Before the Wright Brothers

BEFORE WRIGHT BROTHERS THE

Short History Stories about Hot Air Ballooning

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BEFORE WRIGHT BROTHERS THE

Short History Stories about Hot Air Ballooning

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Academy of Art University

SCHOOL PROJECT HSIN-HUA TSAI Instructor: Zack Shubkagel Class: GR 601-03 Date: December 2014

To Ruchin, my dear mother

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Before the Wright Brothers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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• Two eccentric French brothers • A rooster, a duck, and a sheep • Next passenger: A human. Make that two.

• More balloon records and an untimely death

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UP, UP! TO THE SKY! • Charles Green • James Sadler • Vincenzo Lunardi

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FALLING UPWARDS • How Balloons Work • Cinéorama

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FULL OF HOT AIR The first to fly: The true story of two eccentric 18th century inventors

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I have known today a magnificent intoxication. I have learned how it feels to be a bird.

I have f lown. Yes I have f lown. I am still astonished at it, still deeply moved. — Le Figaro, 1908

TWO ECCENTRIC FRENCH BROTHERS On June 4, 1783, at the marketplace in Annonay, France, six years before the onset of the French Revolution, Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier, sons of a wealthy paper manufacturer, invited nobles and peasants alike to the main square of their hometown to gather around their giant globe-shaped balloon.

Stitched from four humongous sections of sackcloth w it h t h ree layers of t hin paper for m ing a n in ner chamber and held together with eighteen hundred buttons, the balloon was 66 feet in diameter, engorged with 28,000 cubic feet of hot, smoky air, and weighed 500 pounds.

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The twelfth of sixteen children, Joseph, born in 1740, had always been the maverick of the family. Af ter running away from school as a teenager, he picked mulberry leaves before going into business for himself selling chemical products.

In contrast, the younger Jacques-Etienne, born in 1745, was diligent, sociable and smart

Slovenly in dress and manner, he spent his meager wages on mathematics and physics textbooks. While his father eventually convinced him to enter the family business he devoted most of his time to daydreaming.

In contrast, the younger Jacques-Etienne, born in 1745, was diligent, sociable and smart — His nickname was the “calculating machine” — the public face of the family who was good with business and comfortable mixing with the elite and hoi polloi alike. He studied architecture in Paris, where he hobnobbed with great scientists of his time like Benjamin Franklin.

It was Joseph, however, who first conceived of balloon travel six years earlier. Depending on which version of his story you believe the epiphany struck him when

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Joseph-Michel Montgolfier 1740—1810

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Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier 1745—1799

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He wondered, what if soldiers could be transported into the air by the same force that lifted the embers in a fire?

he watched his wife’s chemise lif t off when placed

He decided that within the heated air, there must be

before a f ire to dr y, or maybe it was his own shirt,

a gas — he dubbed it “Montgolfier Gas” — that was

although it didn’t lift off, he simply noticed it was bil-

visible as smoke and possessed special properties he

lowing, with pockets of air pushing it up.

attributed to “levity.” Of course, he was completely wrong about that: Hot air rises because the air expands

Then again, it could have been a loaf wrapping his wife

when it’s heated so that its density is reduced as vol-

tossed on the flames, which, when it began to burn, rose

ume increases.

into the air; or perhaps it was after Joseph read up on British scientist Dr. Joseph Priestly’s experiments with

On the basis of who knows what, he concluded the

different types of air.

best gas would come from burning a mix of chopped wool and damp straw. Later, he and his brother would

Joseph didn’t get around to conducting any experi-

throw old boots and rotting meat into the fires, believ-

ments of his own until November 1792. One day, as he

ing they raised the fuel’s octane.

watched f lames lick the air, his mind, as it was want to do, wandered, and he thought about the best way to

To test his theories, Joseph constructed an envelope

attack a well-protected fortress like Gibraltar, which

out of taffeta (a crisp, smooth woven fabric made from

was considered impregnable by both land and sea.

silk) ribbed with an internal frame of very light wood and designed with an open neck at the bottom. He wad-

He wondered, what if soldiers could be transported

ded up then lit some paper, which filled the envelope

into the air by the same force that lifted the embers

with hot air and smoke, watching in awe as his creation

in a fire?

rose to the ceiling.

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Manuscript of Montgolfier describing his machine 1784

Joseph immediately wrote Jacques-Etienne: “Prepare

The following April they tested a balloon 30 feet in

supplies of taffeta and rope and you will see one of

diameter, which achieved an altitude of 600 feet and

the most astounding things in the world!” Outside he

f loated with the wind for more than half a mile. To

repeated the experiment for his brother and the bal-

stake claim to their invention, the brothers invited the

loon soared 60 feet into the air. Those British soldiers

town to witness their next flight.

protecting Gibraltar from French and Spanish troops wouldn’t stand a chance.

In front of an audience of hundreds, the Montgolfiers had their helpers inf late their latest and greatest ves-

The two erstwhile inventors pooled their resources for

sel, which at 28,000 cubic feet was more than twice

a development program to build and test successfully

the size of the one they tested two months earlier.

larger balloons. In December 1782, they constructed wh at t he y c a l le d a n aero s t at t h re e t i me s big g er

When released, the balloon climbed to more tha n

a nd t went y-seven times larger in air volume than

3,000 feet and covered a mile and a half in the 10 min-

the protot y pe Joseph tried out in his room. On its

utes it remained aloft, coming down gradually as the

maiden voyage it took off so fast they lost control and

air inside cooled.

the balloon soared more than a mile from where it took off.

Finally, Man had defied gravity and created a machine that could fly. Word quickly spread to Paris.

Eventually it was destroyed through the “indiscretion” of passersby, no doubt alarmed by the strange object that had fallen from the sky.

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A ROOSTER, A DUCK, AND A SHEEP The French Academy of Sciences was miffed that two ignorant non-scientists had created the first f lying ship. That would not do, hence the Academy supported the quest of one of its members, a young physicist named Jacques-Alexandre-Cesar Charles, who immediately at tempted to reproduce t he Montgolf ier ’s experiments. Along the way he noted that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to its temperature, a phenomenon he called Charles Law, which persists to this day.

