The Hot Air Balloon Book: Build and Launch Kongming Lanterns, Solar Tetroons, and More (Science in Motion) - Softcover

Catterall, Clive

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1613740964 ISBN 13: 9781613740965

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2013

Synopsis

More than a century before the Wright brothers’ first flight, humans were taking to the skies in hot air balloons. Today, with basic craft skills, you can build and safely launch your own balloons using inexpensive, readily available materials. Author and inventor Clive Catterall provides illustrated, step-by-step instructions for eight different homemade models, as well as the science and history behind them. Some, like the Solar Tetroon or the Trash Bag Sausage, are made from plastic bags and tape. Others, like the Khom Loi or the Kongming Lantern, are built using tissue paper and wire.

            The Hot Air Balloon Book also shows readers ways to heat the interior air that lifts these balloons, from tea candles to hair dryers, kitchen toasters to the sun’s warming rays. Always keeping safety in mind, the author includes detailed guidelines on when and where open flames are appropriate and the proper weather conditions to launch these lighter-than-air craft.

About this title

About the Author:

Clive Catterall is an inventor, a product engineer, a technical writer, and an elementary school teacher.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 7 Up–Readers can expect some serious science fun with this detailed and unique treatment of an intriguing subject. A brief overview of ballooning's fascinating history could spur further research. Safety, a major concern with open flames near tissue paper and polyethylene, gets a full chapter plus frequent reminders. A closing section covers troubleshooting and repair information. Explanations of the science, which is meaty, are woven throughout the hands-on sections. Readers ready to begin will find detailed plans for eight different styles of hot-air balloons nicely bolded in the table of contents. Optional improvements and extensions are included with many plans. The directions are clear, detailed, numbered, and accompanied by meticulous line drawings. Occasional photos show a completed project or a special feature. Now and then, the instructions make reference to a feature, e.g., the cotton ball burner and lift, which are not explained until a later project. There is no index to help overcome this shortfall. Instructions also reference techniques that are not included, e.g., making a weld or working around pieces wrongly glued together. Other than these few problems, beginner through advanced hobbyists will find something to enjoy here. Hot-air ballooning is certain to have new devotees with this introduction.–Carol S. Surges, formerly at Longfellow Middle School, Wauwatosa, WIα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1613740964
• ISBN 13: 9781613740965
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240