Wicked Balloons Journal
Category: Records & Adventures
The Piccard Family: Ballooning to the Stratosphere
How an Auguste Piccard balloon reached the stratosphere in 1931 and launched three generations of Piccard family exploration.
Double Eagle II: The First Atlantic Balloon Crossing
The story of the Double Eagle II Atlantic crossing, the 1978 flight that made history as the first nonstop balloon trip across…
The First Balloon Crossing of the English Channel
The dramatic 1785 story of the first balloon across the English Channel, when Blanchard and Jeffries nearly fell short of the French…
The Highest Hot Air Balloon Flight Ever Recorded
The story behind the highest hot air balloon flight ever recorded, reaching nearly 69,000 feet, and what it takes to fly that…
Breitling Orbiter 3 and the Record That Stunned the World
The Breitling Orbiter 3 made history in 1999 as the first balloon to circle the globe nonstop. Here's the story behind the…
The First Nonstop Balloon Flight Around the World
The true story of the first balloon around the world, the 1999 Breitling Orbiter 3 flight, and what it still teaches every…