Burn or Rip

Four Corner Basket vs Three Corner Carriage - Which is Better ?

Three Cornered Carriages

by Joel Blom

Early hot air balloon baskets were crude adaptations of gas balloon gondolas. Except for adding rigid burner supports, not much has changed in the past thirty years. Only the triangular carriage, specifically designed for carrying pilot, passengers and fuel, has broken from the hand-me-down norms and resolved most of the problems unique to hot air balloon carriage design.

While you may have heard pilot preference is the only real difference between three and four corner baskets, the triangle is far superior. Since we manufacture both, we know whereof we speak.

To level the playing field, let's consider some desired parameters of the ideal hot air balloon carriage:

Strong enough to carry up to 10 times its own weight safely.
Provide a safe, secure space for its passengers, pilot and necessary equipment during the entire flight experience.
Lightweight and easily handled by ground crew when not in flight.
Easy to maintain
Last a reasonable length of time (ten years or more), mostly impervious to weather conditions.
Should be pleasing to the eye of owner and beholder.
Should be constructed of non-conductive materials.

A balloon travels in the direction and at the discretion of the wind. Having no front, back, or left right orientation, it rotates around its vertical axis during flight and landing. The ideal geometric shape during flight then is circular, since line of sight and access to instruments and burner must be convenient to pilot at all times. It would also afford the maximum amount of usable space for occupants. During inflation and landing however, a circular carriage would tend to roll about uncontrollably. Another drawback is the lack of a natural place to locate fuel cylinders.

The best solution devised to date to take advantage of the circular configuration while respecting its drawbacks is the equilateral triangle. With its long sides and natural rigidity, a triangle offers three sixty degree corners in which to tuck fuel cylinders, away from "people space." It provides a stable base from which to inflate and land predictably. Walling off the three corners inside the carriage creates a hexagon, a very close approximation of the ideal shape. This shape is the most sensible answer to the myriad problems facing the ideal carriage designer. See diagram .

Design is fine, but it must be executed correctly to be a superior solution. Beginning with a steam-bent non-conductive rattan frame, the FireFly weaver utilizes a vertical weave pattern, meaning the predominant lines of wicker run up and down. This allows maximum flexibility on impact with the ground and the lowers the chance of snagging on obstacles (see diagram XX). Even though the triangle design is technically and sensibly superior, it still is probably best known for its exceptional aesthetics. Artful craftsmanship is evident everywhere, from the smooth flowing woven corners to the sueded instrument dashboards and glove boxes. Now where could you fit either of those without deep corners to put them in?

So if this is the ideal shape, why is The Balloon Works the only manufacturer offering the triangular shape carriage? Perhaps because of the added expense of developing the technology and the increased manufacturing costs (approximately 50% more labor), but more likely because it would be seen as copycat designing. Brand loyalty is a curious thing when it comes to aviation common sense and safety. While we can't imagine why anyone would compromise their passengers or their own safety to remain in one camp or another, we have made the FireFly balloon system the safest in the industry. The triangle shape carriage is only one part of that system.