Editing Hot air balloon

{{Era|Transportation}}{{WP-REAL}}
{{Spoilerhd|4 June 2025|[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]}}
{{Quote|It certainly is lovely up here. You should see the view.|Élise de la Serre to Arno Dorian while flying on a hot air baloon, 1792.|Assassin's Creed Unity|The Escape (Unity)}}
A '''hot air balloon''' is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of two parts: a bag (or envelope) containing heated air, and a gondola or wicker basket attached to it. The basket holds not only the passengers, but also the source of heat, usually an open flame caused by burning liquid propane,<ref name="Wiki">{{WP|Hot air balloon}}</ref> and at times fueled by coal gas.<ref name="Resurrection">''[[Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot]]'' – Chapter 17</ref> Though they have seen military applications during its history, presently, hot air balloons are mostly used recreationally.<ref name="Wiki"/>

==Specific designs==
===Celestial Chariot===
[[File:ACFT - Celestial Chariot.png|thumb|180px|The Celestial Chariot]]
{{Main|Celestial Chariot}}
{{Quote|Feast your eyes upon the fulfillment of humanity's most ancient dream... the gift of flight! Behold! I present to you the ''Celestial Chariot''!|Yun Pyeong-Gyu, 1725.|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple|Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 60}}
Built in 1725 by [[Zhawang Corporation|Zhang Wei Union]]'s engineer [[Yun Pyeong-Gyu]] with the assistance of [[Xialun Qing]], the Celestial Chariot was inspired by [[China|Chinese]] {{Wiki|sky lantern}}s.<ref name="FT 60">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 60|Episode 60]]</ref> Differing from later iterations of hot air balloons in that it was fueled by [[Greek fire]], allowing it to remain in the air for longer periods of time in exchange for increased risk of the pilot's demise, the original Celestial Chariot's first—and only—flight was operated by Qing, who used it to mark the locations of enemy encampments on [[Monkey Island]]. A sudden gust of wind caused the Greek fire inside the balloon to spill,<ref name="FT 60" /> forcing her to [[parachute]] her way to safety.<ref name="FT 61">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 61|Episode 61]]</ref> A second version, dubbed the "Celestial Chariot Mk. 2", soon followed, with the burner being installed above the balloon's basket and the frame reinforced for structural integrity, allowing the balloon to carry up to three people at once. It was used by the Union to infiltrate [[Fort San Pedro]], this time operated by [[Edward Kenway]], [[Shimazu Saito]] and [[John Young]].<ref name="FT 68">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 68|Episode 68]]</ref> A third version came about following the death of Xialun Qing in the [[Sultanate of Sulu]],<ref name="FT 91">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 91|Episode 91]]</ref> The balloon's dismantled components were smuggled into the city of [[Yangon]], [[Myanmar|Burma]] and assembled by Yun, allowing Edward and Saito to get closer to the [[Shwedagon Pagoda]].<ref name="FT 97">''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]'' – [[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple Episode 97|Episode 97]]</ref>

===Montgolfière===
{{Main|Montgolfière}}
{{Quote|Get in a supply of taffeta and of cordage, quickly, and you will see one of the most astonishing sights in the world.|Joseph Montgolfier to his brother, Étienne.|Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook|Historic Personage Sheets}}
[[File:ACUDB - Montgolfier Flight.png|thumb|200px|The Montgolfière]]
Invented in the 1780s by [[France|French]] brothers [[Joseph-Michel Montgolfier|Joseph-Michel]] and [[Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier]], the Montgolfière was a balloon made of [[silk]] lined with paper and held together with buttons. Inspired by the then-recent attempted {{Wiki|Great Siege of Gibraltar|Siege of Gibraltar}}, Joseph built a box-like chamber out of thin [[wood]] and covered it with {{Wiki|taffeta}}. When he burned paper beneath the device, it quickly rose to the ceiling. He wrote to Jacques-Étienne, requesting a supply of taffeta and cordage, and together they built a second fabric-covered craft, scaled up by three. It was tested on 14 December 1782 and the lifting force was so powerful that the brothers lost control of the vessel, which floated over a mile before landing, where it was destroyed by passersby. The first public demonstration of their hot air balloon was held on 4 June 4 1783, in {{Wiki|Annonay}} in front of a group of dignitaries. The balloon's flight lasted ten minutes, reached an altitude of approximately 6,000 feet, and covered 1.2 miles.<ref name = "Personage">''[[Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook]]'' – [[Historic Personage Sheets]]: Montgolfier brothers</ref>

On 31 October 1792, following the [[assassination]] of the [[Parisian Rite of the Templar Order|French Templar]] [[Marie Lévesque]], [[Parisian Brotherhood of Assassins|French Assassin]] [[Arno Dorian]] met with [[Élise de la Serre]] to escape, only to be chased by a large group of guards to a presentation of a Montgolfière. Though the professor presenting the Montgolfière explained that older models like it were "entirely at the mercy of the breeze" and the current winds were far too strong for a ride to be safe, Élise climbed into the basket while Arno cut the ropes holding the balloon down. Élise drifted away while Arno chased down the balloon on the rooftops, being shot at by [[sniper]]s along the way. Eventually, he managed to jump aboard, with the pair sharing a romantic moment aboard the vessel.<ref name="Escape">''[[Assassin's Creed Unity]]'' – [[The Escape (Unity)|The Escape]]</ref>

===Émilie du Châtelet===
During the [[Franco-Prussian War]], as Paris was besieged by the Prussian army, a hot air baloon was manufactured out of emerald silk that had been sitting in a warehouse for 20 years. Stiched up in the [[Gare du Nord]] by seamstresses protected against the {{Wiki|Paris green|arsenic dye}}, it was named after French mathematician and philospher {{Wiki|Émilie du Châtelet}} and was employed by Assassin [[Simeon Price]] as a way to get out of the city and make his way to the Templar-controlled city of [[Tours]]. He was accompannied by the pilot [[Lebrun]], unbeknownst to Price a Templar who was in possession of the [[Ankh]]. As the Templar tried to kill him, the Assassin got the upper hand and threw him from the ballon. Later, Price was forced to jump from the basket as the balloon went down quickly.<ref name="Resurrection"/>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook]]'' {{1stm}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Unity]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Assassin's Creed: The Engine of History – The Resurrection Plot]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Transportation]]