The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning

Ed Nisley's Blog: Shop notes, electronics, firmware, machinery, 3D printing, laser cuttery, and curiosities. Contents: 100% human thinking, 0% AI slop.

The New Hotness

  • Hot Air Balloon Launch

    The local Chamber of Commerce sponsors a hot-air balloon weekend that always seems to attract terrible weather; we got to see one of the launches at a nearby park on a hot afternoon before the storms.

    The crew cold-inflates the balloon with a roaring gasoline-powered blower:

    Balloon - cold inflation
    Balloon – cold inflation

    Way over there on the left, almost out of sight, one of the ground crew tethers the top of the balloon:

    Balloon - anchoring the top
    Balloon – anchoring the top

    When it’s mostly inflated, they fire the burners for the hot inflation:

    Balloon - hot inflation
    Balloon – hot inflation

    And then the magic happens:

    Balloon - liftoff
    Balloon – liftoff

    The Montgolfier Brothers would be proud:

    Balloon - up and away
    Balloon – up and away

    These are all hand-held with the Canon SX230HS at looong telephoto, with a bit of cropping & tweaking. They’re the usual low-res blog pix, but the originals aren’t much less gritty… the camera you have is better than the camera you don’t: we were out and about on other errands.