Per Lindstrand
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Per Lindstrand (born 8 September 1948) is a
Lindstrand not only flies balloons, but many other aircraft as well, and holds an airline transport pilot's licence for single and multi-engined land and sea aeroplanes and helicopters, and a commercial pilot's licence for
Early life
Lindstrand's aeronautical career began in the Swedish Air Force where he was an Engineering Officer. His first balloon flight in the early 1970s was the result of a bet. He built a makeshift balloon and successfully flew it across the runway while in the Swedish Air Force to claim victory. (When he flew more conventional military aircraft, he chose to use call sign, Polar Per.)
Lindstrand later gained a
Company history
With Swedish aircraft engineer and entrepreneur,
, Lindstrand continued to run the renamed Colt Balloons (later Thunder & Colt Balloons after acquiring UK-based Thunder Balloons).In December 1991 Lindstrand founded
Lindstrand Balloons, in partnership with
Record flights
From early in his business career, Lindstrand's main interest and ambition lay in pushing the boundaries of lighter-than-air technology and he subsequently captured every absolute world record for hot air balloon flight.
Ascending from
In January 1991, in the Virgin Pacific Flyer (a hot air balloon measuring 74,000 m³ (2,600,300 ft³), designed and built by Thunder & Colt), Lindstrand and Branson completed the longest flight in
. Their flight set two new world records for distance and duration and they broke their own ground speed record, recording 245 mph (395 km/h). The Virgin Pacific Flyer still remains the largest hot air balloon ever built.In an attempt to be the first to fly a balloon of any type around the world, in December 1998, Lindstrand, partnered by Richard Branson and
Rather less successful was his attempt in 1983 to achieve the world altitude record for hot-air balloons. Sponsored by the English and Welsh Milk Industry, a vast balloon emblazoned with "Milk's gotta lotta bottle" was prepared for launch to be broadcast on live television early one Saturday morning. Adverse weather conditions led to the mission being aborted, but the balloon filled with air whilst being towed along the ground. Lindstrand was holding one of the ropes, and was lifted 30 feet into the air. On letting go, he fell to the ground, sustaining a dislocated shoulder. The accident, including the fall, was seen and heard on the television broadcast.
Recognition
Lindstrand received the Royal Aero Club's Gold Medal from Prince Andrew twice, in 1989 and 1991, and the Royal Aero Club's Britannia Trophy in 1988. He is a recipient of America's highest flying award, the Harmon Trophy, given to him by Vice President Quayle in the White House. In February 2006, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Institute of British Architects for "his highly innovative work in the field of inflatables and their application to habitable structures". Lindstrand is also in the Guinness Hall of Fame.
References
- ^ Per Lindstrand. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 13, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- ^ Lindstrand Technologies: Per Lindstrand Archived 2010-08-04 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2010-05-13
- ^ Anonymous, "Indian sets balloon flight record," bbc.com, 26 November 2005, 12:11 GMT.
- ^ balloonboise.com Ballooning History