Hot air balloons rise ito the sky because of the fundamental property of the hot air filled in them; air when heated becomes lighter (less denser) than the surrounding cold air. The balloon does not have controls such as accelerator, steering or brake. It is driven by breeze and so there is no control over the flight path. Ascending is by heating the air with the help of burners suspended beneath it. As a result, the balloon rises to find its equilibrium with the surrounding air. Descending is by releasing the hot air from the balloon. Hot air balloon enthusiasts venture out after studying the weather and making sure there are no strong winds.

Well a hot air balloon operates through the force known as buoyancy. So hot air is less dense than the air around us and will therefore rise (float) until it reaches a point where the density is equal. By placing this in the ballon canvas we cause the ballon to rise. We can control the amount of hot air that goes in and out of the balloon through a valve. We can release hot air to drop the balloon and add hot air to make the balloon rise. Now to move in the horizontal axis you need to know the direction of the wind at different altitudes, so you rise and drop to the altitude with the wind blowing in the direction you choose to go for it to move you that way. Wind blows at different directions varying heights.

The controls for piloting a balloon are actually extremely simple....

1 - To move the balloon upwards - the pilot opens up the propane valve which lets the propane flow to the burner which in turn fires the flame up into the envelope. Works in much the same way as a gas grill, the more you open the valve, the bigger the flame to heat the air, the faster the balloon rises.

2 - To move the balloon downwards - the 'Parachute Valve' at the very top of the balloon is what is used to bring the balloon down towards the ground. It is essentially a circle of fabric cut out of the top of the envelope which is controlled by a long chord which runs down through the middle of the envelope to the basket. If the pilot wants to bring the balloon down he simply pulls on the chord which will open the valve, letting hot air escape, decreasing the inner air temperature. This cooling of air causes the balloon to slow its ascent.

Hot air balloons rise ito the sky because of the fundamental property of the hot air filled in them; air when heated becomes lighter (less denser) than the surrounding cold air. The balloon does not have controls such as accelerator, steering or brake. It is driven by breeze and so there is no control over the flight path. Ascending is by heating the air with the help of burners suspended beneath it. As a result, the balloon rises to find its equilibrium with the surrounding air. Descending is by releasing the hot air from the balloon. Hot air balloon enthusiasts venture out after studying the weather and making sure there are no strong winds.

As far as I understand it, in terms of vertical movement, it has to do with how much hot air you allow in the balloon. The more hot air you allow in, the higher it will go.

When it comes to the horizontal direction the balloon goes, it’s all about wind currents. As you go up and down, you get different currents, so you choose the ones that drive the balloon in the direction you want to go.