Milestones

  • 1783 (June) The first recorded balloon flight
    Two brothers Jacques Etienne and Joseph Michel Montgolfier sent a large bag filled with smoke into the air that rose 35 feet before descending.
  • 1783 (Sept) First passengers of a hot air balloon
    The first passengers to fly in a hot air balloon were a duck, a sheep and a rooster.
  • 1783 (Oct 15) First manned, tethered balloon ride
    Launched in France carrying scientist Pilatre De Rozier, the balloon rose to the end of its 250 foot tether for fifteen minutes before landing safely.
  • 1783 (Nov 21) First manned, untethered balloon ride
    The "Montgolfier" designed balloon rose 500 feet above Paris travelling five and a half miles for a duration of 20 minutes then landing on the Butte-aux-Cailles. The heat to inflate the balloon was generated by a fire of straw, kindling, even rotten meat. The balloon finally caught on fire.
  • 1783 (Dec) First hydrogen filled balloon flight
    The red and white balloon flew for 25 miles before landing in the Nesle-la Vallee where frightened farmers attacked the descending balloon with pitchforks.
  • 1785 The first balloon across the English Channel
    This was considered the opening door to long distance ballooning. Pilatre de Rozier was killed in this attempt when the balloons exploded. His system consisted of two balloons tied together, one filled with hydrogen and the other with air. This still remains one of the most successful long distance methods of balloon travelling to date. This landmark was successfully accomplished later in the year by Jean Pierre Blanchard and John Jefferies.
  • 1793 (Jan 9) The First Balloon Flight in the North
    Jean Pierre Blanchard flew for 45 minutes from Philadelphia to Gloucester County
  • 1794-1945 Balloons Used in Wars
    Balloons had an advantage of being silent and were useful tools in the assistance of welfare, transport, surveying, and communication.
  • 1932 (Aug 18) The First Manned Balloon Flight to the Stratosphere, also the First use of a Pressurised Capsule for Balloon Flight.
    Auguste Piccard, a Swiss scientist, set an altitude record of 52,498 feet. This record was continually broken in the months to come.
  • 1935 New Altitude Record  Set and Remained for the Next 20 Years.
    A helium gas balloon ?Explorer Two? set the altitude record at 72,395 feet. This proved that humans could survive in a pressurised chamber at extremely high altitudes opening the door for future space travel.
  • 1960 (Aug 16) Altitude Record and Highest Parachute Jump
    Joe Kittinger an air force captain jumped from a balloon at 102,800 feet breaking the sound barrier with his body.
  • 1961 Current Official Altitude Record Set
    Commander Malcom Ross and Lieutenant Commander Victor A. Prather of the US Navy ascended 113,739.9 feet in a polyethylene balloon called ?Lee Lewis Memorial?. Upon landing in Mexico Prather drowns as a result of his pressurised suit being unable to stay afloat and filling with water.
  • 1978 First Balloon to Cross the Atlantic
    A new duration record of 137 hours was set when Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman flew a helium balloon ?Double Eagle? over the Atlantic.
  • 1981 (Nov 10) First Balloon to Cross the Pacific
    Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman, Ron Clark, and Rocky Aoki flew for 84 hours and 31 minutes from Japan to California setting a new distance record of 5,768 miles.
  • 1984 First Solo Translantic Balloon Flight
    In a helium filled balloon Joe Kittinger flew 3,535 miles from Caribou, Maine to Savona, Italy.
  • 1987 First Hot Air Balloon to Cross the Atlantic
    Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson flew 2,900 miles setting a new record for hot air ballooning in the largest balloon ever flown of 2.3 million cubic feet.
  • 1988 Hot Air Balloon Altitude Record
    The world altitude record to date of 65,000 feet in an air balloon is held by Per Lindstrand.
  • 1991 First Air Balloon to Cross the Pacific
    Flying from Japan to Artic, Canada, Per Lindstrand and Richard Branson became the first to cross the Pacific in a hot air balloon flying at speeds of up to 245 miles per hour and setting a new world distance record.
  • 1992 Duration Record Set
    Richard Abruzzo broke his father Ben Abruzzo?s and Troy Bradley?s record when he flew 144 hours a 16 minutes from Bagnor, Maine to Morocco.
  • 1995 (Feb 14-17) First Solo Transpacific Balloon Flight
    Steve Fossett flew from Seoul, Korea to Mendham, Saskatchewan, Canada in four days.
  • 1999 (March) Round- the-World Record Flight
    Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones completed the first non-stop round-the-world flight in a balloon.
  • 2000 (Feb 24) First Trans Tasman Flight
    Dick Smith and John Wallington flew a Cameron-Roziere helium/hot air balloon from Kaitia, North Island, New Zealand, east-west non-stop to Iluka, New South Wales, Australia in 55hours 17 minutes.
  • 2002 (Feb ) First Solo Round-the-World Balloon Flight
    Steve Fossett completes the first solo round the world flight also breaking the records for the longest distance flown solo by balloon and longest duration solo flight.