Premek's solar balloon in Australia

Premek's solar balloon on Lake George, Australia, on 27th and 28th August 2007.
Camera: James Astley
Pilot: Prema

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Solar
• balloon

[clouseau22]

ultralightballoons.eu/plansola­r.pdf

[premeklenka1]

You are right that step number 10 in the plansolar.pdf looks incorrect. You have to connect the first gore to the last gore as to make one closed envelope. Premek.

[premeklenka1]

Hi. If you have more or less gores than 16 (or if your gore width is more or less than 3 meters) then you have to adjust the gore measurements accordingly. But it is easy to calculate the gore measurement for any gore width. The balloon envelope is a sphere on the top and a cone at the bottom. The cone angle is 40 degrees from the vertical. Finally each gore is 0.5 meter wide at the bottom just to provide enough strength. Good luck!

[jtrll]

Great video !!!

The plansolar.pdf is for a balloon with 16 gores and NOT 28 as yours. If i use 28 layers of plastic instead of the 16 layers in the pdf, will the gore measurements be correct and reproduce your balloon ? Also step 4 is not very clear as to the radius of the curve. Step 10 seems incorrect, should not 1A connect to 16B instead of 1B (the beginning to the end) ?

[theboyzable]

can i get a copy of the plans

[kezsel1]

Hi Premek

I sent you my email but i don't have your answer.

See you

[premeklenka1]

The shape of the balloon is pretty simple. It is spherical on the top and conical at the bottom (sphere on cone like an ice cream). There is a parachute vent at the top which is same as all standard vents on modern hot air balloons (Smart Vents are one step further). So I recommend anybody interested should take a hot air balloon and study thefabric, the load tapes and the vent in detail. I believe full black balloon envelope is the best option (better than the half clear, half black). Premek.

[premeklenka1]

Hi everyone. Thanks for your comments. I have available a guide plan for building this solar hot air balloon which I can send you by e-mail (1 MB). The plan was prepared by an Argentinian balloonist living in Germany.

I flew the balloon max. 150 meters above ground where I opened the top vent, released some air and descended back to the earth. But solar balloons with scientific instruments can reach up to 15 kms above ground where they are stopped by the stratospheric inversion. Premek.

[josephdupont]

how about making half clear and half black?