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 The
caged duck looked down as terra firma slowly drifted away. Above the
duck, a balloon, constructed of paper and fabric, provided the lift
necessary to carry aloft the duck and its companions, a sheep and a
rooster. Never before had a human, let alone a duck, flown in a balloon.
The year was 1783, a milestone year for aviation -- the dream of flying
had finally been realized. On October 15th of that year, a few months
after the duck's historic flight, a balloon, 'Aerostat Reveillon,' launched
in France, carrying scientist Pilatre De Rozier, and rose to the end
of its 250 foot tether. It stayed aloft for fifteen minutes and then
landed safely nearby.
A month later De Rozier
and the Marquis d'Arlandes flew, untethered, to 500 feet and traveled
about five and a half miles in a 20-minute flight, the first 'free flight'
made by man. The Montgolfier-designed balloon was heated by a straw
fire that eventually caused the balloon to catch on fire, but the two
French brothers soon went on to design the first successful, unmanned
(and unducked for that matter) balloon.
 Although
these early crude balloons were a far cry from today's high-tech contraptions,
the science of ballooning and sending humans aloft had begun. In the
years to follow, humans had access to the skies like never before, and
with the advent of hydrogen ballooning, even the sky seemed to offer
no limit. What follows is a brief outline of milestones in ballooning
history:
1709 -- The First Hot Air Balloon Model: A Brazilian priest,
Bartolemeu de Gusmao, demonstrated a model hot-air balloon to Johan
V of Portugal. No records exists to suggest that any passenger carrying
balloon was then built.
1776 -- Discovery of Hydrogen: Henry Cavendish discovers hydrogen,
which was found to be seven times lighter than air. In these early days,
hydrogen was made by mixing sulfuric acid and iron. The race to fly
was on.
1783
June - The Montgolfier brothers, Joseph and Ettienne J. began experimenting
with small-scaled hot-air balloons built out of paper or light fabric.
27 August - Jaçques A. C. Charles launched an unmanned hydrogen
balloon, The Globe, which travelled 15 miles (24 km) and reached an
altitude of 3000 feet (915m). At the landing in Gonesse, the local peasants
were so frightened that they attacked the balloon with pitchforks and
scythes, thus destroying it.
19 September - The Montgolfier brothers launched an unmanned
hot-air balloon from Versailles. Louis XVI had decreed that the first
flight should be flown with animals. A duck, a sheep, and a rooster
became the first air travellers. If it wasn't this flight, then it was
had to be another one within the following 2 months.
21 November - For the first time in recorded human history, we
leave the confines of the Earth's surface and take flight among the
birds. Over 400,000 Parisians, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette,
witnessed as the Marquis François d'Arlendes and Jean-François Pilâtre
de Rozier flew in the very first flight in a Mongolfier built hot-air
balloon. This flight lasted 25 minutes and covered 7 miles (11 km).
1 December - Just 10 days after the Montgolfier flight, J.A.C.
Charles piloted the first gas balloon flight. Also launched in Paris,
this flight lasted 2 1/2 hours and covered a distance of 27 miles (43
km). The first recorded change out of a passenger occured on this flight
when Charles landed and dropped off his passenger Professor Robert,
then took off again. Charles then flew to height of 9000 ft (2750 m).
1784
19 January - Joseph Montgolfier made his only recorded flight in
Le Fleusselles. This balloon is believed to have had a passenger carrying
capacity of more than 30 and the envelope must have been over 700,000
cf (20,000 cubic meters)! This was the largest hot-air balloon ever
built until very recently! The flight originated in Lyon, France.
15 September - Vincenzo Lunardi, a minor Italian diploment, piloted
the first balloon flight outside of France. A crowd of 100,000, including
the Prince of Wales, watched as Lunardi launched his 18,200cf (515 cubic
meters) hydrogen balloon from Moorfields, England. He ultimately touched
down near Ware.
30 November - Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John
Jeffries make their first flight. This flight was from Rhedarium Garden,
London to the banks of the Thames.
1785 -- The
First Balloon Across the English Channel: In the early days of ballooning,
crossing the English Channel is considered the first step to long distance
ballooning. Pilatre de Rozier, the world's first balloonist, is killed
in his attempt to cross the channel. De Rozier's experimental system
consists of a hydrogen balloon and a hot air balloon tied together.
