The challenge for balloonists attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean had been to carry enough propane fuel to heat the air for the flight without making the balloon too heavy. Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand were confident they could overcome this because of the revolutionary design of their balloon, the Virgin Challenger. Devised by Lindstrand, their balloon could heat air using solar power during the day so it only required enough fuel to travel at night. Also, unlike other balloons which would typically travel at just 32kph, the Virgin Challenger would climb much higher, to 10,000 metres, where it could ride the Atlantic jet stream at 160kph. To do this, the balloon had to be 30 times larger than most balloons and was in fact the largest hot air balloon ever flown, standing 60 metres high.
On 1 July the pair began the careful process of inflating their mammoth balloon to prepare it for take-off from the US state of Maine. It was a delicate procedure – the slightest tear would have meant abandoning the entire project. After six hours, the balloon was ready and the two adventurers climbed into their pressurised capsule with less than six square metres of room inside.
As they attempted to take off they hit their first problem. A guide rope snagged on one of their precious propane fuel tanks. Unable to release it, they were eventually forced to jettison the tank and attempt the crossing with less fuel.
Within one hour, the balloon had climbed to 9000 metres. Branson later described entering the jet stream as 'like hitting a brick wall'. As the craft rose, the balloon hit the jet stream first, causing it to suddenly accelerate to around 100kph, suddenly wrenching the capsule behind it. But before long the entire craft was safely in the jet stream and on its way.
The revolutionary design of the balloon appeared to work and the pair made history by crossing the Atlantic without a hitch in just 29 hours. But their troubles weren't over ... read on.
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