Daredevil armchair balloonist makes pioneering crossing of Channel

A daring adventurer imitated the cartoon stars of the hit film Up by crossing the English Channel strapped in a chair beneath several dozen helium-filled balloons.

Jonathan Trappe set off from a field in Kent yesterday morning hoping to become the first cluster balloonist to cross the stretch of water.

The US adventurer, 36, was held at the mercy of the prevailing winds. He set off from Kent Gliding Club in Challock, near Ashford, shortly after 5am, taking about an hour to travel the 10 miles to the coast.

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He then spent about an hour and 45 minutes sailing silently over the Channel before reaching Dunkirk.

As he soared high over the French countryside he began cutting away balloons to descend, but continued heading towards the Belgian border.

Mr Trappe's seat pod was packed with position-finding and communication equipment.

A series of updates revealed that he was "OK".

Before setting off, Mr Trappe told Sky News his final destination was unknown because of the weather. He said: "Part of the adventure is you don't know when you need to land."

Last month he claimed a new world record for the longest free-floating balloon flight, flying 109 miles across North Carolina.

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