HEAVENLY IDEAS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 12140, 30 December 1933, Page 9

HEAVENLY IDEAS

STB ATOSPHEBE EXPLORER LONDON, December 15 A. fantastic touch will bo given to the planned attempt by Mark Edward Ridge, an experienced aeronaut, to (rise in a balloon 25 miles above tlie earth, penetrating the stratosphere twice as far •as anyone else has done. He will take with him an oi’dmary black umbrella. He will take tlie umbrella, lie. explains to the “Daily Mail.’’ ‘‘because tlie sun’s rays will strike me absolutely unimpeded as I shall be the only object in tho heavens.”

Budge will not travel in. a sealed sphere as other stratosphere explorers have done, but in a. basket, wearing a special suit, designed by Professor Robert Davis, to . guard him in the rare atmosphere. Ridge is a highly serious, blueeyed, lean-faced youngster, by trade, a stunt flyer in an air c:reus. He lias regular walks along the wings of a ’plane hi flight, which does net strike him as dangerous.

He has been mad on aviation suite lie saw some experimental flying when lie was live years ebb after wh'eh ho went, home and constructed a plane out of an old ash barrel and a couple of window blinds. He was soon hankering after something more mobile and' when fee was IS ho jumped into a rrcketty ’plane standing in an,. aerodrome and although lie had never had a losspn he took i|t up, nanrowly missing a farmhouse. ' '

Since then, metaphorically lie has never descended .to earth.' He is consumed with the idea »f rising through the sky and ' coining- but the other side, whpro he is; wondering whether there is perpetual tiwi’ight owing to there being nothing to reflect the - sun’s rays, .or' an ~ unimaginable blaze of brightness.

Ridge is now dreaming, of an unseen and unknown stratosphere, .the possibilities, .of which; are endless,, as upper-air flying may, bring America within three hours of Bri,ta:-n‘. Mean, while, he will go to America and build a ba’lo.on and (wilk : :prep.are • for his excursions, to the hearers-