TECHNIQUE BY MIKE COLLINS ILLUSTRATION BY CHARLES FLOYD INFLATING A BALLOON REMEMBER, YOU HAVE TO REVERSE THE PROCESS AFTER YOUR FLIGHT PACKED, THE ENVELOPE FOR A TYPICAL hot air balloon fits into a bag about 3 by 3 by 3 feet-not much bigger than its basket, and both can be transported in many pickup trucks or a full-size van. Yet by liftoff that same balloon will grow to be 80 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter, holding around 77,000 cubic feet of air. Let's look at the transformation from empty envelope to inflated balloon. Aspiring hot air balloon pilots will have to master the inflation process-as well as deflation and packing-as part of their training process. 30 FLIGHT TRAINING OCTOBER 2019