View source for Hot Air Balloons Glossary (bized.co.uk)

 Original source (now offline): http://www.bized.co.uk/virtual/cb/glossary/glossary1.htm

{| class="wikitable"
|Term
|Note or definition
|-
|Actuals
|The actual weather report at a given time.
|-
|Anabatic Wind
|Warm air flowing up hill as the sun has heated up the  mountainside surface.
|-
|Anti-cyclone
|Area of high pressure on a weather chart, with characteristics  of very stable air and light winds, generally good for ballooning.
|-
|Artwork
|The artwork on balloons takes various forms. At the simplest  level it can be stuck onto the balloon. The fabric sections are cut by  computer and are then stuck on. The material is 'normal' balloon fabric with  a silver backing, a sticky backing and then a paper backing (to stop it  sticking together).
|-
|Spraying
|The photographic reproductive artwork is produced using an  in-house UV ink jet printer.
|-
|Balloon Flight
|This takes place with the wind as a balloon cannot steer its  own direction, although it can adjust it's height to within a metre or so.  Therefore much planning, must go into a flight to ensure that there is a safe  route and landing place for the balloon down wind, with the amount of fuel  carried considering the wind speed. (Speed / Distance / Time calculations are  very important!).
|-
|Balloonist Landowner liaison course
|A course for all balloonists about the countryside, the law,  requesting permission for take-off and collecting the balloon rules, crops  and animals.
|-
|Basket
|The basket is made out of cane and willow and woven by  craftsman. It has a padded edge around the top of suede or leather which is  one of the only concessions to comfort. Despite modern advances in materials  the woven basket is still felt to be the best material - better than plastics  and metals. This is because of the basket's ability to absorb the shock loads  that can be put on it by bumpy landings. It also has stainless steel wires  that run from under the burner frame, down the poles, under the basket and up  the other side to provide a strong cradle for the occupants.
|-
|BBAC
|The British Balloon and Airship Club - the governing body for  UK balloonists although very well revered world wide. It provides bimonthly  magazines and training for new and existing balloonists. http: //www.bbac.org
|-
|Briefing
|The pre, during and post flight informative and safety  instructions.
|-
|Burners
|Heat source for a hot-air balloon is a high-output burner fed  by liquid propane which passes through a vaporising coil prior to combustion.  Flow is controlled by an on/off valve referred to as a blast valve. Most  balloons have two types of burners incorporated into them. They have main  burners and also a 'whisper' system which is quieter than the main burner.  The burners are like a bunsen burner at school and produce a flame with or  without the mix of air. The flame from the burners appears when the blast  valve is operated. This releases a mixture of vaporised and liquid propane  which is lit by a pilot light.
|-
|Centripetal Force
|Force generated as the air goes around the curves in the air.
|-
|Cirrus Clouds
|A high cloud, often the first warning of an approaching  depression.
|-
|Clouds
|When air ascends it expands and cools and if sufficiently  moist a cloud will form. Visible clouds are of several recognisable types  depending on the process of their formation.
|-
|Cold front
|The cold front is a much more vertical start to it with the  cold air pushing into the warm front sector, with heavy showers and large  cumulonimbus clouds.
|-
|Commercial Balloons
|Balloons operated by paid pilots flying advertising or special  shape balloons for their clients. It involves not only travelling from show  to show on 'the circuit' taking corporate clients for flights morning and  evening, tethering balloons during the day, newspaper, radio and television  interviews and night-glows.
|-
|Competitions
|Local, National and International competitions which are run,  with rules organised by the British Balloon and Airship club and the FAI -  Federation Aeronautique Internationale.
|-
|Coriolis Force
|An apparent force acting on the parcel of air due to the  Earth's rotation, in the northern hemisphere the air is deflected to the  right and in the southern hemisphere the air is deflected to the left.
|-
|CPL/Commercial Pilot's Licence
|An extra licence, involving more practical and theoretical  examinations (most of them are the same as fixed wing passenger pilots)  required to enable you to charge for your services as a pilot.
|-
|Crew
|essential to fly and operate a balloon. Be nice to your crew  as they are the ones who will come and get you after the flight.
|-
|Cumulonimbus Clouds
|Are thunderclouds and are likely to generate lightning, hail  and fierce convection currents. When the cloud reaches very high levels it is  composed of ice crystals which tail off in the upper wind, This is then known  as the anvil.
