16. 03. 99
Breitling Orbiter 3 at 180 km/h over Mexico

The log book

18:00 GMT: The operation jet stream has been successfully completed. Breitling Orbiter 3 is currently speeding at 100 knots(180 km/h), some 1000 kilometers away from the Mexican coast, and will reach Mexico tonight, near Guadalajara. Five hours later, above the Gulf of Mexico, the balloon will leave the jet stream and head towards the Bahamas, the Atlantic and North Africa. The " finish line " should be crossed Saturday afternoon. After having flown approximately 100 km/h North of Mexico City, Breitling Orbiter 3 will head for the Bahamas at a slightly slower pace (70 knots, 126 km/h). It won’t be able to ride in the jet stream as expected, because its path would deviate North of the 27th parallel, a no-fly zone for balloons. Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones should therefore descend to 9000 meters to overfly the Atlantic, then take the African jet stream at more than 140 knots (250 km/h), several hundred kilometers off the Occidental Sahara and Marocco. Team meteorologists Luc Trullemans and Pierre Eckert will choose the best and safest landing spot tomorrow. Crew members in Geneva re-established vocal contact with the pilots, Monday evening, after more than four days of silence. Bertrand Piccard said he had been quite worried and anxious during the black-out. " When we were flying over Africa, I started to be fond of the desert. But I realised that the worst desert wasn’t made of sand, but water. Nothing’s more fearful than to anticipate problems when everything is going perfectly well on board. I realised how important it was to live in the present moment " After 15 days in the air, the Swiss pilot is surprised about the way of life on board. " When we spent one day in the gondola in Château d’Oex, we found time terribly long and boring. Now, we have found our pace and could easily stay inside for another week. ". Piccard added : " This morning, when I woke up and Brian was ready to sleep, he made me a cup of tea, while I was preparing his bed. And this very spontaneously. We realized how our relationship was deep and friendly. 05:00 GMT: Q: After four days of no communication with the Press Center, how are you feeling? A: Bertrand Piccard answered: " When the balloon was flying over Africa, I started to love the desert! But I now realize that the worst desert is not sand but water. I must say that until now, the crossing of the Pacific has put us through some anguish: we had no regular contact with Geneva Control Center. We were only able to make radio contact with San Francisco Flight Control Center which passed our messages by phone to our meteorologists in Geneva who were then able to confirm that the direction that we had taken was indeed the good one!" Q: What is the worst part of those moments of isolation? A: " I think that the worst thing is anticipating what is to come! One begins to imagine all sorts of things, and that can become quite disturbing. As long as one manages to live the here and now, one feels just fine!" Q: So what could possibly still endanger your adventure? A: "Bad luck, as always. Now we tell ourselves: hopefully our speed will be fast enough so as to reach Europe before we run out of propane! However, I must say that everything is going extremely well, we have enough food, water, clothes to change into and we are feeling good". Currently, the balloon is south east of Hawaii, half way between Hawaii and Mexico City: The jet streams are carrying them at more than 150Km/hour, and they should continue to gain speed.