November2000
Orbiter 3 CD
On March 21, 1999, Bertrand Piccard
andBrianJoneslandedtheir balloonin
thevastexpanse oftheEgyptiandesert.
Twenty one days earlierthey had lifted off
fro mCh ateau
d’Oex,Switzer-
landonaquest
t oci rcleth e
g lo b ei na
lig hter-than-air
craft .Havi ng
developed a new
system, trying to
fl ytoth ej et
s tream ,th en
navigate around countries and across vast
oceans the twoexplores used skill, luck,
determinationandteamworktocapture
the holy grail of ballooning.
BreitlingOrbiter 3teambroughtto-
gether high technology and a deep under-
standingof nature towin thishotlycon-
testedrace. Now youcanexplore every
aspect of their extraordinary achievement
withthis interactive CD-ROM.
TheCDlooksattheirworkasit
exploreseveryaspectoftheballoon’s
flight,fromearliestdaystothecharity
founded aftertheir triumph. There’s video
footageofBrianandBertrandtalking
aboutconditionson-board,theirhopes
and fears. Best of all, the camera captures
theirexcitementwhentheycrossedthe
meridian nine degrees 27 minutes west—
their “finishingline.”
Unique illustrations provide detailed
viewsoftheinteriorandexteriorof the
balloon.Roaming within the gondola, you
cantakeintheviewfromthecockpit,
move downthe central corridor or linger
inthe small kitchen area. There is alsoa
great view of the exterior, right to the top
of the envelope.
Dig intothe pilot’s flight log or read
theirfax communications.TraceBreitling
Orbiter3’sprogresssimplybyclicking
onto the day of your choice. The relevant
sectionof the globe willappear,plusan
indicationof how far theytraveledeach
day.
Bertrand and Brian’s achievement cap-
tured the imagination of the world. Now you
can enjoy that experience with this record of
history.Minimumsystemrequirements,
Pentium 100 MHz, 32 MB RAM, sound card
and speakers, Windows 95.
Breitling Orbiter 3, around the world
in 21 days , £14.95 plus shipping. For
more information or to order a copy visit
www.orbiterballoon.com. Reviewed by Tom
Hamilton
Outjustintimefortheholidaysis
Ballooning Adventures, part of a Danger-
ousAdventureseriesfromCap stone
Books.Achildren’sbook,this48page
volume introduces the young readerto the
sportof ballooning. Throughwordsand
picturestheylearn about the type of bal-
loons, historicflights likeDouble Eagle II
andV,Breitling Orbiter 3, and a look into
the future of ballooning.
WrittenbyKarenandGlenBledsoe,
this bookshowsthe young reader the ad-
venturesof ballooningandif theydream,
the possibilities that they can reach for. The
series takes the reader onhigh risk adven-
turesrather than the usual float along and
enjoyballooning
most people think
abou t.Fly in g
acro sso ceans,
aroundtheworld,
ortotheedgeof
spaceisthestuff
that future explor-
erswillwantto
sinkth eirteeth
into.
Capstone’sbookshelppeoplelearn
toreadandreadtolearn.Thisbookis
aimedatthe2-4gradereader.Itisde-
signedtoallowthereadertobecome
familiar with books and encourages them
to explore for more information with use-
ful reference sources.
Ballooning Adventures,48pages,6
by 8.5 inches, hardbound with reinforced
library binding, $15.95 plus shipping. To
ordercallCapstone Press800-747-4992
orord eronlineat
www.capstone-press.com
A life in aviation
Passions drive people to accomplish
their life’sdesireandtheykeepthefire
burning long after the task canno longer
beaccomplished. This book is about Alex
Jenkinson’slife inaviation,a recordre-
flectedthroughhisloveofflyingand
travelbothasa commercialairlineem-
andasaballoonist.Longtime
readershaveseenAlexinBalloon Life
before.Our retrospective onthe first20
years of the World Hot Air Balloon Cham-
pionship and the 25 years of KAIBF had
a picture of Alex cooking breakfast on his
balloon burnersafter flying.
A labor of love, this volume not only
chronicles Alex’s life, it is a record ofhow
British aviation was developing from the
mid 1950s. By 1971 he had joined a hot air
balloonclubandwentontoachievehis
balloon rating.
He has visited
86coun tri es
andlo gg ed
moreth an
5,41 0fly ing
hours.Unfor-
tu natel y,20
yearsagohe
wasd iag -
no sedwi th
MS.Slo wly
thishascur-
tailedsomeofhisactivities,buthere-
mainsactivetoday,stillenjoyingflying
withfriends.
Alex’s involvement with ballooning
earnedhimaPaulTissandierDiplome
fromthe Fédération Aéronautique Inter-
nationalin1982.Today,amongother
interestsAlexisactivelyinvolvedwith
TheBritish Balloon Museum and Library.
“Few people have had such a hectic,
satisfyingandhappy life asI have. From
childhood through youth to the early fly-
ingdaysandthenontotheoverseas
postings and travels with British Airways
followedbytheadventuresinballoon-
ing—it now all seems like a dream. Natu-
rally there were short burstsof less satis-
factionand inthe latter years myillness
haspartlyrestrictedmyactivities. Imet
manyhundredsofkindandconsiderate
people around the world and was so fortu-
nate at having theopportunity of seeing so
many places in 86 countries. These mem-
oirs,I hope, reflect to somedegreemost of
the highlights of a verycontented life.”
BEA, BOAC & BALLOONS, A life in
aviationreflects a portion of modern bal-
looninghistory.Availablefor£12plus
postagefromMidlandPublishingLtd,
Unit 3, Maizefield, Hinckley, Leics LE10
1YF,UK.
email: midlandbooks@compuserve.com