|-
|Cumulus Clouds
|Heaped cloud associated with convection. Typical summer  convection will generate a sky with regular patterns of fair-weather cumulus  and if these grow bigger they become towering cumulus and may give rain  showers.
|-
|cushion floor
|The meaning of this is probably very clear! Wouldn't you want  to be comfortable when landing from several thousand feet!
|-
|Depression
|Commonly known as low pressure or a low, associated with  horrible rainy and stormy weather with warm and cold fronts.
|-
|elbow
|The pilot is given two markers. After a certain minimum  distance he drops the first, then after a further minimum distance, the  second. The score is the greatest change of course between the two legs of  the flight, measured in degrees.
|-
|envelope
|The envelope is the part of the balloon that inflates. It is  made up of a number of vertical segments called gores, which are themselves  made up of a number of smaller panels. Each panel edge is folded back on  itself, interleaved with the next folded edge, and then all four thicknesses  of fabric are sewn through twice by machine using a lockstitch known as a  French Fell Seam. The gores are attached to heavy duty webbing tapes that  pass around the balloon. The envelope has large holes top and bottom. The  bottom one is fairly obvious in its function - the pilot has to be able to  fill the balloon with hot air. The top one is a valve to enable the pilot to  vent air quickly when the pilot wants to descend or land. Envelopes are named  by their capacity. For example a '77' holds 77,000 cubic feet of air. This is  about the size of balloon that will carry three people.
|-
|envelope scoop
|This is the small conical section of cloth that hangs from  below the main envelope and runs halfway around the envelope. Its purpose is  to direct the hot air into the main envelope and protect the jet from the  prevailing breeze. It also helps to pressurise the balloon particularly when  tethering.
|-
|fabric
|The fabric that is used to make hot-air balloons is known as  ripstop nylon and weighs 70g/m2. It is specially woven with crisscross  reinforcement threads to make it extra strong. The fabric is lightweight and  colourful and can withstand temperatures in excess of 120 degrees C - well  above the boiling point of water. Nomex - fabric that feels like cotton and  is very resistant to heat is used round the mouth of the balloon where the  flame from the burner may melt the nylon, particularly on a windy day. Nomex  is a similar fabric to that used in the suits for racing car drivers to  protect them.
|-
|fly-in
|The balloons and crews go out from the contest field by a  certain minimum distance, usually 5km and choose their own take-off point to  fly back from. They take-off in a field (after asking the landowner's  permission) and fly back to drop their marker on the goal in the contest  field. This task has its drawbacks but is a great spectator sport.
|-
|forecast
|The advance report of the likely weather conditions at a given  time in the near future e.g. 12 hour/24hour based on the trend of the weather  and our knowledge of variables affecting the weather.
|-
|fuel cylinders
|40 - 80 litre aluminium, stainless steel or titanium  containers with valves to release pressurised propane in a controlled manner  through the burner controls. All cylinders have a contents guage and pressure  relief which protects against excessive internal pressure.
|-
|fuel tanks
|The fuel tanks or cylinders are tanks of liquid propane gas.  They normally stand in the corner of the basket leaving room for the pilot  and passengers. Padded covers surround the cylinder - just in case of a bumpy  landing - while rubber encased armoured pipes carry the fuel up to the burner  which is supported above the basket on flexible nylon rods. Fuel tanks are  now available from Cameron's made out of titanium which offers a significant  weight saving.
|-
|gloves, boots and willingness
|Gloves, walking boots and the willingness to get up early are  the most important pieces of equipment for new people into ballooning :  Sturdy leather gloves for handling ropes, fabric and basket are best; Flat  lace up boots provide good ankle support and are perfect for walking in dewy  fields first thing in the morning; Be prepared to get up early, we are often  on the field preparing for flight just after dawn and in the Summer that can  be as early as 04:30am!
|-
|goal
|This is an identifiable point from which measurements can be  made. If possible the target should be clearly visible from the air.
|-
|gradient wind
|Measured in knots and degrees in the direction it is coming  from considered to be over 2000ft above ground level. (It also takes into  account the geostrophic force which is the force of pressure gradient,  coriolis and centripetal forces.)
|-
|grid north
|Is the marked North lines (called Eastings - because each  north-south line moves further east as you move across the map) used on maps  to split it into easy chunks.
|-
|grid references
|The letters and numbers to pin-point a position on the map  clearly (usually a six figure number). Always use the along the runway and  take off philosophy to ensure you get the numbers the correct way round.....
