Spirit of Freedom (balloon)

2010 San Diego Air and Space Museum Hall of Fame Inductee portrait; Artist- Christopher Paluso; World Record Setter (SDASM Archives)

Spirit of Freedom balloon was a Rozière balloon designed and built by Donald Cameron and Tim Cole. In 2002 solo pilot Steve Fossett flew the Spirit of Freedom to become the first successful around-the-world nonstop solo flight in any kind of aircraft. On June 19, 2002, the 10-story-high balloon Spirit of Freedom lifted off from Northam, Western Australia, and landed in Queensland, Australia, on July 3, 2002. The solo flight circumnavigation lasted 13 days, 8 hours, 33 minutes (14 days 19 hours 50 minutes to landing) and covered 20,626.48 statute miles (33,195.10 km). During this flight, the balloon reached speeds of up to 322 kilometers (200 miles) per hour, and flew as high as 10,580 meters (34,710 feet).[1][2][3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference NASM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Aviation Adventurer Steve Fossett Missing". CBS News. September 4, 2007. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  3. ^ "FIRST SUCCESSFUL AROUND THE WORLD SOLO ATTEMPT". balloonsoverbritain.co.uk. Balloons over Britain. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.