Balloon Terminology
All of those words and terms used by the ballooning community which might seem a little odd to an outsider.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K| L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A.B.F.
The Australian Ballooning Federation is the body in Australia that issues sport balloon pilots certificates.
Aeronaut
The pilot of a balloon or airship.
Aerostat
A lighter-than-air craft. A hot-air balloon is an aerostat.
Aerostation
The science of lighter-than-air flight.
AGL
Above ground level
Altimeter
A pressure sensing device (barometer) calibrated in feet which is carried in an aircraft to tell the pilot how high the aircraft is off the ground.
Balloon
A generic term for an aerostat.
Balloonatic
Fanatic balloon enthusiasts. Many of whom eat, drink and sleep ballooning. Why else would they get up at 4:30 in the morning to stand out in the cold and do hard manual labour? Why – because they are balloonatics!
Basket
Also referred to as the gondola; the part of the balloon used to carry the pilot and passengers, fuel tanks, and other equipment. Constructed from wicker and light wood base, or in the case of high-altitude and long-distance craft, pressurizable materials.
British Thermal Unit- BTU
The quantity of heat necessary to raise the temperature of a pound (0.45Kg) of water by one degree Fahrenheit (0.56 degrees Celcius). It is approximately 1.055 kilojoules.
Burner
Device used to ignite and project flammable fuel (usually propane gas) up into the envelope to heat the air in a hot-air balloon. Burners come in a variety of configurations.
Carabiner
A “D”, or “O” shaped locking metal clamp used to connect things together (in particular, load cables to baskets, or tie-off lines to retrieve vehicles).
CASA
Civil Aviation Safety Authority is the Australian government agency that regulates all non military aircraft, pilots, airports and air spaces.
Certificate of Airworthiness
A document which states that an aircraft is fit to fly. A balloon as to be regularly checked to make sure the fabric isn’t getting too weak, the basket isn’t unravelling etc. I
Chase
Also referred to as the “recovery” or more frequently “retrieve”; the process by which the aerostat is tracked during flight and retrieved afterwards by crew on the ground or in another craft (like a boat).
Chase Crew
The crew that chases the aerostat – more frequently known as the retrieve crew.
Convergent Navigational Task – CNT
A ballooning event where pilots attempt to fly from a designated distance to a single point, usually a scoring ‘X’. Also known as Controlled Navigational Trajectory Event, or a Fly-In task.
Cremation Charlie
Some one who sacrifices himself during a flap inflation to stand inside the envelope and hold it up so that no valuable rip-stop gets burnt.
Crown
The top of the balloon envelope.
Crown Line
A rope which, at one end, is fastened to the top (or crown) of the balloon envelope, and at the other end, is used by a member of the crew to help stabilize the balloon during inflation and deflation.
Crown Ring
The ring of metal at the top of the envelope to which all the load tapes are attached.
Drop Line
A rope, belt or other line attached to the aerostat (usually the gondola) on one end. Normally furled or stowed during flight, it can be released by the pilot and secured by ground crewmembers who use it to maneuver the craft into or through tight landing areas.
Envelope
The portion of the balloon which holds the heated air (for hot-air balloons) or gas for gas balloons. Constructed of cloth such as ripstop nylon or nomex, or other light, relatively impermeable material.
First Flight Ceremony
Those who have endured it need no explanation. Those who have not should know that its origins are cloaked in mystery and shrouded in the most sacred rites of ballooning. Suffice it to say that the ceremony involves various liquid refreshment (usually champagne). Once having successfully survived the ceremony, the Initiate has been officially inducted into the Noble Fraternity of Aeronauts.
Flap Inflation
Before the days of inflator fans, the only way to get cold air into the envelope prior to turning on the burner was to flap the top side of the mouth up and down. Once a small amount of air had been put inside the envelope, the pilot would periodically burn to heat the air as the mouth was flapped open. Clearly this might burn the inside of the balloon higher up, so necessitated a Cremation Charlie.
Fly-in Task
See CNT.
Hopper
An aerostat where the pilot sits in a chair or harness underneather the envelope, as opposed to standing in a basket.
Hesitation Waltz
Competition where multiple judge declared goals are set.
