3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 8

In August
of 1932 Swiss
scientist
Auguste
Piccard was the first to
achieve a manned flight to the
Stratosphere. He reached a height of
52,498 feet, setting the new altitude record.
Over the next couple of years, altitude
records continued to be set and broken
every couple of months - the race was on to
see who would reach the highest point.
In 1935 a new altitude record was set and
it remained at this level for the next 20
years. The balloon Explorer 2, a gas helium
model reached an altitude of 72,395 feet
(13.7 miles)! For the first time in history, it
was proven that humans could survive in
a pressurized chamber at extremely high
altitudes. This flight set a milestone for
aviation and helped pave the way for future
space travel.
The Altitude record was set again in 1960
when Captain Joe Kittinger parachute
jumped from a balloon that was at a height
of 102,000 feet. The balloon broke the
altitude record and Captain Kittinger, the
high altitude parachute jump record. He
broke the sound barrier with his body!
The Atlantic Challenge
In 1978, the Double Eagle II became the first
balloon to cross the Atlantic, another major
benchmark in the History of Ballooning.
After many unsuccessful attempts this
mighty Ocean had finally
been cracked. It
was
8
a helium
filled
model,
carrying 3 passengers,
Ben
Abruzzo,
Maxie
Anderson and Larry Newman.
They set a new flight duration
time at 137 hours. There is a
full story breakdown here in the
Atlantic Conquered part of the
site.
The Pacific Challenge
The first Pacific crossing was
achieved 3 years later in 1981.
The Double Eagle V launched from
Japan on November 10th and landed
84
hours
later
in
Mendocino
National Forest, California. The 4
pilots set a new distance record at 5,678
miles. 3 years after this, Captain Joe
Kittinger flew 3,535 miles on the first solo
transatlantic balloon flight, setting yet
another record.
In 1987 Richard Branson
and
Per
Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019