Raccoon is in search of adventure! A hot air balloon looks like the perfect way for him to experience flying . . . but how will he get down?

More than a century before the Wright brothers’ first flight, humans were taking to the skies in hot air balloons. Today, with basic craft skills, you can build and safely launch your own balloons using inexpensive, readily available materials. Author and inventor Clive Catterall provides illustrated, step-by-step instructions for eight different homemade models, as well as the science and history behind them. Some, like the Solar Tetroon or the Trash Bag Sausage, are made from plastic bags and tape. Others, like the Khom Loi or the Kongming Lantern, are built using tissue paper and wire. The Hot Air Balloon Book also shows readers ways to heat the interior air that lifts these balloons, from tea candles to hair dryers, kitchen toasters to the sun’s warming rays. Always keeping safety in mind, the author includes detailed guidelines on when and where open flames are appropriate and the proper weather conditions to launch these lighter-than-air craft.

Hot air balloons are huge and colorful. They're lots of fun to watch. But how do they fly? And how do people control where the hot air balloon goes? Read this book to find out!

Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe (1823-1913) was called by Carl Sandburg 'the most shot-at man of the Civil War'. A flamboyant showman, dedicated scientist, and starry-eyed dreamer, Lowe, soon after the outbreak of the Civil War, went to the federal government with a view to convincing the authorities in the use of balloons for observation purposes. He eventually was made chief of the aeronautic department and rendered valuable service to the Army of the Potomac during the war. Hovering over the battlefield, observing the action from his hot-air balloon, Lowe is considered by many to be the founder of the US Air Force. Besides aeronautics, Lowe also made contributions in the fields of meteorology, cartography, military science, aerial photography, metallurgy, and railroading. This historical novel is the story of Lowe's struggle, trials and tribulations, and sheer perseverance in promoting the interest of science. With a fast-paced plot, crisp dialogue, and strongly developed characters, Stephen Poleskie has aptly captured Lowe's life and achievements in this highly readable book.

Go on a magical adventure in this fun and playful story by Margaret Wise Brown, best-selling author of the children's classics Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny. Travel on a magical adventure with a little dog in The Noon Balloon, from best-selling children's book author Margaret Wise Brown. Beautifully illustrated, this lyrical text will be a soothing bedtime favorite.

A sourcebook about ballooning and balloonists with a detailed training syllabus.

From that famous day in June 1783 when the Montgolfier brothers launched their first balloon over Paris until the present, people have continued to marvel at the grace and ease with which man can ascend aloft and float through the sky. In addition to a history of early balloon flight, the book describes how balloons are made, how they fly, and what it takes to become a qualified pilot. It discuses as well the record breakers, competition flying, and the weird and wonderful balloon shapes that appear whenever balloon enthusiasts gather together. Lavishly illustrated with over 90 full-color photographs, this volume is a tribute to all balloonists past and present.

The sky has always exercised a great fascination over the human imagination: it is unreachable and transcedendent . Humans have always envied the aerial freedom that birds enjoy. Since the dawn of time, humans have looked up to the skies and attempted to conquer them, but the path proved to be long and hard. On November 12th, 1783, Jean- Francois Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis of Arlandes, both French, floated 330ft (100m) above the ground in a balloon put together by the Montgolfier brothers. They travelled for over 5 miles (8km) from the starting point. More than 200 years later, modern hot-air balloons are still magically part of our dreams. Thanks to new materials now used in balloon making, it is far less dangerous to go up in a hot air balloon today than it was in the 18th century. Popular ballooning events are held between France and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where each year almost 800 hot-air balloons colour the sky. From the Montgolfier brothers to the pilots of the future, from the epic exploits of Bertrand Piccard and Steve Fossett, who made the first around-the-world navigation in a revolutionary high-tech hot-air balloon, to the 'impossible' shapes of modern airships, this new volume illustrates the present of aerostatistics. AUTHOR: Jean Becker, a professional reporter, has written for the press on France's involvement in recent international conflicts. His personal passions are adventure and hot-air balloons. To his credit, among many other highlights, is his participation in the hot-air balloon expedition to Spitsbergen, Iceland and the winter crossing of Norwegian Lapland. Becker is also a renowned navigator, he has recorded almost 2500 hours of hot-air balloon flight ILLUSTRATIONS: Illustrated.