Adams Balloons, one many legacy hot air balloon manufacturers in the US was founded by Mike Adams (lower right) in the early 1970's.  Adams Balloons still maintains a presence within the sport but to a lesser degree than days gone by.  The Adams Balloon system, most notable for its somewhat unorthodox deflation system known as the "pop-top".  It derives its name from the manner by which the deflation operates.  Once the pilot has decided to deflate  the balloon  he pulls on  the "red-line",  standard on all makes  and models of hot air 

balloons, which releases a fastener  located  at the top of  the balloon.  This in turn opens the top of the balloon releasing the hot air in a matter of about ten seconds.  The "pop-top" deflation system can only be operated once and never while in flight.  In later years Adams began to build his balloons more in line with the industry  standard  "parachute top", primarily for safety reasons.

clicking on the photograpns will enlarge them &

allow you to view in greater detail

With so many new manufacturers to the sport, coupled with technological advances, Adams Balloon systems have remained virtually unchanged for many years with only a few exceptions.  Although demand for the Adams  system has  dropped over the years,

a recent resurgence is under way.  The recent relocation of the Adams headquarters and manufacturing from the Carolinas to the hot air balloon capital of the world, Albuquerque, NM, may have something to do with that.

Adams was one of the first to design and build a special shape chicken balloon (right) in the mid-1970s. Also pictured (below) are a couple early Adams balloons from 1973-74.

click on logo to link to Adams