There is a lot of work required to get a 60,000 cu.ft. balloon built. So we thought we should share the process with you.
Once the design has been agreed, the team at Kavanagh Balloons use special software to transfer a flat design on to a round balloon. They then need to take that design and translate it onto the individual panels that will be sewn together to make the balloon envelope. There is a bit of science and a lot of art involved to get the design to look perfect.
Once the design is finalised, the special nylon fabric this then laid out on a cutting bench and the panels and the artwork is cut out using scissors and an electric cutter.
The fabric then needs to be sewn together on a twin needle, industrial sewing machine. Since there is a lot of artwork on this balloon (i.e. the face), the team had a lot of extra seams to sew than they normally would with a plain coloured balloon.
Once the balloon is all assembled, a test inflation is carried out to ensure that everything has come together correctly and that the vent at the top of the balloon is rigged and operational.
Then the final step is sorting out all of the paperwork required by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the issuing of the Certificate of Airworthiness and the Certificate of Registration.
Balloony McBalloonface 