The basket is the bottom part of the balloon which carries the passengers, pilot and propane gas cylinders. Baskets come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, some smaller for the more intimate flights for 2-3 people, right through to the larger sizes (20+) used for public flights.
These days most baskets are woven from Kooboo and Palambang cane as these
materials are extremely sturdy, flexible and relatively lightweight. The
cane has proven to be the most hardwearing and durable material, even more
so than aluminium or some composite plastics. The basket needs to be
extremely strong as it is constantly on the move, being shifted from place
to place and also when the balloon actually lands there is a large amount of
force exerted on it as it hits the floor and comes grinding to a halt. The
flexibility of the cane helps with the balloon landing as wicker material
flexes a little, absorbing some of the energy.
TYPES OF BASKET
It is possible to have your basket completely tailor made to a set
specification, from everything to the wall height and width, material used
for padding, what material the floor is to be made out, whether passenger
seat belts are required, etc...
There are 2 main types of basket, Open and T-partition. The difference is
fairly self explanatory here, open is obviously an open space where the
passengers, pilot and fuel are all housed in the basket in just 1
compartment and T-partition is where the basket is split into sections so
the passengers can be separated from the pilot and canisters. The
T-partitions main advantages over the open are that it is fact a stronger
structure due to the extra struts and also that the balloon remains more
balanced overall as weight can be spread evenly over each compartment.
Here are some examples of different basket types below:
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