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The X type manufactured by Lindstrand is a new type of balloon, designed especially for competitions |
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It is 18.83 m tall, 14.5 m in diameter with a surface area of 8210 feet |
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Shaped like a rugby ball, the balloon has load straps on the inside instead of the
outside and it's made from special new silicone coated fabric called Xtel |
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The design and fabric are both essential in enabling the balloon to
reach top speeds of ascent and descent without distorting |
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It can ascend and descend three times faster than an average
balloon - up to 1800 feet a minute compared with the usual 600 feet a minute |
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If you turned the X69 type upside down you could fit 69,000 basketballs in the space |
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This is one of the only balloons to have been printed all over |
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The mouth of the balloon is made from nomex® - the same
material as Formula One drivers' suits which is flame resistant and very expensive |
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The basket is still made from wicker as it was in 1783, although
in modern balloons like this one the wicker surrounds a tubular steel construction |
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The Sloggi balloon is the first and only Lindstrand X69 type in the
world. Before this Lindstrand had only previously manufactured an X60 - an X type balloon
with a capacity of 60,000 cubic feet. The X69 has a capacity of 69,000 cubic feet |
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