|-
|Hesitation Waltz
|A curious name for a task which is really a judge declared  goal with a choice of several goals. The plot can choose one after take-off.
|-
|Hyperlast
|A special fabric exclusive to Cameron Balloons used in the top  of the balloon. Although heavier (90g/m2) than nylon it is almost 10 times as  strong (it is also available in 23 different colours/the same number as  nylon).
|-
|inflation fan
|Shooting jets of flame sideways into an empty envelope doesn't  tend to do it any good, and so the initial inflation of the envelope is done  with an inflation fan. They may have either three bladed or four bladed fans  to improve their efficiency, and they come in a range of power depending on  the size of envelope that needs to be filled.
|-
|instruments
|Commonly used in ballooning for altitude measurement  (altimeter), to display climb and descent rate (variometer) and to indicate  envelope internal temperature (thermistor).
|-
|isobar
|Lines of equal pressure on a weather chart.
|-
|isotherm
|Lines of equal temperature on a weather chart.
|-
|Judge declared goal competition
|The competitors are given a goal somewhere downwind, and they  must try to drop their markers on it. It is usually marked with a large  fabric cross pinned to the ground with tent pegs and is watched by a group of  official observers.
|-
|karabiners
|The metal connection points (often used in climbing although  ballooning tends to use the stronger and heavier versions) between the basket  wires and the envelope wires.
|-
|Katabatic Wind
|Cool wind flowing down the mountainside before the sun has  heated up the surface.
|-
|Knot
|Measurement of nautical miles per hour (but nobody says that  or knots per hour!).
|-
|Liquid
|Refers to fuel drawn from the tank in a liquid form for some  types of burner valves which is then vapourised in the burner coil before  igniting on the pilot light.
|-
|Load Calculation
|Before each flight the all up weight must be calculated, and a  check made to ensure that this does not exceed the available lift, otherwise  the envelope can easily be overheated.
|-
|Magnetic North
|A compass shows magnetic North which points slightly to one  side of the northerly direction, measured in degrees magnetic.
|-
|Markers
|These are thrown at the targets and must be a streamer of  specific weight balloon nylon. It has to be 170cm long, 10cm wide and be  weighted with 70g of sand. They are usually brightly coloured to assist with  location once thrown from the balloon.
|-
|Nautical mile
|1.15 statute (normal) miles/1.85 kilometres.
|-
|Navigation
|Balloonists use a combination of aeronautical charts which  show controlled airspace (airports and flight paths) and military airspace as  well.
|-
|Nightglow
|A display of tethered balloons that takes place in the dark,  when pilots turnm the burners on, the balloon envelopes glow like huge  lanterns..... this although not very good for the life of a balloon can look  wonderful, if all the pilots operate their burners and light up the balloons  co-ordinated to music.
|-
|Nimbostratus Clouds
|A lower thicker layer of cloud. Often produces long and steady  rain at the warm front.
|-
|Official Observers
|These are specifically trained volunteer balloonists who are  responsible for inspecting, verifying and providing evidence for both  competition and record attempt flights according to the given rules. Scoring  is taken very seriously, with official observers and a panel of judges  computing the score and at major events a jury is appointed to consider any  protests.
|-
|Oragraphic Clouds
|The name for clouds caused by the air being forced to rise by  high ground.
|-
|Padded Covers
|The Padded covers provide protection to thefuel cylinders for  transportation and for when they are being removed from the basket for  refuelling.
|-
|Parachute valve
|This is the name for the deflation system that is used in most  balloons, which is used for venting hot air as well as final deflation on  landing.
|-
|Partitioned Baskets
|A basket with wicker walls to proved compartments inside the  basket to separate the passengers from the pilot who also has all the fuel  cylinders. Which predominantly is to increase comfort for the passengers.
|-
|Passenger flights
|Paying passengers book a weather dependant, flight with a  company that sells balloon flights (see local tourist information for  operator details) included in the usually hour long flight, is a champagne  celebration at the end of the flight. All passengers are then returned by the  crew to the start meeting point. It is advisable to wear: warm clothes, it  can be cool first thing in the morning in the field even in summer; flat  walking boots/shoes, and to take your camera.
|-
|Pilot declared goal
|A similar task to the judge declared goal, except that the  pilot declares his own goal by writing on a slip of paper and handing it in  to the officials before take-off.
