Chance places balloonist in hot seat to win trophy

Chance has placed fame and glory in the path of Brian Jones, as he floats above the Atlantic, poised to achieve ballooning's …

Chance has placed fame and glory in the path of Brian Jones, as he floats above the Atlantic, poised to achieve ballooning's most coveted trophy, a non-stop world circumnavigation.

The 51-year-old Briton was stand-by pilot to accompany Bertrand Piccard (41) on the Breitling III flight, and was happy to accept the unexpected last-minute substitution.

Tony Brown, another Briton, was to accompany Dr Piccard on the make-or-break balloon flight but he declined the challenge, apparently because of differences with the Swiss psychiatrist, a noted perfectionist as well as passionate adventurer. If good fortune gave Mr Jones the opportunity, years of ballooning experience qualified him for the task. He learned to fly at the age of 16 and spent 13 years in the RAF, racking up almost 5,000 hours of fixed-wing and hot-air balloon flight time.

His passion for lighter-than-air flight began in 1986, and three years later he started teaching it. He joined the Breitling II effort, working in its Geneva control centre with his wife, Joanna, another qualified balloon pilot who co-ran the family balloon business in Bristol.

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While he took to the air, she worked with Breitling staff at the control centre, monitoring the balloon and keeping tabs on the weather.

His dream is to touch the Breitling III down at the foot of the Egyptian pyramids, but Mali is a more likely landing spot if they manage to cross the Atlantic. Destiny puts Brian Jones in the balloon hot seat.