Plan to fly around world

Press, 2 March 1981, Page 18

Plan to fly around world

NZPA correspondent London The British pilot who last year broke Jean Batten’s solo flying record now aims to be the first person to travel around the world by balloon. Judith Chisholm, a professional executive jet pilot, flew from Britain to New Zealand late last year to break the solo'light,. propeller -.. driven record set by Miss Batten before World War 11. / Now, with another Brit on, Miss Chisholm seeks more than SNZ6OO,OOO in sponsorship for a round the-world balloon flight, undeterred, by the failure last week-end of a similar American venture. Miss' Chisholm," who 'is 28;

lias joined forces with Julian Nott, who holds the world altitude record for a balloonist. Their aim is to fly non-stop around the world, a trip of about 15 days, at an altitude of about 12,000 metres. At that height the balloon would catch jetstream winds gusting up to 400 km/h. Mr Nott has designed a special carbon-fibre cabin to replace the normal balloon “basket?’' The planned triji is seven times further than the longest balloon journey made sb far; and if successful. the pair would stay in the air two arid a half times longer .than the present ballooning; endurance record/' .