Own balloon is a childhood dream of many. Today it is possible not only to acquire it, but also to do it yourself. How? Read on!
Buy balloon
Today, several stores both abroad and in Russia offer to buy balloons and shells for them. New Russian-made hot-air balloons (hot-air balloons) cost about 700 thousand rubles with all the necessary components - a shell, a basket, a burner, a fan, an air intake, etc. Most of the price falls on the shell - 300-400 thousand rubles. The cost of a balloon with a basket of Czech production starts from 30 thousand dollars, England - from 40 thousand euros.
Used balloons can be purchased from 400-500 thousand rubles for a complete set. In addition to the cost of the device itself, the owner of the balloon will have to spend on:
- gas consumption;
- registration and certification in the Federal Air Transport Agency;
- annual renewal of the certificate of airworthiness;
- remuneration to the pilot (possibly for his training);
- compensation to the ground service crew, etc.
DIY balloon with a basket: dome
If you decide to design your own balloon, then you should first deal with the dome. For it you need to buy durable nylon - polyester or polyamide. It is important that the material does not let air through - cover the fabric on the back with liquid polyurethane or silicone.
The next step is to cut the nylon into segments of the desired size, which are sewn with especially strong threads. Do-it-yourself balloon hole for inflating a balloon with a basket is sheathed with a protective layer of material resistant to high temperatures.
To make the dome more durable, it is additionally sheathed vertically and horizontally with fabric ribbons. They are fixed at the very top of the dome, and the lower edges of the ribbons are attached to the ropes of the suspension basket.
How to make a balloon: basket
Traditionally, the walls of the basket are woven from the vine, and the bottom is made of the so-called marine plywood, which is resistant to temperature extremes and other extreme moments. The frame is a steel wire rope made of stainless material. They basket is attached to the dome. Special leather covers are put on the cables to protect them from damage.
It is also necessary to design special pendants where luggage and aeronautics accessories will be stored.
Important element: burner
Before making a balloon, you must carefully consider the design of the burner. The fuel for it is currently liquefied propane. The average power of the device is 4.5-6.0 thousand megawatts. It should be purchased specifically special burners for balloons, which are made of durable stainless steel using a special technology that allows the device to withstand large temperature differences.
Own balloon: instruction
Of course, it is difficult to make a passenger balloon at home, but making a test paper balloon with a basket with your own hands is very possible. You will need:
- thick paper;
- thin paper (so-called tissue paper);
- glue;
- threads
- twine;
- scissors;
- pencil;
- long ruler;
- triangle.
Now for the job:
- The number and size of cut strips will depend on the diameter of your ball. If it is 1.5 m, then 12 lanes will be needed, 2 m - 16, 2.5 m - 20, 3 m - 24.
- To draw an even pattern, first draw a vertical line on paper equal to the length of the future strip. Through it, draw at a distance perpendicular segments equal to the limits of the width of the segment. The end points of the segments are connected by a smooth line, which will be the contour of the strip.
- Circle and cut the contours of the segments on the tissue paper onto the cardboard template. It is most convenient to lay several of its layers on top of each other, forming a bundle, and cut several segments at once.
- Segments are first glued together by "boats". Then already these "boats" need to be glued to one another. Before gluing the last seam, turn the structure so that it has the shape of a ball.
- The base of the ball is fastened with glued strips of paper with twine - this design will keep the ball when heated.
- Seal the top of the dome with a circle of the same tissue paper.
- After the glue has dried, straighten the dome by holding it above the blowtorch.
- You can attach a basket for a special load to the structure on the same twine.
To start the ball, turn on the burner or light a fire, hold your ball above the heat source, without letting go of the cord. Once the air inside your homemade balloon has warmed up, you can let it fly.
Thus, a balloon with a do-it-yourself basket can be made at home. But passenger balloons can only be bought or rented.