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Professor Charles suggested a hydrogen-filled bal-

On a late August rainy day Charles waited for a cannon

loon made from a silk envelope and coated with a

shot before untethering the twelve-foot tall aerostat

rubber solution to make it leak-proof, which scientific

from Champ de Mars in Paris, where, it was said, half

research indicated should f ly higher and faster than

the population came to watch, but only those with tick-

any hot air balloon. It took him a little more than two

ets allowed anywhere near. It shot three thousand feet

months to construct the balloon, and four days to mix

into the atmosphere in just minutes and when it dis-

the hydrogen, which required him to douse one thou-

appeared from sight another cannon shot was fired to

sand pounds of iron filings with five hundred pounds

bid it adieu.

of sulfuric acid. It was, at the time, the largest quantity of hydrogen ever produced.

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French Academy of Sciences, is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research.

Three-quarters of an hour later it alighted 18 miles away in a field in the village of Gonesse, where peasa nt s t hought it m ight be a g ia nt bird or invaders from the moon and tore it to bits with pitchforks and scythes. For good measure they strapped the fabric to a horse’s tail and sent him galloping through the field, until hardly a trace of Charles’ balloon survived.

Meanwhile, Jacques Montgolfier was also in Paris to arrange a public demonstration, securing the support of King Louis XVI and funding from the government, as well as finessing a joint venture with wallpaper manufacturer, Jean-Baptiste Réveillon, which provided the paper for the brothers’ next balloon. It was their biggest yet: 66 feet tall, 40-plus feet wide, fueled with 50 pounds of damp straw and wool, and the exterior decorated in 18th century sky blue wallpaper with accents of gold, sig ns of the zodiac and suns. Things went as planned until a sudden storm broke, the wallpaper dissolved and the vessel f lopped to the ground a sodden mess.

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An illustration of the first public hot-air balloon demonstration by the Montgolfier Brothers in 1783.

Undeterred the Montgolfiers got to work on a replacement composed of ta f feta coated w it h a lum inum va r n ish t hat had f ire-prevent ion proper t ies, a nd decided to include t he f irst a ir pa ssengers. Not a person, since no one knew what effect high altitudes would have on humans, but animals. After mulling a horse or an ox, they opted for a duck, a rooster, and a sheep they named Montauciel (“Climb-to-the-sky”).

They figured winged animals should have little problem with altitude while conventional wisdom of their day held that sheep most closely approximated the physiology of humans.

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attended the next launch of a montgolfier, which commenced from the front courtyard of Chateau de la Muette the king’s estate near the house of Réveillon. A wicker basket containing the caged livestock was affixed to the bottom and, adding to the poundage of straw and wool fuel were some old boots and rotting meat, which the brothers believed would increase the autostadt lift.

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A 1786 depiction of the Montgolfier brothers’ historic balloon with engineering data

At 1 pm, after lunch with the monarch, the brothers released the balloon from a special fire platform to the cheers of the crowd. One intrigued onlooker was fellow scientist and envoy to France from the United States, Benjamin Franklin. When asked of what use the balloon would be, he famously retorted, “What use, sir, is a newborn baby ?”

When asked of what use the balloon would be, he famously retorted, “What use, sir, is a newborn baby?”

Toting its animal carriage, the balloon traveled two miles, landing gently enough in the Vaucresson Forest.

The first on the scene, arriving on horseback, was a 30-year-old scientist named Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, head of the king’s natural history collection.

He rooted around for the livestock, which were buried under the balloon’s deflated skin. When he opened the cage he discovered the duck and sheep, while dazed, unscathed, but the rooster had injured one of its wings, which could have happened any time during the flight and for any number of reasons.

Back at the royal estate, King Louis was delighted, and ordered the animals cooked for his dinner.

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NEXT PASSENGER: A HUMAN. MAKE THAT TWO. Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier and Rozier informed his majesty, well known for his indecisiveness, that their next balloon would carry a man.

Absolutely not, Louis replied. He might have pointed out that theologians were dead set against the idea.

God would not approve of ballooning and any man who went up in a one would be approaching the gates of Heaven before his proper time. Or perhaps it was the king’s mood.

Nevertheless, Montgolfier and Rozier persisted.

Very well, his highness said, provided the flying men were condemned criminals, who he would pardon if they survived, which he thought unlikely.

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Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, 1754—1785 Rozie was a French chemistry and physics teacher, and one of the first pioneers of aviation. He and Marquis d’Arlandes made the first manned free balloon flight on 1783, in a Montgolfier balloon.

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Manuscript of Montgolfier describing his machine 1784

“No one could help feeling a mingled sentiment of fear and admiration”

Rozier protested, arg uing that the glory of the first

fine-tuning the fire’s intensity. Four days later Rozier

f light should not be given to criminals. He enlisted

rose to 250 feet, the vessel was pulled down, Marquis

t he a id of Fra nçois Laurent, who was the Marquis

Arlandes joined him onboard, and the two f loated up

d’Arlandes and a cousin of the king, who, in turn, peti-

to 350 feet.

tioned Maria Antoinette to convince Louis to change his royal mind, which he did. Unfortunately for de

On the appointed hour and day, November 21, 1783, at

Rozier, t his assista nce cost him t he cha nce to f ly

Chateau de la Muette, the sky was partly cloudy and the

solo when Arlandes insisted on joining him on their

wind puffed in from the northwest. The first attempt

maiden voyage.

went awry, however, when a hard gust blew the balloon into one of the garden walks. The ropes rubbed against

A s aut u m n mer g e d w it h w i nt er, R oz ier a nd t he

the fabric, causing several tears, the longest stretching

Montgolfier brothers’ worked on a larger, more dura-

six feet

ble vessel in the shape of a giant lemon, equipped with a circular wicker compartment that looked like a giant

Two hours later at 1:54 p.m.,after repairs were affected,

bracelet and hung near the bottom with a separate iron

the world’s first aeronauts set off. There was a hush as the

fire basket. The balloon’s skin was painted blueand gold

balloon cut a majestic figure as it rose over the palace.

and ornamented with gold fleurs-de-lis, the monogram of Louis XVI.

“No one could help feeling a mingled sentiment of fear and admiration,” attested an octet of observers that

No one thought it prudent to dispatch two men into the

included Benjamin Franklin in a signed affidavit later

atmosphere without first conducting tests. The group

that day.

settled on ropes to hold the balloon in place while Rozier climbed aboard and was slowly raised to a height of 80 feet, where he maintained his position by

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BICKERING IN THE BALLOON Adrift in the wind 270 feet up, the balloon passed a hedge and did a half turn. Onboard, Arlandes was astonished by the crowd’s unexpected quiescence.

