A balloon cannot be controlled by the balloon pilot—because the balloon drifts with the wind. The pilot can only change its direction, and thus that of the hot air balloon, by changing altitude. That is why we cannot guarantee that we will fly directly over Augsburg. Here we show you typical flight routes from past balloon flights high above Augsburg.
Detailed weather forecasts allow us to predict how the wind will blow: its speed at ground level and at altitude, as well as its direction. During the balloon flight, the pilot can monitor speed and direction using a GPS device. Since the 2012 season, we have also been using a tablet PC for navigation. This allows us to see exactly where we are and in which direction we are traveling.
Can you steer a balloon?
Actually, there is no way to physically steer a balloon. The only way to change direction is by changing altitude. During the following balloon flight (screenshot from tablet PC), we started (green arrow) heading west, then climbed to 1,700 meters and headed east. After descending, we flew low to find a landing field and headed west again.
The following diagram shows the altitude-speed profile.
After the balloon ride, we review the flight path again—using the recording on the tablet PC, we can see exactly what speed prevailed at what altitude. We can also see the flight path marked with a line on the map.
This balloon flight on September 16, 2012, for example, took place directly over Augsburg. The launch site was in Friedberg (green marker at bottom left), and the landing was near Adelsried. There's no better way to see downtown Augsburg from the air than by balloon.
The following graph shows how fast the wind was blowing at different altitudes. We initially climbed to 1,300 meters at a speed of 30 km/h. Since we didn't want to rush over Augsburg too quickly, we lost altitude again, then it was between 15 and 20 km/h. Once we had left Augsburg behind us, we climbed again and headed northwest at over 20 km/h.
So you see: it is possible to steer a balloon—albeit only marginally.
