Brief history of aeronautics. The history of the first steps of aeronautics

Yesterday, July 12, our famous eternal traveler priest Fyodor Konyukhov began flying around the world in a hot air balloon. In honor of this event, a small series of posts about how it all began. those. about the history of hot air balloons.

It all started with a funny incident: One day, during a dinner party, the wife of one of the Montgolfier brothers approached the fireplace. A stream of hot air suddenly lifted the hem of her skirt....

“Hurry up and prepare more silk fabric and ropes, and you will see one of the most amazing things in the world.”
This note was received in 1782 by Etienne Montgolfier, the owner of a paper factory in a small French town, from his older brother Joseph. As a result of a simple experiment, E. Montgolfier saw how a fabric shell, sewn in the shape of a box from two pieces of fabric, after filling it with smoke, rushed upward.

Who are the inventors of the hot air balloon and the pioneers of aeronautics, the Montgolfier brothers? How could they come up with the idea of ​​flying?
Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier were born in the small French town of Annonay in 1740 and 1745, respectively. Their father, the owner of a paper mill, tried to give the children a good education. However, his eldest son disappointed him: Joseph was a frivolous, romantic teenager and hated school cramming. At the age of 13, he dropped out of school and ran away from home. Very quickly the boy faced poverty and hunger and, unable to withstand the hardships, returned home. Repentant, he diligently began studying. He was especially good at physics and chemistry.

The Montgolfier brothers: on the left - Joseph, on the right - Etienne (19th century engraving).

Etienne, the youngest of the brothers, was also a dreamer, but, unlike his brother, he grew up as a diligent and obedient child. Already in his youth he became a famous architect. Etienne later inherited the family business and took over his father's paper mill. His older brother Joseph became his companion. The business was well established, the family's income was growing, and the brothers had a lot of free time. They devoted him to their favorite activities - science and dreams of flying.

One day, while watching the clouds, one of the brothers suggested: why not fill a canvas balloon with hot steam, maybe it will take off? The experiment was unsuccessful: the steam instantly cooled and settled in drops on the canvas. The balloon never rose into the air. The brothers tried to fill the balloon with hydrogen - the gas instantly evaporated through the fabric. Then Joseph and Etienne made a paper ball - and again disappointment: hydrogen leaked through the pores in the paper.
And here is such a case - hot air - this is what should have been filled with the balloon! And - lo and behold! – this time the experiment was successful. The ball took off.

Inspired by the success, the brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfet decided to show the invention to the general public. They built a huge balloon with a diameter of more than 10 meters. Its shell, made of canvas, was reinforced with rope mesh and covered with paper to increase impermeability.
On June 5, 1783, the first public demonstration of the Montgolfier brothers' invention took place.

Thousands of people gathered in the central square in Annona. A huge ball, the size of a three-story building, towered above the crowd. It bore the Latin inscription “Ad astra,” which means “To the stars.” Eight large men could barely hold this monster by the ropes. Joseph ordered to let go, the ball broke out and flew vertically into the sky. The square gasped in admiration.
A balloon filled with smoke rushed upward, rose to a height of 500 meters and stayed in the air for about 10 minutes, flying 2 kilometers. A special protocol, signed by officials, documented all the details of the experiment. Thus, for the first time, the invention that opened the way to aeronautics was officially certified.

Once started, the flights continued.
On August 27, 1783, a hot air balloon launched from the Champ de Mars in Paris. In front of 300 thousand spectators, he rushed upward and soon became invisible. When one of those present exclaimed: “What is the point of all this?!” - the famous American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin, who was among the spectators, remarked: “What is the point in the birth of a newborn?” The remark turned out to be prophetic. A “newborn” was born, who was destined for a great future.
The spectacle was honored by King Louis XVIII himself, who showed a keen interest in aeronautics. The brothers hung a basket for passengers from the ball. The first animals to get the honor of taking to the air were a duck, a rooster and a ram (note for those who accuse our scientists of inhumane treatment of animals that went into space before people).
The flight was successful and no animals were harmed.

The Montgolfier brothers became heroes of the day, were awarded awards, and all hot air balloons that used smoky air to create lift were from that day called hot air balloons.

The first person to go into space was Yuri Gagarin, it’s like by heart, but who was the first to rise to heights, into the air, into the sky? It was not the Montgolfiers themselves. King Louis XVI of France forbade the authors of the project to take personal part in the flight; the fact is that in scientific circles of that time there was a lively discussion about the safety of such a flight. It was feared that people could suffocate from lack of air at altitude.
On November 21, 1783, for the first time in history, the famous scientist, chemist Jean Francois Pilatre de Rozier, together with the Marquis Francois d'Arland, went on a free flight in a hot air balloon.
The king proposed sending two prisoners sentenced to death to fly, but his close friend, the Marquis d'Arlande, was indignant: “Will the honor of being the first to ascend to heaven belong to the criminals? I will fly.”

The new ball built for this purpose was larger: height 22.7 meters, diameter 15 meters. In its lower part there was a ring gallery, designed for two people.
A balloon filled with hot air rose from the garden of the Chateau de la Muette in the western suburbs of Paris.
The flight was witnessed by many people. Most of them were sure that the death of the brave men was inevitable. But all fears were in vain, people returned safely to earth.
The balloonists reached an altitude of 915 meters (according to other sources, 450 meters), spent 25 minutes in the sky and, having flown over all of Paris, landed 8.5 kilometers from the launch site near the road to Fontainebleau.. The maximum flight altitude was, presumably, a little more

The flight itself was a remarkable event, but besides this, it seemed to sum up the greatest achievement of chemistry: the rejection of the phlogiston theory of the structure of matter, which collapsed when it turned out that different gases have different weights.

Closely associated with the first flights of manned and unmanned balloons are the names of four outstanding chemists - Joseph Black, Henry Cavendish, Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, whose work opened the way to a clear understanding of the chemical nature of matter. In the following years, many hot air balloon flights were made in Europe.
Englishman James Glasher flew into the air several dozen times in 1861–1863 to study the atmosphere.

This is how humanity learned to fly...

The history of the development of aeronautics, it would seem, is completed. Today helicopters, airplanes and many other strange means of transportation have appeared in our lives. However, the magic and romance that are associated with such an interesting activity as flying in a hot air balloon will forever remain in the hearts of people. And today people travel on it. Many would be curious to know how it all began. The history of the development of aeronautics will be briefly discussed in this article.

Bartolommeo Lorenzo

Bartolommeo Lorenzo, a Brazilian, belongs to the pioneers whose names have not been forgotten by history. However, their major scientific achievements have been questioned or remained unknown for centuries.

Bartolommeo Lorenzo is the real name of a man who went down in the history of aeronautics as Lorenzo Guzmao, a Portuguese priest, the creator of a project called "Passarola", which until recently was perceived as a fantasy. In 1971, after a long search, it was possible to discover documents explaining the events of this distant past.

