Jones, Brian

Jones, Brian, 1947–, British balloonist, b. Bristol. A former Royal Air Force pilot, he entered the world of ballooning in the 1980s, and in 1997 became an organizer for the attempt of the British-built, Swiss-sponsored Breitling Orbiter 3 to circle the world nonstop. On Mar. 1–20, 1999, he and Dr. Jacques Piccard (see under Piccard, Auguste) succeeded where many had failed, floating from Switzerland southwest to Mauritania, then eastward across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, North America, and the Atlantic to a landing in the Egyptian desert. They wrote Around the World in 20 Days (1999) about their flight.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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