ARCA uses a hot air balloon, a "Montgolfier", as the first stage for the Haas-ELE vehicle. I would like to write about an important date from the history of flight.

Exactly 225 years ago, on June 4th, 1783, Joseph and Étienne Montgolfier made the first public demonstration of a lighter-than-air machine.

If we don't consider the discovery of the kite (China, around 400 BC), this public demonstration was maybe the first major milestone in the history of flight. This happened 120 years before another major milestone, 1903, the Wright Brothers.

More details:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blearlyflight.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgolfier_brothers

Bogdan Sburlea,
ARCA