They began in 1708, when, having moved to Portugal, Guzmao entered the university in Coimbra and got the idea of ​​making a flight that would open up the history of aeronautics. Physics and mathematics, in which Lorenzo showed great ability, helped him in this. He began his project with an experiment. Guzmao designed several models that became prototypes of his future vessel.

First demonstrations of the Guzmao vessel

In 1709, in August, these models were shown to the royal nobility. One such balloon flight turned out to be successful: a thin shell with a small brazier suspended underneath it lifted off the ground almost 4 meters. Guzmao began his Passarola project that same year. Unfortunately, no information has been preserved about his test. However, in any case, Guzmao was the first who, based on the study of natural phenomena, was able to find a real way to rise upward, and also attempted to implement it in practice. Thus began the history of the development of aeronautics.

Joseph Montgolfier

From Joseph, his older brother, Etienne Montgolfier, who owned a paper factory in a small French town, received a note in 1782 in which his brother suggested that he prepare more ropes and silk fabric in order to see one of the most amazing things in the world. This note meant that Joseph had finally found what the brothers had talked about more than once during their meetings: a way to rise into the air.

A shell filled with smoke turned out to be this remedy. As a result of one simple experiment, J. Montgolfier noticed that a box-shaped fabric shell sewn from two pieces of fabric rushed upward after it was filled with smoke. This discovery captivated not only the author himself, but also his brother. Working together, the researchers created two more aerostatic machines (they called theirs that way). One of them was demonstrated among friends and family. It was made in the form of a ball, the diameter of which was 3.5 meters.

Montgolfier's first successes

The experiment was a complete success: the shell stayed in the air for about 10 minutes, rising to a height of about 300 meters and flying through the air for about a kilometer. The brothers, inspired by their success, decided to show their invention to the general public. They built a giant balloon, the diameter of which was more than 10 meters. Its shell, sewn from canvas, was reinforced with rope mesh and also covered with paper in order to increase its impermeability.

In 1783, on June 5, it was demonstrated in the market square in the presence of many spectators. The ball filled with smoke rose upward. All the details of the experiment were certified by a special protocol, which was sealed with the signatures of various officials. Thus, for the first time, an invention was officially certified, which opened the way for aeronautics.

Professor Charles

In Paris, the flight of the Montgolfier brothers in a hot air balloon aroused great interest. They were invited to repeat their experience in the capital. At the same time, Jacques Charles, a French physicist, was ordered to demonstrate the aircraft he had created. Charles assured that smoky air, hot air balloon gas, as it was then called, was not the best means for creating aerostatic

Jacques was well aware of the latest advances in chemistry and believed that it was much better to use hydrogen, since it was lighter than air. However, having chosen this gas to fill his apparatus, the professor encountered a number of technical difficulties. First of all, it was necessary to decide what to make of a lightweight shell capable of holding volatile gas for a long time.

Charlier's first flight

The Robey brothers, mechanics, helped him cope with this task. They produced material with the required qualities. To do this, the brothers used light silk fabric, which was covered with a solution of rubber in turpentine. In 1783, on August 27, Charles's flying machine took off in Paris. He rushed upward in front of about 300 thousand spectators and soon became invisible. When one person present asked what the point was in all this, Benjamin Franklin, a famous American statesman and scientist who also observed the flight, replied: “What is the point of bringing a newborn into the world?” This remark turned out to be prophetic. The “newborn” was born, and a great future was destined for him.

First passengers

However, Charles's success did not stop the Montgolfier brothers from their intention to demonstrate their own invention in Paris. Etienne, trying to make the greatest impression, used his talent as an excellent architect. The hot air balloon he built was, in a sense, a work of art. Its shell had a barrel shape, the height of which was more than 20 meters. It was decorated on the outside with colorful ornaments and monograms.

The balloon demonstrated by the Academy of Sciences aroused admiration among its representatives. It was decided to repeat this show in the presence of the royal court. Near Paris, in Versailles, a demonstration took place in 1783, on September 19. True, the balloon that aroused the admiration of academicians did not live to see this day: its shell was washed away by rain, as a result of which it became unusable. But this did not stop the Montgolfier brothers. Working diligently, they built the new ball on time. It was in no way inferior in beauty to the previous one.

In order to produce the maximum effect, the brothers attached a cage to it, in which they put a rooster, a duck and a ram. These were the first balloonists in history. The balloon rushed upward and, having traveled a distance of 4 km, 8 minutes later it safely landed on the ground. The heroes of the day were the Montgolfier brothers. They were awarded various awards, and from that day on, all balloons that used smoky air to create lift were called hot air balloons.

Man flying on a hot air balloon

With each flight, the Montgolfier brothers came closer to the cherished goal that they pursued - human flight. The new ball they built was larger. Its height was 22.7 meters and its diameter was 15 meters. A ring gallery was attached to its lower part. It was intended for two people. The creation of this design continued the history of aeronautics. Physics, on the achievements of which it was based, at that time allowed the construction of only very simple aircraft. The fireplace for burning straw was suspended in the middle of the gallery. It radiated heat while in the shell under the hole. This heat warmed the air, allowing for a longer flight. He even became somewhat manageable.

In the history of flights you can find a variety of interesting facts. Aeronautics is an activity that brought great fame and glory in the 18th century. The creators of the aircraft did not want to share it with others. However, Louis XVI, King of France, forbade the authors of the project to take personal part in the flight. In his opinion, this life-threatening task should have been entrusted to two criminals who were sentenced to death. However, this caused protests from Pilatre de Rozier, one of the active participants in the construction of the hot air balloon.

This man could not come to terms with the fact that the names of the criminals would go down in the history of aeronautics. He insisted on participating in the flight himself. Permission was eventually granted. Another “pilot” went on a trip in a hot air balloon. It was the Marquis d'Arlandes, a fan of aeronautics. And so in 1783, on November 21, they took off from the ground and made the first flight in history. The hot air balloon stayed in the air for 25 minutes, flying about 9 km during this time.

Flight of a man on a charlier

In order to prove that the future of aeronautics belongs to the Charliers (balloons with shells filled with hydrogen), Professor Charles decided to carry out a flight that was supposed to be more spectacular than that arranged by the Montgolfier brothers. In creating his new balloon, he developed a number of design solutions that would be used for centuries to come.

Charlier, built by him, had a mesh that covered the upper hemisphere of the balloon, as well as slings that held the gondola suspended from this mesh. There were people in the gondola. A special vent was made in the shell to allow hydrogen to escape. A valve located in the shell, as well as ballast stored in the nacelle, were used to change the flight altitude. An anchor was also provided to make it easier to land on the ground.

Charlier, whose diameter was more than 9 meters, took off on December 1, 1783 in the Tuileries Park. Professor Charles set off on it, as well as Robert, one of the brothers who took an active part in the construction of the Charlier. They landed safely near a village, having flown about 40 kilometers. Charles then continued his journey alone.

