Air transport using a lighter-than-air balloon, most commonly a hot air balloon whose envelope is filled with heated air to generate lift, or a gas balloon filled with a lifting gas such as helium or hydrogen. Ballooning was the first form of human flight, predating the fixed-wing aircraft and the dirigible airship, and today survives mainly as a recreational, sporting and ceremonial activity rather than as practical passenger or cargo transport.
Facts
Core ConcernLifting people or instruments into the air using the buoyancy of heated or lighter-than-air gas held in an envelope, drifting largely at the mercy of the wind. 1 Ballooning
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Sources
1. Wikipedia: Hot Air Balloon
WikipediaLead section, first sentence
A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air.
First manned flight section
The first free flight with human passengers was made a few weeks later, on November 21, 1783.
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