Anatomy of a Hot-Air Balloon

With the upcoming Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend some of you may be wondering what exactly is a hot air balloon.

Basically, the hot air balloon consists of three parts: envelope, basket, and burner system. It's a fairly simple piece of equipment, and for what it delivers, it is something of a bargain.

If you look at what is available in flying machines, for instance, you may be surprised to find that ballooning is less than half as expensive as the next class of aircraft, the sailplane.

Some recent studies have shown that the average price of a new hot air balloon system is about $9,000, but that of a sailplane is $22,000. A piston-driven single-engine airplane with fixed landing gear averages over $31,000, while the same type of plane with retractable gear costs over $64,000. Multi-engine airplanes are three times this price, and helicopters are eight times this price. Turbo-engine aircraft range in the millions.

But relatively inexpensive as it is, the hot air balloon is a carefully conceived and crafted flying machine.