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Created by Rowena8482

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Hot Air Balloons
Ballooning game quiz
"Come float gently with me on a trip in a balloon - all about the people, journeys, and equipment from this fascinating mode of transport..."

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The first manned hot air balloon free flight took place in France in 1783. The pilots were Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis Francois d'Arlands, who petitioned King Louis XVI for the honour. Who had the King originally intended to be the pilots?
    Convicted criminals
    His wife Maria Antonia (he disliked her!)
    The King himself and a favourite courtier
    The Bishop of Rheims, in case God was "displeased by man flying without wings"

2. The town of Tullamore, in Ireland, was the setting for a ballooning first in May 1785. The event is commemorated to this day on the town crest; what event was it?
    The first balloon to ascend over one mile high and land safely
    The first disastrous balloon crash burned down 100 houses
    The first balloon to cross the English Channel from France landed there
    The first balloon to cross the Arctic circle landed there after being blown off course from Norway

3. During the American Civil War, there was an official Union Army Balloon Corps, who carried out reconnaissance duties using tethered gas filled balloons. Which scientist and veteran balloonist was appointed by President Lincoln to lead them?
    Joseph Henry
    Thaddeus Lowe
    John LaMountain
    Allen McLelland

4. The largest commercially available modern hot air balloons can carry up to twenty four people, and have an envelope encompassing over 100,000 square feet. At the other end of the scale is a single person recreational balloon, with a simple harness rather than a basket or gondola. What name is given to these small one-person balloons?

5. The first ever balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean was achieved in 1978 by three American pilots. What was the name of their balloon?
    Washington IV
    Henshaw's Folly
    Double Eagle II

6. The world's premiere balloon race, the "Coupe Aeronautique" is named after the man who founded it in 1906. Who was he?
    Louis Bleriot
    Gordon Bennett
    Wilbur Wright
    Perkin Montmorency

7. The 'lift' of a hot air or hot gas balloon comes when the heated gas in the envelope becomes lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. Which scientist's principle is this in accordance with?

8. The vast majority of modern balloons have an envelope made of nylon. Smaller panels are sewn together to make up several larger "strips" which are then sewn in turn to form the envelope. What is the correct term for these "strips"?
    Main Panels

9. Which gas is used in most modern hot gas balloons?

10. In order to descend in a hot gas balloon, it is necessary to spill out some of the hot gas from the envelope. At the very top of the envelope is a valve, worked via a cord control. What is this valve called?
    Vent Valve
    Apex Valve
    Parachute Valve
    Heat-spill Valve

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Compiled Jun 28 12