False Lift
Editor: Another outstanding issue (August, 1996)!
But there is no such thing as false lift! What is referred to as “false lift” is aerodynamic lift caused by wind over the of an airfoil-like surface, the top camber of a balloon that is tethered to, or resting, on the ground. Bernoulli’s principle, one more time. Please help us rid ourselves of this hideous nomenclature.
Al Amsbaugh
Menlo Park, California
Lift caused by airflow over the top of a balloon is real lift. The term false lift is used to differentiate the lift that is lost as the balloon accelerates to the speed of the wind, as opposed to lift generated by heating the air inside the envelope. For a comprehensive explanation of false lift and the even more controversial term false heavy see Nothing is False, in the March, 1988 issue of Balloon Life. Editor