No doubt that hot air balloons are fun to ride and great to see the wonderful views of earth from mountains, rivers, valleys and temples (which u can't see except in specific places like Bagan which is in the region of Myanmar).

Temples of Bagan, Myanmar

But sadly hot air balloons can't go further than 21,027 m (68,986 feet) which is the world altitude record for highest hot-air balloon flight and it was achieved by Vijaypat Singhania, he took off from downtown Mumbai, India and he was the one who broke the previous record which was 19,811 m (64,997 feet).

There are some events with hot air balloons that happen every year like the Albuquerque balloon festival which is in New Mexico, USA and it's held for the first 9 days in October, QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning which is held at the Solberg Airport in Readington Township, New Jersey and the time of occurrence is the The last weekend of July.

The first hot air balloon was made on September 19, 1783 by the Montgolfier brothers and and the passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster and the flight lasted approximately eight minutes, covered 3 km (2 miles) and obtained an altitude of about 460 m (1,500 feet). The hot air balloon landed safely after flying then Étienne built a 1700 cubic meter balloon for the purpose of making flights with humans and he was the first human to lift off the Earth, so since they made hot air balloons and they didn't have a lot of materials and information, it won't be hard for us to make one because we have more materials and information about hot air balloons than they had.

Standard NASA scientific balloons' envelopes are constructed of polyethylene film, which is the same type that's used to make plastic bags. This material is so thin (i.e. 0.002 centimeters) as the sandwich wrap. NASA used helium to fill its hot air balloon which is also used to fill party balloons and this helium is .able to lift a payload weighing as much as 3,600 kilograms

Components of hot air balloons

Envelope

The envelope is the upper part of hot air balloon, it's use is to lift the balloon high in the sky depending on the difference between densities.

Modern hot air balloons' envelopes are made of nylon or dacron. The materials are cut into panels and sewn together along with structural load tapes which will carry the weight of the basket. Envelopes often have a crown ring at their very top which Vertical load tapes from the envelope are attached to the crown ring. At the bottom of the envelope the vertical load tapes are sewn into loops that are connected to cables (one cable per load tape). These cables are connected to the basket by carabiners.

Basket

Surly The basket needs to be strong enough to hold both the passengers and the pilot. Their size depend on the canopy size and the number of passengers it will carry. Most of the baskets are made from natural willow and cane but although some baskets are made from modern synthetic materials, willow cane is still used because wicker baskets made from these materials are resilient, lightweight and easy to keep clean.

Burner

The burner is powered by propane gas and heats the air inside the balloon that causes it to rise due to the difference in density between the air inside and outside the hot air balloon. Many balloons use one burner, but some have two so that the pilot can use one or more at a time to vary the intensity of heat.

fuel tanks

it's purpose is to provide the burner with propane gas.

Tracking device

Most hot air balloons are made with old technology, but one recent addition to the equipment of the balloon is GPS tracking devices carried in the balloon so that the ground crew can track the speed and direction of the balloon. Pilots also carry some equipment to measure altitude, the rate of climb and air temperature. But sadly most of the civilian GPS receivers will stop working at an altitude of 18,000 meter (60,000 feet) which prevents most trackers from being able to update your payload’s position above 18,000 m but there's a kind of GPS which works at an altitude of 18,000 meter and it's stratoTrack, its APRS transmitter is able to transmit your payload’s position at any altitude, even above 18,000 m.

