AN AMERICAN daredevil made history yesterday when he crossed the Channel between England and France dangling beneath a cloud of 54 helium balloons, landing in a field near Dunkirk after a four-hour flight – by cutting the coloured inflatables free one by one with a pair of scissors.
Jonathan Trappe (36), who has set several records for helium balloon flights, took off at 5am from the Kent Gliding Club at Challock, southeast England, about 16km inland, to cheers from spectators.
The scene, which was filmed by a news helicopter, was reminiscent of the animated film Up, in which an intrepid veteran flies his whole house into a world of adventures.
Mr Trappe used a sturdier seat than the usual fragile chairs he has been strapped into on previous flights. He also took a GPS system to work out his location, but had no float suit to save him if he crashed into the Channel.
He rose to a maximum height of 3,353m during the crossing.
Trappe made an impeccable landing beside a road, close to the France-Belgium border. He described the crossing as “tremendously peaceful, tremendously beautiful” – the silence interrupted only by a conversation with an astonished walker who happened to be standing on top of the white cliffs of Dover as the balloons passed overhead. – (Guardian service)