Double Eagle II, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman, became the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it landed on 17 August 1978 in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours and 6 minutes after leaving Presque Isle, Maine. A monument, containing a model of the balloon, was built to commemorate the Double Eagle II and its Atlantic crossing at the field from where the balloon lifted off

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In January 2015, the crew of the Two Eagles Balloon completed a flight across the Pacific Ocean. Their flight duration of 160 hours and 34 minutes record was verified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, officially breaking the time-aloft record of the Double Eagle II.

Statistics

  • Builder: Ed Yost; Tea, South Dakota
  • Balloon: helium-filled; high, in diameter
  • Gondola: 15 × 7 × 4½ foot; name The Spirit of Albuquerque
  • Equipment: 1 VHF radio, 2 single sideband HF radios, 1 ADF beacon transmitter, 1 amateur band radio, 1 maritime radio, hookup to Nimbus 6 satellite.
  • Total weight: empty
  • Take-off: 8:43 p.m. EDT - 11 August (00:42 UTC 12 August)
  • Landing: 7:49 p.m. Western Europe Summer Time - 17 August (17:48 UTC 17 August)
  • Total flight time: 137 hours, 6 minutes (5.7 days)
  • Lowest altitude: - 13 August
  • Highest altitude: - 16 August
  • Total distance:
  • Average speed: 22 mph (35 km/h)

<gallery>

File:Double Eagle II.jpg|Double Eagle II Gondola

File:AndersonAbruzzoNewman.jpg|Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman of the Double Eagle II

File:Doubleeagleii.jpg|Double Eagle II Monument, Presque Isle, Maine

</gallery>

Previous attempts

Double Eagle

Double Eagle was a helium balloon piloted by Ben Abruzzo and Maxie Anderson in a failed attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1977. It was the eleventh recorded attempt to make the crossing, which had been an open challenge in ballooning for more than a century. The balloon launched from Marshfield, Massachusetts, on September 9. After being blown off course by stormy weather, the team was forced to ditch three miles off the coast of Iceland on September 12, 65½ hours after taking off.

Double Eagle was designed by Ed Yost and had a 101,000 cubic foot (2,860 cubic meter) envelope. Abruzzo and Anderson rode in an insulated open gondola measuring 6 by 6.5 feet (1.8 by 2 meters) which was later reused for Double Eagle II.

In 1976, Ed Yost in his Silver Fox (attempt #10), ditched east of the Azores as the wind carried him in the general direction of Western Sahara.

The Double Eagle (attempt #11), in 1977, ditched west of Iceland, having looped to the east of Greenland.

The Zanussi (attempt #13) in 1978, by Don Cameron and Christopher Davey, came closest to success, ditching off of France after the gas bag ripped. They had planned another attempt but called it off when the Double Eagle II succeeded.

Total death toll is five, including those on the two flights that vanished.

References

  • ABC broadcast of Double Eagle II
  • Congressional Gold Medal wiki page
  • Double Eagle II webpage at Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
  • Peter Stekel's Double Eagle article at Balloon Life
  • Peter Stekel's Ed Yost article at Balloon Life
  • Maxie Anderson Bio at Maxwell-Gunter AFB
  • Double Eagle II Article at eBalloon.org