Yesterday a brave, possibly insane man, took flight from Maine carried by 370 helium balloons. He was trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean, but sadly landed in Newfoundland, Canada after just 12 hours.
He used facebook to document the trip.
"Hmm, this doesn't look like France," he wrote, after landing in Canada.
He stayed in Newfoundland overnight, and did not comment on whether he will reattempt the trans-atlantic flight to Europe.
So what happened?
The short answer is "technical issues." A more detail report was presented by Kevin Knapp, a "veteran gas pilot," who was working in Jonathan Trappe's control center. He spoke with Aero-News:
The cluster balloon was never able to achieve a stable float altitude and developed a severe yo-yo effect --- rapid descents with the aircraft hitting the surface of the water, followed by rapid ascents to altitudes as high as 21,000 feet or more. Trappe was unable to gain a steady hand on the errant balloon cluster, which at 3,000 cubic meters of volume, was the largest in the world.
Trappe set up a website where the public can track his progress. It's possible he will take flight again.
We are sorry it didn't work out, Jonathan!
And still hope all your dreams come true.
