Caption

How does a hot air balloon fly?

Targets

At the end of this unit you should be able to answer the following questions:

3. What parts are needed for things to fly?

3.1 How does a hot-air balloon fly?

3.2 What adaptations enable birds and insects to fly?

3.3 How do the parts of an aircraft stabilize and control its flight?

targets
Pixabay
Pixabay
Pixabay
Pixabay
   

What do a hot air balloon and a parachute have in common?

They do look somewhat alike and both devices have the large, open canopy on top. However, they are used for very different functions.

  1. A hot air balloon is designed to make use of buoyancy to produce lift.
  2. A parachute is designed to make use of drag to slow an object as it falls.

Bringing things up into the air is much more difficult than slowing them as they fall. In addition to the canopy, hot air balloons need additional equipment to produce the hot air that allows them to rise.


  Video

Hot air balloons were one of the first flying devices humans made in their quest to take flight. Watch this video for a brief introduction to "How hot air balloons work".