Something New From Uliassi
Kevin Uliassi has found a few new ways to satisfy his passion
for flight. The Chicago Heights native announced this week three
new projects he has in development. And when Kevin Uliassi commits
to something, it gets done.
Last year when his rival Steve Fossett beat him to be the first
to fly solo around the world in a balloon, Uliassi was more than a
little deflated.
A New Challenge
In wake of Fossett's achievement, Uliassi has found new
enthusiasm and set his sights on a solo round-the-world balloon
flight through the northern hemisphere, a balloon altitude record
and a solo airplane flight around the world.
Uliassi calls it his own comeback of sorts. His first two
priorities are the altitude record and the solo plane flight.
The airplane flight could go as early as September. Plans are
underway to build a light, twin propeller craft that would cruise
about 30,000 feet. He estimates the trip could take about four and
a half days.
Record Attempt in Fall?
The altitude record could also be done in the
fall, around October, though probably not in the same year. The
current record for a helium-filled balloon is 113,739 feet, set in
1961. If all goes according to plan, Uliassi's balloon would lift
off from North Dakota and soar to 130,000 feet, more that four
times the altitude of Mount Everest. The flight would take about 12
hours.
Uliassi said he would have at least one co-pilot, possibly two
but declined to say who they are until plans are solidified. But
the one goal he says would always have special significance is a
round-the-world solo balloon flight.
Despite Fossett's solo record, Uliassi still plans to accomplish
the same feat. The difference is he'll follow a northern flight
path rather than a southern route similar to Fossett's. When he
first began planning for such a solo flight in 1986, the feat was
not about setting a record. It has always been a personal goal, he
said, whether or not he'd be the first to do it.
"Records are not important to me," he said from his home in
Phoenix. "It's more about the purity of the achievement. I won't be
the first to fly solo around the world, but I'll do it the way I
wanted to."
Fame? Not This Guy
Uliassi says his pursuits are not about fame
either. "This is not about glory seeking. It's really about the
excitement I get from aviation and trying to solve complex
problems. It's about my passion for aviation and pushing myself for
more achievement.
"For me personally there is something out there I have to prove
to myself, not anyone else," he said. A solo flight would still be
a first of sorts. Only the two-person crew of Brian Jones and
Bertrand Piccard has traveled around the globe over the northern
hemisphere.
However, such a flight poses different challenges, politically
and meteorologically. Uliassi's balloon would travel over more land
mass than a southern hemisphere trip, which significantly alters
weather patterns. The jet stream, which helps propel the balloon,
flows differently.
There are political considerations too. Traveling over more land
mass means more governments to negotiate with when traveling
through air space. But perhaps the most significant is the distance
is more suitable. A northern flight would be longer, more to
Uliassi's liking.
Uliassi said he's always believed a solo
round-the-world balloon flight should be closer to the earth's
equatorial circumference of 24,902 miles, a distance he plans to
reach. Fossett's flight was 22,100 miles, but still met criteria
for the record set by the Federation Aeronautique
Internationale.
Existing rules for an around the world flight are incorrect,
allowing too short of a flight, Uliassi said. "I don't want to take
this away from Steve or suggest it was not an accomplishment or an
arduous flight," he said. "But there is something more that needs
to be accomplished."
After Fossett touched down in Australia last July, Uliassi said
he has since learned to examine his love of flying in broader
terms. He said a balloon altitude record and a solo airplane flight
around the world have been his goals for quite some time. But he
was convinced he had to accomplish his solo balloon flight first
before turning to other projects.
Multi-Tasking
Now, he is not afraid to plan multiple projects simultaneously.
And he will continue to set more goals along the way.
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.28.25): Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)
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