End of a chapter

Press, 19 August 1978, Page 9

End of a chapter

NZPA-Reuter Paris The rest Atlantic crossing by three balloonists marks the end of another chapter, (in man's epic history of ; flight. The touch-down in France jeame 59 years after the first ■ aerial conquest of the Atlantic by pioneer United States I Navy airman, Lieutenant Commander Read. ■ His flight, in a Curtis fly-1 ' ing boat, from Newfoundland to Plymouth, England, via the Azores took place between May 16 and 2i, 1919. His actual flying time was 53hr 58min. in fact the first non-stop I crossing of the ocean was by the British Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Ar- ' thur Whitten-Brown. They (also took, off from Newfoundland, on June 14, 1919, and crash landed in an Irish bog in their converted Vickers Vimy bomber 16hr 12min later. Then- were 78 powered Atlantic flights before Captain Charles Lindbergh, of the United States, made the first solo flight from New York to Paris in 33hr i29Amin, landing on May 21, 1927. i There have been 18 unsuccessful attempts at flying a ’balloon from the United I States to Europe. There have [also been two attempts to cross in the other direction, Europe to the United States. H. H. Donaldson, a balloon acrobat known for publicity stunts, made the first attempt from New York in 1873. However, several hours ater he landed in the Catskill Mountains in New York with his balloon badly damaged. Seven people, six men and a woman, have died or disappeared in attempting the 4824 km crossing The latest tragedy occurred in August, 1974, when Robert Berger, who had never been in a balloon before, took off from LakeI hurst, New Jersey, supposedly on a trial flight. However, Berger’s dream was to cross the Atlantic so he ’headed out to sea without clearance from aviation authorities. Soon after taking off, the envelope of his balloon burst and he plunged into Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, and was drowned.