Pattaya International Balloon Festival 2007

8-12 December 2007

History of Balloons

According to popular lore, the Kongming Lantern was the first hot air balloon,said to be invented by the sage and military strategist Zhuge Liang, was in the Three Kingdoms era, Shu Kingdom, used airborne lanterns for military signaling. These lanterns are known as Kongming lanterns. There is also some speculation that hot air balloons were used by the Nazca Indians of Peru some 1500 years ago as a tool for designing vast drawings on the Nazca plain

Today, hot air balloons are used primarily for recreation. There are some 7,500 hot air balloons operating in the United States. Hot air balloons are able to fly to extremely high altitudes.

There are three main types of balloon aircraft:

-Hot air balloons obtain their buoyancy by heating the air inside the balloon.
- Gas balloons are inflated with a gas of lower molecular weight than the ambient atmosphere. There is a special type of gas balloon, called a super pressure balloon that can operate with the lifting gas at pressure that exceeds the pressure of the surrounding air, with the objective of limiting or eliminating the loss of gas from day-time heating. Gas balloons are filled with gases such as:

:Hydrogen - not widely used for aircraft since the Hindenburg disaster because of high flammability (except for some sport balloons as well as nearly all unmanned scientific and weather balloons).
:Helium - the gas used today for all airships and most manned balloons.
:Ammonia - used infrequently due to its caustic qualities and limited lift.
:O coal gas - used in the early days of ballooning; it is highly flammable.

-The wicker basket houses the propane fuel tanks and flight instruments. An altimeter, rate of climb meter, and pyrometer are standard instruments in balloon systems.


The Pattaya International Balloon Fiesta 2007 is a premier event to introduce and promote a sport of ballooning to Thai people, while celebrating the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007.
This balloon festival will increase the international awareness of the unique aspect of Thailand, the wonderful weather condition for flying a balloon and the unique hinterland - Thailand is not just a sunny beach but a beautiful and complex country full of interest to visitors

I had occasion to go to Pattaya International Balloon Festival 2007 on last Saturday 8 December with my family. There were many balloons from many countries such as France, England, Switzerland, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippine, etc. There were let go the balloons in the morning and in the evening that on 8 December we arrive Pattaya about 1 P.M. so we wait for saw they led the balloons again in the next morning. In the evening, there were led the balloons: Balloon Night Glow that produce light, color, and sound, there were shows from singer and produce melody of Balloon Song. And it had let go the (simile) moonshine for celebrating the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007.

Balloon Lyrics;

Artists- Bo & Don Conner

Where the Wind Wants to Go…

We take to the sky in the morning

While the sun and the wind are still low

Drifting over the farms and the forests

And the whole world is waking below

My balloon like a cloud is sailing

Upon currents that no one can see

Over miles and miles of uplifted smiles

We learn what it is to be free
Fly low and slow down a stream

Wondering if I'm in a dreamI see my reflection below

Don't tell me that it isn't so
I'll go where the wind wants to go

And see what the world has to show

No worries when I'm flying slow

And learning what eagles know
There's beauty in not knowing where you're going

And drifting to find what you may

To float with breeze and do as I please

Is living this life my own way

Playing hide and seek with a cloud

Soon makes me wonder out loud

Why it must end with my friend and the wind

But soon we will have to come down
I'll go where the wind wants to go

And see what the world has to show

No worries when I'm flying slow

And learning what eagles know
Softly we come back to earth

From a journey that brings my rebirth

Back home again I dream of the wind

And tomorrow morning…
Tomorrow morning…
Tomorrow morning…
We'll do it again

I think this song has a good meaning, if you want to listen this music you can click this link; http://www.thailandballoonfestival.com/balloonsong.htm.
During the Balloon Night Glow there were set fire to firework, it was very beautiful.

In the next morning, we wake up early for wait to see the balloons, that there were many styles such as cake, elephant, dolls, spacecraft, bottle of Coke, dog, etc. There were many activities such as parachute, competitive of control aero plane, competitive of kite, competitive of motor-cycle, etc.