The Neutrino: Our avant-garde ultra-lightweight system for hot-air ballooning.

In aircraft engineering, especially lighter-than-air (LTA) aircraft engineering; every pound counts. Overweight components require that the aircraft be engineered to be bigger, stronger, and therefore heavier to accommodate that unnecessary excess airframe weight; an additional cylinder of fuel usually becomes required as well, adding even more 'unnecessary weight' and compounding the performance and handling issues. The individual components of our autonomous Neutrino ballooning system described below weigh in at less than half typical traditional hot-air ballooning system components in comparison: you no longer need the third cylinder.

Our Fuel System (21 pounds) (burner = 18 pounds, 2-hoses and ACME fittings = 3 pounds):

Our ultra-lightweight ballooning fuel system sports the latest dual-single burner technology from Paolo Bonanno of Mondovi Italy. Quiet yet powerful enough for an 7-place 120K system; as installed in our 2-place 215 pound BAEW 56K system: this combination sets a new standard for increased power-to-weight ratio 'high-performance' hot-air ballooning. Our self-centering burner-gimbal 4-point suspension-rope frame is fabricated from aluminum, Kevlar and Teflon and weighs less than two pounds; the burner tower poles can be installed or removed at any time, even in-flight. From the pilots perspective, this is a simplified burner/fuel-system: there are no fuel-line manifolds; two cylinders, two hoses, liquid pilots; integrated pressure gages: a design that minimizes points-of-failure and simplifies your emergency procedures. The Dual-Stage Blast Valves enable one-hand independent/redundant operation for both main and whisper burners, the last 25% of your blast valve squeeze fires the liquid burner into the main burner, much like an 'afterburner', almost doubling the burner's power at any time with one hand. The fuel system's design-safety features include:

Triple Concentric Coanda Orifice Rings with bi-metal LPG Pressure Compensation down to 44psi
Redundancy: "Dual Stage" Blast Valves; Liquid Pilot Lights, Whisper Burner Controls, and Pressure Gages
Reduced Thermal Shock - the burner can be left on continuously in a terminal descent

Our 56K Envelope (75 pounds):

For the first time in the history of modern hot-air ballooning design, the inflation fan and the envelope have been designed by the same aerospace engineer to perform in concert. There is no scoop or skirt, these now obsolete traditional ballooning accessories are useless weight/bulk; this in combination with our ultra-lightweight load-tape design and seam specifications reduces our envelope weight well below the lightest of any competitive design. From the top of the envelope to the bottom of the basket, the balloon system is encased in an ultra-lightweight non-conductive contiguous web of nylon sheathed Kevlar load members and rip-stoppers; the strength of each vertical load member exceeds 1,650 pounds. The fabric is not sewn to the load structure and so the envelope fabric is free to shift on it's load structure, which de-localizes and absorbs dynamic stress in flight. The ratios of the diameters between the mouth, the equator, and the deflation-port; have been optimized; creating the safest, most maneuverable compromise. Less airframe weight allows for less volume and ultimately a smaller envelope diameter; you get bullet-shaped performance without the inherent danger associated with a special shape. The gores are slightly bulbous in profile (hyperbolic cosine function), demonstrating the idealized catenary load distribution in the fabric. Tear strength, flame resistance, and porosity characteristics are optimized for their vertical station. The upper two thirds of the envelope is constructed form zero porosity 1.35 oz/yd silicone impregnated fabric, the bottom third is flame resistant non-coated 1.1 oz/yd fabric, the mouth is 2.1 oz/yd Nomex. Our 56K envelope weighs 75 pounds and it's FAA Certified. Lightweight envelopes inflate easier and faster with smaller, lighter, safer inflation fans.

