Tuesday, June 1, 2010 Longest
Cluster Balloon Flight - world record set byJonathan Trappe North Carolina, USA -- American daredevil
Jonathan Trappe, 36, covered more than 109 miles in
an overnight flight which lasted almost 14 hours over North
Carolina, his home state, in his confection of balloons christened
The Spirit Cluster - setting the new world record for
the Longest
Cluster Balloon Flight.
Since 1937, when the first cluster balloonist
went into the skies, no one has ever launched in the daylight
and remained aloft all night, greeting the dawn from the skies
the following morning.
For this world record for the Longest
Cluster Balloon Flight he had gracious participation
from members of EAA Chapter 1114, plus members of the Wings
of Carolina flying club.
“You need a team to help you set up and
fly, and somebody on the ground always has to chase you or
you end up walking home,” Jonathan explained.
“Ballooning also involves your community
because from above you become very aware of things going on
down below. You start to connect to the topography, you see
the development that’s occurring and witness the agricultural
cycles. It’s a great way to become connected to wherever you
fly.”
Jonathan says hot-air ballooning is something
anyone can do safely with the appropriate training, noting
his certification from the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA).