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Balloonist Jonathan Trappe abandons Atlantic flight after failing to reach ocean
An American balloon enthusiast who set out to cross the Atlantic had to abandon his epic trip after just 12 hours – without actually reaching the ocean. Jonathan Trappe took off from Maine in the northeastern US hoping that hundreds of helium balloons would carry his small boat for two-and-a-half-thousand miles. He had already become the first cluster balloonist to cross the English Channel. In another test flight in November last year, he launched a house into the sky over Mexico like in the Disney film “Up.” After months of waiting for the right weather conditions, the first part of the flight went well – he posted on Facebook that he was doing over 50 miles an hour over the Gulf of St Lawrence at 18,000 feet. Four hours later, the intrepid aviator was quite literally down to earth with a bump. “Hmm this doesn’t look like France,” he posted. He was in fact in a remote part of Newfoundland in Canada, after covering just 350 miles. Despite a rough landing, Trappe is said to be safe and well.
A U.S. balloonist Jonathan Trappe was hoping to cross the Atlantic Ocean using hundreds of helium-filled balloons. Unfortunately, his journey ended short of his goal when he landed in Newfoundland on Sept. 13.