Balloon Sytems

A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of an Envelope (the brightly colored part made of either nylon or polyester and holds air). It is constructed from long sections called gores which extend from the base all the way up to the top and are made of many panels that are tightly woven and coated to keep it non-porous. The top of the envelope is called the crown. The bottom part of the envelope is referred to as either the skirt (material that extends completely around), or a scoop (it only goes half-way around).  Suspended beneath the envelope is the basket or gondola is the part of the balloon that carries the passengers, pilot, and propane tanks which supply the fuel to the burners. Baskets can carry anywhere from 1-30 passengers. Wicker is widely used because of its flexibility and usually has a wooden floor.
  The burner is the engine of the aircraft. Smaller balloons have one burner, the larger the balloon the more burners it needs. Some balloons have as many as 4 burners. Propane is the fuel used in the United States although a propane butane mixture can be used however it is less efficient. 

 The heated air inside the envelope makes it buoyant, since it has a lower density than the colder air outside the envelope. As with all aircraft, hot air balloons cannot fly beyond the atmosphere. The envelope does not have to be sealed at the bottom, since the air inside the envelope is at about the same pressure as the surrounding air. Modern balloons have been made in many shapes to be used for most non-commercial and many commercial applications.
  The required instruments area Pyrometer-temperature gauge, altimeter-tells your height in the air, variometer-tells your speed of ascent or descent.      
 These are balloon manufacturers: Avian Ballooning Corp (USA), Ballonau WArner (Germany), Cameron Balloons (UK & USA), Firefly Balloons (USA), Head Balloons (USA), Kavanagh Balloons (Australia), Kubicek Balloons (Czech), Lindstrand Balloons (UK & USA), National Balloons (USA), Ultramagic Balloons (Spain), among a few others.