Perhaps they are frightened, he reasoned. He waved but there was no discernible response, so he shook his handkerchief and “immediately perceived a great movement in the garden,” he wrote in a letter dated a week later. “It seemed as if the spectators all formed one mass, which rushed, by an involuntary motion, towards the wall, which it seemed to consider as the only obstacle between us.”

His pa r t ner in f light interr upted his reverie, one nobleman to another: “You are doing nothing,” Rozier said, “and the balloon is scarcely rising a fathom.”

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Contemporary illustration of the first flight by Prof.

Jacques-Alexandre-Cesar Charles with Nicolas-Louis Robert, December 1, 1783.

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A rla ndes begged his pa rdon, stirred t he f ire t hen

terra firma in case they needed to land. Some minutes

tossed in a brick of straw. Ascending quickly, he was

later, Arlandes said, “Here is a river which is very dif-

having trouble getting a fix on their position. They

ficult to cross.”

were so high he could not make out individual buildings, not even the Chateau de la Muette from whence

“So it seems,” Rozier replied, “but you are doing noth-

they began their journey. Following the serpentine

ing. I suppose it is because you are braver than I, and

path of the Seine until he could identify the bends in

don’t fear a tumble.”

the river. Recognizing the Visitation de Chaillot, a mammoth double-winged palace on the bank of the

A rlandes poked the f ire and seized a truss of straw

river, he ticked off each neighborhood. “Passy, St.

with his fork, which being pressed too tightly, wouldn’t

Germain, St. Denis, Sevres!”

light. He shook it over the f lames and a tremendous heat seized his armpits. “We are rising now,” he called.

“If you look at the river in that fashion you will be likely to bathe in it soon,” Roziers cried. “Some fire,

Suddenly Arlandes heard a loud noise originate from

my dear friend. Some fire.”

the top of the balloon, so loud and forceful he thought it m ig ht have popped. When he looked, however,

Left to the whims of the wind, their craft appeared

he saw not hing out of sor ts. Rozier climbed above

reluctant to cross the river, and instead hovered over

to investigate. Wit hout wa rning t hey were jolted

the water and headed upstream. Neither welcomed

straight up. “What are you doing up there—dancing?”

this turn of events; they would prefer to hover over

Arlandes asked.

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The first tethered balloon ascent on 15 October 1783 by Rozier.

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“I am not stirring,” Rozier said.

They reig n ited t he f ire by t h row ing more br ick s of straw and wool into the embers, and their craft

“So much the better,” Arlandes said. “This must be a new current, which will, I hope, take us off the river.”

responded by arcing over the top. As they sped downhill the wind shifted and pushed them south toward the heavily wooded Luxembourg Gardens.

It did. They drifted over the city to surrounding countryside. Arlandes heard a new noise, and discovered

Rozier fine-tuned their final descent by feeding small

a plethora of f laming holes, some quite large, break-

portions of straw and wool to the fire to slow their

ing out on the south side of the balloon. “We must get

descent. They sped over a major boulevard — the last major obstacle before open plains beckoned — and

down!” Arlandes shouted.

Rozier snuffed out the fire.

“Why?” Rozier asked.

The balloon got smaller and smaller as they headed

“Look!” Arlandes grabbed a sponge to extinguish the

departed, near a mill in Butte-aux-Cailles, a neighbor-

lower a nd lower. F i n a l ly, 25 m i nute s a f ter t hey f lames closest to him. “We must descend!”

hood located on hills in the southeast corner of the city, they hit the ground with a jolt. Balloon fabric plopped

Rozier surveyed the landscape and pointed out they

down on Arlandes’ head. He pushed it off, leaped out

were over Paris.

and turned to face the ballon, which was perfectly empty, flattened like a fallen soufflé.

Arlandes tested the cords connecting the fire iron to the balloon. Two had snapped but the rest seemed

Roziers crept out from under the sea of canvas in

sound. He suggested they cross the city to locate a

shirtsleeves because he had used his coat to tamp

suitable landing place to land. Passengers on an out-

down the many fires that had plagued their f light.

of-control coach over rough roads, they were soon speeding toward a patch of roofs. If they ran into

The two aero-voyagers set out for the nearest house to

them, they would either die from the impact or from

seek warmth, national heroes of France.

the inevitable f lames that would consume them.

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Details: Geometriques de la Machine Aerostatique—Monsieur Jos. Montgolfier, le 19 June 1784.

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MORE BALLOON RECORDS AND AN UNTIMELY DEATH Two weeks later, on December 1, 1783, 400,000 people gathered in the vicinity of Jardin des Tuileries in Paris to watch the young physicist from the French Academy of Science, Jacques Charles, man a hydrogen balloon with Nicholas-Louis Robert. Rising to 1,800 feet, they sailed 20 miles in two hours and five minutes, coming down in Nesles-la-VallĂŠe as the sun was setting. Robert got out and Charles flew solo, climbing rapidly to nine thousand feet where he became the first man to greet both a sunset and sunrise in a balloon.

After experiencing crushing pain in his ears, however, he promptly descended and never flew again.

A month and a half later, in Lyon, on January 19, 1784, 100,000 spectators congregated for the dispatch of another montgolf ier, their biggest yet, which was sponsored by t he governor of Lyon. This time six men were onboard, including Rozier and its inventor 1-13

Jacques Alexandre CĂŠsar Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert riding in the gondola of a balloon ascending from the Tuileries Garden, Paris, France, December 1st , 1783 in the first hydrogen balloon flight.

Joseph Montgolfier.

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On January 19, 1784, the largest Montgolfier hot-air balloon ever made, “Le Flesselle,” made an ascent at Lyons, France. This engraving depicts two scenes from the event.

In true madcap style there was a scuffle as the balloon was launched when a seventh man, Claudius Fontaine, jumped into the basket. He had assisted Joseph with the initial experiments and often begged to be the first to fly, an honor that had been bestowed on Rozier and t he noblema n. To ma ke up for t his slight, Joseph promised he could come with him.

On the blessed day, however, Prince Charles-Joseph Lamoral de Lig ne informed Fontaine there was no room. The balloon was at a considerable height before anyone other than Joseph noticed the stowaway. The Prince of Ligne was angry, but Fontaine cut him off, saying “Princes may consider themselves our superiors on earth, but in the aerial regions we are now exploring, we are all equal, and on the same level.”

The trip was truncated when at three thousand feet a large section of fabric ripped. The balloon hurtled to earth, landing roughly and leaving the men shaken but otherwise unharmed.

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Print shows the balloon, “Le Flesselles” ascending over Lyon, France, on January 19, 1784, carrying seven passengers including Joseph Montgolfier and Jean François Pilâtre de Rozier.

This would be the Montgolfiers’ final balloon. After King Louis XVI elevated their father to the nobility and honored their family with the symbol SIC ITURE AD ASTRA—“Thus we go to the stars”—Joseph and Jacques-Etienne returned to papermaking, their inheritance largely spent. The balloon, Etienne wrote in a letter later that year, “is a beautiful fruit, but it is not ripe. We will be dead before the sun of practice and experience will ripen it. It is a tree we have planted for our nephews.”

While he and his brother were the first to send men into the sky, it was the hydrogen balloon that became all the rage in eighteenth century Europe, validating Charles’ vision. These early f lights were a sensation, drawing

“Princes may consider themselves our superiors on earth, but in the aerial regions we are now exploring, we are all equal, and on the same level.” millions of people across Europe to bear witness to history. Coins were minted and engravings etched to commemorate them. Shopkeepers sold enamel and gilt-bronze replicas, crockery and clocks with balloon-shaped dials, jewelry, lanterns in the shape of montgolfiers, paintings, and balloon-back chairs.

As for Rozier, he requested 40,000 francs from the crown the following year to build a balloon to bring glory to France as first to cross the English Channel.

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An illustration published in 1887. It depicts French scientist’s Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier’s balloon catching fire before it crashed in 1785

It was, he argued, a matter of national pride. Thin as

Each day Rozier waited for the wind to change and

a French coin and fearless, Rozier designed his bal-

retired to his inn, disappointed. He sent up trial bal-

loon to be a cross between a montgolfiere and Charles’

loons in the hopes they might rise into a crosscurrent,

hydrogen version: The lower part was pumped with hot

but they all returned to France.

air while the upper section was a huge hydrogen bubble.

On January 7, 1785, Blanchard and Jeffries took off Rozier reasoned that “when I wish to descend I shall

from southern England. Partway across, the balloon

simply cool the hot air in the montgolfier instead of

lost gas a nd t hey sta r ted sinking towa rd t he g ray,

letting out the gas. Then, to rise again it would only

choppy waters of the Channel. Frantically they threw

be necessary to rekindle the fire. This also renders

overboard everything they could think of — all their

ballast unnecessary.”

ballast and most of their clothing — and somehow managed to remain aloft. The only cargo they kept

Professor Charles called it for what it was: “like light-

was the first international airmail, which they deliv-

ing a fire under a barrel of gunpowder.”

ered upon landing in Felmore Forest, France. They completed their 28-mile journey in about two and a

Rozier tra nspor ted his ba lloon to the coasta l cit y of Boulogne and waited, the wind cold, unforgiving, and, worst of all, blowing from England to France. At the same time an Englishman, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, and John Jeffries, an American actor, were in Dover preparing to cross from the other side.

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half hours.

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Fatal accident at Wimereux, 15 June 1785. Death of Pilatre de Rozier and Romain

A true gentleman, Rozier was one of the first to congratulate his rivals. He might have been satisfied to seek other challenges, but the King’s men reminded him that he could still fly across the Channel the other way; that way France could still have its glory. At any rate it would not look good if Rozier wasted 40,000 francs. He returned to his balloon, which by this point was weather-beaten, the taffeta chewed up by packs of rats.

At 7 a.m. on June 15th, Rozier and his friend, a doctor named Pierre Romain, reluctantly set sail for England.

They f loated out over the surf until the wind urged them back to Fra nce. For the next half hour their hybrid fire and gas balloon seemed stuck in time and space, a thousand feet above the shore.

Suddenly Rozier made what witnesses described as a gesture of alarm as a blue f lame leaped from the bottom of the balloon. There was an explosion and the two men hurtled to their deaths.

That made Rozier not only the first man to fly in a balloon, he was the first killed in one, too.

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UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

UP, UP! TO THE SKY! Adventurers at the Turn of the 18th & 19th Century

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< The Balloonists Prayer > The Winds have welcomed us with softness The Sun has blessed us with his warm hands We have f lown so high and so well That God has joined us in our laughter And He has set us gently back again Into the loving arms of Mother Earth â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Anonymous. End of the 18 th century.

CHARLES GREEN

BALLOONIST—NO.1

Charles Green, 31 January 1785 – 26 March 1870, was the United Kingdom’s most famous balloonist of the 19th centur y. He experimented with coal gas as a cheaper a nd more readily ava ilable a lter nat ive to hydrogen for lifting power. His first ascent was in a coal gas balloon on 19 July 1821. He became a professional balloonist and had made 200 ascents by 1835.

In 1836, he set a major long distance record in the balloon “Royal Vauxhall”, flying overnight from Vauxhall Gardens in London to Weilburg, Duchy of Nassau, Germany, a distance of 480 miles: this record was not broken until 1907. By the time he retired in 1852, he had flown in a balloon more than 500 times

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Portrait of Charles Green by Hilaire Ledru, 1835

The balloon seems to stand still in the air while the earth f lies past underneath. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Alberto Santos-Dumont

Green, son of Thoma s Green, f r uiterer, of Willow Walk, Goswell Street, London, who died in May 1850, aged 88, was born at 92 Goswell Road, London, on 31 January 1785, and on leaving school joined his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business. His first ascent was from the Green Park, London, on 19 July 1821, by order of the government, at the coronation of George IV, in the first ever balloon filled with carburetted hydrogen gas. After that time he made 526 ascents. On 16 August 1828 he ascended from the Eagle Tavern, City Road, on the back of his pony, and after being up for half an hour descended at Beckenham in Kent.

In 1836 he constructed the Great Nassau balloon for Gye and Hughes, proprietors of Vauxhall Gardens, from whom he subsequently purchased it for 500 pounds, and on 9 September in that year made the first ascent with it from Vauxhall Gardens, in company with eight persons, and, after remaining in the air about one hour and a half, descended at Cliffe, near Gravesend.

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UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

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On 21 September he made a second ascent, accompanied by eleven persons, and descended at Beckenham in Kent. He also made four other ascents with it from Vauxhall, including the celebrated continental ascent, undertaken at the expense of Robert Hollond, M.P. for 2-02

Hastings, who, with Monck Mason, accompanied him.

A Consultation prior to the Aerial

They left Vauxhall Gardens at 1:30 p.m. on 7 November

Voyage to Weilburgh, 1836.

1836, and, crossing the channel from Dover the same

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

evening, descended the next day, at 7 a.m., at Weilburg in Nassau, Germany, having travelled altogether about five hundred miles in eighteen hours. This journey was celebrated with a painting by John Hollins that is now in the National Portrait Gallery in London.The painting shows Green, John Hollins, Robert Hollond M.P. Sir William Milbourne James, Thomas Monck Mason and Walter Prideaux.

On 19 December 1836 he again went up from Paris

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with six persons, and on 9 January 1837 with eight

Charles Green’s balloon at

persons. The Great Nassau ascended from Vauxhall

Weilburg, Germany, 1836

Gardens on 24 July, Green having with him Edward Spencer and Robert Cocking. At a height of five thousand feet Cocking liberated himself from the balloon, and descending in a parachute of his own construc-

feet, or about five miles and a quarter, as indicated by

tion into a field at Burnt Ash Farm near Lee.

the barometer, which fell from 30.50 to 11, the thermometer falling from 61° to 5°, or 27° below freezing

Cocking was killed on reaching the ground. The bal-

point. On several occasions this balloon was carried by

loon came down the same evening near Town Malling,

the upper currents between eighty and one hundred

Kent, and it was not until the next day that Green heard

miles in the hour.

of the death of his companion.

On 31 Ma rch 1841 Green ascended from Hastings, In 1838 Green made two experimental ascents from

accompanied by Charles Frederick William, duke of

Vauxha ll Ga rdens at t he expense of George Rush

Brunswick, and in five hours descended at Neufchatel,

of Elsenham Hall, Essex. The f irst took place on 4

about ten m iles sout h-west of Boulog ne. His la st

September, Rush and Edward Spencer accompanying

and farewell public ascent took place from Vauxhall

the aeronaut. They attained the elevation of 19,335

Gardens on Monday, 13 September 1852. In 1840 he had

feet, a nd descended at Tha xted in Essex. The sec-

propounded his ideas about crossing the Atlantic in a

ond experiment was made on 10 September, and was

balloon, and six years later made a proposal for carry-

for the purpose of ascertaining the greatest altitude

ing out such an undertaking.

that could be attained with the Great Nassau balloon inf lated with carburetted hydrogen gas and carrying

Many of his ascents were made alone, as when he went

two persons only. Green ascended with Rush for his

up from Boston in June 1846, and again in July when

companion, and they reached the elevation of 27,146

he made a night ascent from Vauxhall.

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

2-04

Charles Green’s balloon on the way to Germany in 1836

During his career he had many dangerous experiences. In 1822, when ascending from Cheltenham, accompanied by Mr. Griffiths, some malicious person pa r t ly severed the ropes which attached the car to the balloon, so that in starting the car broke away from the balloon, and its occupants had to take refuge on the hoop of the balloon, in which position they had a perilous journey and a most dangerous descent, when they were both injured. Mr. Green received a serious contusion on the left side of the chest, and Mr. Griffith a severe injury of the spine. This is the only case on record of such a balloon voyage. In 1827 Green made his 69th ascent, from Newbury in Berkshire, accompanied by H. Simmons of Reading, a deaf and dumb gentleman, when a violent thunderstorm threatened the safety of the balloon.

On 17 August 1841, on going up from Cremorne with Mr. Macdonnell, a jerk of the grappling-iron upset the car and went near to throwing out the aeronaut and his companion. Green was the first to demonstrate, in 1821, that coal-gas was applicable to the inf lation of balloons. Before his time pure hydrogen gas was used, a substance very expensive, the generation of which was so slow that two days were required to fill a large balloon, and then the gas was excessively volatile. He was also the inventor of ‘the guide-rope,’ a rope trailing from the car, which could be lowered or raised by means of a windlass and used to regulate the ascent and descent of the balloon. After living in retirement for many years he died suddenly of heart disease at his residence, Ariel Villa, 51 Tufnell Park, Holloway, London, 26 March 1870.

51

52

JAMES SADLER

BALLOONIST—NO.2

Humans used to look at the sky and fantasize about gliding high above the earth like the birds. Many of science’s great minds had tried and failed to imagine a way of def ying gravit y. The famous early English scientist Roger Bacon, a Master at Oxford University, put forward the idea of a f lying machine that sounds remarkably like a balloon in the 1200s, when he was considered to be either a genius or a crackpot: "Such a machine must be a large hollow globe of copper or other suitable metal, wrought extremely thin in order to have it as light as possible. It must then be filled with ethereal air or liquid fire and launched into the atmosphere, where it will float like a vessel upon the water."

It took another Oxford man, James Sadler, another half a millennium until he finally managed to turn theory into practice and become the first ever flying Englishman.

2-05

James Sadler, 1753—1828, was the first English balloonist, as well as a chemist and pastry chef.

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2-06

Print illustrating James Sadler’s ascent on 12 August 1811.

Sadler, 1753–1828, was born in Oxford and was the

to the north of Oxford. Perhaps the most remarkable

eldest son of a pastry chef and confectioner with a

aspect of Sadler's ballooning exploits was that he was

shop at 84 High Street, and a second in St. Clements.

‘sole projector, architect, workman and chymist’ in all

He inherited his father’s business, but his taste was

his flying experiments.

for science, engineering and adventure, not confections, and he found employment working as a laboratory tech-

In the early years of f light the development of the

nician in the University’s chemistry laboratory. It was

first hot air balloons and gas balloons was happening

here that he began experimenting with small gas-filled

almost exactly in parallel. They were both first flown

balloons. He became inspired by stories of the first ever

for the first time in 1783 in France, and it was soon dis-

manned flight in France in 1783, and was determined

covered that gas balloons (lifted by “inflammable air”,

that an Englishman should fly at the earliest possibility.

later renamed hydrogen) had much greater carrying capacity and endurance. Sadler’s second ascent, just

On 4 October 1784 Sadler made the first ascent by any

over a month later, was also from Oxford, but this time

English aeronaut with a 170 foot hot air balloon he had

in a hydrogen balloon. The balloon would have been

constructed himself. The balloon was rudimentary, to

equipped with a net over the envelope (canopy), onto

say the least: the fabric of the balloon was made from

which was attached a ring from which was suspended

silk, lined on the inside with paper, and heated by a fire

a very ornate car, containing a seat for the aeronaut,

strung under the canopy on an open grille - in the lan-

and the oars with which it was hoped to steer the bal-

guage of the time if was powered by “rarefied air”. He

loon. The envelope would likely have been made from

“ascended into the atmosphere” from Christ Church

the g ut of an ox, which is a light and very gas-tight

meadow in Oxford and rose to ¾ mile high in this basic

material. Numerous ‘guts’ were attached and sealed

and unsafe flying contraption, flew for half an hour and

together to make the spherical envelope.

landed 6 miles later near the village of Woodeaton

54

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

55

56

Sadler generated hydrogen gas in casks containing small pieces of iron with diluted sulphuric acid; and from there it was conducted by pipe into the balloon.

After a successful inf lation, Sadler took off from the Physic Garden (Botanical Gardens) in central Oxford in the presence of a very large crowd.

Fueled by the excitement surrounding early f lights in Oxford and London, ballooning became highly fashionable in England He was immediately and rapidly swept over Otmoor and Thame. Seventeen minutes after take-off, he experienced a very rough landing some 20 miles away on the estate of Sir William Lee at Hartwell, near Aylesbury.

After dragging for some distance, the balloon blew into a tree and was completely destroyed. Luckily, Sadler escaped injury. Unsurprisingly, exploits such as these turned early aeronauts into popular figures, and their fame spread rapidly throughout Europe.

Fueled by the excitement surrounding early flights in Oxford and London, ballooning became highly fashionable in England. Aeronauts became some of the most talked about celebrities of the day, and tales of their exploits and adventures swept across Britain creating a national mania for the sport.

2-07

Part of the Balloon with which Mr.

Sadler made 4 more ascents in 1785, with interesting

Sadler ascended from Dublin,1812.

results. On his second ascent from Manchester in May,

It passed over upwards 237 Miles

he rose to 13,000 ft, travelled 50 miles, and landed

by Water, and 40 by Land, and

or, rather, half-landed at Pontefract. He was badly

descended at Sea.

injured when the balloon dragged him for 2 miles and finally threw him out onto the ground before taking off again empty.

2-08

Ascent of James Sadler, the celebrated British Aeronaut at Nottingham November 1st , 1813.

His final flight of the year in October was a nightmare.

f lying machines, some related to the f lying side and

Caught up in a strong northerly wind, Sadler attempted

others to human factors. Before take-off pilots had to

to land under very difficult conditions at Lichfield. The

deal with crowd control issues: inflation was a tedious

balloon dragged him across country and battered him

process and due to leaks in the apparatus it could take

about for upwards of 5 miles. Sadler held on for dear

much longer than expected. Gathering crowds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who

life until he finally fell out while the balloon was close

had often paid handsomely to be there - could grow

to ground --whereupon it immediately shot upwards

steadily more restless, fearing that they may have been

and was never seen again.

swindled. On at least one occasion it is recorded that, in order to appease an increasingly restive crowd, Sadler

Clearly, early ballooning involved many risks, and

risked life a nd limb by at tempting a n ascent even

Sadler quickly became a skilful and daring pilot. There

though the balloon was not fully inflated.

were various challenges to piloting manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first ever

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

2-09

Thousands lined Hyde Park during the 1814 jubilee celebrations to see Mr. Sadlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s balloons take off

By 1815 Sadler had achieved his forty-seventh ascent,

As well as being the first Englishman ever to fly, he

and he moved back to Oxford to live with his family.

was a great experimenter and was among the first

Against all odds, he died peacefully in his bed aged 75

to use coal gas to make light. He experimented with

on 26 March 1828, in George Lane. He was buried four

driv ing wheeled ca rriages using stea m eng ines,

days later at St Peter-in-the-East, Oxford, where he

a nd he patented a stea m t u rbi ne desig n . Sad ler

had been baptized.

researched copper sheathing of ships, distillation of sea water, seasoning of timber, gunpowder combus-

James Sadler was a man of prodigious talent â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a man

tion, and constructed air-pumps, signal lights, and

of practical action, not formal education. Sadler is

apparatus for disengaging oxygen.

remembered as one of the pioneers of aeronautical exploration in Britain and his daring f lights helped make ballooning a national pastime.

59

60

VINCENZO LUNARDI

BALLOONISTâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;NO.3

It was not until almost a year after the invention of the balloon that the English were convinced of manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conquest of the air. A number of attempts were made but they turned out so badly that people were skeptical of the craze for flying which had swept over France.

On September 15, 1784, Vincent Luna rdi, a young Italian, demonstrated the success of his French predecessors before a great multitude in London including t he Prince of Wa les a nd ma ny eminent statesmen.

In a hydrogen balloon, brightly decorated, Lunardi ascended with a dog, a cat, and a pigeon, and traveled 24 miles.

His friend George Biggin had planned to accompany him, but the impatience of the crowd forced Lunardi to make the attempt before the bag was completely 2-10

inf lated. The British were immediately captivated by

Vicenzo Lunardi was a pioneering

the fad of ballooning and Lunardi became the most

Italian aeronaut, born in Lucca.

sought after person in London.

61

2-11

Captain Vincenzo Lunardi with his assistant George Biggin, and Mrs. Letitia Anne Sage, in a balloon, 1785

Vincenzo Lunardi, the “Daredevil Aeronaut”, was a

astonishment and admiration of the spectators” the

f lamboyant young Italian whose balloon ascents in

f light path was not entirely visible because of cloud,

Scotland were very successful and totally eclipsed

but the balloon was seen passing over Hamilton and

t hose of Ja mes T y t ler, Scot la nd’s f i rst aeronaut .

La na rk before f ina lly ma king a good la nding nea r

Lunardi was a popular hero of the period, and the

Hawick in the Borders, where he landed at the feet of

Lunardi bonnet, a balloon shaped hat about 2 feet

“trembling shepherds”, the journey of 110 miles had

high, and Lunardi skirts, which were decorated with

taken 2 hours.

balloon motifs, were the vogue fashion accessories of the time.