|-
|Pilots
|This is a term that should hopefully be fairly familiar! To  become a balloon pilot requires a minimum of 16 hours flying instruction, a  check flight with a CAA appointed examiner, a solo flight and various ground  examination papers.  All the aspects of  a pilot's licence have to be completed within 2 years. Examinations  concentrate on the following areas: Navigation, Meteorology, Human  performance and limitations, Balloon System, Aviation Law. If you pass you  will obtain a Private Pilot's licence - Balloons and Airships. Actually you  need to add the airships qualification later, but it nevertheless says this  on the cover! The minimum age to do this is 17. With self discipline, the  constant availability of a balloon, crew and instructor and a little luck  with the weather it would be possible to do this in as little as 8 months to  a year.
|-
|PPL/Private Pilot's Licence
|The 'driving' test required to operate and fly a hot-air  balloon consisting of both practical and theoretical examinations which vary  slightly from country to country. This licence is not generally restricted to  the local region or country although there are some country specific  regulations.
|-
|preparation
|Before starting to prepare the balloon for flight, the pilot  should consider the balloon loading (passengers and fuel), the weather and  the flight area to determine suitability for flight.
|-
|Pressure Gradient
|This is the force responsible for starting a parcel of air  moving. Air moving from high to low pressure.
|-
|propane
|Liquid under pressure (a good working average is between 80  psi and 180 psi).
|-
|QFE
|Airfield pressure - adjusting an altimeter to this setting  would read HEIGHT above the airfield at that pressure setting.
|-
|QNH
|Regional pressure setting corrected at sea level - adjusting  an altimeter to this setting should indicate height above sea level. (nb - to  find out height above ground level you can use the map and work out a spot  height or an global positioning system (a machine that uses satellites to  measure position, altitude and speed travelling as well as grid references)  and take that away from the height above sea level which is considered to  start at zero feet.
|-
|Quick Release Mechanism
|Used to restrain the balloon during inflation and heating for  take-off, but should not be used for tethering.
|-
|Regional BBAC
|These are local committees that provide monthly forums for  local balloonists to get together, organise events and balloon meetings for  their groups but primarily as a social function.
|-
|Rigging/Basket wires
|The control lines inside the balloon are known as the rigging.  The Basket wires are stainless steel wires running down from the burner frame  to the basket, around underneath it, then back up to the opposite corners of  the burner frame to complete a continuous sling. There are four of these  slings and the basket sits inside them. There are also stainless steel wires  connecting the envelope to the burner frame.
|-
|Special shape balloons
|Hot-air balloons manufactured in the shape of products and not  the natural round traditional shape.
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|Sponsorship
|Balloons can be sponsored as can competitions and record  attempts in return for publicity; good examples of this is the Swiss company  sponsored Breitling Orbiter 3 - the successful round the world balloon. Most  hot-air balloons manufactured now have some form of artwork to advertise  their sponsors or the businesss they are working for. The balloons fly over  either a localised target audience and area or are flown at specific  locations worldwide in order to raise brand awareness and create brand  excitement.
|-
|Surface Wind
|Measured in knots and degrees in the direction it is coming  FROM at about tree top height and this takes into account the friction of the  wind over the Earth's surface which will reduce the effect of the coriolis  force.
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|Tasks
|Each separate flight during a competition, usually  encompassing morning and evening flights, weather permitting.
|-
|Tether Line/Ropes
|Perhaps one of the most important extras to come with a  balloon! This is used when anchoring the balloon to the ground (to large  vehicles) for balloon displays or nightglows when the balloon is fully  hot-inflated but is required to stay on the ground.
|-
|True North
|The actual north according to calculation measured in degrees  true.
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|Vapour
|Refers to the fuel drawn from the tank in a gas form for some  types of burner valves although this should never be used for the main valves  which are designed to use liquid propane.
|-
|Variation
|The difference between true and magnetic North. Remembered by:  Variation west, magnetic best; Variation East, magnetic least.
|-
|Warm front
|Characteristics are 500 to 600 miles between the ground edge  and the sloping into the sky edge, high cirrus clouds developing to form  nimbostratus clouds and continuous rain.
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|Weather
|This single thing that cannot be organised or planned in  advance, However, balloonists can receive very up-to-date weather reports and  forecasts.
|-
|Wind
|Measured in knots and degrees in the direction it is coming  FROM. e.g. 270 degrees is a wind going towards the East…
|}
[[Category:Glossaries]]
[[Category:Ballooning]]
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