10 Historic Hot Air Balloon Flights That Changed History
10 historic hot air balloon flights. We tell you how the hot air balloon has been the protagonist and companion of great feats throughout history. From escapes by politicians and royalty to great achievements driven by scientific causes. There are also major advances in meteorology and physics experiments among these 10 historic hot air balloon flights, which is impressive and shows the role balloons have played in society throughout history.
In the following article you will learn about some of the most important records and feats ever achieved aboard a hot air balloon. Flying in a balloon is an experience everyone should have at least once in a lifetime; feeling the sky within reach is a feeling very few things can match.
10 historic hot air balloon flights: the first hot air balloon flight
The Montgolfier brothers, Joseph-Michel (1740–1810) and Jacques-Étienne (1745–1799), are the fathers of the hot air balloon. Their first inventions began in Avignon in 1782, and by December of that year they had completed their first prototype. To prove the value of their creation, the brothers decided to hold a public demonstration. And so, on 4 June 1783, the hot air balloon flew for the first time, reaching a height of 2 kilometres and staying aloft for 10 minutes, marking the start of the age of aviation.
10 historic hot air balloon flights – the first balloon flight in Spain
Among the 10 historic hot air balloon flights, the first balloon flight made in Spain could not be missing. Expectation was so high that the first flight took place nothing less than in front of the King of Spain. It was at the Royal Site of Aranjuez on 5 June 1784, just a year after the first ascent by the Montgolfier brothers. Infante Don Gabriel (son of Charles III) himself carried out balloon experiments at that time. The event was so significant that Antonio Carnicero painted a picture of that moment, which we can enjoy at the Prado Museum in Madrid. Undoubtedly one of the 10 historic hot air balloon flights: the first flight in Spain.
First flight into the stratosphere
Around 1932, the Swiss physicist Auguste Piccard made an ascent that reached an altitude of 16,201 metres in a sealed capsule. His goal was to test a completely airtight capsule suspended beneath a free balloon, which became the first human flight into the stratosphere in history.
First altitude record
The first altitude record with a standard hydrogen balloon belongs to the British meteorologists Coxwell and Glaisher in September 1862, who reached 8,840 metres. On 15 April 1875, thirteen years later, Gaston Tissandier and his two companions Sivel and Crocé-Spinelli reached 8,000 metres aboard the balloon Zénith. But lack of oxygen caused the death of the other two and left Tissandier without strength or air as well; he nevertheless managed to reach the ground alive.
The highest balloon flight in history
Thousands of people turned on their televisions to watch Austrian Felix Baumgartner break, among other records, the altitude record with a balloon, reaching 39,068 metres in October 2012. The previous record holder was Joseph Kittinger, who had reached 31,333 metres in 1960.
Longest distance flown in a balloon
An American and a Russian set the world record for a balloon flight after a journey of 10,696 kilometres that began in Japan and ended off the coast of Mexico. Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyev made a controlled descent into the sea near the Mexican town of Pozo Grande. This was because the winds changed and they had to find an alternative to their original plan of landing in California.
The great adventure of Bradley and Tiukhtyev aboard the balloon, named Double Eagle, lasted 160 hours and 37 minutes. The fact that the two aeronauts did not get the chance to land on solid ground is no reason to invalidate the record.
“Splashdown is acceptable under the international rules governing world records”, said the organisers of the transatlantic route. The carbon-fibre capsule hanging from the balloon, in which Bradley and Tiukhtyev travelled, weighed around 100 kilos and its living area was smaller than a double bed.
The world record for standing on top of a hot air balloon
Frenchman Rémi Ouvrard set a very particular record for altitude while standing on top of a hot air balloon. This feat was carried out to reach exactly 3,637 metres, because it matches the telephone number of a fundraising campaign for Téléthon, a French telethon that raised funds for medical research projects.
First balloon flight around the world
After many failed attempts at this feat, on 1 March 1999 the balloon Breitling Orbiter 3 took off with Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones as crew. On 20 March it became a reality: the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight.
During the Second World War
Balloons were key to the defence of London at that time, known in Britain as “barrage balloons”. Because of the constant threat of enemy bombs, it was very common to see balloons all over the London sky.
If, now that you know the history and evolution of hot air balloons, you want to try the experience in a relaxed way, with no ambition other than living an unforgettable moment, we recommend a hot air balloon flight over Segovia, considered one of the best balloon flights in the world.
