No Such Thing as Failure by David Hempleman-Adams

Author:David Hempleman-Adams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2015-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

AIR

I know I’ve made it. I’m somewhere above 41,000 feet, and no one has ever been higher in the open basket of a Rozier balloon, or any other sort for that matter except in a pressurized capsule. It’s about 7.00 a.m. on a bright, clear morning and I can distinctly discern the curvature of the earth. I don’t really look over the side, but in the west I can see the Rocky Mountains through the deep blue skies, and there is a slight haze, a shimmer to the light. My god it is cold though, about –80°C, and that really is the ambient temperature because in a balloon there is no wind-chill effect as you are just blown along with it. I’ve never known it this cold, not at the poles, not on Mount McKinley, and I know at these temperatures it is dangerous to hang around. Everything becomes brittle—metal, plastic, could just snap at any time. If a flying wire goes, that’s it, curtains, goodnight Vienna! I’m bundled up in about five layers of protective clothing, fleece, down jacket, three sets of gloves, and in the tiny basket there’s no room to move around to keep warm, even if I was prepared to risk doing so. At this altitude I’m almost at the point where I should be wearing some sort of pressure suit, to be honest.

I’ve counted fifteen seconds so I can be certain the barograph will have recorded where I am, that the record can be ratified. I don’t want to make any mistake with that and have to do this again! It takes a reading every four seconds, but I want to be absolutely certain. Now it’s time to get myself down as quickly as I can, and I’ll be back for breakfast. I pull gingerly on the rope to open the gas valve at the top of the envelope, and hold it for three seconds. Don Cameron, who originally built this balloon for me, had told me the horror story of a flight he’d been on when the rope came away from where it was attached to the valve, the whole thing ending up with him in the basket. Ever since hearing that I’ve never forgotten it, and I’m frankly petrified should it happen now as there’d be no way to get down. I want a nice slow descent, but nothing happens, no movement downwards, so I pull on it again a little harder and longer this time. Nothing! In fact, looking at my electric barometer, the pressure reading is continuing to drop so I’m actually still going up.

I’m confused. How can I be releasing gas and still rising? Could I just be imagining it, if maybe my oxygen is not working properly and I’m getting hypoxia? I start to panic slightly, but know that will only make matters worse so try to keep calm. I’ve probably got another hour or so of oxygen on my main supply, and don’t fancy having to swap over to my back-up wearing all my gloves in this cold.

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