Charlier flew 5 km, while climbing to an incredible height for that time - 2750 meters. After spending about half an hour in this sky-high height, the researcher landed safely, thus completing the first flight in the history of aeronautics in a balloon with a hydrogen-filled shell.

A balloon that flew over the English Channel

The life of Jean Pierre Blanchard, the French mechanic who made the first balloon flight across the English Channel, is remarkable in that it illustrates the turning point that occurred in the development of aeronautics at the end of the 18th century. Blanchard began by implementing the idea of ​​flapping flight.

In 1781, he built an apparatus whose wings were driven by the force of his legs and arms. Testing it suspended on a rope thrown over a block, this inventor rose to the height of a multi-story building, while the counterweight was about 10 kg. Delighted by the first successes, he published in the newspaper his thoughts on the possibility of flapping flight for humans.

The air travel made in the first balloons, as well as the search for flight controls, again brought Blanchard back to the idea of ​​​​wings, but already used to control the balloon. Although the first experiment ended unsuccessfully, the researcher did not give up his attempts and was increasingly carried away by the ascent into the heavenly expanse.

In 1784, in the fall, his flights began in England. The researcher had the idea to fly across the English Channel in a balloon, thereby proving the possibility of air communication between France and England. In 1785, on January 7, this historic flight took place, in which the inventor himself, as well as Dr. Jeffrey, his American friend, took part.

The Age of Aeronautics

The history of the development of aeronautics was short-lived. From the beginning of the age of airships and balloons to its complete completion, it would seem that a little more than 150 years have passed. The first free balloon was lifted into the air by the Montgolfier brothers in 1783, and in 1937 the LZ-129 Gindenburg, an airship built in Germany, burned down. This happened in the USA, in Lakehurst, on a mooring mast. There were 97 people on board the ship. Of these, 35 died. This disaster shocked the world community so much that the great powers were inclined to stop building large airships. Thus ended an era in aeronautics in which the last 40 years had seen the development of rigid airships called zeppelins (one of their main creators was Ferdinand von Zeppelin, a German general).

The hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers was uncontrollable. It was not until 1852 that Henri Giffard, a French designer, created a controlled balloon.

Engineers have long tried to solve the problem of aircraft rigidity. David Schwarz, an Austrian designer, came up with the idea of ​​making their body metal. In Berlin in 1897, the Schwarz balloon took off. Its body was made of aluminum. However, due to engine problems, an emergency landing was made.

Count Zeppelin

Count von Zeppelin, having become acquainted with David's works, saw their promise. He came up with a frame made of lightweight box trusses, which were riveted from aluminum strips. The holes in them were stamped. The frame was made from ring-shaped frames. They were connected by stringers.

A hydrogen chamber was placed between each pair of frames (1217 pieces in total). Therefore, if several internal cylinders were damaged, the remaining ones maintained volatility. In the summer of 1990, the cigar-shaped eight-ton giant Zeppelin (an airship whose diameter was 12 meters, length - 128) made a successful 18-minute flight, turning its creator, who was then considered almost a city madman, into a national hero.

The country, which recently lost the war with the French, received the general’s idea of ​​​​this miracle weapon with a bang. Zeppelin is an airship that began to be actively used in military operations. For the First World War, the general designed several machines, the length of which was 148 m. They could reach speeds of up to 80 km/h. The airships that Count Zeppelin designed went to war.

The 20th century further democratized flying. Modern aeronautics has become a hobby for many people. In July 1897, Solomon Auguste Andre made the first ever flight to the Arctic in a hot air balloon. In 1997, in honor of the centenary of this event, balloonists held a balloon festival at the North Pole. Since then, the most daring teams fly here every year to take to the skies. The aeronautics festival is a fascinating spectacle, which many people come to admire.

History of Aeronautics

Balloon Charles

Nadar managed to take a foggy photograph from the battlefield in a balloon, but Godard could not report anything significant. During the American War, the army of the northern states very often used tied or attached balls (a é rostats ballons captifs) to monitor the position of the enemy in the vast forests where the struggle was carried out, and the outcome of the battle. Balls of this kind are held on a leash according to the Giffard method with the help of a very strong rope. As the balloon rises, it develops a rope on its own. The twisting of the rope, that is, the lowering of the ball, which occurs without releasing gas, is carried out using a steam engine. Due to the large weight and large number of passengers, the lifting force, and therefore the size of the ball, must be very large; for example, the volume of Giffard’s “ballon captif” in London and Paris in 1878-1879 reached 12,000 cubic meters. m. The balloon boat, like an omnibus, could accommodate 32 people; the rope was 650 m long and weighed about 3000 kg. The arena built for this ball had a diameter of 175 meters and was surrounded by a wall covered with canvas.

Giffard tethered balloon

Some of the balloons used died (they suffered greatly from long-range weapons fire and were good only in calm weather), but still the results obtained were very significant; and after the end of the war of 1870-1871. Military engineers from all countries have already tested balloons for suitability for military purposes. It was proposed to send signals to the troops from balloons. The use of the telephone in aerial reconnaissance was also tested in the Russian army, with satisfactory results: a tethered balloon was connected to headquarters or to an observation detachment via telephone, so that the observer on the balloon could continuously report all movements of enemy detachments.

Cigar-shaped balloon

(An airship, a stratoplane and a starship as three stages of the greatest achievements of the USSR)

Airship Dupuy de Loma

Dupuis de Lôme built his oval-shaped ball, 36 m long and with a capacity of 3564 cubic meters. meters. Attached to the boat, 6 m wide and 3 meters long, was a propeller consisting of 4 wings, each about 1 meter wide. The wings were covered with silk taffeta. The screw made 21 revolutions per minute and was driven by 4 people. At this screw speed, the ball made 2.22 meters per second on its own. If the screw was rotated by 8 people, its average speed reached 28 - 32 revolutions, and the ball moved at a speed of 2.28 m per second. In addition, between the boat and the balloon, a triangular sail, 5 meters high, was placed, which played the role of a rudder. This sail, with the help of a mast fixed at a fixed point of support, could be installed in any position. A double rope net surrounded the entire airship. The trial lifting, which took place on February 2nd, from the Fort-Nave, in Vincennes, was very favorable for the inventor. The rudder worked despite the wind. The ball could travel an average of 10 km per hour. The test gave the previously foreseen result that it is possible to move against the wind, the speed of which is less than the speed of the balloon. If the wind was stronger than the independent movement of the ball, the rudder was inactive. The engineer Gaenlein in Mainz built a balloon in the city, in the form of an elongated body of rotation, with pointed ends, with a 4-wing propeller and a rudder, but instead of human power, he used a Lenoar gas engine of 3.6 horsepower, weighing 233 kg .

