Deadly Hot Air Balloon Explosion in Egypt Sparks Questions About Balloon Safety

That doesn't look dangerous at all!

After a joyous hot air balloon trip ended in a fiery explosion and the death of 19 tourists, the ballooning community is scrambling for answers. How could something like this happen and what is being done to make sure it never happens again? Hot air ballooning is perhaps the slowest and safest ways to travel by air so for something tragic like this to happen is an outrage.

One issue being brought up is security screening. Are people being checked thoroughly before they board a hot air balloon the same way they would if they were boarding an airliner? Am I saying a pregnant woman should be forced to drink her own breast milk and have her body fondled before she's allowed to get in a hot air balloon basket, no of course not, but the search for answers must start in the obvious places. Was it an act of terrorism? That's the first thing most people think about in a post 9/11 world when it comes to air disasters. Is hot air balloon terror the new blight facing the quest for world peace?

Are the hot air balloons equipped with proper fire protection? Should passengers be in special heat suits to prevent burning to death in an explosion? These are all questions that need to be answered soon before the hot air ballooning industry feels the pain of this tragedy.