07. 03. 99
Breitling Orbiter 3 is the only competitor left in the race

The log book

16:00 GMT: Breitling Orbiter 3 is currently flying slowly but surely over the Arabian sea at 5000 meters (15'000 feet) at a cruise speed of approximately 30-40 knots (50-70 km/h). The balloon will arrive into India on Monday afternoon and should reach China by Wednesday evening. All is going perfectly well on board. Breitling Orbiter 3 is now the only contender left in the non stop round-the-world balloon flight. Both pilots and flight control center in Geneva airport were amazed to hear the news of Cable & Wireless’s ditch in the sea. All were relieved to hear that both Andy Elson and Colin Prescot were rescued safely. " I feel sorry for them of course, but this also means we’re the only ones still up here and I just hope we can better their performance " commented Brian Jones. " Bad weather can hit you anytime, but our meteorologists think our track is clear all the way to China, added flight director Alan Noble. Weather and politics endanger balloon flights and we have to keep our fingers crossed ". Team meteorologists are looking very confident. They will guide the balloon towards North of Bombay (India) and then aim towards Bhopal (Tuesday morning) and Bhutan. Breitling Orbiter 3 will then fly into Bangladesh, where it will catch much faster winds in the lower part of the jet stream. The balloon should enter Chinese airspace under the 26th parallel Wednesday evening, after flying briefly over Burma. Life on board is still calm, but the pilots are far from bored, as they reported minor electrical problems on one of the burners. This problem is unthreatening to the flight. " Unfortunately, we still didn’t have the time to concentrate on our photography yet " laughed Brian Jones. The fuel consumption of the Breitling Orbiter 3 is more than satisfying : only 6 of the 32 propane tanks have been used. So far, Breitling Orbiter 3 has bettered the performance of its predecessor Orbiter 2 and flown more than 10’000 kilometers since take-off in Château d’Oex, last Monday. 09:00 GMT: After the ditch of the Cable & Wireless balloon, Breitling Orbiter 3 is the only competitor left in the non-stop round-the-world race. Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard was quite shocked to hear the news - Brian Jones is still sleeping and doesn't know yet - and delighted to know that Andy Elson and Colin Prescot were rescued safely. "We now have a better chance to be the first ones to accomplish the round-the-world flight" added Piccard.