Henlein's airship

This balloon also had a small compensation ball of the Meunier system inside. In order to soften and reduce the shock when lowering the ball to the ground, a special device was placed at the bottom of the rook. The speed of the Haenlein balloon, built at the expense of capitalists, during experiments in Brunn, reached a maximum value of about 5 meters per second. Rufus Porter in New York and Marriott in San Francisco also made attempts to build a balloon that could be controlled. Captain Templer in England wanted to achieve the ability to travel in any direction, exploring air currents at different altitudes (a similar proposal was made by the Hot Air Balloons) in order to use them according to the desired direction. Due to the extremely frequent and rapid changes in these trends, it turned out to be extremely difficult to study and utilize this aspect of the matter. All previous attempts to achieve control of the ball using sails were rejected when it was established that the main condition for controlling the ball was its own movement. The rudder is inactive as soon as the wind picks up and carries the balloon with it at the same speed and in the same direction as the air flow; therefore, the sail of the boat, which should give direction, is inactive under the influence of the air current. The task of aeronautics is to achieve control of the balloon through special air wings, a propeller and a movable rudder.

The issue of aeronautics, assuming the possibility of controlling a balloon, depends and is entirely connected with the invention of a special engine suitable for aeronautics, possibly light and strong. Until this year, apart from the hand-rotated propeller used by Dupuy de Lom, steam or gas engines were used, which turned out to be too heavy and dangerous in terms of fire. With the invention of batteries, these reservoirs of electrical energy, there immediately appeared attempts to use electric motors (dynamos), which are incomparably lighter and safer than steam and gas engines.

Zeppelin

1900. The experimental airship "LZ 1" (LZ stood for "Luftschiff Zeppelin") had a length of 128 m, it was equipped with two engines Daimler

Airship "LZ 4"

Construction of the first Zeppelin airships began in 1899 on a floating assembly plant on Lake Constance in the Munzell Bay, Friedrichshafen. It was intended to simplify the launch procedure, since the workshop could sail with the wind. The experimental airship "LZ 1" (LZ stood for "Luftschiff Zeppelin") had a length of 128 m, it was equipped with two engines Daimler power 14.2 hp (10.6 kV) and was balanced by moving weight between its two nacelles.

Zeppelin's first flight took place on July 2. It lasted for only 18 minutes as LZ 1 was forced to land on the lake after the weight balancing mechanism failed. After the apparatus was repaired, the rigid airship technology was successfully tested on subsequent flights, breaking the speed record of the French airship by 6 m/s France by 3 m/s, but this was still not enough to attract significant investment in airship construction. This happened a few years later, as a result the count received the necessary funding.

XX century

In addition to aeronautics, based on the specific lightness of the balloon, they also began to think about implementing it with the help of flying machines that would be specifically heavier than air, but would be held in it and fly with the help of dynamic force. Accordingly, aeronautics had two main directions (Until the early 20s of the 20th century, the term “aeronautics” meant movement in the air in general): 1) aeronautics with the help of balloons, or balloons that are specifically lighter than air, already carried out (A é orostation) , and 2) aviation, giving. the ability to rise and stay in the air. Belonged to the supporters of the first direction. practicing balloonists of the 19th century. He was supporters of aviation, or aviators. all aeronautical theorists, mainly mathematicians, engineers, physiologists and technologists. Their scientific work on aeronautics is also extremely important for balloonists, since it is based on air resistance and the propeller. The great difficulty of implementing the plans of the aviators is. is that in the 19th century. neither their flying bodies nor their engines could. be built as light as the calculation requires. Professor D.

Aeronautics development started in Russia. Some people cannot imagine themselves without the clear sky at a dizzying height and the adrenaline in their blood during aeronautics.

Man has always dreamed of flying. To break away from the earth's firmament and, like a bird, to look at the world from the azure distance of the sky - such dreams have disturbed many generations of dreamers and romantics. How many misconceptions and disappointments, fatal falls and persecutions had to be experienced until the first balloon - a symbol of human faith, perseverance and courage - took off from the ground and carried people into a new era of aeronautics.

According to legend, the reason for such a sensational discovery was the following incident: one of the Montgolfier brothers, Joseph Michel, accidentally noticed that when his wife approached the fireplace, the hem of her silk dress was filled with warm air and rose... So the beginning of the development of the “fifth ocean” put a hand, or rather a skirt, on the weaker sex . Aeronautics has entered a new era.

Man's enduring love for balloons is somewhat akin to his attitude towards horses: people have long since started driving cars, but their admiration for noble horses has not diminished. So it is with balloons - the most modern aircraft could not replace the romance of free floating in the skies. All over the world, aeronautical sports are of no less interest than yacht regattas or Formula 1 races. There are three largest balloon manufacturing companies - Cameron Balloon, Thunder and Colt, Lidstard Balloons. And they don’t sit idle, releasing up to 600 balloons a year. And there are dozens of small firms engaged in this area; they develop aeronautics, constantly adding some new technological developments.

It seemed that in the age of cosmic speeds, balloons, like the “dinosaurs” of the aircraft industry, were doomed to extinction. But at the end of the 20th century. The world was literally swept by a new wave of hot air balloon craze. It takes a lot of money to maintain a balloon, so you don’t have to think that if you once spent a tidy sum on buying a balloon, that’s where all the spending will end.

Watch the video filmed in Switzerland: “Balloon Festival” Chateau d’Oex -2012 “

You need an escort vehicle, an SUV (you don’t know in which swamp you will land), a good trailer that can withstand a cross-country race. Also, walkie-talkies and GPS navigation devices for the crew and escort group, which must consist of at least three people (the basket weighs quite a bit, try loading it into the trailer). And filling a gas cylinder is enough for an hour of flight. Sometimes emergency situations happen: for example, landing in places where no SUV can reach. At this point, please, call a helicopter. In general, one ascent into the air in a hot air balloon will cost a tidy sum.

The structure of the ball is very simple: a shell made of thin fabric, a basket of willow twigs and a gas burner with cylinders. This entire structure weighs 200-300 kg. Operated by a burner valve for lifting and a rope leading to a valve on the top of the ball, which releases hot air outward, causing the apparatus to descend. At different altitudes, air currents move in different directions, and the pilot’s task, by adjusting the flight altitude, is to make the ball fly in the desired direction.

Few people know that championship in development of aeronautics and the construction of the first military balloon belongs to Russia. In 1812, on the estate of Alexander I Vorontsovo near Moscow, a “flying whale” was built in complete secrecy - a charlier for throwing cannonballs, which was supposed to be driven by the power of oars and carry 40 oarsmen on board. The work was nearing completion when the French approached Moscow. “Kita” was evacuated along with the Russian army convoy, but its shell was damaged, so the balloon never took off. Therefore, we can be proud that the development of aeronautics began in our state!

Balloons are divided into gas and thermal; they are also classified depending on their purpose, shell volume and size.

