The Model Balloon Book

Over 12 years ago, Klaus-Dieter Jahnke, an enthusiastic model balloonist, wrote this book, which since its release is considered as the one standard work in this section of modeling - mostly in the German language area, as this is the language it is written in, but in other countries as well.

After the first edition of the Model Balloon Book had been sold out, the publishing company refused to reissue a second one - for understandable reasons, as the market for such a book is much too small to achieve cost recovery.

So, should all the useful hints and tricks in this book be lost for all future generations of model balloonists? No, we decided together with Klaus-Dieter Jahnke - and started working.

Masses of text had to be extracted from old DOS files and brought into an appealing layout, old photos had to be scanned and partially be replaced by new ones, chapters had to be updated and extended, reference addresses had to be checked... and after all, a platform had to be provided to publish the new book.

Finally, the day has come: The new edition is finished, and you can download it from our homepage - completely for free! To view and print the work, which is over a hundred pages strong, you will need the Acrobat Reader, which you can download here for free (in case you don't have it already). To unzip the zip-files you can use either Windows XP or WinZip, which you can also get for free at www.winzip.com.

Together with the Model Balloon Book, we offer two other packages for download: A construction manual for a control circuit board for model balloons, and the program "MINIBALL.EXE", with which you can calculate the envelope of a model balloon.

NOTE: All these files are, unfortunately, available in German only. Translating them would cost us an enormous amount of time which we just cannot spend at the moment. So, you'll either have to be pleased with the German version... or live without it.

Ferngesteuerte Heissluftballone - Geschichte, Bau und Betrieb

In this book you will find everything you need to know to access the wonderful world of model ballooning. Richly illustrated and with a large reference addresses list.

current version: 2.10 - 22. 12. 2005

Click here to download.

Format:
pdf, zipped

Size:
5,3 MB

This version history list contains all major changes from version 2.00 to today.

Click here to download.

Format:
pdf, zipped

Size:
110 KB

Control circuit board for model balloons

This construction manual describes how to solder a control circuit board for model balloons from standard electronic components.

Click here to download.

Format:
pdf, zipped

Size:
590 KB

Graphic Mini Balloon Designer "MINIBALL.EXE"

With this program, you can calculate the envelope of a model balloon by entering some few parameters like opening angle and radius. Including help file.

Click here to download.

Format:
exe & pdf, zipped

Size:
720 KB

We would like to point out that the right to publish these files - whichever format they may have - is solely reserved to www.pinguballon.de. It is also not permitted to link these files directly - webmasters of other homepage are requested to link the start page of our website only.