Bertrand Piccard

Biography

In parallel of its studies of psychiatric Medicine , he becomes a pioneer of the coasting flight and ULM in Europe. It is also tested with the flight in Parapente and Montgolfière. He is crowned champion of Europe of stunt-flying in Deltaplane (1985), and is victorious 1st transatlantic race in balloon (1992).

Married and father of 3 children, it is wire of the oceanographer Jacques Piccard, world recordman of diving out of submarine, and grandson of Auguste Piccard, first to reach the Stratosphère on board a balloon.

First attempt at round the world tour

In January 1997, Bertrand Piccard tried its first round the world tour in balloon without stopover, on board the Breitling Orbiter , a rozière including/understanding an envelope of hot air surrounding another pocket of 15.000 m ³ of Hélium, attempt which only showed a failure after 6 hours of flight, following escapes of Kérosène in the cabin. This very unpleasant fuel leak constrained Piccard and its fellow-member Wim Verstraeten to let land on sea their balloon in the Mediterranean with broad of Toulon, with loss of the envelope. Takeoff, already, had badly failed to finish, the balloon passing very close to the poplars close to the service station of Castle-in Œx.

Second attempt

The second attempt at Piccard was carried out on board the Breitling Orbiter II . Piccard always makes team with Wim Verstraeten but associates the services of a technician of the manufacturer " Cameron Baloons" : Andy Elson. Completely free to set out again with zero and rich person of her first experiment, the team decides to build To orbit it II, a larger balloon (16 500 m ³ of helium for 53 m), which flies away again of Castle of Oex (Pre the Alps Suisse S), the January 28th 1998. After an escape of air to a port-hole, acrobatiquement clogged outside by Andy Elson, and a test of pressurization of the cabin in real conditions (11 000 m and - 50 °C), they continue their flight, but the refusal Chinese to authorize the crossing of the territory will be finally fatal with the hopes of the aéronautes.
Folded back by a current of inversion, the balloon pilots will have to circumvent the immense Chinese territory, by the south and at very low altitude, and 25 km/h whereas splendid a Jet stream blew to 270 km/h between the Iran and Beijing. Again constrained to be posed, their voyage finished after 10 days by a landing in full Burmese countryside, in the middle of the amazed peasants. Breitling Orbiter II will not have made the round the world tour, but the trio beats the record of duration of a flying machine, with 9 days 17 hours and 55 minutes for 8.700 km traversed.

Third attempt

Bertrand Piccard and his team decide to make a third attempt and for this reason build the Breitling Orbiter III , a balloon even larger (18 500 m ³ of helium, 55 m), ready to hold the air during 3 weeks. Piccard also decides to change fellow-members: it engages Tony Brown, pilot first of all of harmony at British Airways, but the relational aspect being very important, it proposes finally in another English, Brian Jones, pilot with the Royal Air Force and achieved balloon pilot, to accompany it.
For this ultimate attempt, because there would not have been of other, the heavy kerosene tank is replaced by 32 bottles of gas Propane (2m 35 top), easier to handle. Takeoff on March 1st, 1999 of Castle-in Oex (Swiss). Landing on March 21st in Egypt. The round the world tour is finally buckled after having flown nearly 20 days (447 H and 47 min) and 40.805 km.

Projects in progress

In 2004, Bertrand Piccard announces his new project, Solar Impulse, of cirum-navigation in Planeur Solaire, in collaboration with the Federal Polytechnic school of Lausanne.

Philately

Three days after its round the world tour in balloon without stopover, the Swiss Post office with emitted a postage stamp of a value of 0.90 centimes representing To orbit it 3 in vol. This stamp considering the strong demand arrived very quickly in stock shortage.

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