The first round-the-world non-stop balloon flight
by the Breitling Orbiter 3 became the longest in the history of
aviation
both in terms of distance flown and duration
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There
are many ways of presenting the flight of the Breitling
Orbiter 3 in March 1999: a sporting achievement, a
page in the history books, a technological or a human
feat and even a philosophical experience. The multi-facetted
aspect of the project is what stimulated Bertrand Piccard
most, for it had in it all the elements of an epic venture
and explains its popular interest.
It started as the dream of any serious balloonist - to
accomplish the longest and the most exciting flight of
them all - the circumnavigation of the planet.
It was not until 1981 that the first attempt was made
to realise the Jules Verne fantasy of flying around
the world in a balloon. By the early 1990s it had became
a race. The FAI (World Air Sports Federation) laid down
the rules: fly at least 25 000 km, crossing all meridians,
within an area bounded by two caps superimposed on the
poles, each having a radius of 3335.85 km.
The public and the media saw it as the century's last
great adventure.
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