Projet
Projet
Préparatifs
En direct
En direct
En direct
En direct
Message Board
Exposition
Concours Push


En direct ligne

05. 03. 99
An extra passenger on board

preceding today next


The log book

17:30 GMT: Breitling Orbiter 3, is currently flying over Egypt at 6700 meters (approximately 21'000 feet) a little faster than 100 km/h (60-65 knots), with an extra passenger on board. The balloon will carry on this eastern route towards India at more or less the same speed and height and should reach the triple point between the North of Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia by Saturday night.

British pilot Brian Jones flew the balloon for most of Thursday night, while Bertrand Piccard was enjoying “a marathon sleep”. Earlier on today, over Libya, the balloon caught the fastest winds to date, at 76 knots (140 km/h, just under 100 mph). Team meteorologists have anyway advised the pilots not to go too fast as high speed would produce a track with a northward component. In the next few hours, the balloon will fly over the Nile, between Aswan and Luxor. Brian Jones, who dreams of landing near the pyramids of Cairo, once the round-the-world flight is completed, will have to wait to catch a glimpse of the pyramids.

Sunday, somewhere over Saudi Arabia, Breitling Orbiter 3 will leave momentarily the lower part of the jet stream and descend once more to 3000 meters or so, in order to melt the 200-300 pounds of ice that has formed on the envelope. Ice on the mouth of the envelope is due to the combustion of propane, which produces a lot of water vapor. At such an altitude and temperature (-25 degrees), the vapor quickly transforms into ice. These defrosting operations will have to be renewed every 3 or 4 days.

Monday, the craft will most probably reach the North of India, climb to 9000 meters (27'000 feet) and catch faster winds at 80 knots.

On board, the moral is still as excellent and the mission control center crew is amazingly relaxed. The pilots reported a stow away on board: a mosquito, that has been heard but not yet seen. This extra passenger who probably embarked at launch in Chateau d’Oex was thought for a while to be responsable of the minor problems encountered with the gondola’s variometer. Will it be the first insect to fly round-the-world ?

So far, Breitling Orbiter has flown more than 6500 kilometers since take-off in Château d’Oex, on Monday.

15:00 GMT: The Breitling Orbiter 3 has entered the territory of Egypt at a speed of 90 km/h and at an altitude of 6400 meters.

08:00 GMT: Breitling Orbiter 3 has entered officially the jetstream at 08:00 AM, over the center of Lybia, at an altitude of 7'600 meters and is now flying at a speed of 140 km/h.

07:00 GMT: The only communication problem last night - the air traffic controler in Tripoli did not appear to speak English - was quickly solved by John Albury, who was on duty at the flight operations center in Geneva, with assistance from Swiss air traffic control.

Brian Jones flew the balloon for most of the night. He reported by telephone this morning that all systems on board are operating normally with the gondola internal temperature being a comfortable 21°C

Total distance flown to date is 5'265 km.

06:00 GMT: The balloon Breitling Orbiter 3 has entered Lybian airspace as foreseen at 01:20 GMT and is now heading for Egypt.

preceding index next

day after day
21.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 has landed successfully
20.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 : Round the world balloon flight completed
19.03.99: The finishing line in sight
18.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 2 days away from happiness
17.03.99: LAST STAGE BEFORE THE ATLANTIC
16.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 at 180 km/h over Mexico
15.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 dashes towards Mexico
14.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 close to the Equator
13.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 zigzags between storms
12.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 half-way through
11.03.99: Two options available over the Pacific
10.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3: China behind, Pacific ahead
09.03.99: 24 hours on the edge of the 26th parallel
08.03.99: Breitling Orbiter over India
07.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 is the only competitor left in the race
06.03.99: Permission refused to fly over military zone in Yemen
05.03.99: An extra passenger on board
04.03.99: Tomorrow Egypt
03.03.99: Jetstreams for tomorrow
02.03.99: Breitling Orbiter 3 close to Morocco
01.03.99: Great start !
28.02.99: Imminent Start


© Breitling - Realisation and hosting Edicom