{"id":33959,"date":"2013-09-13T03:34:50","date_gmt":"2013-09-12T23:34:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archive2.ankakh.com\/?p=33959"},"modified":"2013-09-13T03:34:54","modified_gmt":"2013-09-12T23:34:54","slug":"daredevil-it-manager-attempts-to-cross-the-atlantic-simply-by-clinging-to-helium-balloons-but-winds-could-blow-him-anywhere-from-iceland-to-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive2.ankakh.com\/en\/?p=33959","title":{"rendered":"Daredevil IT manager attempts to cross the Atlantic simply by clinging to helium BALLOONS… but winds could blow him anywhere from Iceland to Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\"Jonathan<\/a>An aviator today began a world first attempt to cross the Atlantic ocean dangling from a massive cluster of balloons.<\/h1>\n

Jonathan Trappe, 39, achieved lift-off at 6.20 am (11.20am GMT) in heavy fog from Caribou, Maine, in the United States and is aiming for Europe.<\/p>\n

Like a fairytale from the Disney movie ‘Up’, Trappe will attempt to make the 2,500-mile solo from 370 balloons filled with helium.<\/p>\n

The journey is the first of its kind and a successful crossing will see Trappe fly into the history books as the first person ever to scale the ocean in a flight of this type.<\/p>\n

Incredibly, winds could see him land anywhere between Iceland and Morocco after a journey expected to take between three and five days.<\/p>\n

The latest weather reports before the launch suggested winds would take Trappe to western Europe.<\/p>\n

‘Weather is absolutely the most dangerous factor,’ said Trappe speaking immediately before launch.<\/p>\n

Trappe already holds the record for the longest ever cluster balloon flight of 14 hours.<\/p>\n

He became the only person to have crossed the English Channel by cluster balloon in May 2010, and the Alps in September 2011.<\/p>\n

Previous flights have seen him travel in a simple office chair suspended by the balloons. This time he’s elected to dangle inside a small yellow life boat in case he ditches into the ocean.<\/p>\n

‘If I touch down on water then the attempt will be over as it will be impossible to take off again, but the boat will keep me alive.<\/p>\n

‘It will be incredibly dangerous as I could be several days away from any rescue crew and it will mean surviving rough seas for a long time, alone.’<\/p>\n

While Trappe is the first ever to attempt an Atlantic cluster balloon crossing, five people have died trying to cross the ocean in 12 total attempts using hot-air balloons or more conventional single gas balloons.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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