Cluster Balloonist Abandons Attempt To Cross The Atlantic | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.14.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.16.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.17.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Fri, Sep 13, 2013

Cluster Balloonist Abandons Attempt To Cross The Atlantic

Jonathan Trappe Was Unable To Control The Balloons' Altitude

Jonathan Trappe’s dream of floating across the Atlantic Ocean beneath of cluster of helium balloons has ended in a safe landing, but on the wrong side of the ocean. Trappe landed his cluster balloon in a remote area of Newfoundland at approximately 1830 EDT Thursday, September 12, 2013. Trappe had launched at about 0800 EDT from Caribou, Maine and had been airborne for only about 12 hours on a flight that was expected to take 3-6 days.

ANN spoke to Kevin Knapp, a veteran gas pilot, who had the first duty shift in Trappe’s control center following the launch. According to Knapp, the cluster balloon was never able to achieve a stable float altitude and developed a severe yo-yo effect --- rapid descents with the aircraft hitting the surface of the water, followed by rapid ascents to altitudes as high as 21,000 feet or more. Trappe was unable to gain a steady hand on the errant balloon cluster, which at 3,000 cubic meters of volume, was the largest in the world.

Flight service expressed real concern over the inability to control the aircraft as they watched it repeatedly descend below their radar and then reappear climbing rapidly. Trappe and his team obviously had the same concern and with Newfoundland representing ‘land’s end’ before venturing out over the Atlantic, the decision was made to terminate the attempt.

Knapp tells ANN that Trappe was able to execute a landing after darkness had fallen and in low visibility. In fact, he says Trappe is uncertain if he is on the ground or possibly in trees, but he is down and safe. Trappe noted on his own Facebook page that he planned to spend the night in his gondola/lifeboat and had lowered the exposure cover. Knapp said it was raining in the area and storms were expected overnight, however the weather trajectories for winds aloft showed that in a perfect world Trappe could have reached Ireland in 94 hours.

Trappe posted on his Facebook page about 2000 EDT "Landed safe, at an alternate location. Remote. I put the exposure canopy up on the boat. Will stay here for the night."

Trappe has already made history as a cluster balloon pilot having been the first to cross Lake Michigan, the English Channel and the Alps before making this attempt at the Atlantic.

The first crossing of the Atlantic by balloon was accomplished in 1976 by the late Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman in their helium balloon Double Eagle II – so named because it was the second attempt by Anderson and Abruzzo. Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones required 3 attempts to get the Breitling Orbiter balloon around the world for the first time, and the late Steve Fossett was not successful in his solo balloon circumnavigation until his 6th attempt in the Bud Light Spirit of Freedom.

(Image from YouTube video of Trappe's departure)

FMI: www.facebook.com/jonathan.r.trappe.1

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.15.25): Charted Visual Flight Procedure Approach

Charted Visual Flight Procedure Approach An approach conducted while operating on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan which authorizes the pilot of an aircraft to proceed >[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.15.25)

“When l became the Secretary of Defense, I committed to rebuild our military to match threats to capabilities. Drones are the biggest battlefield innovation in a generation, >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.15.25)

Aero Linx: Stearman Restorers Association Welcome to the Stearman Restorers Association. The Stearman Restorers Association is an independent “Not for Profit” 501C-3 Co>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Kjelsrud Gary Kitfox

Airplane Exhibited A Partial Loss Of Engine Power When It Was About Halfway Down The Runway Analysis: The pilot of the experimental amateur-built airplane was departing from his pr>[...]

NTSB Prelim: Cessna A150L

The Flight Path Was Consistent With Low-Altitude Maneuvering On June 18, 2025, about 0922 mountain standard time, a Cessna A150L airplane, N6436F, was substantially damaged when it>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC