Hot air ballooning has become a popular hobby over the past few decades, with people from various different backgrounds and cultures congregating at balloon meets and festivals throughout the world. This resurgence of ballooning is largely due to the accessibility and price of the hot air balloons, which have come down in price dramatically since the introduction of new manufacturing processes and a more competitive market.
Many hobby balloonists use either a one man balloon or hopper balloon, as there is no need to have a balloon crew to help inflate and launch the balloon. These one man balloons usually have a seat and harness that the pilot is strapped to instead of a balloon basket, and the propane tanks are fitted to the seats frame directly behind the pilot. This gives the pilot full control of the balloon, while giving a sense of freedom as they can see everything around them.
A one man or hopper balloon has low maintenance costs and is an ideal introduction to ballooning, with many of today’s commercial hot air balloon pilots having started off in one. Although one man and hopper balloons are usually flow for recreational purposes, there are various competitions and festivals throughout the year in which to participate.
Some companies even use one man balloons and cloud hoppers as a form of advertising, because of the reduced cost and maintenance of running one, and the fact that it can be launched quicker and easier than standard balloons.
