Why can balloons go higher than airplanes?
Why can balloons go higher than airplanes? A hot air balloon is a “lighter than air” aircraft, meaning, the balloon is buoyant in the air. The balloon itself is heavier than air, but with heat and helium, we can make these object fly. When hot, the molecules in air speed up, making them move around faster.
What would happen if a plane hit a balloon?
Nothing. The engines will fairly happily mulch an entire human (warning: graphic; https://imgur.com/a/1T5YQ). A Mylar balloon isn't gonna faze it. An airliner can completely lose a single engine in flight without much of a problem.
How often do planes hit balloons?
Every week over 10,000 weather balloons are launched by meteorological organizations around the world. There are also an additional 10-20 amateur launches performed each week. To date there has never been a report of an airplane striking a weather balloon.
Can a balloon fly higher than a plane?
The record for the highest helium balloon flight astonishingly reached the stratosphere, at an altitude of 25 miles, far beyond the cruising altitude of most airplanes.
What do pilots see while flying?
Pilots see only darkness around them except for lights if visibility is good. At night or even during day commercial planes navigate by using onboard instruments from immediately after takeoff till landing. They are not supposed to navigate based on visual cues.
Do pilots ever see balloons?
Balloons have appeared at high altitudes. However, these high-altitude balloons could potentially cause a collision — they are certainly not something a pilot wants to see at eye level when mid-flight.