Avian Balloon Company was founded by Forey Walter in 1974. Avian claims the distinction of being the oldest balloon manufacturing company in the United States which still has its original name and management.
Avian manufactures six different models under its four FAA Type Certificates. Envelopes range from 42,000 to 160,000 cubic feet in volume. All envelopes come standard with our heavy duty 1.9 oz./yd. ripstop nylon that is finished with a coating of silicone. All envelopes are of the horizontal cut and are offered in 16, 20, 24, or 28 gores depending on their volume. All 24 and 28 gore envelopes come with our double pulley parachute deflation port design for easy operation.
High performance burners and simplicity in their design has always been our trademark. From our superior fuel flow blast valve, to our blowout proof pilot lights, we’ve kept up to date in burner performance while actually eliminating burner parts. As burner technology advanced so did our burners. But where others added items to their burners we eliminated parts and made our burners quieter. For instance the “Ball” valve design which we use for both our blast and pilot light valves have only two moving parts making them the most trouble free burners available on the market today.
All Avian baskets are crafted from only the highest quality rattan. The rattan is natural and is woven vertically. This is a more time consuming and expensive way to weave, however this design has proven to be far superior than conventional horizontal woven designs. The vertical weave allows the basket less resistance with the ground in drag landings and traditionally sustained less damage. The vertical weave also enables the step to become an integral part of the basket, not an after thought which can be seen on horizontal basket designs. All baskets are trimmed in suede leather on the handrail and burner supports, while the step and bottom edge of the basket are covered in latigo leather. Wood skid plates cover the outer perimeter of the basket floor and all basket support cables. This adds extra strength to the basket bottom, and with our optional T.S. Plastic skid plate covers makes the skip plates almost indestructible.
The Flytec 3040 instrument finishes off our balloon system. This instrument features an altimeter, variometer, envelope temperature.