World Record Balloon Flight From Japan to North America
Some Frequently-Asked Questions
What are the goals of the flight?
The goals of the flight are to break the World Distance Record for gas balloons, originally set by the Double Eagle V team during the first manned trans-Pacific flight in November of 1981. Double Eagle V traveled 8382.54 km. (5,208.67 mi.)*. The flight could also set a new duration record for gas balloons. The current duration record, set by the Double Eagle II team during the first successful trans-Atlantic crossing in August of 1978, is 137 hr, 5 min, 50 sec. (essentially 5 days, 17 hours)*.
Since the beginning of time, men and women have found satisfaction by extending their horizons and pushing their limits. The flight presents a great personal and technical challenge to two very talented and experienced pilots.
(*Certified by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the agency that certifies all world aviation records. The team must exceed the current record by 1% in order to claim a new world record.) [ link to FAI ]
What is the proposed launch date?
The flight is sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association (the U.S. body that oversees record attempts by U.S. citizens) for January – March, 2008. When the weather conditions are suitable, the flight will take off.
What is the proposed flight path?
In order to take advantage of the best weather patterns, the flight will
launch from Saga, Japan. Crossing the North Pacific, we will make landfall
either in the United States or Canada. We could end up landing as far south
as Mexico.
About the balloon:
What is the name of the balloon?
The name of the balloon is the Celestial Eagle. It was named to honor the tradition of the great Double Eagle flights of the 1970’s and 80’s. Ben Abruzzo, of Albuquerque, was the inspiration for these flights and we hope to follow in his footsteps.
What are the differences between this balloon and others?
The Celestial Eagle is a helium filled gas balloon. It requires dropping sand ballast and valving (small releases) of helium to control altitude.
There are two other types of balloons. "Hot-air" balloons use propane burners to warm normal air inside their envelopes to create lift. The recent attempt to cross the Pacific by Japanese pilot Michio Kanda used a very large hot-air balloon. "Roziere Balloons" are the only ones that have circled the earth. They use a combination of hot-air and gas. [ Click here for illustrated description ]
Who built the balloon?
Composite Tooling, in Albuquerque, built the capsule. It is a Kevlar/carbon-fiber composite, giving it tremendous strength at a very light weight (about 220 pounds or 100 kilos). It is about five feet wide, seven feet long, and five feet high. The pilots will be living in a closet-like space smaller than a king-sized bed and with a very low ceiling.
The balloon envelope was built in Pennsylvania by master gas balloon craftsman Bert Padelt. Padelt builds many of the gas balloon envelopes used in distance races such as the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta America’s Challenge and the Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett. This balloon envelope is about 10 times larger than the balloons used in gas races. It has a volume of 350,000 cu. ft. (just short of 10,000 cu. m.), and is classified as an AA-13. It weighs over 1,400 pounds.
How much will the whole the balloon system weigh?
Fully loaded for flight, the system, without ballast, will probably weigh in the neighborhood of 2,500 lbs. Including ballast (sand), the total system weight at launch could be as much as 14,000 pounds, depending on the weather conditions and the initial flight altitude planned by the pilots and weather team.
To learn more about the balloon system, click
here.
About the flight:
How does a gas balloon fly?
Traditional gas balloons like the Celestial Eagle use a lighter-than-air gas to generate lift. The Celestial Eagle will use helium. As the balloon flies, the helium expands and contracts with heat, so the balloon will gain altitude as the helium is warmed by the sun and warmer daytime air temperatures, and lose altitude as the helium cools at night. The balloon has ducts that can release helium if the balloon becomes too full, and the pilots can also release small amounts of helium through a valve at the top of the balloon to stay in the most favorable winds.
In order to keep from losing too much altitude, the balloon carries ballast, in the form of sand, which is dumped in order to make the balloon lighter. The sand is carried in 400 color-coded bags which help the pilots keep track of how much sand they have used during the flight. Depending on the weather and flight profile, the balloon will most likely carry about 10,000 lbs. (4,500 kg) of sand.
In an emergency anything that has weight can be used as ballast, and history demonstrates that balloonists have tossed equipment, food, and even pieces of the capsule overboard in order to stay aloft. In one of the earliest great balloon flights, the first gas balloon crossing of the English Channel in the late eighteenth century, pilots Blanchard and Jefferies famously landed in their underwear!
