It’s a hot air balloon. Hot air is lighter than cold air, thus balloons can fly early in the morning and late in the evening during winter. During summer, it can fly from dawn till dusk. A balloon is made of polyester envelope which keeps hot air and a basket for the pilot, passengers and propane tanks.

In order to takeoff, the air in the balloon is heated by propane. To land, it’s released by the “parachute” located at the top of the envelope .Balloons cannot be mastered. They go up or down to find winds which can carry them. If there’s too much wind, balloons stay on the ground !

The “retrouving” vehicle takes back the pilot, the passengers and the balloon after the flight. It draws a trailer in which the basket, fuel tanks, burners, the envelope and the ventilator are stored. The latter inflates the balloon with air heated by the propane burners.

The radio allows the pilot to communicate with the car about flying conditions and tell the driver where the landing site is. It’s also employed to listen to messages from the air control tower.

The GPS reader is a complement to the map. Thanks to these tools, the pilot can locate where he is and is aware of potential dangers as power lines or wooded areas.

During an event, the weather forecast is communicated to the pilot during the briefing, before the flight. The ground and altitude temperatures are written, like the weather situation, the type of clouds and the different winds between the ground and the authorized maximum altitude.

Present during the event with numerous balloons, the starter allows balloons to takeoff, one by one. He’s the only one who can give the permission and pilots must listen to his orders and wait for their turn. On LMAB, all starters are volunteers.