The free balloon is made up of an envelope, a net, a car and a certain number of accessories. The envelope is a gas-tight cloth sphere, inflated with a lighter-than-air gas, opened at the top by a valve which exhausts gas-which starts the descent when operated-and opened on its lower part by the inflating pipe which is used for the admission of the gas in the envelope and acts as p a safety valve for the free emission of an excess of expanded gas during flight. The envelope also carries a rip-panel, which is a rectangular cloth frame with a flap to which is fixed a rope which when pulled helps to deflate the balloon rapidly, thus avoiding the car being dragged on the ground when landing.

The net is the main suspension component of the car, which covers the envelope and contains suspension ropes which are tied to the suspension hoop of the car. The net spreads the load evenly over the surface of the envelope.

The suspension hoop of the car is either made of wood or metal. To it are attached the suspension ropes of the net and those of the car, forming the junction between the lifting force (envelope) and the load (car).

The car is a rectangular basket, generally made of willow, in which the balloonists are contained, it is fastened to the suspension hoop by suspension ropes.

The giderope is a cable from 111 to 222 yards long. One of its extremities is tied to the suspension hoop and the rest of it is coiled up and fastened on one side of the car. When uncoiled and touching the ground, its weight and its friction force make it a good ballast, a partial brake and a means of directing the balloon before landing.

The anchor was in the past a necessary brake for landing, but it has today completely disappeared with the use of the rip-panel.

The ballast is a heavy body, generally sand bags, which the balloonist carries in the car and which he jettisons to control the ascent of the balloon.