August 17, 1978
- Aug 17, 2023
- 1 min read
On this day in history in 1978 the first transatlantic balloon flight landed in Paris after taking off from Maine six days earlier.
Hot Air Balloon History
The first hot air ballon was developed as early as the 1780s. French papermakers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier filled their balloons with either helium or hydrogen. This lighter-than-air gas provided the buoyancy they needed to make successful human flight. In 1785 the first hot air balloon crossed the English Channel by air with Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries aboard. Balloons were even used for military surveillance and scientific study in the 18th and 19th centuries. Eventually a motorized balloon, the self-propelled dirigible, supplanted hot air balloons as a form of travel.
Taking Flight
Although the dirigible made hot air balloon travel obsolete, in the early 1900s "sport ballooning" began to grow. There was even an international trophy given annually for long-distance flights. After the Second World War new technology allowed ballooning to be after and happen at a more reasonable cost. This led to widespread balloon popularity by the 1960s.
The first transatlantic flight by both aircraft and dirigible occurred in 1919. However, even by the time ballooning gained popularity in the mid-1900s a successful transatlantic hot air balloon trip had yet to occur. In 1978 the Double Eagle II left from Presque Isle, Maine and travelled 137 hours across the Atlantic Ocean. The helium-filled balloon was piloted by three people who flew 3,233 miles over six days before landing in Paris.
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