Encyclopedia

pilot balloon

Also found in: Dictionary, Acronyms, Wikipedia.

pilot balloon

[′pī·lət bə‚lün]
(engineering)
A small balloon whose ascent is followed by a theodolite in order to obtain data for the computation of the speed and direction of winds in the upper air.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

pilot balloon

A small rubber balloon filled with hydrogen or helium. It ascends at a uniform and known rate (i.e., 500 ft/min). A theodolite tracks the balloon, and the wind velocity is thus determined at various levels.
An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pilot Balloon

 

a small rubber balloon filled with hydrogen and released in free flight to determine wind velocity and direction at different altitudes or to establish the altitude of the lower boundary of clouds. The pilot balloon ascends at a nearly constant speed, calculated according to the lifting force and the weight of the balloon envelope. The altitude of the balloon is determined as the product of the vertical speed and the time between the moment of release and the moment of recording. The wind velocity and direction at different altitudes are computed according to simultaneous readings of the altitude of the balloon and the angles (elevation angle above the horizon and the azimuth) observed through an aerological theodolite.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mentioned in
References in periodicals archive
1, the records in these figures, derived for CHUAN but similar to the ERA-CLIM data, are dominated by visually tracked pilot balloons, except for the period before 1918, with radiosondes contributing up to one-third to the total number of records after the mid-1940s): Until the late 1930s, most daytime (0600-1800 UTC) ascents did not reach altitudes higher than 5,000 m above mean sea level (MSL).
ERA-CLIM: historical surface and upper-air data for future reanalyses: newly digitized surface and upper-air data are useful to analyze climate and weather events in the first half of the twentieth century and may help to improve future reanalyses
Laryngeal mask airway intracuff pressure estimation by digital palpation of the pilot balloon: a comparison of reusable and disposable masks.
Accuracy of ProSeal[TM] laryngeal mask airway intracuff pressure estimation using finger palpation technique a prospective, observational study
The endotracheal tube was positioned by one of three methods: it was secured by palpating at the suprasternal notch while holding the pilot balloon ([Group.sub.Cuff]); by placing the 21 cm mark at the upper incisors ([Group.sub.21cm]); or by placing a guide mark, which was made on the surface of the tube 2 cm above the proximal end of the cuff, at the level of the vocal cords ([Group.sub.VC]).
Methods of endotracheal tube placement in patients undergoing pelviscopic surgery
However, due to the absence of a pilot balloon, there was no visual indication of the cuff being in an inflated state.
Fixing of a severed inflation line--a novel method
"It takes a lot of skill to pilot balloons," says Ninomiya.
Lift off! Taking to the skies with helium balloons
Copyright © 2003-2025 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.