STRATOSPHERE FLIGHTS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11945, 16 May 1933, Page 3

STRATOSPHERE FLIGHTS

PROFESSOR PICCARD’S PLANS BRUSSELS, March 22. Professor August Piccard, iwho is now in the "United States on at lecture tour, has just given his approval to a new expedition to the stratosphere. Tlie expedition will take off in the South of Belgium early in December. The Professor has devised a new scheme to beat his own previous record of ten miles. means of a tandem 'balloon of the ordinary type secured under the bigger one; the professor hopes to obtain a perfect balance. This second balloon' is the "control balloon’” and is of 2200 cubic metres capacity. The pilots of both balloons will be in telephonic communication, and tho pilot of jt-he control balloon will he in charge of all changes of course. He will receive instructions from the pilot of the l>ig /balloon, who [will he in a closed spherical gondola. At an altitude of 10,000 metres the control balloon (will be set free and will como down while tho big balloon will continue the ascent. The big balloon to which a new aluminium gondola will be fitted, is to be piloted by M. Max Cosyns, iwho lasi; year acted as assistant to Professor Piccard. His companion will he M. llacquos do Bruyn, who is a Brussels University engineer, aged 27. The 'Control balloon will be piloted by M. de Muyter, a well-known Belgian balloonist, who won for Belgium the first Gordon-Bennett Cup. Eta will, have as passenger Professor Piccard himself. - The Belgian 'Fund for Scientific Research has annoueed that it will again finance the expedition up to a sum oS 100,000 francs (approximately £■sooo at current rates).