Inflator Fan
Hot air can’t be directly put into the envelope it first has to be filled with cold air using the inflator fan. Only then can this air be heated using the burner. Before fans, the balloon had to be flap inflated.
Judge Declared Goal
Competition where a single target is set and all the balloons fly from the launch site with the aim of dropping their markers as close as possible to the goal.
Landowner
The person, business or organization which holds the title to the property upon which the aerostat launches and/or lands.
Landowner Relations
Extremely important for aerostat activities, especially considering the limited control over landing location. Ideally, the pilot or chase crew should secure permission from the landowner before landing on their property. The wishes of the landowner take precedence during landing and recovery, within the limits of flight physics and safety. Landowner relations also apply to low overflights of landowner’s property.
Load Tapes
Reinforced vertical seams along the length of the envelope, connected by the load cables to the basket. The actual load-bearing parts of the envelope.
Mouth
The opening at the base of the balloon envelope through which the flames from the burner passes to heat the air inside the envelope. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘throat’…
MSL
Mean Sea Level
Nomex
Fire-resistant material that the scoop and bottom section of the envelope are made of.
Pibal
A small helium filled party balloon used to show the pilot the direction and speed of the wind. This gives an idea of what direction the flight will take.
Poles
The stabilizing struts between the basket, the burner mount and the load cables. On some balloons the poles are actually load-bearing elements; on others they simply act as stiff or slightly flexible guides for the actual load-bearing elements and connections from envelope sensors to the instrument console. Also referred to as “burner supports”, “supports” or “flexi poles” there main job is to stop the burner knocking you on the head during landing.
PIC
Pilot in Command
Prohibited Zone
A restricted operation zone where balloon launchings and landings are prohibited by the landowner. In some cases, a minimum altitude restriction may also exist.
PUT
Short for ‘Pilot Under Training” or “Pilot Under Tuition”.
Red Line
A rope or nylon strap connected to the top of the envelope. It is used by the pilot to let some or all of the hot air inside the envelope out in order to descend or land.
Red Zone
See prohibited zone.
Rip-stop Nylon
The material that makes up most of envelope.
Restricted Operations Zone
A land area on or over which balloon operations are restricted by the landowner. Also refered to as a prohibited zone (PZ) or a sensitive zone (SZ).
Retrieve Crew
See chase and chase crew.
Rosiere
Type of balloon that uses both gas and hot air. Sometimes called a hybrid or a temperature controlled helium balloon. These have been used for most of the ultra long distance flights since the early 1990’s.
Rotation Vent
A panel located about half way up the balloon which is used to orient the balloon during flight and for the landing. Two lines come from the rotation vent, one to rotate left and the other to rotate right.
Scoop
A specialized-shape skirt which, on American balloons, narrows to an inch or two on one side and widens to extend all the way from the top of the poles to the base of the envelope proper, forming a tilted mouth. The idea of the scoop is to provide better control of the aerostat’s orientation. Ideally, the front (or main part of the scoop) will always be kept in the direction of travel. It may also aid in keeping the envelope full.
Sensitive Zone
A restricted operation zone where balloon launchings and landings may be allowed by the landowner under special circumstances. In some cases, a minimum altitude restriction may also exist.
Skirt
The cloth segment of the envelope below the load cable connections, frequently detachable, often made of Nomex or similar fire-resistant material.
Smart Vent
Is an Australian invented deflation system for balloons. It allows the pilot to release a lot of hot air from the balloon during landing and can be reset.
Spotter
Someone who delights in collecting balloon licence numbers, badges and anoraks.
Supports
See poles.
SZ
See sensitive zone.
Keeping a balloon tied to the ground so that it doesn’t fly away.
Throat
See mouth.
Thumbs up
The signal from a launch director that the airspace above is clear and you have permission to launch. Any digit other than the thumb means something entirely different.
Uprights
The metal or plastic rods that conned the envelope to the basket and hold the burner up.
Vent
A portion of the top or side of the envelope that can be opened briefly by the pilot to release some hot air to get the balloon to stop going up, or go down.
Weather rock
Any smooth stone thrown at the weatherman when he tells you it’s going to be unflyable again.
ZULU
Refers to the universal time zone used within the aviation community. Also known as Grennwich Mean Time (GMT) or Universal Coordinated Time (UTC)
Technical data content credited to Mr Steve Griffin