Do hot air balloons have any control over the direction they travel?

Question

Do hot air balloons have any control over the direction they travel?

Answer 1

Not in a direct way, but sometimes they can change altitude and pick up wind going in a the direction they want to go.

Answer 2

Give the points to JetDoc.

I once did a touch-and-go, landing in a space of 50 square feet, five times, in the space of 45 minutes. The entire circuit (the box, as we call it) was about one-half mile, up over a freeway, past the field at altitude of 400 feet AGL, then back to the landing spot on the field at deck level.

Winds do not flow as the non-initiated would expect, and an experienced pilot can navigate quite well. Even at the same altitude, one can even find diverging rivulets that can flow in different directions.

Great fun, and yes, Virginia, if you're good you can land on a dime.

(FAA cert. com. free balloon w/airborne heater)

Answer 3

yes, up or down.

Answer 4

Only if the wind is blowing in the direction you want to go

Answer 5

Some...

Air currents frequently move in different directions at different altitudes.  It's just a matter of making the balloon go up or down until you find an air current that's blowing in the direction you want to go.

It doesn't always work out, but sometimes you get lucky!