This
section is still being built.Technical Information
This
section is still being built.
The technical information in this section relates to hot air ballooning generally, specific information about much of our equipment, and the structure of this website.
FAQ about ballooning:
Please refer to FAQ
for general information about our ballooning operations.
The Envelope:
Other than the area closest to the burners which is made from flame-resistant
Nomex©,
the 'envelope' is made from rip-stop nylon.
The Fan:
In the early days of modern hot air ballooning, pilots were forced to get the
envelope plump by frantic flapping and intermittent burning for up to half an
hour. These days, we use a fan powered by a 5-8 hp Honda motor to get the envelope
plump within just a few minutes. Although the configuration of fans varies,
most fans used in hot air ballooning employ a wooden laminated propeller inside
a metal cage. However, 3-bladed and even multi-bladed metal propellers within
a solid cowling are becoming popular because of their relative efficiency and
quietness.
Fuel:
Unless forced to use a propane/butane
mix, we usually use 99% pure propane
from Elgas.
The melting point of propane is lower than that of butane and, in any case,
doesn't clog up the filters in the pilot lights to the same extent that a propane/butane
mix such as autogas does. Nonetheless, even though autogas offers a bit less
bang for the buck, it may be used safely in most balloon burners.
The Basket:
Our baskets are made from Lunti, Kaboo and/or Pithcore cane and rattan
which has proved itself again and again over the years to be the most flexible
and forgiving material available.
This Website:
This website has been deliberately kept simple to enable fast download times
and quick dissemination of information.
As a work in progress, it is being built by Alan
Ramsay using Macromedia's
Dreamweaver UltraDev 4, Fireworks 4 and Flash 3. As time allows and as technology
improves, it will be changed and added to. Presently, it is optimised for use
with either Explorer 5 or better and Netscape 4.7 or better using a 600 X 800
screen.
The graphics are .JPGs, produced originally in Adobe Photoshop 6.1 and then optimised in Fireworks to about 80% of optimum quality.
Last updated: 31 August 2002
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