Up, up and away! Man flies over channel
In mesmerizing stunt, adventurer crosses English Channel
tied to balloons
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, N.C., 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.
'It's only about
dreams'
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.
Jonathan Trappe, 36, of Raleigh, N.C., was
strapped in a specially equipped chair below a bright cluster of
balloons when he crossed the English to France.