Never before has the opening of a store been met with such eager anticipation here as this month’s debut of IKEA. The Swedish retailer is famous for its meatballs and its inexpensive, sleekly modern furniture. It has somewhat less experience with aviation, but that’s about to change. To celebrate its arrival in St. Louis, IKEA has entered a brand-new hot air balloon, done up in the store’s signature blue and yellow, in the 43rd annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race. IKEA’s logo will light up the night alongside 64 other radiant globes at the Balloon Glow on Sept. 18. It will then take to the sky for the next day’s race. Unlike the store’s assembly-required sofas, the balloon was built by the professionals at Lindstrand Balloons USA. Here’s a look under its hood—or, we should say, inside its gondola.
Flight Principle: There’s a reason that the hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology in the world: It’s based on a very basic scientific principle. Warm air is lighter (less dense) than cold air, which causes it to rise.
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Gondola: The gondola (also called a cockpit or basket) is framed with stainless steel tubing, trimmed with leather, and wrapped in wicker—a flexible material chosen specifically to absorb shock and lessen impact on landing.
Envelope: Made from 782 yards of lightweight nylon fabric that’s designed to withstand temperatures greater than 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the 90-foot-tall IKEA balloon can hold 90,000 cubic feet of air and is capable of carrying in excess of 1,200 pounds.
Skirt: The skirt at the bottom of the envelope is made with special fire-resistant material to prevent the balloon from catching fire when the flame blows in the wind.
Burners: IKEA’s balloon is outfitted with a pair of Jetstream Series 2 double burners, a state-of-the-art propane system capable of generating more than 30 million BTUs of heat, which is enough energy to warm a small house.
Fuel: For each voyage, the balloon is stocked with 45 gallons of propane, or 194 pounds of fuel.
Crew: The balloon’s crew consists of four members, including the pilot. During the race, the rest of the team follows by car, ready to pack the balloon away once it lands.
Steering (Vertical): Once the burners have lifted the IKEA balloon to altitude (usually less than 5,000 feet above sea level), the pilot can level off or descend by pulling a cord that opens the parachute valve at the top of the balloon, allowing hot air to escape.
Steering (Horizontal): Mother Nature is the only one who can predict which way a hot air balloon will fly, but skilled pilots can maneuver horizontally to an extent by changing the balloon’s altitude to catch different wind currents.