Tragically, the craft explodes half an hour after takeoff. This double
balloon helium/hot air system, however, remains among the most successful
designs for long distance ballooning. This same year, French balloonist
Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries become the first to
fly across the English Channel.
 1793
-- The First Balloon Flight in North America: A 45-minute flight
from Philadelphia to Gloucester County, New Jersey is made by Jean Pierre
Blanchard on January 9. George Washington is present to see the balloon
launch.
1794-1945 -- Balloons
Used in Wars: From the U.S. Civil War, through World Wars I
and II balloons are used as tools for warfare, for transportation surveying,
and communication.
1932 -- The First
Manned Balloon Flight to the Stratosphere and First use of a Pressurized
Capsule for a Balloon Flight: On
August 18, Auguste Piccard, a Swiss Scientist, soars into the stratosphere
in his balloon, 'FNRS,' and sets a new altitude record of 52,498 feet.
Over the next few years, altitude records continue to be set, almost
monthly, in the push to reach ever higher into the stratosphere.
1935 -- New Altitude Record is Set and Remains for 20 Years:
Explorer II, a helium gas balloon, sets the altitude record at 72,395
feet, or 13.7 miles, with two crew members on board. For the first time
in history, it is proven that humans can travel and survive in a pressurized
chamber at extremely high altitudes. This flight sets a milestone for
aviation and paves the way for future space travel and the concept of
manned flight in space. The highly publicized flight is also able to
carry live radio broadcasts from the balloon.
1960 -- Altitude Record and Highest Parachute Jump: Air Force
Captain Joe Kittinger jumps from a balloon at 102,800 feet on August
16th and sets a world high altitude parachute jump (where he breaks
the sound barrier with his body) and freefall record that still stands
today.
1961 -- Current Official Altitude Record Set: Commander Malcolm
Ross and Lieutenant Commander Victor A. Prather of the U.S. Navy ascend
to 113,739.9 feet in 'Lee Lewis Memorial,' a polyethylene balloon. They
land in the Gulf of Mexico where, with his pressure suit filling with
water, and unable to stay afloat, Prather drowns.
1978 -- First Balloon to Cross the Atlantic: Double Eagle II,
a helium balloon carrying Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman,
becomes the first balloon to cross the Atlantic. A new duration record
is set with a flight time of 137 hours.
1981 -- First Balloon to Cross the Pacific: Thirteen-story high
Double Eagle V, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman, Ron Clark and
Rocky Aoki of Japan, launches from Nagashimi, Japan on November 10 and
and lands 84 hours, 31 minutes later in Mendocino National Forest in
California. A new distance record is set at 5,768 miles.
1984 -- First Solo Transatlantic Balloon Flight: Joe Kittinger
flies 3,535 miles from Caribou, Maine to Savona, Italy in his helium-filled
balloon 'Rosie O'Grady's Balloon of Peace.'
1987 -- First Hot Air Balloon to Cross the Atlantic: Per Lindstrand
and Richard Branson fly a distance of 2,900 miles in 33 hours and set
a new record for hot air ballooning. The balloon, at the time, is the
largest ever flown at 2.3 million cubic feet of capacity.
1988 -- Hot Air High Altitude Record: Per Lindstrand sets a solo
world record of 65,000 feet for the greatest height ever reached by
a hot air balloon.
1991 -- First Hot Air Balloon to Cross the Pacific: Per Lindstrand
and Richard Branson become the first to traverse the Pacific by hot
air balloon, reaching speeds in the jet stream of up to 245 mph, in
their 'Otsuka Flyer,' which travels 6,700 miles in 46 hours. They fly
from Japan to Arctic Canada and break the world distance record.
1992 -- Duration Record Set: Richard Abruzzo, son of previous
record-breaker Ben Abruzzo, and Troy Bradley, now currently making his
own around-the-world bid with his 'Odyssey' project, fly 144 hours,
16 minutes from Bangor, Maine to Morocco in a De Rozier balloon.
1995 -- First Solo Transpacific Balloon Flight: February 14-17,
Steve Fossett, another around-the-world contender with his Solo Challenger
project, launches from Seoul, Korea and flies 4 long days to Mendham,
Saskatchawan, Canada.
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