Dangers while flying in hot air balloons

Although hot air balloons are fun to ride, an awesome experience and safe to ride, they are not 100% safe as you might encounter some problems like :

1. Power lines : Collision with power lines is extremely rare (contact with power lines happens a handful of times a year in the entire world). In the rare event that a balloon makes contact with a power line, 95% of the time, balloon pilots do the correct emergency procedure, and no passengers or guests are injured and that's a reason of why you should have an experienced pilot with you.
2. Collisions with other hot air balloons : Collisions with other hot air balloons is a major concern, especially at large balloon rallies like the ones held in Albuquerque. Collisions can cause the basket to tip over, cause the pilot to lose control, or potentially start a fire.
3. Collisions with stationary objects : Collisions with stationary objects are even more dangerous. Trees, and sharp objects like barbed-wire fences can puncture the balloon’s nylon and cause a crash.
4. Weather : Bad weather can be incredibly dangerous for hot air balloons, particularly windy conditions. Unfortunately, even the best weather forecasters are sometimes wrong, and weather conditions can change on a dime, meaning hot air balloon pilots must react quickly to steer the balloon to safety.
5. Pilot inexperience : An inexperienced pilot can greatly hinder hot air balloon safety. Under current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards, any pilot needs only 10 hours of balloon flight experience in addition to passing written tests to obtain a private hot air balloon license, which many veteran pilots argue is not enough time to attain the necessary skills to pilot a balloon.

Rules for your safety

To stay safe from dangers, you have to follow the rules. That works with the hot air balloons too, in order to avoid dangers while flying in the hot air balloons, you have to follow some rules. Some of the rules are :

1. Dressing Appropriately : although there's a burner above your head, the weather can get chilly at high altitudes especially in the winter. So you have to wear heavy clothes that won't restrict movement. You should also wear supportive, close-toed shoes that can help you keep your balance when you land.
2. Listening to your pilot : Although hot air balloon rides can sometimes be unpredictable, experienced pilots generally know what to expect when piloting a balloon. So you have to listen carefully to any instructions your pilot gives you before takeoff, during flight, and as you land.
3. Bracing for landing : Rough landings are common in hot air balloon rides. You can prevent injuries related to a hard landing by steadying yourself as the balloon descends and paying attention to your surroundings. Your pilot will let you know when it’s time to brace yourself. Keep in mind that you may be required to lean or squat to help make for a smooth landing for everyone on board.
4. Look at your surroundings : if you made a hot air balloon, you will have to find a suitable place to begin the takeoff for example : any valley , as valleys rarely have mountains, long trees or power lines.

How to make your own hot air balloon

to make a safe hot air balloon that can go to high altitudes, you will need a professional pilot before anything because it won't be easy to control the hot air balloon and you won't know how to react if you encountered any problem. Then, you will have to find a flat area without mountains or long trees (e.g. Valleys) to avoid collisions. Then you will need to get the following materials and steps :

• Envelope : A fabric bag made of strong, light nylon (as nylon is strong against fire and light ) with an opening at one end called the mouth with a vent at the top of the envelope to make the hot air leave whenever you want. The size varies depending on the people who will ride from those holding 77,000 cubic feet of air to 600,000 cubic feet.
• Basket : It's preferable to be a willow basket since it's resilient, lightweight and easy to keep clean. It must be attached to the envelope with strong metal cables. It's preferable to have foot holes in its outside wall so it be easy for passengers to enter or leave the basket.
• The burner and the tanks : the burner is fixed to a metal frame attached above the basket under the mouth of the envelope. the burner mixes the liquid propane which exists in the tanks with oxygen to ignite it. Then you pull a small valve which fires the burner and aims the flame into the mouth of the balloon to heat the air inside. It's preferable to put a heat shield under the burner to avoid making the temperature toasty especially in summer.
• StratoTrack APRS Transmitter : This might be expensive but it's the best APRS transmitter as it's able to transmit your payload’s position at any altitude, even above 18,000 m and it's free tracking, Microsoft Excel enabled, barometric pressure sensor, light weight, energy efficient, small size, easy to fly and easy to track.

This project will make anyone be able to make his own hot air balloon.

My project works on densities as the hot air go upwards and cold air go downwards due to the difference in densities because lower temperatures leads to higher density, and higher temperatures to lower density.

its benefits it to make anyone able to see the wonderful views of earth.

My hope is to spread awareness to everyone who is riding or will ride hot air balloons and to spread hope to the people that nothing is impossible to be achieved, to be made or to be crafted.