CAMERON BALLOONS
This section contains information about our man-carrying and gas balloons, including the combination helium / hot-air Roziere craft that were the first (and only) manned balloons to have circumnavigated the globe non-stop.
Many people become balloonist by forming a syndicate, where each member contributes both financially and in terms of their time. It’s great fun, and is an activity in which the whole family, friends and even business colleagues can participate. If you might like to start a syndicate and fly your own balloon, we can help you.
An alternative is corporate ballooning. This is where a local, national or international company buys a balloon to promote their business. Quite a few “syndicate” balloonists move on to fly these “billboard” balloons. Some enjoy the sport for free by exchanging their time for the gift of a balloon that’s promoting local business. Others became professional pilots and fly these sponsored balloons in locations chosen by the major company the balloon represents, and are paid for their services. If you have connections with a business that could be benefit by being promoted on a balloon – and that’s most business – please contact our Sales department for assistance in making your proposal.
If your particular requirement is for balloons that can carry large numbers of passengers who have paid for their flights we would suggest you look at the A and Z type envelopes and our T and double T partition baskets. We can also provide consultancy to help you decide if the location you have in mind is suited to the balloon passenger ride business, and if is advise on infrastructure, equipment, civil aviation authority requirements, and pilot recruitment and training.
We also a wide range of colours for you balloon in both rip-stop nylon and Hyperlast silicone coated fabrics, including metallic. If necessary we can even have fabric dyed to meet special corporate colour schemes. And if you would like to produce a graphic design for your own balloon you will also find coloring charts for our current range of hot-air envelopes. For inspiration you might like to check-out our Gallery section, which contains images of some of the balloons we have built during the last 40 years including exciting and
Imagine a billboard, a giant roadside poster site, that you could take to your prospective customers. One they would admire; discuss; even photograph. Most importantly, one they would remember vividly. A Cameron airship is that billboard. And more. Your message is carried not once, but twice – once on each side – and each side offers an enormous advertising area. A flight in an airship is also valuable gift that is yours to use to impress a client, influence a photo journalist, perhaps reward staff members for a job well-done.
In fact your airship provides innumerable promotional opportunities. Each time it flies thousand of members of the public will turn their heads skywards, seeing and remembering your advertising message emblazoned on its hull. Fly it before a specialist audience at a private ever along major roads to influence motorists, guide house buyers to new real estate developments…… the possibilities are endless.
Of course, there also many non-promotional uses for airships. They make stable and highly manoeuvrable camera platforms, excellent mobile observation posts, cost-effective flying laboratories for atmospheric sampling. We have even built airship to ferry scientist up to the canopy of the rain forests in Brazil to collect samples.
There are two types of airship: hot-air filled and helium gas filled.
So what is a hot-air (or thermal) airship?
In simple terms a thermal airship is a hot-air balloon that is shaped to resemble a slightly fatter version of a helium filled airships, such as the Goodyear. The primary differences are that it is inflated with low cost hot-air rather than expensive helium. Requires only a small ground crew, and no large hangar for storage purposes.
How does a thermal airship work?
It’s a well-known fact that warm air rises. The air contained in the airship’s envelope is heated by powerful burners that are fuelled by liquid petroleum gas-usually propane. When the air is warmed the airship will rise; allow gentle cooling and the craft will descent until the burner is used again. Altitude control is quite precise.
The propeller mounted behind the gondola is driven by a small but powerful engine. When the pilot opens the throttle the airship moves forward; operate the rudder control and craft will turn almost within its own length. In truth it’s a little more complicated than that, but not much.
With a top speed of up to 32 km/20 miles per hour and a preference for the lighter wind conditions that are found in the early mornings and evenings, the thermal airship is not designed for long cross country journeys. In any case, it’s easier and faster to pack it away and take it by road to a new location. Where the craft offers unbeatable cost effectiveness is in local promotion Watch it fly alongside the rush hour traffic or over an important sporting event. Cruise it around the car parks major shopping malls.
Subject to national regulation you can even make spectacular cross town sorties at night, the envelope being illuminated like a giant sign every time the burner is turned-on.
Helium gas airships.
Airships filled with helium gas are more expensive to build and operate than thermal airships and are primarily used for passenger carrying or surveillance operations. Cameron Balloons specializes in the manufacture of small helium filled airships to meet “one-off” customer requirements. Please contact us to discuss how we can meet your specific needs.
If you want your name to stand out above the crowd the answer is a helium-filled blimp.
Floating in the air, perhaps 200 feet (60 metres) above the ground, a Cameron blimp gives instant visual indication of the location of your business – it’s immediately below at the end of the tether line!
A wide variety of body and fin colour combinations are available and blimp can be permanently art worked on both sides to clearly identify your company name, address and phone number. Or, if fitted with removable banners, it can be promote “This Week’s Special Offer”.
The different models available from Cameron provide not only a variety of artwork/banner options but also – with larger sizes – the opportunity to hang pennants and flags from the tether line.
The aerodynamic shape of blimps, similar to that of an airship, helps them remain stable in windy conditions; so stable that they can be used as platforms for remotely controlled television cameras or other imaging/radar systems.
Alternatively, helium-filled spheres, produced in four standard sizes and to special order, are also available. These can be permanently art worked or the art work can be on removable banners.
In free flight, helium filled spheres can be used to carry various instrument packages or radiosondes. Cameron-built combination helium/air-filled spheres on short multiple tethers have been employed successfully as large outdoor screens for the projection of laser images.
Or why not have a special shape helium filled blimp to promote your product?
What do you call an advertisement that stands up to 20 feet (or more) in height, carries colorful and eye-catching artwork, is internally illuminated, can be spherical, balloon-shaped, or designed to represent a product or its packaging, will sit happily at ground level or on a flat roof, pack away into the boot of a car after use, and costs very lite to buy and operate?
Advertising inflatable is the usual name. We think they should be called The Most Cost-Effective Advertising Medium Available.
Advertising inflatables are made from lightweight nylon fabric and are pressurized by a small built-in fan unit that is electrically powered from the mains or generator.
They are particularly at home on the roof of a filling station, fast food outlet, supermarket or similar building where their message can be seen clearly above most obstructions – especially at night illuminated.
Their unique advantage is the ability to provide a large advertising space that packs neatly away when not is use. And that also means portability – an invaluable and cost – saving asset with multi - location promotions. You will also find them selling to passers – by in shopping malls and car parks, inside supermarkets and exhibition halls.
Spheres, cube, bottles, cans, vehicles, houses – advertising inflatables can be almost any shape, size and colour. There is even a mini inflatable, ideal for indoor use, that packs away into a plastic container no bigger than a bucket!
Many of the fabric based products we produce are “one offs”, and we solve unusual problems for a wide range of companies and governmental organizations.
Our helium filled light tubes have illuminated film sets such as Harry Potter. Inflatable radomes protect sensitive portable communications equipment. Air filled packaging has been designed to protect satellites in transit to a launch site. Man-carrying transparent bubbles have been used in the opening ceremonies of major international events. Our cold-air filled merchandising kiosk are popular with marketing savvy companies. We can even build inflated stage sets or exhibition stands to your design and have even provided attractive baffles walls to mask unattractive rubble filled building site.
Product do not have to be air or gas filled. We have built changing rooms that disappear in to a ceiling when not in use, exhibition centre pieces and protective baffles for use on oil rigs.
If your requirement is innovative and can be made from woven or non-woven materials, then you need talk to Cameron.
