While many branches of science affect us every day, few are as obvious as meteorology. Checking the weather forecast is something most of us do daily, and weather can make a huge impact on our lives. Predicting and understanding weather patterns has taken centuries to develop, and the trusty pilot balloon has been an essential tool for these pursuits. Here are some fun facts about pilot balloons and meteorology.
- Pilot Balloons Have Been Around 200 Years
Humans, it seems, have always wanted to fly and even Leonardo da Vinci drew sketches of a flying machine back in the 1500s. Before the airplane, there was the hot air balloon. The first occupants of a successful hot air balloon flight were a rooster, sheep and duck, and humans tried their hand at ballooning just a few weeks later on November 21, 1783.
Interestingly enough, the hot air balloon inventors focused more on design and materials than on wind speed and wind direction. However, it quickly became apparent that studying upper-level wind before a balloon flight was essential, and this is how the pilot balloon, also known simply as a pibal, was created. The first pilot balloon was used just a few weeks later to determine wind direction.
- The Balloons Have Many Names
When talking about monitoring the wind and weather, you’ll often hear the terms weather balloon, pilot balloon, ceiling balloon and pibal. In general, these terms can be interchangeable, although there are different sizes and shapes of pilot balloons.
We typically call them weather balloons when they are used for meteorological studies as the term pilot balloon tends to make one think of flight or flying. Of course, studying weather conditions is a crucial aspect of flying any type of craft. Often, they are simply called pibals, a shortened version of pilot balloon. Sometimes, you will hear weather balloons or pibals called ceiling balloons, and this usually refers to the smallest types of weather balloons.
- Pilot Balloons Have Many Functions
Pilot balloons, pibals, weather balloons, ceiling balloons or whatever you choose to call them have several helpful functions. Ceiling balloons, for instance, can be used to determine the heights of clouds. Pilot balloons also can help one calculate wind speed and wind direction, particularly at higher altitudes.
The conditions of the wind on the ground as opposed to the sky are vastly different and using a pibal can help a meteorologist or air traffic control or pilots gain a clearer picture of what to expect weather-wise and flight-wise. Typically, pilot balloons and weather balloons are made from thick natural rubber or perhaps neoprene and are filled either with hydrogen or helium.
- The Government Releases Weather Balloons Every Day
The National Weather Service (NWS), which is a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, releases about 200 weather balloons twice each day at various locations around the United States. These balloons are equipped with a small device known as a radiosonde, which records information about the weather, including temperature, atmospheric pressure and relative humidity which is sent back to the NWS.
These balloons can travel more than 100 miles before they burst and then they float gently to the ground (they come equipped with a parachute) and if you happen to find one of these pibals and its radiosonde, it also includes a bag for you to send it back to NWS. Throughout the world, thousands of these balloons are released each day, gathering important information for meteorologists.
These balloons can reach heights up to about 22 miles (35 kilometers) above the earth’s surface. NASA, however, once sent a giant balloon out into the atmosphere and this balloon set a record for a sustainable altitude of more than 30 miles (159,000 feet). This balloon was not made of rubber, but of a thin polyethylene material, enough to cover nearly 20 acres of land.
Our Warren Knight Pilot Balloons
At Warren Knight, our ceiling and pilot balloons help meteorologists and others determine cloud heights as well as wind speed and direction. Our WK-22-3010 Ceiling Balloon can be used to ascertain cloud height by timing the ascent of the balloon. Our 30-gram and 100-gram pilot balloons are meant to be used in conjunction with a theodolite to determine wind speed and direction.
In addition to our pibal selection, we also have several theodolite tracking systems, including our WK-20-8400 Pilot Balloon Observation Theodolite, our WK-20—9500 Electronic Mechanical Meteorological Theodolite, the WK-20-9600 Series Compact Electronic Meteorological Theodolite System, and the WK-20-9100 Series Electronic Meteorological Theodolite.
We also have the WK-90-5410, which is a handheld pilot balloon tracking system that includes the latest version of our PIBAL software, and this device is meant to be used with a compatible Warren-Knight balloon tracking theodolite. This PDA has a long battery life and integrated wireless capabilities such as WWAN, GPS and Bluetooth. Of course, if you don’t opt for this PDA, our theodolites can be attached to any laptop using a Windows operating system.
Whether you need pilot balloons or a meteorological theodolite, take a look at our selection and contact us for a quote. For those who only need a theodolite or other equipment for a special project, we offer equipment rentals and if you like the equipment, you can consider our rental-purchase plan.
At Warren Knight, we’ve been designing and producing quality theodolites, pilot balloons, clinometers, boresights, navigation instruments, survey instruments and other optical instruments for more than 100 years. If you don’t see precisely what you need, give us a call as we may be able to provide you with a custom design.