April 1999
Balloon Life’s Annual
Buyer’sGui de,th emos tcom plete,
independently produced listing of balloons
andtheir manufacturers anywhere in the
world.Throughtheyearsourpurpose
with this guide has neverchanged,namely
toprovide the prospective balloonbuyer
with a unique opportunity to compare the
brands,makes,models,prices,options
andphilosoph iesofeveryU.S.ty pe-
certified balloon manufacturer at a single
glance. While this guide is provided as a
service to all potential buyers, it is directed
at the newcomer to our sport—that person
who is at the entrylevelof ballooning.
Below is a chart of new balloon sales
intheU.S.overthelasttenyears.The
informationisfromFAAregistration
1998issuppliedtoBalloo n Life b y
CameronBalloo nsUS.Newballo on
registrationfigureswerederivedfrom
origin alrawdataonto talb al loon s
registered in the U.S. Not reflected in this
nu mb eris3G(Un it edKing do m)
registrationsthatwereconvertedtoN
(United States) registrations in 1998. The
most popular modelswere the 77and90
cubic feet models.
Inadditiontothehotairballoons,
therewasonegasballoonregistration.
Alsonotincludedinthe 1998figure are
27ho me-b uil tb al loo nregi stration s
compared with 11 in 1997.Balloon owners
in1998 deregistered112 aerostats.
14thAnnual HotAir
Balloon Buyer’s Guide
