For someone who is terrified of open tread stairs and elevators with windows and really does not do well with flying in airplanes, it is odd that there is a part of me that would love to go up in a hot air balloon.
it has been 130 years since the Montgolfier brothers, Jacques and Joseph invented the hot air balloon. the first flight flight contained a goat, duck and chicken on board, when all returned to the ground safely and alive, a manned flight was planned two months later. that one lasted for twenty minutes over Paris. I can barely imagine the reaction of the crowds watching below!
The balloon is made of the envelope, a burner and a basket. Safety has improved over the years, but the basic components are just the same as when the first balloon rose into the air.
Wicker is used for the basket as it is extremely stable, durable, flexible. It is ideal for balloon baskets, since it is able to withstand the impact of landing, and also absorb some of the shock, keeping the balloon passengers more comfortable.
The rip-stop nylon that the envelope is made from is durable and fireproof, so there's little chance of the the wind tearing it open, nor of the burner flame setting the envelope on fire, unlike early balloons, which were actually quite fragile.
The original burners were little more than an open fire pit in the basket. Most modern burners utilize propane gas, which is stored in the basket in cylinders. A thin pipe carries the propane to the pilot light, and a thick one takes propane to a special high-pressure valve. When the pilot opens this valve, a stream of propane gas is ignited by the pilot flame, heating the air inside the balloon and causing the balloon to ascend.
(info from hot air balloons)