Maine
Pilots aboard hydrogen balloon are attempting to cross Atlantic Ocean from Maine
PRESQUE ISLE (WGME) — The first successful trans-Atlantic balloon launched from Presque Isle in 1978.
Early Thursday morning, a group of pilots took flight with the goal of crossing the Atlantic Ocean and landing in Europe.
The hydrogen balloon in the air on its way to Europe. (Courtesy: Bert Padelt)
The Atlantic Explorer 2026 is a gas balloon that uses hydrogen.
If successful, this balloon team would be the first to cross the Atlantic using hydrogen as the lifting gas. All others used helium.
“They can vent hydrogen to go down, although they try to avoid doing that. They have expendable weight in the form of sand ballast,” Atlantic Explorer 2026 Press Officer Kim Vesley said.
The hydrogen balloon in the air on its way to Europe. (Courtesy: Bert Padelt)
They can offload the weight to make the balloon go up, or keep it from coming down.
And there are three pilots inside.
“They work in shifts, and they have everything they need: food, clothing, water, a little port-a-potty type bucket,” Vesley said.
The hydrogen balloon in the air on its way to Europe. (Courtesy: Bert Padelt)
“The trajectory and the winds that they have available to them determine where they will come into Europe. It could be probably 3,100 to 3,500 miles, in that vicinity. They expect to be aloft four to six days,” Vesley said.
They have survival equipment, including a life raft, survival suit and more in case of an emergency, but they’re all optimistic.
The hydrogen balloon in the air on its way to Europe. (Courtesy: Bert Padelt)
“These are all friends with a common goal. That is to do something very special and very rare. The other thing is they may also set a couple of world records during this for the size and type of balloon they are flying,” Vesley said.
To track where the balloon is and the flight path it’s taken, you can visit their website.