"PASSAROLA" LORENZO GUZMAO

Among the pioneers of aeronautics whose names have not been forgotten by history, but whose scientific achievements remained unknown or questioned for centuries, is the Brazilian Bartolommeo Lorenzo. This is his real name, and he entered the history of aeronautics as the Portuguese priest Lorenzo Guzmao, the author of the Passarola project, which until recently was perceived as pure fantasy. After a lengthy search in 1971, it was possible to find documents that shed light on the events of the distant past. These events began in 1708, when, having moved to Portugal, Lorenzo Guzmao entered the university in Coimbra and was inspired by the idea of ​​​​building an aircraft. Having shown extraordinary ability in the study of physics and mathematics, he began with what is the basis of any endeavor: with experiment. He built several models that became prototypes of the planned vessel. In August 1709, the models were demonstrated to the highest royal nobility. One of the demonstrations was successful: a thin egg-shaped shell with a small brazier suspended underneath, heating the air, rose almost four meters from the ground. In the same year, Guzmao began implementing the Passarola project. History has no information about her test. But in any case, Lorenzo Guzmao was the first person who, based on the study of physical phenomena of nature, was able to identify a real method of aeronautics and tried to implement it in practice.

THE INVENTION OF JOSEPH MONTGOLFIER

“Hurry, prepare more silk fabric, ropes, and you will see one of the most amazing things in the world,” Etienne Montgolfier, the owner of a paper factory in a small French town, received such a note in 1782 from his older brother Joseph. The message meant that at last something had been found that the brothers had talked about more than once during their meetings: a means by which one could rise into the air. This means turned out to be a shell filled with smoke. As a result of a simple experiment, J. Montgolfier saw how a fabric shell, sewn in the shape of a box from two pieces of fabric, after filling it with smoke, rushed upward. Joseph's discovery also captivated his brother. Now working together, they built two more aerostatic machines (that’s what they called their balloons). One of them, made in the form of a ball with a diameter of 3.5 meters, was demonstrated among family and friends. It was a complete success - the shell stayed in the air for about 10 minutes, rising to a height of almost 300 meters and flying through the air for about a kilometer. Inspired by their success, the brothers decided to show the invention to the general public. They built a huge balloon with a diameter of more than 10 meters. Its shell, made of canvas, was reinforced with rope mesh and covered with paper to increase impermeability. The balloon demonstration took place in the city's market square on June 5, 1783, in the presence of a large number of spectators. A ball filled with smoke rushed upward. A special protocol, signed by officials, documented all the details of the experiment. Thus, for the first time, the invention that opened the way to aeronautics was officially certified.

THE INVENTION OF PROFESSOR CHARLES

The Montgolfier brothers' balloon flight aroused great interest in Paris. The Academy of Sciences invited them to repeat their experience in the capital. At the same time, the young French physicist Professor Jacques Charles was ordered to prepare and demonstrate his aircraft. Charles was sure that hot air balloon gas, as the smoky air was then called, was not the best means for creating aerostatic lift. He was well acquainted with the latest discoveries in the field of chemistry and believed that the use of hydrogen would provide much greater benefits, since it is lighter than air. But having chosen hydrogen to fill the shell of the aircraft, Charles faced a number of technical problems. First of all, what to make a lightweight shell from that can hold volatile gas for a long time. The mechanics, the Robey brothers, helped him cope with this problem." They produced the material of the necessary qualities, using light silk fabric coated with a solution of rubber in turpentine. On August 27, 1783, Charles's flying machine took off on the Champ de Mars in Paris. In front of 300 thousand spectators, he rushed up and soon became invisible. When one of those present exclaimed: “What is the point of all this?!” the famous American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin, who was among the spectators, remarked: “What is the point of the birth of a newborn?” turned out to be prophetic: a “newborn” was born, who was destined for a great future.

FIRST AIR PASSENGERS

The successful flight of Charles's balloon did not stop the Montgolfier brothers from their intention to take advantage of the offer of the Academy of Sciences and demonstrate a balloon of their own design in Paris. In an effort to make the greatest impression, Etienne used all his talent; it was not for nothing that he was also considered an excellent architect. The balloon he built was, in a sense, a work of art. Its shell, more than 20 meters high, had an unusual barrel-shaped shape and was decorated on the outside with monograms and colorful ornaments. The balloon demonstrated to official representatives of the Academy of Sciences aroused such admiration among them that it was decided to repeat the display in the presence of the royal court. The demonstration took place at Versailles (near Paris) on September 19, 1783. True, the balloon, which aroused the admiration of French academics, did not live to see this day: its shell was washed away by rain, and it became unusable. However, this did not stop the Montgolfier brothers. Working day and night, they built a ball by the scheduled date, which was not inferior in beauty to the previous one. To create an even greater effect, the brothers attached a cage to the balloon, where they put a ram, a duck and a rooster. These were . The balloon took off from the platform and rushed upward, and eight minutes later, having traveled a distance of four kilometers, it safely landed on the ground. The Montgolfier brothers became the heroes of the day, were awarded awards, and all balloons that used smoky air to create lift were from that day called hot air balloons.

THE FIRST MAN FLIGHT IN A HOT GOLFIER

Each flight of the Montgolfier brothers' balloons brought them closer to their cherished goal - human flight. The new ball they built was larger: height 22.7 meters, diameter 15 meters. In its lower part there was a ring gallery, designed for two people. In the middle of the gallery there was a fireplace for burning crushed straw. Being under a hole in the shell, it radiated heat, which warmed the air inside the shell during. This made it possible to make a balloon flight longer and, to some extent, more controllable. King Louis XVI of France forbade the authors of the project to take personal part in the flight. Such a life-threatening task, in his opinion, should have been entrusted to two criminals sentenced to death. But this caused violent protests from Pilatre de Rosier, an active participant in the construction of the hot air balloon. He could not come to terms with the idea that the names of some criminals would go down in the history of aeronautics, and insisted on personally participating in the flight. Permission was received. Another “pilot” was the Marquis d’Arland, a fan of aeronautics. And on November 21, 1783, a man was finally able to take off from the ground and make an aerial flight. The hot air balloon stayed in the air for 25 minutes, flying about nine kilometers.

FIRST MAN FLIGHT ON CHARLIÉRE

In an effort to prove that the future of aeronautics belongs to charliers (the so-called balloons with shells filled with hydrogen), and not to hot air balloons, Professor Charles understood that for this it was necessary to carry out a flight of people on a charlier, and more spectacular than the flight of the Montgolfier brothers. While creating the new balloon, he developed a number of design solutions that were then used for many decades. The charlier he built had a mesh that covered the upper hemisphere of the balloon shell, and slings with which a gondola for people was suspended from this mesh. A special vent was made in the shell to allow hydrogen to escape when the external pressure dropped. To control the flight altitude, a special valve in the shell and ballast stored in the nacelle were used. An anchor was also provided to facilitate landing on the ground. On December 1, 1783, the charlier, with a diameter of more than nine meters, took off in the Tuileries Park. Professor Charles and one of the Robert brothers, who took an active part in the construction of the Charlier, went on it. Having flown 40 kilometers, they landed safely near a small village. Charles then continued his journey alone. Charlier flew five kilometers, climbing to an unprecedented height for that time - 2750 meters. After staying in the sky-high heights for about half an hour, the researcher landed safely, thus completing the first flight in the history of aeronautics in a balloon with a shell filled with hydrogen.

