Originally Posted by
DaveReidUK
Let's wait and see the evidence (if any) that the balloon's altitude and track are being controlled remotely, shall we ?
Occam and I aren't holding our breath ...
Well, despite your skepticism, free balloons are controllable to some extent. The U.S. Balloon Fiesta features free gas balloon races for distance ala the Coupe Aéronatique Gordon Bennett, in which gas balloons are controlled by altering altitude to pick up suitable winds. A remotely controlled free gas balloon is certainly possible; the Chinese do state their machine is partially controlled as to direction.
https://balloonfiesta.com/Americas-Challenge