At what altitudes will the balloon fly?
The altitudes will vary between 15,000 to 30,000 feet above ground, depending on the weather and wind conditions. Typically, higher winds are at higher altitudes. However, the actual altitudes of the flight will be decided at launch time and in the course of the flight based on weather conditions.
How long with the flight last?
It depends on the weather conditions prevailing during the flight, but the trans-Pacific passage could take 5-6 days. The balloon can stay aloft for a maximum of 10 days.
How will the pilots maintain communications during the flight?
The balloon will carry two Iridium satellite phones, two VHF aircraft
radios, a marine band radio, two satellite-based trackers that will automatically
transmit the balloon’s location and altitude, two aviation radar transponders,
a VHF/UHF ham radio, and two emergency beacons that when activated report
directly to search and rescue satellites (SARSAT).
How do the pilots use weather information?
One analogy balloonists sometimes use is that the pilots drive the bus
and the meteorologists provide the route. The weather
forecasters use the
available weather information to give the pilots a set of parameters regarding
altitude, direction, and speed and the pilots use those parameters to make
in-flight adjustments and decisions. The pilots expect to talk to the weather
team every few hours.
What happens if the balloon lands in the ocean?
The capsule is designed to float. The two wedge keels at the bottom of the capsule will flood with water to hold the capsule in an upright position. The balloonists’ survival gear includes survival (immersion) suits, life vests, an inflatable life raft, and E-PIRB (personal locator devices) – an emergency signal device that sends out GPS coordinates as well as a signal.
What kind of support does the Command Center provide?
Once the balloon launches in Saga, most of the team’s ground support operations will be coordinated from the Phoenix, AZ area. The Command Center team includes the Flight Director, controllers experienced in monitoring long-distance gas balloon flights, the team’s meteorologists, the specialists who manage the tracking software and Web site, and the public information team. The Command Center provides regular weather updates and other information to the pilots, monitors aeronautical charts to keep the pilots informed of any airspace restrictions, helps facilitate contact with the FAA and air traffic controllers, and initiates and helps to coordinate search and rescue operations should that become necessary. Once the balloon lands, the Command Center will help to guide the chase crew to the balloon and facilitate retrieval of the pilots and equipment.
About life aboard the balloon:
What are the pilots planning to eat?
The pilots will carry freeze-dried hikers’ meals, fresh fruit, beef jerky,
energy bars, and other quick and easy foods to eat, as well as personal
comfort foods to snack on. Avoiding dehydration during the flight will
be very important, so the pilots will carry lots of water, Gatorade, and
other beverages. The balloon will have a small stove so the pilots can
occasionally have a hot meal. However, because of the flight altitude and
the limited space in the capsule to move around the pilot’s most likely
will not have large appetites.
How will the pilots stay warm and oxygenated?
The pilots will wear an array of cold weather gear. Additionally, they will have sleeping bags and an onboard heater, and will have chemical heater packs available.
Anytime the balloon is above 12,000 ft. in altitude (likely to be most
of the flight), the pilots will breathe oxygen supplied by a liquid oxygen
reservoir.
What sanitary facilities are on board?
The balloon is equipped with a simple toilet.
Will the balloonists communicate with the outside world?
Yes. Long ago, balloonists on long trans-oceanic flights relayed messages
through airliners passing by their location. These days, communications
are much more sophisticated. The team will be in frequent contact with
the Command Center near Phoenix, AZ and will get regular updates from their
weather forecasters and the Command Center controllers. They will also
be in touch with air traffic controllers, especially as they leave Japan
and arrive in North America. The pilots also hope to exchange quick messages
with family members.
How will the pilots sleep, and for how long?
The pilots have sleeping bags on board, and a platform on which one of the pilots can sleep. The pilots plan to sleep in 4 – 6 hour shifts, but sometimes in flight that can be a tall order.
Do the balloonists have any time to relax?
Very little. The balloon requires continual monitoring while in flight
as weather conditions and the day-to-night cycle changes. Usually, the
pilot not on watch tries to sleep. There will be some down time for relaxing
with music, journaling, or reading.
What do the balloonists’ families think of the idea?
Troy’s wife Tamara and Peter’s partner Barbara Fricke are both hot air and gas balloon pilots in their own right and understand the challenges involved in the flight. The pilots’ families have been very supportive of the adventure.