AEROSTAT OVER THE English Channel

The life of the French mechanic Jean Pierre Blanchard, who made the first balloon flight across the English Channel, is remarkable in that it is a vivid illustration of the turning point in the development of aeronautics at the end of the 18th century. Blanchard began by implementing the idea of ​​flapping flight. In 1781, he built an apparatus whose wings were driven by the force of his arms and legs. Testing this apparatus suspended on a rope thrown over a pulley, the inventor rose to the height of the roof of a multi-story building with a counterweight of only 10 kilograms. Delighted by the success, he published in the newspaper his thoughts on the possibility of flapping human flight. Air travel made on the first balloons, and then the search for means of controlling their movement, again returned Blanchard to the idea of ​​​​wings, this time as a control for the balloon. Although Blanchard's first trip in a balloon with winged oars ended unsuccessfully, he did not give up his attempts and became more and more interested in rising into the heavenly expanse. Blanchard began giving public demonstrations of hot air ballooning. When his flights in England began in the fall of 1784, he had the idea of ​​flying in a balloon across the English Channel, thereby proving the possibility of air communication between England and France. This historic flight, in which Blanchard and his friend the American doctor Jeffrey participated, took place on January 7, 1785.

A LIFE DEVOTED TO AERONAUTATION

The history of aeronautics has been a history of not only victories, but also defeats, and sometimes dramatic fates. An example of this is the life of Pilatre de Rosier. A physicist by training, he was one of the first to understand the true significance of Joseph Montgolfier's invention. Rosier persistently put forward the idea of ​​manned aeronautics, repeatedly declaring his personal readiness to fly in a hot air balloon. Perseverance and courage led to triumph: Rosier became the first, having made a twenty-minute flight on a hot air balloon on November 21, 1783, together with the Marquis d'Arland. At his suggestion, the design of the hot air balloon, which was built in 1783 in the city of Lyon for a flight demonstration, was changed. In the new version, the air The balloon was designed to lift twelve people into the air, and although the Lyon hot air balloon lifted only seven people into the air and touched the ground again 15 minutes later, it was the first flight of a multi-seat balloon in the history of aeronautics. Then Rosier sets a new record in a hot air balloon flight together. with the chemist Proulx, he reaches a height of 4000 meters. Having achieved this success, Rosier returns to the idea of ​​long-distance flights. Now his goal is to fly across the English Channel. He develops a balloon of his own design, combining a conventional spherical balloon and a cylindrical hot air balloon. began to be called Rosier. But fate was clearly not favorable to Pilatre de Rosier. Having taken off on June 15, 1785, together with his assistant Romain, Rosier did not even have time to fly to the English Channel. A fire that broke out on the rosier led to the tragic death of both balloonists.

FROM DREAM TO PROFESSION

Attempts to implement controlled movement of balloons, undertaken in France in the early years of the development of aeronautics, did not yield positive results. And the interest of the general public in demonstration flights gradually turned aeronautics into a special type of spectacular event. But in 1793, that is, ten years after the first flights of people in balloons, an area of ​​their practical application was discovered. French physicist Guiton de Morveau proposed the use of tethered balloons to lift observers into the air. This idea was expressed at a time when the enemies of the French Revolution were trying to strangle it. The technical development of the tethered balloon project was entrusted to the physicist Coutell. He successfully completed the task, and in October 1793 the balloon was sent to the active army for field testing, and in April 1794 a decree was issued on the organization of the first aeronautical company of the French army. Cutelle was appointed its commander. The appearance of tethered balloons over the positions of the French troops stunned the enemy: rising to a height of 500 meters, observers could look far into the depths of his defenses. Intelligence data was transmitted to the ground in special boxes, which were lowered along a cord attached to the gondola. After the victory of the French troops, the National Aeronautical School was created by the decision of the Convention. Although it lasted only five years, a start had been made: aeronautics became a profession.

HISTORY OF AERONAUTATION IN DATES AND EVENTS

200-400 - the mythical flight of the Peruvian boy Antarqui
. August 8, 1709 - the Portuguese priest Bartholomeu Lourenço de Gusmao at the king's court demonstrated a model of a hot air balloon that rose due to the heated air in the shell.
. November 17, 1731 - the first manned flight in a hot air balloon, following Russian chronicles, was made by clerk Kryakutnoy from Nerekhta.
. August 26, 1740 - French aeronautics pioneer J.M. Montgolfier was born. Older brother, one of the inventors of the hot air balloon.
. June 5, 1783 - demonstration of the balloon by Etienne and Joseph Montgolfier on the market square in the city of Annonay. The balloon rose to a height of 500 meters and stayed in the air for 10 minutes, flying 2 kilometers.
. August 27, 1783 - the first launch of the balloon of physicist Jacques Alexandre Caesar Charles, filled with iron filings and sulfuric acid. At an altitude of 1000 to 1500 meters the balloon burst.
. September 15, 17, 19, 1783 - test tethered flights of the physicist Pilatre-de-Rosier on a Montgolfier balloon.
. September 19, 1783 - flight of a hot air balloon with a ram, rooster and duck on board at Versailles. The experiment ended successfully; the ball flew 4 km in 10 minutes.
. November 21, 1783 - the first manned flight in a balloon. Pilots Pilatre de Rosier and Marquis d'Arlandes flew over Paris and landed safely 25 minutes later, flying about 9 km at an altitude of up to 1 km.
. November 24, 1783 - a small ball with a diameter of 1.5 feet was launched in St. Petersburg.
. December 1, 1783 - the first manned flight in the Charlier. Jacques Charles and Ene Robbert, having flown 36 km, descended 45 minutes after the start.
. January 5, 1784 - third balloon flight with passengers. Eight people took off on the giant hot air balloon “Les Flesselles”. At an altitude of 800 meters, the shell cracked, and the balloonists escaped with minor bruises.
. April 4, 1784 - Catherine II, by her Decree, banned the flights of balloons in Russia “under penalty of paying a fine of 20 rubles to the Order of Public Charity and the recovery of harm, damage and loss thereby caused.”
. March 19, 1784 - in St. Petersburg, the Frenchman Menil organized an unmanned ascent of a balloon.
. September 24, 1784 - the first female aeronaut, Mrs. Thible, made a flight in Lyon.
. October 16, 1784 - The first use of a propeller on a full-sized manned balloon is recorded, when Jean-Pierre Blanchard attached a six-bladed manually operated propeller to the passenger basket of his balloon.
. January 7, 1785 - Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American Jeffreys were the first to cross the English Channel, starting from the British city of Dover and landing in Calais, France.
. June 15, 1785 - the death of the aeronaut Pilattre des Rosiers during a flight across the English Channel.
. October 22, 1797 - André Jacques Garnerin made the first parachute jump from a hot air balloon.
. November 10, 1798 - the first women's team started in Paris. Pilot Jeanne Geneviève Garnerin (Miss Labrosse) and co-pilot Miss Henry.

