Balloonists cross Pacific

Press, 14 November 1981, Page 6

Balloonists cross Pacific

NZPA San Francisco A 26-storey high balloon carrying three Americans and a Japanese has completed the first manned balloon crossing of the Pacific. It landed near Ukiah, about 160 km north of San Francisco, at 10 p.m. Thursday (7 p.m., Friday, New Zealand time). 1 Earlier, a helium leak threatened to force the balloonists in the Double Eagle V, to try a dangerous night landing on the rocky California coast after its 8533 km journey from Japan. The balloon descended

through rain and 25-knot winds during the night north of San Francisco. But ice, which had forced a dangerously fast descent from 18,000 ft earlier in the day, had melted. Also, storms which had buffeted the balloon earlier in the day, dissipated to light showers. At 7.15 p.m. local time (3.15 p.m. yesterday NZDT) the Double Eagle V was reported 100 km west of Bodega Bay and descending slowly from about 4000 ft. Although touchdown had been hoped for at the nearest

land at Bodega Bay. the gondola would have served as a boat if necessary, and the crew had life rafts and survival gear aboard. The helium-filled, polyetheylene balloon, was launched on its 20,000 km trip early on Monday from Nagashima, Japan. The crew consisted of the captain, Ben Abruzzo, aged 51, Larry Newman, aged 34, and Ron Clark, aged 41, all of Albuquerque, and Rocky Aoki, aged 43, a Japanese citizen who lives in Miami, Florida, and who is financing the venture.