<P> On January 15, 1991, the' Virgin Pacific Flyer' balloon completed the longest flight in a hot air balloon when Per Lindstrand (born in Sweden, but resident in the UK) and Richard Branson of the UK flew 7,671.91 km (4,767.10 mi) from Japan to Northern Canada . With a volume of 74 thousand cubic meters (2.6 million cubic feet), the balloon envelope was the largest ever built for a hot air craft . Designed to fly in the trans - oceanic jet streams, the Pacific Flyer recorded the fastest ground speed for a manned balloon at 245 mph (394 km / h). The longest duration record was set by Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard, Auguste Piccard's grandson; and Briton Brian Jones, flying in the Breitling Orbiter 3 . It was the first nonstop trip around the world by balloon . The balloon left Château - d'Oex, Switzerland, on March 1, 1999, and landed at 1: 02 a.m. on March 21 in the Egyptian desert 300 miles (480 km) south of Cairo . The two men exceeded distance, endurance, and time records, traveling 19 days, 21 hours, and 55 minutes . Steve Fossett, flying solo, exceeded the record for briefest time traveling around the world on 3 July 2002 on his sixth attempt, in 320 h 33 min . Fedor Konyukhov flew solo round the world on his first attempt in a hybrid hot - air / helium balloon from 11 to 23 July 2016 for a round - the world time of 272h 11m, as of 17 September 2016 awaiting official confirmation as the new record . </P> <P> A hot air balloon for manned flight uses a single - layered, fabric gas bag (lifting "envelope"), with an opening at the bottom called the mouth or throat . Attached to the envelope is a basket, or gondola, for carrying the passengers . Mounted above the basket and centered in the mouth is the "burner", which injects a flame into the envelope, heating the air within . The heater or burner is fueled by propane, a liquefied gas stored in pressure vessels, similar to high pressure forklift cylinders . </P> <P> Modern hot air balloons are usually made of materials such as ripstop nylon or dacron (a polyester). </P> <P> During the manufacturing process, the material is cut into panels and sewn together, along with structural load tapes that carry the weight of the gondola or basket . The individual sections, which extend from the throat to the crown (top) of the envelope, are known as gores or gore sections . Envelopes can have as few as 4 gores or as many as 24 or more . </P>

What is the envelope of a hot air balloon made of