Double Eagle II: First Balloon Across the Atlantic

Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman touched down in a barley field near Miserey, France, on August 17, 1978, completing the first successful balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Their helium balloon, the Double Eagle II, had traveled 3,120 miles from Presque Isle, Maine, in 137 hours and 6 minutes. Seventeen previous attempts by other balloonists had ended in failure or death. The three men from Albuquerque, New Mexico, succeeded where all others had not. The Atlantic had defeated balloonists since 1873, when the first attempt ended in disaster shortly after launch. The challenges were formidable: unpredictable weather systems, the impossibility of steering a free balloon with precision, the risk of sudden altitude loss over open ocean with no possibility of rescue, and the sheer physical endurance required for days of continuous flight in a cramped, unheated gondola. Abruzzo and Anderson had themselves failed in their first attempt, Double Eagle I, in September 1977, ditching in the ocean off Iceland after their balloon lost helium in a storm. For their second attempt, they enlisted Newman, a hang glider enthusiast and businessman, and commissioned a larger balloon from balloon manufacturer Ed Yost. The Double Eagle II stood 112 feet tall and carried a gondola equipped with radio communication, navigational instruments, and enough provisions for a week. The crew launched at 8:43 PM on August 11, 1978, riding the jet stream eastward across the North Atlantic. The crossing was not without drama. The balloon dropped dangerously low over the ocean on the third night when cooler temperatures caused the helium to contract. The crew jettisoned ballast to regain altitude. They navigated by radio contact with weather stations and ocean vessels below. When they crossed the Irish coast, they knew they had succeeded where every predecessor had failed. The landing in France was rough but safe. The three men were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, and their gondola was donated to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, displayed alongside the Wright Flyer and the Spirit of St. Louis.