Around the World Update
The opening of the winter window for around-the-world balloon flight attempts is just a month away. Last year three teams, including Steve Fossett, Per Lindstrand, and Henk Brink, were prepared to make an assault on the ultimate balloon adventure. Fossett actually got into the air, taking off from the Stratobowl in South Dakota, before having to land in Newfoundland. Lindstrand's team couldn't get the weather to cooperate in Morocco. Brink's equipment had problems and he walked away from his attempt.
Since then, Bob Martin of project Odyssey, which is based in Albuquerque, has changed his plans from a summer launch to a winter flight plan. Martin is now planning a flight from Australia in the southern hemisphere. It is reported that John Wallington has joined the team, which includes Troy Bradley. Wallington who lives in Australia, teamed with Dick Smith in 1993 to be the first to fly a balloon across the Australian continent.
Dick Rutan reports that his Aeolus I project (Balloon Life, March, 1996) is "still very much active and hard at work in search of a sponsor." Rutan says, "We learned a lot (the hard way) during the Voyager project and confidently tell folks `we are the only team with actual world flight experience.'" Rutan also believes that the flight will have to be made in a pressurized capsule, flying high at thirty-five thousand feet, and have a 30 day duration to be able to work the jet streams. The 30 day prediction is a longer time period then the other teams have been estimating.
Fossett has taken delivery on his new Roziere envelope from Cameron Balloons UK. On Saturday, September 21 Fossett and Bruce Comstock made a test flight of the balloon to check on all systems and attempt an altitude record in the Roziere balloons. They launched from Erie, County Airport, Colorado and landed near Carlton, Kansas nine and a half hours later.
Fossett reported after the shakedown flight that, "We have a few problems to iron out but in general, I am very pleased with the way things went." Fossett and Comstock ascended to a height of 26,900 feet, breaking the previous altitude record for Roziere balloons of 25,994 feet set in 1994 by Steven Wayne Griffin in Australia.
Fossett is once again the top contender to be the first person to fly a balloon around the world. Fossett will be ready to launch his balloon Solo Spirit from St. Louis, Missouri when the unofficial launch window of winter wind patterns opens on November 15.
The Lindstrand-Branson team has not yet announced their plans for this winter. However, Lindstrand has been busy refining his system and will be ready to go this winter. It is unknown at this time whether he plans on returning to Morocco for his launch.
Henk Brink and the Unicef sponsors have parted company and it is unclear if Brink will again mount an effort to make the around the world flight.
World Air Games
The Fédération Aéronautic Internationale is planning on holding the World Air Games in Turkey in 1997. An Olympic style event for all facets of aviation is planned. In mid-September a test balloon event was held in Kapadokya, Turkey for hot air balloons. The Kapadokya Cup was won by Peter Blaser of Switzerland. Masahiko Fujita of Japan was second and Mathijs DeBruign of the Netherlands was third. Linas Mastis of Michigan represented the United States and finished ninth.
National Gas Balloon Race
The National Gas Balloon Race, a the U.S. Gordon Bennett qualifier for 1997, launched from St. Louis, Missouri in September. Thirteen teams participated. The winner of the event is Troy Bradley and Shane Robinson who flew 1310.35 kilometers and landed near Vineland, New Jersey. Rounding out the top three qualifiers were the second place team of Richard Abruzzo and Carol Davis flying 1284.42 kilometers and landing near Old Trap, North Carolina and the third place team of David Levin and Mark Sullivan who covered 1229.37 kilometers and landed near New Bern, North Carolina.
Abruzzo and Davies landed near Kitty Hawk with only one more stretch of sand between them and the open water of the Atlantic Ocean.
Five Years Ago in Balloon Life
* The FAA issued a final rule on drug testing that excluded balloon pilots.
* Dan Balisky from Alberta won the Canadian Hot Air Balloon Championship.
* Balloon Passion a French magazine for ballooning made its debut.
* Aerostar announced the it had sold 100 Aurora 54Ks in the first year of production.
Ten Years Ago in Balloon Life
* Dutch Viking crosses the Atlantic. It is the first Roziere balloon to make the flight, first Europeans to make the crossing, and the first woman. Henk and Evelien Brink and Willem Hageman made the flight.
* Gary Lockyer of Ottawa wins the Canadian Hot Air Balloon Championship.
* The Balloon Works announced the completion of design, development, and testing of a modification to their T3-017 burner giving it more power and burner pressure.