Celebrated balloonists Michael Emich and William Armstrong talk about the dedication and epic adventures of a group of gas balloonists and blimp pilots who revived the sport in the 1950s.
In an interview with Sitara Maruf, they discuss their book “Hands Off” which brings to life these fearless characters and their daring ballooning experiments and journeys that led to phenomenal feats or failures, and sometimes even death.
The English Channel Flight That Brought Hot-Air Ballooning to the World
This “English Channel Crossing” story features America’s two legendary balloonists, the late Mr. Ed Yost (30 June 1919 – 27 May 2007), who is
Read More / WatchThe Ultra-Light Sport Balloon
Leandro Corradini, a balloon pilot and entrepreneur– launched his startup FlyDoo, to make ballooning easier, manageable, and more fun. For this, he made several innovations in the balloon’s envelope, burner, and basket–and says his balloon system is the lightest on the market.
In the United States, his balloon would be a light sport aircraft, however in France, the balloon falls in the ultralight motor category,– and for that –Corradini had to motorize his balloon with a motor and a propeller. As some early balloonists experimented with a motor and propeller, without any success, having them on the balloon is a revolutionary step.
Read More / WatchCall for Airship Stories and Artifacts for Exhibition in 2021
Airship Dreams is searching for stories and historic artifacts relating to the Golden Age of the Airship during the 1920s and 1930s, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the final flight of R101.
Read More / WatchCampaign for Thank You Balloon Launched
Would you like to send a Thank You note to someone, by flying it on a hot air balloon? The Thank You Balloon Campaign launched on 12th June 2020. The two balloon pilots who have taken the initiative hope to succeed in their goal of flying a hot air balloon across US and Europe, after receiving support and funds from Thank you messengers and the ballooning community.
Read More / WatchDewey Reinhard Reflects on His 1977 Balloon Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean
Dewey Reinhard had never seen a balloon as huge as the one that he was about to fly in 1977, across the Atlantic Ocean, from United States to Europe. Reinhard and copilot Steve Stephenson knew that all 15 attempts by others had failed and had resulted in five deaths. But with three years of experience in flying hot-air balloons and two training flights in gas balloons, Reinhard was sure that he would be the first to achieve the impossible dream of flying a balloon across the Atlantic Ocean.
Read More / WatchFrequent Flights of Science
From the study of the atmosphere to the origins of the universe, the unmanned scientific balloon has been the vehicle for some important scientific
Read More / WatchScientist and Aviator Julian Nott Dies After a Bizarre Accident
It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we report the death of renowned aeronaut Julian Nott on March 26, 2019. Nott passed
Read More / WatchTracy Barnes: Pioneer of Lighter-than-Air Flight
Admired as a brave pioneer and mechanical genius in lighter-than-air aviation, Tracy Lay Barnes made hot-air ballooning a safer and enjoyable sport. Barnes’ most
Read More / WatchLargest Airship Gets Production Approval
Production of the world’s largest hybrid airship will begin this year with a model designed for commercial use. UK-based manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV)
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