May 28, 201015 yr I wonder how he made a planned decent? Pop balloons gradually? There was a nice Aussie movie about a guy who attached a bunch of weather balloons to a deck chair and drifted off.
May 28, 201015 yr That reminds me of those people who try to fly with all sorts of things off a pier and land in the sea the furthest. Did he arrive? Is he still up there? Did his mum make him some sannies for the journey, and a flask of tea? I like eccentric people. Probs because i am one -
May 28, 201015 yr Author Yeah, I'm a bit that way inclined myself. Jonathan Trappe, Adventurer, Crosses English Channel With Helium Balloons (VIDEO) AP) LONDON — In a goofy yet mesmerizing stunt, an American adventurer crossed the English Channel on Friday carried by a bundle of helium balloons, ending a quiet and serene flight by touching down in a French cabbage patch. Jonathan Trappe, 36, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was strapped in a specially equipped chair below a bright cluster of balloons when he lifted off early Friday from Kent, in southeast England. About five hours later, he lowered himself into a French field by cutting some of the balloons away. "It was just an exceptional, quiet, peaceful experience," Trappe told Sky News television, which covered the adventure. Asked why he went, Trappe replied: "Didn't you have this dream, grabbing on to a bunch of toy balloons and floating off? I think it's something that's shared across cultures and across borders – just this wonderful fantasy of grabbing on to toy balloons and floating into open space." However, the channel crossing wasn't a matter of just grabbing a few balloons. Trappe says on his website that he made a scouting trip in March and gained clearance from French and British aviation authorities and from customs and immigration offices on both sides. His equipment list didn't stop at balloons and a chair, but included an aircraft transponder, oxygen system, aircraft radios, emergency locator beacon, in-flight satellite tracking and a radio tracker. "He had all the correct authorization and I believe he even gave something to the owner of the land where he came down by way of damages," said a spokesman for French police. Last month, Trappe claimed the record for the longest free-floating balloon flight after spending 14 hours blowing in the wind over North Carolina and traveling 109 miles. On another flight, his website says he ascended to 17,930 feet, just below controlled airspace. "There are risks and we work to methodically reduce the risk so we can have a safe and fun flight," said Trappe, who is certified for balloon flight by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. "Because really it's only about dreams and enjoying an adventure, and that's only enjoyable when it is safe." His crossing was much less eventful than the first balloon crossing of the English Channel in 1785. The pioneering French balloonist Jean-Pierre Francois Blanchard and John Jeffries, an American doctor who paid for the flight, set off in a hydrogen balloon which started leaking in flight. The pair dumped all their ballast and most of their clothes into the water and just managed to stay airborne and land in Calais. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/28/j...e_n_593192.html The pair dumped most of their clothes into the water (A likely story)
May 28, 201015 yr Remember the Americans who claimed their kid was up in the air?!! But anyway, good on the guy. Woudn't get me up there in a bunch of sundays.
May 28, 201015 yr Author I've always wanted to try a balloon flight. Far more peaceful than the 737s etc I'm used to. I don't suppose I'll get the chance now though...
May 29, 201015 yr I wonder how he made a planned decent? Pop balloons gradually?There was a nice Aussie movie about a guy who attached a bunch of weather balloons to a deck chair and drifted off. Was he a nekkid ballonist?
May 29, 201015 yr I wonder how he made a planned decent? Pop balloons gradually?There was a nice Aussie movie about a guy who attached a bunch of weather balloons to a deck chair and drifted off. Was he a nekkid ballonist? He didn't make a planned descent, he landed in France <deleted>. As for the Aussie, he filled the balloons with XXXX the lightest element known to mankind.
May 31, 201015 yr I've always wanted to try a balloon flight. Far more peaceful than the 737s etc I'm used to. I don't suppose I'll get the chance now though... There are hot-air ballon flights in Thailand, surely? http://www.balloonthailand.com/ Edit: Sorry, cannot check this at the moment - Vietnam internet seems to be blocking most sites with 'Thailand' in the URL. Having a revolution over there, or something?