Luna rdi’s second ascent a few weeks later sta r ted off with a near calamity, when a character, known as

Lunardi made a number of f lights in Scotland and

Lothian Tam, in his eagerness to get a close view of the

adverts in the Glasgow Mercury in early November

flight became entangled in the balloon’s ropes and was

1785 announced that he intended to “gratify the curios-

lifted 20 feet into the air until he was released and fell

ity of the public of Glasgow, by ascending in his Grand

to the ground with no serious injury. The weather on

Air Balloon from a conspicuous place in the city”.

this trip was much more blustery and Lunardi made a hard landing, af ter 20 minutes, in Campsie Glen

The Grand Air Balloon, which was made of 1500 feet of

around 12 miles from Glasgow.

green, pink and yellow silk, was exhibited, “suspended in its f loating state” in the choir of Glasgow’s cathe-

On 20 December, he made an ascent from the grounds

dral for the admission charge of one shilling. On the

of Heriot’s Hospital in Edinburgh. A strong wind was

23rd November 1785, an immense crowd gathered in

blowing and Lunardi was forced down in the sea after

St Andrew’s Square to witness the flight. The weather

a flight of 70 minutes. Fortunately he was picked up by a

wa s f i ne a nd at a rou nd 2pm , Lu n a rd i “a scended

fishing boat after some time in the water and landed

into the atmosphere with majestic grandeur, to the

at North Berwick.

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

63

64

2-12

Vinny Lunardi was at his best playing to the crowd that always came to see him ascend. This is a painting of the balloon he created â&#x20AC;&#x153;in tribute to everything Britishâ&#x20AC;?.

The poles in the background held the balloon as it was inflated.

Vincenzo Lunardi made the f irst balloon ascent in Great Britain on 15 September 1784. Lunardi was born at Lucca in Italy on 11 January 1759 and, after spending his childhood in the East Indies, was at a relatively early age employed by the Neapolitan ambassador in London, Prince Caraminico.

Lunardi was then a good-looking, temperamental and vainglorious youngster who soon established himself in the gay and hectic life prevailing in the British capital of that period. He believed that he would become still more attractive by taking up ballooning at a time when the achievements of the French aeronauts were the current topic in fashionable places. Lunardi was a dandy, yet endowed with much common sense and well aware of his lack of knowledge in the new field of aeronautics.

For this reason he associated himself with one of his friends, George Biggin, who enjoyed the reputation of being a pat ron of t he a r ts. Before the construction of a balloon could be tackled it was necessary to find a suitable place for its ascent. Lunardi first tried to obtain permission to go up from the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital.

There was no way of predicting how they might react if kept waiting too long, so the decision was made that Lunardi was to ascend alone in the balloon, which was not yet quite filled, and leave Biggin behind on the ground.

2-13

Exhibition of Lunardi’s balloon at the Pantheon in Oxford Street

However, somebody else had already beaten him to

However, the commander of the Honorable Artillery

it —a Frenchman, de Morel, who had made the first

Company, Sir Watkin Lewis, finally overcame official

attempt with a whimsical hot air balloon shaped like

reluctance and placed the Moorfields training grounds,

a Chinese temple.

on the northern outskirts of London, at Lunardi’s disposal - with the proviso that from his collected money

This monster declined to leave the g round, which

an amount of £500 was to be set aside to guarantee

disappointed and infuriated the spectators; in their

coverage of any possible damage caused and the sum of

rage they destroyed the balloon as well as some sur-

£100 established as a fund for the benefit of the family

rounding property. Dr John Sheldon did not fare much

of a recently-deceased artillery officer. Now Lunardi

better; his captive balloon also was damaged and he

could finally proceed with his arrangements to have

abandoned his ascension attempt. It was thus readily

built a hydrogen balloon of the Charles type.

understandable when the management of the Chelsea Hospital refused to grant permission for Lunardi to use its grounds for his balloon ascent.

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

It was, strangely enough, not fitted with a valve on

manufacturing the hydrogen. The ascent took place in

top and so became dangerous and difficult to handle.

the early afternoon of 15 September 1784. It had taken

The enlarged netting arrangement, on the other hand,

all of the previous night and the whole of the morning

introduced a distinct improvement feature, for the

to f ill the balloon, and the 100,000 or more restless

cording was reduced first to ‘crows’ feet’ from which

and impatient spectators rendered the task all the

the leading cords were fastened to a hoop from which

more difficult.

the car was suspended. The car itself also was of a more practical form and devoid of superfluous, heavy

There was no way of predicting how they might react

ornamentation.

if kept waiting too long, so the decision was made that Lunardi was to ascend alone in the balloon, which was

The envelope of the balloon was made of oiled silk,

not yet quite filled, and leave Biggin behind on the

and had a diameter of 33’ ft which resulted in a volume

ground. Lunardi was accompanied by a dog, a cat and

of 18,200 cu.ft A chemist, Dr George Fordyce, was in

pigeon, and provisions were amply supplied. A special

charge of the filling and also built the equipment for

stand had been erected for the Prince of Wales who

67

2-14

Vincent Lunardi, in his basket, ready to ascend, 1785

was present and he tipped his silk hat in deference as the balloon began to rise. Everybody else present followed the royal example. There was a hushed atmosphere of fear and doubt; not a sound was heard.

Lunardi, who had hopes of advancing through the air by rowing, had brought along oars of different shape, one of which broke when he started.

But he remained convinced that the oars were instrumental in his reaching a cornfield near North Mimms, some 13 miles north of London. Here he landed at 3.30 p.m., divested himself of his remaining ballast and released the cat, which by now was quite benumbed with cold. Though Lunardi throughout the trip had stayed at altitudes of below 1,000 ft, he had registered temperatures as low as -16°C. Now that the balloon was relieved of some weight it rose again and Lunardi jotted down and dropped a flowery report about the esoteric clouds below him and the sun sparkling the wide landscape. From this it is evident that this time he climbed to a higher altitude. Some thirty minutes later the balloon once more landed softly in a meadow near the town of Ware in Hertfordshire. The scared farmers at first refused to approach this â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;devilryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; until a girl, who was also present and much impressed by the finely-dressed young gentleman who had descended from the sky in his pretty red and blue striped balloon, grasped one of the lines; then the others pitched in to help, though with some hesitance. This first balloon ascent in

UP, UP! TO THE SK Y!

