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Hot Air Balloons 2002 I made a series of hot air balloons from colored tissue paper and other materials. They were really quite pretty during the day, and downright stunning at night. You could see the gentle flicker for a mile or two.

A small balloon in flight. This size proved to be one of the most stable and successful.	A view of the interior from the base. You can see the piano wire crosspieces where the "burner" was to be mounted.
Two small balloons rolled up and ready to be taken outside.	Waiting for the air to heat and the balloon to swell.
Away it goes.	Just beginning to climb. These balloons are quite fragile, and you can see where this one has been repaired at the base.
A snapshot of a web page I began to log flights. Yes, the failure rate here at the beginning was quite staggering, but one of the best parts of the experience was testing new fuels and balloon designs to see what worked.

Copyright Jim Gouldstone 2004