May 31, 201015 yr This is all I could get from Google. Tropical Balloons Ltd.125/135 Changwatana Road Pakret, Nontaburi 11120 66-2-5840041 [email protected] www.balloonthailand.com
June 1, 201015 yr I've always wanted to do one at dawn over Kenya with a champagne breakfast at the end. It's just the juggly guggly landrover ride back that would kill me. Four hours in the brush, with lions and elephants to see. And Patsy projectile vomiting... Doesn't like champagne. Or do they drift gracefully back to where you are in your camp? Very expensive, Safari. Suppose it depends on the wind. Could drift forever. Like that American guy. Richard Bransoon's friend. If i was in Africa in a hot air balloon, could i drift safely home to Switzerland? If we left on Friday would i be home on sunday for the Eastenders Omnibus? Or should i set the video? Would I get a refund on my plane ticket? Do they have kangaroos in New Zealand? Or in Africa, as I am on the subject. Why is there so much sand on the beach? Just Joking!!!!! Apart from the champagne bit. I was reading the complaints to Tour Operators. Some of them are classic.
June 2, 201015 yr I've always wanted to do one at dawn over Kenya with a champagne breakfast at the end. It's just the juggly guggly landrover ride back that would kill me. Four hours in the brush, with lions and elephants to see. And Patsy projectile vomiting... Doesn't like champagne.Or do they drift gracefully back to where you are in your camp? Very expensive, Safari. Suppose it depends on the wind. Could drift forever. Like that American guy. Richard Bransoon's friend. If i was in Africa in a hot air balloon, could i drift safely home to Switzerland? If we left on Friday would i be home on sunday for the Eastenders Omnibus? Or should i set the video? Would I get a refund on my plane ticket? Do they have kangaroos in New Zealand? Or in Africa, as I am on the subject. Why is there so much sand on the beach? Just Joking!!!!! Apart from the champagne bit. I was reading the complaints to Tour Operators. Some of them are classic. Patsy - prevailing winds in most of the world go on the West-to-East route, so from Kenya you could wind up in India. (If you took the safari in the Serengeti you may end up in Oz - so be very careful of your dreams!!) If you must watch Eastenders you could always try the alternative and go to Africa. It's full of football hooligans at the moment, many of whom come from West Ham. So you'd feel quite at home. But then that's darn Sarf.
June 2, 201015 yr if I was the Pope or Mahatma Gandhi I would never get in this thing ( always the ones thrown out first whenever I've played that game ).
June 7, 201015 yr I wonder how he made a planned decent? Pop balloons gradually? There was a nice Aussie movie about a guy who attached a bunch of weather balloons to a deck chair and drifted off. Mythbusters did the reenactment of the US lawn chair flier who on july 2 1982 took flight. Mythbusters used a bb gun to pop the balloons to lower their chair
June 8, 201015 yr I reckon the Gazans should employ this method at night to get food supplies in. It wouldn't need to be manned, just some electronics to track it and to release balloons by remote control.
June 10, 201015 yr That balloon ride is NOTHING---have a look at this video---- Chewing Gum and Helium Experiment - CollegeHumor video They must be French--coz they're barking!!!!!
June 10, 201015 yr That balloon ride is NOTHING---have a look at this video---- Chewing Gum and Helium Experiment - CollegeHumor video They must be French--coz they're barking!!!!! Nice concept, but it is BS. Firstly, can anyone blow a bubblegum bubble in more than one breath to get to the size of their balloons? Secondly, can a helium balloon of the size shown carry a man that well? Thirdly, IF you could blow a bubble full of helium to the size that could carry a man from bubblegun, it would be too weak to take the pressure even for an instant once he jumped.
June 10, 201015 yr That balloon ride is NOTHING---have a look at this video---- Chewing Gum and Helium Experiment - CollegeHumor video They must be French--coz they're barking!!!!! Nice concept, but it is BS. Firstly, can anyone blow a bubblegum bubble in more than one breath to get to the size of their balloons? Secondly, can a helium balloon of the size shown carry a man that well? Thirdly, IF you could blow a bubble full of helium to the size that could carry a man from bubblegun, it would be too weak to take the pressure even for an instant once he jumped. How do you explain the video then??-I suppose it could be doctored but it sure looks genuine--whether they're using bubblegum is anybody's guess and probably unlikely but they're flying alright.
June 11, 201015 yr Harcout we were having a laugh . then you came along and popped the bubble I thought Patsycat liked that Canadian guy named Bubble.
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