Oshkosh Airshow Crash

Up, up and over the English Channel

Published Date: July 17, 2011

Just before he reached the English Channel, Jonathan Trappe of Raleigh saw that he was about to fly over the White Cliffs of Dover, so he stabbed a couple of balloons and cut loose others. It was OK. There were a few dozen more in a pleasing mix of colors to keep him aloft. Out hissed helium. Down he drifted, to within a few hundred feet of the chalk cliffs where he could enjoy the view from a few hundred feet, nothing between him and the scenery except sky. Then Trappe dumped some water ballast and began climbing again as he headed for France and the odd place in history that he claimed in May: first person to cross the English Channel dangling under a cluster of small balloons. "It was so beautiful," he said by phone. "Sure, there's a sense of accomplishment, a sense of adventure, but it was also just beautiful, a beautiful sunny day of flying over these green fields, that really deep English green, and these little villages and old stone churches, the cliff Trappe, a 37-year-old technical projects manager at Accenture, the global consulting firm, is legitimizing the idea of floating around under a bunch of balloons. He is a licensed pilot who creates meticulous designs for his aircraft. He makes careful flight plans, files paperwork with aviation authorities and carries not only radios to keep in touch with his ground crew but also a parachute and a transponder so he will show up on radar. Cluster ballooning started with a guy dubbed "Lawn Chair Larry" after an impromptu flight that ended with a crash into power lines and a blackout for parts of Long Beach, Calif. Its notoriety increased with the deaths of other balloonists, including a Brazilian priest and a Japanese adventurer whose poorly planned flights ended in the sea. Trappe's attention to safety and detail, though, has led to success after success. In 2008, his first flight, an almost 50-mile jaunt over North Carolina with his office His professional approach led to a contract that let him spend a few months touring the nation last year to promote the animated Pixar movie "Up," in which an elderly man turns his house into an aircraft by attaching it to thousands of balloons. Now, he and his team have been invited to fly this summer at the nation's largest air show at Oshkosh, Wis, which routinely draws several hundred thousand aviation enthusiasts.

Night air show returns to Oshkosh | General Aviation News

The inaugural Night Air Show at EAA AirVenture 2010 drew tens of thousands to the flightline after dusk, according to EAA officials.

Several of the performers from last year will return this year, including the return of the AeroShell Aerobatic Team (T-6s), Bob Carlton (Jet sailplane), Gene Soucy (Showcat), and Matt Younkin (Twin Beech) along with addition of Steve Oliver (Chipmunk). Start time is approximately 8:45 p.m., with fireworks to follow at 9:30 p.m.

Following the Night Air Show, performers will be available for a meet and greet alongside their aircraft.

For more information: Airventure.

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