Balloonomania

#1

Post by airjack » Fri, Feb 26, 2021, 1:00 PM UTC

Re: Balloonomania

#2

Post by agumonkey » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 10:22 AM UTC

I find hot air balloons so peaceful and fun on paper(pun intended). I'd be curious to have them make a come back .. I know some company in England made new ones.

Re: Balloonomania

#3

Post by legulere » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 10:26 AM UTC

> “I see an inclination in the more respectable part of the Royal Society to guard against the Ballomania until some experiment like to prove beneficial either to society or to science is proposed.”

In the end a few non-amusement uses have come around: weather balloons, the vega balloons on venus.

Re: Balloonomania

#4

Post by nmca » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 10:34 AM UTC

This feels a little bit like where ML is at the moment. A lot of very excited people, not too much evidence for concrete value right now, and airplanes over the horizon. (less than 100 years though, I would have guessed. Wrights flew 1903, this was 1783).

Re: Balloonomania

#5

Post by Veen » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 10:44 AM UTC

agumonkey wrote: post #2

I find hot air balloons so peaceful and fun on paper(pun intended). I'd be curious to have them make a come back .. I know some company in England made new ones.

I used to think they looked peaceful and fun too, but then I read Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, which begins with a hot-air balloon accident. Although irrational, I now have an abiding fear of hot air balloons and am unlikely to ever go in one.

(although, for context, I also have irrational fears about helicopters)

Re: Balloonomania

#6

Post by silverwings » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 10:48 AM UTC

There are around 22M views for David Blaine's [Ascension](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwzvNAAqH3g) - Travelling upto 25k feet in a hydrogen balloon. So who is to say that we are not in a Balloonomania now?

Re: Balloonomania

#7

Post by prideout » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 12:43 PM UTC

nmca wrote: post #4

This feels a little bit like where ML is at the moment. A lot of very excited people, not too much evidence for concrete value right now, and airplanes over the horizon. (less than 100 years though, I would have guessed. Wrights flew 1903, this was 1783).

If ML mania is like Balloonomania, then what are the airplanes over the horizon?

Re: Balloonomania

#8

Post by agumonkey » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 12:47 PM UTC

Veen wrote: post #5

agumonkey wrote: post #2

I find hot air balloons so peaceful and fun on paper(pun intended). I'd be curious to have them make a come back .. I know some company in England made new ones.

I used to think they looked peaceful and fun too, but then I read Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, which begins with a hot-air balloon accident. Although irrational, I now have an abiding fear of hot air balloons and am unlikely to ever go in one. (although, for context, I also have irrational fears about helicopters)

What difference does it make with planes ? I understand your fears and fears in general but a slow, low noise, low energy (actually I should check that) thing like a balloon is charming to me.

Re: Balloonomania

#9

Post by caf » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 1:13 PM UTC

agumonkey wrote: post #2

I find hot air balloons so peaceful and fun on paper(pun intended). I'd be curious to have them make a come back .. I know some company in England made new ones.

Are they not operated for joyflights where you live?

Re: Balloonomania

#10

Post by cbanek » Sun, Feb 28, 2021, 1:29 PM UTC

Funny enough, I was just looking up transatlantic balloon flights the other day, and the first successful one was long after the first powered flight, which was kind of neat!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Eagle_II First balloon to make it, 1978