19th century
. June 20, 1803 - the first officially registered flight in Russia was made in St. Petersburg by the Frenchman Garnerin and his wife.
. September 20, 1803 - the first flight in Moscow, made by the French Garnerin and Aubert.
. October 4, 1803 - Garnerin's flight in Russia over a distance of more than 300 km.
. May 8, 1804 - the first Russian air traveler A.S. Turchaninova, took to the Moscow sky as a passenger together with the wife of the Frenchman Garnerin.
. June 30, 1804 - flight of the Frenchman Robertson and Yakov Dmitrievich Zakharov in St. Petersburg to study the atmosphere. "The effect of altitude on the increase or decrease in magnetic force and the increase or decrease in the heating force of the sun's rays" was studied.
. December 12, 1804 - launch of balloons in honor of the coronation of Napoleon. One of them lands on Nero's tomb in Rome, causing a scandal
. October 13, 1805 - the pioneer of Russian aeronautics, staff doctor I.G. Kashinsky, flew in a balloon in Moscow. The large balloon and parachute were independently built by Kashinsky with his own money.
. August 31, 1828 - in Moscow, in a balloon of her own design, the first Russian female aeronaut, Mrs. Ilyinskaya, a bourgeois from the Presnensky district, rose to a height of 650 meters.
. September 24, 1852 - first flight of an airship piloted by Henri Giffard.
. June 18, 1861 - pilot Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe sent the first telegraph message from the Enterprise balloon.
. December 21, 1869 - the Commission on the Use of Balloons for Military Purposes was created - the first official body on military aeronautics in Russia. Head - E.I. Totleben.
. December 3, 1870 - the Russian Aeronautics Society was created.
. March 22, 1874 - high-altitude ascent (7300 m) of the French scientists T. Sivel and J. Croce-Spinelli in the Polar Star balloon; For normal breathing at altitude, aeronauts had bags filled with air with a high oxygen content.
. October 19, 1875 - D.I. At a meeting of the Russian Physical and Chemical Society, Mendeleev proposed a design for a balloon for high-altitude flights (a stratospheric balloon with a hermetically sealed gondola).
. December 1880 - on the initiative of D.M. Mendeleev, the 7th aeronautical department of the Russian Technical Society was created.
. December 20, 1880 (01/01/1881) - The Russian Technical Society opened the VII Aeronautical Department, chairman - M.A. Rykachev.
. August 9, 1884 - the first flight of S. A. Renard and A. Krebs on the airship "France" with an electric motor, the power of which (6.5 kW) made it possible to return to the launch site in light winds (a new quality for aeronautical aircraft at that time).
. February 16, 1885 - in St. Petersburg on Volkovo Pole a Cadre Military Aeronautics Team was organized, which trained military aeronauts and conducted military exercises using balloons.
. October 18, 1885 - the first free flight to a height of 2225 m lasting 5 hours at a distance of 150 km was made by Russian military aeronauts led by A.M. Kovanko.
. November 2, 1885 - with the approval of Emperor Alexander III, a Commission was created for the use of aeronautics, pigeon mail and watchtowers for military purposes.
. August 7, 1887 - a balloon was launched in Klin during a total solar eclipse, controlled by D. Mendeleev. The flight lasted 3 hours 36 minutes, after which the balloon landed near Kalyazin, covering a distance of about 120 kilometers.
. July 11, 1897 - the first flight to the Arctic, made by the Salomon pilot August Andrée July 14, 1890 - the Aeronautical Training Park was created, which later became the military and scientific center of domestic aeronautics. The first commander of the park was A. M. Kovanko.

