Crossing the Atlantic Ocean dangling from a cluster of colorful helium balloons sounds like something you’d only see in a kids’ movie. But 38-year-old Jonathan Trappe of Raleigh, North Carolina, has already crossed the English Channel in 2010 and is setting his sights on a transatlantic flight next summer.
Trappe is like the real-life version of the character Carl Fredrickson, from the Disney-Pixar film Up. He says he’s dreamed of these flights since he was a boy.
According to Daily Mail, Trappe is a trained pilot who brings aviation savvy to his bizarre travel method.
Jonathan Trappe in flight Over Dover, England, Crossing the English Channel:
He’s also the first person to cross the Alps via helium balloons, reports reports Metro:
The daredevil from North Carolina, who crossed the Channel strung under balloons, set off from Gap in southern France. He watched the sun rise from 15,000 feet up. At one point, he thought he was going to collide with Mounte Viso but sailed past it. He landed close to the Italian town of Andezeno. ‘How many other things do we tell our kids aren’t possible that really are?’
Next summer, Trappe will attempt to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. He’ll fly in a contraption that consists of a 7-foot life boat dangling from 365 helium balloons. If all goes well, it will carry him 2,500 miles over Atlantic waters. He recently tested the vehicle in Mexico, according to Rush Lane.
Jonathan Trappe Announces his Expedition to Cross the Atlantic Ocean:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HDKus9gLGQ
Trappe has a special crew testing the lifeboat, which will be vital to his survival if he makes an emergency water landing on his three- to six-day tour across the Atlantic. The double-hulled lifeboat, procured in Maine, will serve multiple purposes as Trappe will use it for sleeping in one-hour bouts during the duration of his voyage, reports Rush Lane.
We can only wish him the best of luck. Trappe has his wits about him just like the old man in “Up.” After all, he has been planning this his entire life.