Our Inflation/Propulsion Fan: (13 pounds) :

Our 3.5HP 4-cycle gas-powered inflation-fan/propulsion-system has a 3-blade 16" 4oz prop, weighs 13 pounds, and produces more than 20 pounds of thrust @ 8,000 RPM; enough power to inflate our ultra-lightweight envelope, even at half throttle. The fan quickly snaps into position on the basket, or use our 360 degree fluid-head (1.5 lbs additional); it can be locked into position for inflation, and/or pointed in any direction for vectored thrust assistance when becalmed. Our remote control servo-relay receiver controls the fan remotely via it's 4-button wireless key-fob transmitter; it features three veneer-adjustment throttle settings and a kill-switch (1.5 lbs additional): transmit range is greater than 100 feet; the pilot has complete control of the fan's RPM during inflation with the 4-button wireless pocket key-fob. The total dry weight of the full featured fan with wireless remote control and fluid-head is 16lbs; it has a 1000 ml fuel tank providing full throttle vectored thrust assistance for about 30 minutes duration. The ACME Mouth Hoop attaches to the bottom girdle with Velcro, it inflates in seconds, round and rigid, with a 20oz CO₂ paintball tank: it's optional, if you don't want to use it, don't; but when you do use it, you will be amazed.

The ACME Mouth Hoop: (4 pounds)

A skirt or scoop becomes useless weight/bulk. Our rigid mouth-hoop weighs much less than a scoop, it weighs less than the steel-band in a standard skirt and it's non-conductive. During inflation, the hoop eliminates danger to the crew and/or damage in the mouth or suspension cables ensuring consistently rapid, tight-pack inflations. In-flight the mouth stays open and round during all phases of flight, including severe wind-shear conditions. For example; the mouth stays open and round during performance stand-up landings after you've dumped half the envelope volume to prevent dragging but still want to be able to add heat to stay inflated. The mouth geometry is held completely open and round, heat from the flame is not able to reach your lightweight nylon fabric. Burner flame-out from oxygen starvation is totally eliminated. The envelope is naturally super-pressured in any descent, reducing fuel consumption and recovery times due to volume loss. In a terminal descent, the natural super-pressure effect enhances envelope symmetry, there is less spinning and precession of the envelope; and so in-flight maneuvers are more stable. For those competitors who seek out special shape envelopes (bullet shapes) because they want to be able to descend faster in competition, the ACME Mouth Hoop increases the safety factor for these extreme in-flight maneuvers while assuring a moderate valve-closed terminal descent rate and reduced equilibrium recovery times. The hoop is held in place with Velcro, it 'rips-out' easily to facilitate deflation allowing the mouth to collapse during high wind landings, and quickly packs up in a soft briefcase. It's been almost seven years since our ACME Mouth's public debut at The EAA AirVenture 2003, we consider this simple inexpensive innovation to be the most profound ballooning-safety invention we've seen in the more than 35 years that we've been involved in hot-air balloon design.

Our Basket (65 pounds) :

Our composite floor, reinforced with layers of Kevlar and UHMW; is a trailer-hitch platform; you don't need a separate platform, you don't need a truck, you don't need a trailer. Very little rigging and/or assembly is required for inflation/deployment; after your flight; everything folds/fits easily inside the assembled basket without need for tiresome rigging assembly/disassembly; envelope bag-stuffing and/or cinching isn't necessary. Full tanks do not have to be lifted above the waist to be installed inside the basket, they quickly strap in place and are secured/covered from the outside of the basket. Your flight plan is no longer restricted to the road-grid, the system is versatile: its lightweight design is more easily deployed and/or retrieved; pulled as a dog sled, behind a snow-machine or ATV, collapsed and loaded on a float-plane or slung from a helicopter. With it's integrated inflation fan and mouth hoop, our system is autonomous: the traditional ground crew required to hold the mouth and/or the inflation fan are no longer necessary.

Collapsible and Compact:

If a hitch receiver is unavailable or if space is limited, the basket quickly and easily collapses from 40" to 6" high; in this configuration the complete system quickly and easily fits in any SUV, hatchback sedan or car trunk (no truck, trailer, or hitch receiver required). The complete autonomous system: [the envelope, the basket, the burner and fuel system; two cylinders and the inflation fan]; has been designed to be dissembled, collapsed, and/or configured for airline-transport, reduced to the size and weight of regular baggage (Four 62" HxWxD - 50 pound parcels and one 25 pound carry-on bag = 225 pounds). You and a travel partner can take this complete autonomous ballooning system with you, inexpensively, anywhere in the World; upon arrival at your destination airport, you can autonomously deploy your ballooning system with a common rental car.