Perhaps Leonardo Da Vinci said it best, “Once you have flown, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return.” Certainly that lyrical sentiment was true for the two men who celebrate a record setting, 25th anniversary this July.
In 1987, Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand became the first men to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon. Their historic flight covered a distance of 3,075 miles, from Maine to Ireland, in just 31 hours and 41 minutes. The crossing was only slightly marred with a less than elegant ending. Both men had to be pulled from the North Channel, that body of water separating Northern Ireland from Scotland, by the Royal Navy.
Underway
Named the Virgin Atlantic Flyer, the balloon, or “envelope” as it’s known in the business, was a silver and black behemoth that billowed to the height of a 22-story building when fully inflated. Lindstrand, a Swedish-born aviator, aeronautical engineer, and owner of Lindstrand Technologies, designed and built the Flyer at his factory in Oswestry, England.
Lindstrand’s concept of the flight was simple–go high and fast by maneuvering the balloon into the jet stream. He and Branson along with their requisite gear would be housed in a pressurized aluminum capsule surrounded by propane fuel tanks to feed the burners. During the day the balloon would be kept aloft by the sun’s heat at night, the burners would take over.
Early on the morning of July 2nd, the balloon lifted off from its “Sugar Loaf” launch site in Maine. Rising at a speed of 137 knots per hour, the conveyance soon rose to its cruising altitude of 27,000 feet. Flying at an average speed of 97m.p.h., the passage was swift and smooth. On July 3rd, they descended toward their final destination.
Bumpy Landing
Due to weather conditions, the landing site had been altered from the British Isles to the Ireland coast. Technically, they touched down briefly on the targeted beach but a mechanism that releases the balloon from the capsule failed to work. Soon, they were on a bumpy, bouncing ride across the channel. Rough, contentious seas seeped into the capsule. Though there was some discussion on coaxing the limping conveyance to shore, both men concluded it was wiser to hazard a helicopter rescue from the water after a 60-foot leap off the capsule roof. Despite their soggy touchdown, the trip was an undeniable success.
The Men In The Flying Machine
Neither Branson nor Lindstrand were strangers to daredevil feats. Both men had a longstanding love affair with taking on challenges. Branson, a high school dropout, had a flair for entrepreneurial ventures. His megabrand, Virgin, is home to more than 200 companies from gyms to intergalactic space travel.
