached to the top of the balloon.

The top opens. The air goes out. The bag deflates . The basket lands first. The bag falls to the ground. The pilot and chase crew pack up the bag.

They check the burner and basket for any damage. The hot air balloon is then stored away, kept safe until the next launch! A balloon needs to land in a space large enough for the bag to deflate safely.

Look around your neighborhood. Is there a safe place for a hot air balloon to land? altitude (AL-ti-tood) distance above the ground chase crew (CHASE KROO) workers who help a hot air balloon launch and land deflates (di-FLATES) loses air descend (di-SEND) go downward envelope (EN-vuh-lope) large bag that holds hot air to make a hot air balloon float