**Balloons** are the oldest class of aircraft, flying by buoyancy rather than engines or wings: a large fabric envelope filled with a lifting medium that is lighter than the surrounding air. **Hot air balloons** heat ordinary air with a propane burner to make it less dense, while **gas balloons** use an inherently light gas such as helium or hydrogen. Because they all share the same wind-driven, vertical-only performance profile, balloons are grouped under the single ICAO category code **BALL** rather than being assigned individual aircraft type designators.
View in Encyclopedia| HEX CODE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIGHTER THAN AIR AMERICA INC | 2023 | 5780 | ID | A5DB50 |