| Today when one thinks of hot air balloons a picture | | | | propaganda materials from the sky. One example of |
| emerges of colourful canopies and parachuted | | | | this was in 1807 when Denmark dropped leaflets |
| baskets flying gracefully in the sky. However, the | | | | over Sweden in an effort to get them to revolt |
| history behind these floating contraptions extends | | | | against their government. |
| way back to when they had a purpose far more | | | | 6. Promotion and Advertising |
| controversial than a leisurely ride. | | | | Not dissimilar to those used for propaganda, these |
| 1. Military Warfare | | | | balloons are also designed to influence the people |
| Hot air balloons were the first device used in air | | | | who stand beneath them. With the ability to reach |
| warfare as a method to prepare maps for battlefield. | | | | such a wide audience promotional balloons are an |
| Until that point maps had been created from ground | | | | effective way of selling a product or service. |
| level and were therefore less accurate, resulting in a | | | | 7. Public Relations |
| greater number of battle losses. | | | | There are many ways balloon flight can improve a |
| 2. Weapons | | | | company's public image. Richard Branson's Virgin |
| Fire balloons were an experimental weapon | | | | Group for instance uses its balloon flights as a way |
| developed by the Japanese during the Second World | | | | to communicate their social responsibility as well as |
| War. They carried a 12kg load of incendiary together | | | | raise money for their charitable programmes. In 2010 |
| with four 5kg incendiary devices and were designed | | | | Virgin Balloon Flights raised nearly £1,000 |
| to destroy Canadian and American cities, forests, and | | | | pounds for charity. |
| farmland. | | | | 8. Scientific Research |
| 3. Espionage | | | | These hot air balloons are used to measure |
| These hot air balloons were used for spying and | | | | meteorology, astronomy, and atmospheric research. |
| designed to fly into warring regions where one could | | | | They are usually too thin to carry people and very |
| record intelligence about their opponent and then | | | | expensive to use. Weather balloons are the most |
| communicate it back to their base. This was a military | | | | popular type of research balloon and launched on a |
| technique commonly used during the Cold War. | | | | much more regular basis. |
| 4. Barrage | | | | 9. Sport |
| These hot air balloons are fastened to the earth by | | | | Many pilots fly hot air balloons for sport and enter |
| metal cables that act as barriers to low-flying | | | | local, regional, national and world championships. |
| attackers. The British Balloon Command (a WWI | | | | Competitive categories include measuring balloons for |
| defence strategy) utilized 1,400 of them, one third of | | | | their altitude, duration, and distance. To follow the |
| which flew over London. | | | | rules of aerodynamics, it is suggested that pilots fly |
| 5. Propaganda | | | | within three hours of sunrise and sunset, during high |
| In addition to being used for reconnaissance, hot air | | | | pressure and light surface winds. |
| balloons served the political purpose of dropping | | | | |