20th century
. July 2, 1900 - the first rise of the F. Zeppelin airship of a rigid structure.
. September 15, 1900 - The 1st International Aeronautical Congress opened in Paris. Among the representatives from Russia is N. E. Zhukovsky.
. October 19, 1901 - the earliest demonstration of controlled flight on an airship - the Brazilian A. Santos-dumont flew an airship around the Eiffel Tower in Paris and won a prize of 100,000 francs. The total length of the airship was 33 m, maximum diameter - 6 m, volume - 630 cubic meters. It was equipped with a gasoline engine that drove a two-blade propeller.
. November 13, 1902 - the first flight of the Lebodi airship of a semi-rigid design (France).
. August 30, 1905 - Russia's first advertising balloon for the Katyk cigarette factory took off from the Moscow hippodrome. Pilot Jean Overbeck, hanging upside down on a trapeze, scattered advertising postcards over Moscow.
. October 14, 1905 - The International Aviation Federation (FAI) was created in France. The idea of ​​its formation was put forward in June during the Olympic Congress in Brussels by representatives of France, Germany and Belgium. On October 12, an international conference of aeronauts was convened in Paris, and two days later, delegates from Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, the USA, France and Switzerland adopted the charter of the new organization. Prince R. Bonaparte (France) is elected its first president.
. 01 October 1906 - I Gordon Bennett Cup. First place went to pilot Frank P. Lahm and co-pilot Henry B. Hersey.
. March 14, 1908 - the first general meeting of Aero Club members took place
. January 29, 1908 - a meeting of the founders of the first flying club in St. Petersburg was held, which elected a commission to develop the Charter.
. December 1909 - The All-Russian Aero Club joined the International Aeronautical Federation and received the right to register in it world aviation and aeronautical records set in Russia, as well as to issue diplomas to aeronauts and aviator pilots valid in all countries of the world
. June 28, 1910 - the first flight of the Zeppelin airship with passengers on board.
. June 28, 1910 - the Ministry of Trade and Industry issued the “first Russian aeronautics partnership” permission to launch a plant for the construction of aircraft in St. Petersburg.
. September 1, 1910 - The aeronautical training park under the command of Kovanko was transformed into the Officers' Aeronautical School.
. September 05-29, 1910 - All-Russian Aeronautics Festival in St. Petersburg. Many prizes and awards were awarded - for lift height, speed, flight duration and range, and landing accuracy.
. April 23, 1911 - The International Aeronautical Exhibition opened in St. Petersburg.
. July 6, 1919 - George Herbert Scott Sr. was the first to cross the Atlantic in an airship.
. June 27, 1920 - the first free flight in the USSR. A gas balloon took off from the center of Moscow from Red Square during the ceremonial parade in honor of the Second Congress of the Communist International. Pilots Anoshchenko, Kuni and Olerinsky.
. January 2, 1921 - the first flight of the airship "Red Star", rebuilt from the pre-revolutionary airship "Astra".
. December 1, 1921 - the first flight of an airship filled with helium.
. October 12, 1924 - the first All-Union ballooning competition (8 balloons), won by N.M. Kanishchev and P.F. Fedoseenko.
. May 12, 1926 - the airship "Norway" reached the North Pole. The flight organizers are R. Amundsen, L. Ellsworth, U. Nobile.
. November 15, 1927 - aeronaut P. Fedoseenko in a spherical balloon with a volume of 647 cubic meters stayed in the air for 23 hours 52 minutes
. May 27, 1931 - the first successful flight into the stratosphere was made by the Swiss Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer. They climbed to 15,781 meters.
. September 30, 1933 - G. Prokofiev, K. Godunov and E. Birnbaum rose to a record height of 18,514 meters on a stratospheric balloon.
. January 30, 1934 - P. Fedoseenko, A. Vasenko and I. Usyskin reached 22 km in a balloon. During the flight, the gondola came off, and the balloonists tragically died. The Stratonauts were buried near the Kremlin wall.
. September 29-October 4, 1937 - record-breaking flight duration (130 hours 27 minutes) of the Soviet airship V-6 (4800 km covered).
. November 28, 1956 - in accordance with the Resolution of the CPSU Central Committee and the Council of Ministers, the Air Force Aeronautical Service was created.
. October 22, 1960 - Edward Yost created the prototype of a modern hot air balloon.
. August 20, 1966 - flight of the first modern hot air balloon in Europe under the guidance of pilot Veikko Kaseva.
. January 4, 1973 - the first successful flight of a thermal airship. Pilot Donald A. Cameron. Bristol, UK.
. February 17, 1973 - Dennis Floden won the first World Hot Air Balloon Championships.
. September 14, 1976 - pilot Peter Peterka and co-pilot Kurt Rünzi became winners of the first World Gas Balloon Championship.
. August 17, 1978 - Americans Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in a balloon.
. April 11, 1980 - the first ever flight over the North Pole in a hot air balloon. Pilot Sid Conn.
. January 11, 1981 - first attempt to travel around the world. Pilots Maxie Leroy Anderson and Don Ida. Balloon "Jules Vernes". Taking off from Egypt and flying 4302 km. the pilots were forced to land in India.
. November 9, 1981 - The Pacific Ocean was conquered by the Japanese Askey and the Americans Anderson, Clark and Newman on the Double Eagle V balloon.
. August 7, 1988 - Oscar Lindström became the winner of the first World Thermal Airship Championship
. July 28, 1989 - flight at the Tushinsky airfield of the First Soviet-made hot air balloon, designed at the Vector Center for Scientific and Technical Creativity
. September 8, 1991 - opening of the first USSR Aeronautics Championship in Rylsk
. October 3, 1990 - the first ever flight from Great Britain to the USSR (Ledurga, Latvia). Pilot Donald A. Cameron on the Doctus balloon.
. October 21, 1991 - the first ever flight over Everest. Pilots Chris Dewhirst on the Star Flyer I and Andrew Charles Elson on the Star Flyer II
. April 23, 1992 - the first balloon flight from Russia to the United States across the Bering Strait. Pilot Masahiko Fujita (Japan) on the balloon "The Earth We Love".
. January 12, 1993 - attempt to travel around the world. Pilot Larry Newman, co-pilots Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Don Moses. The Virgin-Earthwinds balloon did not take off.
. December 12, 1995 - the first balloon flight over Antarctica. Pilot Bill Arras.
. April 21, 1996 - pilot Ivan Trifonov (Austria) was the first to make a solo flight over the North Pole in a hot air balloon.
. June 14-24, 1996 - Velikiye Luki hosted the second Russian Aeronautics Championship.
. January 20, 1997 - attempt to travel around the world. Taking off from St. Louis, USA, pilot Steve Fossett was forced to land in India due to problems with flying in Libyan airspace, thereby becoming the first to fly non-stop over three continents.
. September 05-07, 1997 - International Aeronautics Sports Festival “Moscow-850”.
. September 19, 1997 - closing of the 1st World Air Games. The best hot air balloon pilot was the German Uwe Schneider.
. March 20, 1999 - after completing a flight around the globe lasting 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes, the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon set an absolute world record for flight range - 40,814 km. This record was set by balloonists Bertrand Piccard (Switzerland) and Brian Jones (Great Britain).

21 century
. January 1, 2000 - the first flight of the new millennium. Pilot Jan Fröjdman. Takeoff in Lappajärvi at 23:55, December 31, 1999, landing in Seinäjoki on January 1, 2000 at 09:00.
. June 30, 2001 - Japanese hot air balloon pilot Masahiko Fujita became the winner of the II World Air Games. Klaus Weisgerber and pilot Astrid Gerhardt won the gas balloon class.
. June 1, 2002 - pilot M. Bakanov in the Economy and Life balloon reached a record altitude for Russia of 6696 meters.
. June 8-16, 2002 - the 1st Russian Aeronautics Cup was held in the city of Velikie Luki.
. July 3, 2002 - American pilot Steve Fossett made the second non-stop flight around the world in history. He traveled 34,242 km in the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom balloon. In 320 hours 33 minutes.
. July 18-21, 2002 - I Festival of Special Forms “The Sky of St. Sergius”.
. June 19, 2003 - the first rise of the Economy and Life - Pero balloon.
. September 29, 2003 - David Hempleman-Adams became the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean in an open wicker basket.
. February 20, 2004 - pilot Nikolai Galkin set a world record for flight duration on a BX-04 class thermal airship.
. April 9, 2004 - opening of the website of the Economy and Life balloon team.
. February 7, 2005 - at the Ramenskoye airfield, Russians Natalya Volodicheva and Ekaterina Kochetkova set a women's world speed record on a thermal airship of the BX-4 subclass (shell volume 1,600-3,000 m3).
. February 10, 2005 - Russian pilot Leonid Putintsev set a world speed record on a single-seat gas airship Au-11, which belongs to the BA-02 subclass (shell volume from 400 to 900 m3)
. February 24, 2005 - Russian women Natalya Volodicheva and Ekaterina Kochetkova set a new women's world record for flight duration on a BX-4 subclass thermal airship.
. April 2, 2005 - Valery Shkulenko set a record for flight duration on a BX-02 class thermal airship.
. May 24, 2005 - the expedition to the North Pole in a hot air balloon ended successfully. In 38 days, the Holy Rus' balloon, under the control of Valentin Efremov, covered a distance of 980 kilometers.
. August 28, 2005 - opening of the festival “1000-year-old sky of Kazan”.
. March 1, 2006 - Russian aeronaut Valery Shkulenko set a world speed record on the thermal airship Au-29 "Zyablik".
. March 8 - 11, 2006 - in Dmitrov, Moscow region, the annual CIA FAI conference was held for the first time in Russia.
. On August 17, 2006, as part of the “High Start” program, organized by the METROPOL Group of Companies and the Russian Aeronautical Society with the participation of the Arctic Projects Foundation, a world record for ascent in height on an airship was set. The famous Russian aeronaut Stanislav Fedorov crossed the 8 km mark on the Polar Goose airship.