Soon after his successful crossing
of the Pacific Ocean by hot air balloon, with Richard Branson, I asked Per
when he took his first balloon flight.by Tom Hamilton
Soon after his successful crossing
of the Pacific Ocean by hot air balloon, with Richard Branson, I asked Per
when he took his first balloon flight.
"I was in the Swedish Air Force and had been removed from flight status because of a medical condition. Someone bet me that I would not fly across the airfield by the end of the year. They knew I would not be released by the flight surgeon to return to flying status by then. In December I made a makeshift balloon and flew it across the runway." He won his bet.
That was in the early 1970s and the balloon was discarded after that one flight. After leaving the service he returned to school to complete a Master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
The aircraft industry was in a depression with no new aircraft being designed. Lindstrand, an engineer that likes to make things, started casting about for an aircraft business idea. He saw his second hot air balloon in 1975 when a neighbor in Sweden bought one from a British balloon company.
When he learned that this new balloon was "state-of-the-art" he decided that he could do better. Teaming up with Hokan Colting, Colt Balloons was formed.
Colt Balloons operated in Ireland in 1976 and 1977. In 1978 Lindstrand, having bought out his partner, moved the company to Oswestry, England. In the early 80s Colt merged with Thunder Balloons to form Thunder & Colt. In 1985 the company bought the much larger Airborne Industries Ltd., makers of modern inflatable military decoys and Barrage balloons.
Eventually Per was forced from the company he started in a coupe in 1991. Within a year he had moved across the street and started Lindstrand Balloons Ltd. Thunder & Colt, without its charismatic leader, eventually failed and today is a subsidiary of Cameron Balloons Ltd.
"I am a balloonmaker," Per says. "I love practical engineering. I like the high tech side of going across the Pacific as much as I like the wicker." Per is referring to the talented wicker basket weavers that England has in abundance.
"Ballooning is the only part of aeronautical engineering where one company, one person, can keep the whole thing going. Today aerospace is so specialized that one person has to become an expert on, say pitot tubes. Balloons offer the opportunity for real engineering, real problems. Solve it yourself and get on with it. The problems are graspable, yet still high tech."
Per has designed and built more than hot air balloons. He has put considerable effort into airships and recently designed his own tethered gas balloon ride system.
What he is better known for is his record flights. His first major accomplishment was crossing the Atlantic Ocean, with Richard Branson, 1987 using a hot air balloon that he engineered and built.
Per became associated with Branson when one of Branson's assistants happened to see Per's Atlantic plans laying on a desk at the balloon factory. Eventually Branson saw an opportunity to gain publicity for his Virgin companies and fame for himself.
Together Lindstrand and Branson have been the first, and only, aeronauts to cross both the Atlantic and Pacific using a hot air system. Currently they are one of the contending teams to be first around the world by balloonin a Lindstrand built Roziere. Per's original dream was to make the flight in a hot air balloon.
Along the way Per has garnered many hot air and Roziere records. He holds the absolute distance and altitude records for hot air. And, until recently, held the absolute duration record as well. He holds an altitude record for Roziere balloons.
He has received many prestigious awards for his accomplishments including the Harmon Trophy and Balleroy Cup.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Per has a number of irons in the fire. In addition to his around-the-world attempt, he hopes to fly a hot air balloon to the edge of space.
Per Lindstrand the dreamer, builder, adventurer says that he will always be pushing the envelope and taking balloons to new heights.