2-15

This is the first hydrogen balloon Lunardi launched in England. The first to ever be launched in the United Kingdom.

Great Britain turned Lunardi into the hero of the hour

This trip lasted an hour and had the distinction of being

and, dressed in the honorary uniform of the Artillery,

the first time ‘a British female air travelers’ had gone

he was presented to King George III.

aloft. This was the term by which Mrs Sage henceforth liked to be described. She was a beautiful lady,

A monument was erected on the spot where Lunardi

but from a ballooning point of view she unfortunately

landed for the second time; its popular name is Long

tipped the scales at 2001b. Lunardi made several more

Mead, and it is still there. Lunardi went on to build

balloon ascents in Great Britain during 1785, but in

larger and better balloons and ascended once more

August 1786 one of his young assistants lost his life in a

from Moorfields. On this occasion his balloon was

tragic accident. During the preparations for an ascent

decorated with a huge Union Jack, in which manner he

at Newcastle upon Tyne, Ralph Heron was pulled aloft

‘wished to express his respects and devotion to every-

as one arm got entangled in the anchor rope when

thing which the word “British” stands for’. His faithful

the balloon took off prematurely. The rope broke and

friend Biggin and a Mrs Letitia Sage, an actress, were

the hapless youngster plunged to his death. Lunardi

to have accompanied him on this trip, but once more

was not to blame, yet, after the incident, everywhere

the lifting capacity of the balloon was poor, so Lunardi

he went in Great Britain he was now persecuted as

started alone on 13 May 1785. Soon afterwards he had

intensely as he had previously been acclaimed. He left

to come down again, near Tottenham Court Road,

the country for good, but continued his balloon ascents

because the envelope turned out to be leaking. The

in Italy, Spain and Portugal. His health later failed, and

well-tried patience of Biggin was finally rewarded

he died in Portugal on 31 July 1806.

later that year when, on 29 June, he was able to ascend himself, accompanied by Mrs Sage.

69

70

FULLING UPWARDS

FALLING UPWARDS Other Facts and Moments in Ballooning History

71

HOW BALLOONS WORK Hot air balloons are an ingenious application of basic scientific principles.

>

The basis of how the balloon works is that warmer air rises in cooler air.

72

FULLING UPWARDS

[ [

ENVELOPE The actual fabric balloon which holds the air To move the balloon upwards BURNER

The pilot opens up t he propa ne

The unit which propels the heat

valve which lets the propane f low

up inside the envelope

to the burner which in turn fires the flame up into the envelope. Works in much the same way as a gas grill,

[

>

BASKET Where the passengers and pilot

the more you open the valve, the

stand together.

faster the balloon rises.

bigger the flame to heat the air, the

This is because hot air is lighter than cool air as it has less mass

To move the balloon downwards

per unit of volume.

The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Parachute Valveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the very top of the balloon is what is used to bring the balloon down towards the ground. It is essentially a cir-

>

Mass can be defined by the

cle of fabric cut out of the top of

measure of how much matter

the envelope which is controlled

something contains.

by a long chord which runs down through the middle of the envelope to the basket. If the pilot wants to bring the balloon down he simply

>

The actual balloon has to be so

pulls on the chord which will open

large as it takes such a large

the valve, letting hot air escape,

amount of heated air to lift it off

decreasing the inner air tempera-

the ground

ture. This cooling of air causes the balloon to slow its ascent.

73

74

FULLING UPWARDS

CINÉORAMA Cinéorama was an early film experiment and amusement ride at the 1900 Paris Exposition devised by Raoul Grimoin-Sanson, that simulated a ride in a hot air balloon over Paris. It represented a union of the earlier technolog y of panoramic paintings and the recently invented technology of cinema.

3-01

Illustration of the camera mech-

Grimoin-Sanson began experimenting with movie

anism for the Cineorama balloon

cameras and projectors in 1895, and was in contact with

simulation, 1900 Paris Exposition

other early researchers such as Étienne-Jules Marey.

He patented the Cinéorama on 27 November 1897.

Cinéorama consisted of 10 synchronized 70 mm movie projectors, project ing onto 10 9x9 met re screens arranged in a full 360° circle around the viewing platform. The platform was a large balloon basket, capable of holding 200 viewers, with rigging, ballast, and the lower part of a huge gas bag.

75

76

FULLING UPWARDS

77

3-03

Illustration of projection mechanism for the Cineorama balloon simulation, 1900 Paris Exposition

The film to be shown was made by locking together 10 cameras with a single central drive, putting them in an actual balloon, and filming the flight as the balloon rose 400 metres above the Tuileries Gardens. On projecting the f ilm, the experience was completed by show ing t he sa me f ilm back wa rds, to simulate a descent. Some references describe a much longer experience, involving a trip to England, Spain, and the Sahara, but it is unclear whether the complete plan was realized.

Cinéorama lasted only three days at the Exposition.

On the fourth day it was shut down by the police for safety reasons. Extreme heat from the projectors’ arc lights, in the booth below the audience, had caused one workman to faint, and the authorities were worried about the possibility of a deadly fire. Cinéorama was never shown again, but a modern version, CircleVision 360°, was introduced at Disneyland in 1955 and continues in use today.

78

FULLING UPWARDS

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FULLING UPWARDS

81

CREDITS

TEXT CHAPTER ONE—FULL OF HOT AIR http://pando.com/2013/12/26/ the-first-to-fly-the-true-story-of-two-wacky-18th-century-inventors/

CHAPTER TWO—UP, UP! TO THE SKY! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Green_%28balloonist%29 http://prba.org.uk/page.asp?p_id=16 http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/aircraft/Balloon-Lunardi.html

CHAPTER THREE—FALLING UPWARDS http://www.eballoon.org/balloon/how-it-works.htmlhttp://prba.org.uk/ page.asp?p_id=16 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinéorama

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TYPEFACE INFORMATION Chapter Title

Tungsten —Semibold Body Text Mercury G1—Roman

Caption San Francisco Text—Light

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The best way of travel, however, if you aren’t in any hurry at all, if you don’t care where you are going, if you don’t like to use your legs, if you don’t want to be annoyed at all by any choice of directions, is in a balloon. In a balloon, you can decide only when to start, and usually when to stop. The rest is left entirely to nature.

—William Pene du Bois

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