Balloon Cluster Ride

American daredevil and engineer Jonathan Trappe took a series of stunning images as he flew a cluster of balloons 18,000 feet above Mexico. He completed his latest stunt to celebrate the Mexican bicentennial of the beginning of the Independence movement, and the centennial of the Mexican revolution. The adventure was widely followed by the media and people of Mexico alike, who celebrated in his unusual triumph.

He took off in the craft, made up of extra strong party balloons decorated in colours of the Mexican flag, green, white and red, from the Festival International Del Globo 2010 in Leon Mexico in November 2010.

The Festival International Del Globo is a huge international balloon festival held in Mexico every year. It is the biggest balloon festival in Latin America, and said to be the second biggest of its genre in the world.

Mr. Trappe certainly had a large live audience for his departure, the festival attracts balloonists from as far as the USA, Costa Rica, Argentina, Venezuela , France, Germany, Holland and Belgium. It attracts 200 balloons, including 20 figure balloons of varying designs, but none quite as visually unusual as the office chair attached to a cluster of balloons that Mr. Trappe was piloting.

Jonathan, an American engineer from South Carolina has been obsessed with cluster balloon flights for many years after conversing with a colleague about a failed attempt he had heard about, to fly a balloon across Lake Eire in North America. This ignited a curiosity that lead to a passion.

He researched, designed and manufactured the cluster balloon contraption himself, and made his first test flight in the Nevada desert several years ago. Trappe had ensured that his first plan was to get his regular balloon piloting license. As an engineer, he is extremely diligent about health and safety, and keeps clear and thorough contact with air traffic control in whichever area he decides to fly. This is because although he is not flying an aircraft, his cluster balloon device is capable of reaching heights that could interfere with aircraft.

The adventurer, made history by floating over the English Channel dangling from balloons in May 2010, a world record in distance travelled by cluster balloons, and a route never attempted before.

Mr. Trappe, 37, controlled his altitude by releasing air in his durable high performance balloons, reaching speeds of 18-50 mph.

Jonathan and his ten ground support crew travelled an astonishing 100 miles from the festival in Leon to Colorado in Mexico’s South, where he descended.

He captured some stunning images from a balloon-mounted camera as he made the journey, some of which are now part of an internationally renowned exhibition.

Dressed in protective sunglasses and a pair of denim jeans, Trappe called the journey 'outstanding' and said he was 'wonderfully inspired' by his trip. As were many of his supporters, and the Mexican public and media, where he was almost hailed a hero.