Piccard Balloons, along with Raven Industries (founded by Ed Yost

Ed Yost

Paul Edward Yost was the American inventor of the modern hot air balloon and is referred to as the "Father of the Modern Day Hot-Air Balloon." He worked for a high altitude research division of General Mills when he helped establish Raven Industries in 1956.-Inventor:Born on a farm 7 miles...

), SEMCO, and The Balloon Works (now Firefly Balloons

Firefly Balloons

FireFly Balloons is an American hot air balloon manufacturer that started as The Balloon Works in 1972 in Statesville, NC. The company is one of the oldest hot air balloon manufacturers in the United States, behind Raven Industries , SEMCO and Piccard Balloons...

), was among the first manufacturers of hot air balloons. Don Piccard

Don Piccard

Donald Louis Piccard is an American balloonist.The son of Jean Felix Piccard and Jeannette Piccard, Don Piccard first flew in a balloon in 1933, when he was enlisted as "crew" by his mother, the first woman to fly to the edge of space. He served as a balloon and airship rigger in the U. S...

, descended from a long line of aeronauts, built and sold some of the first modern hot air balloons, beginning in the mid-1960s. Piccard Balloons contributed much to the sport of Hot air ballooning

Hot air ballooning

Hot air ballooning is the activity of flying hot air balloons. Attractive aspects of ballooning include the exceptional quiet , the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird's-eye view...

, through innovative design and construction.