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The flight of the Small World
This book is the story of four modern people who have a love affair with an enormous silver and black balloon they named The Small World. Like other love affairs it started in a gay lighthearted way but before it's dramatic end it took complete charge of all their lives.
Here is a full story of how, with very little capital a lot of hard work and refusing to give up, they finally got their balloon built and launched over the Atlantic and of what happened during the next 24 days and nights.
Here is a full story of how, with very little capital a lot of hard work and refusing to give up, they finally got their balloon built and launched over the Atlantic and of what happened during the next 24 days and nights.
- GenresNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
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December 4, 2020
By the 1950s the glamour of ballooning (very popular around the turn of the century) had waned, and Britain had reached a point where there were no current licence holders, and therefore no one who could legally train newcomers to obtain a licence.
It was at this point the author (Arnold Eiloart - known without explanation as 'Bushy'), with the encouragement of a few drinks proposed to some like-minded friends that it would be possible to cross the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, by balloon, and rather than a car or basket (balloonists will tell you is may not be referred to as a gondola), why not a lightweight boat which would allow them to complete the journey should the balloon need to land. So they laughed, they speculated, the thought is a good way to spend some spare time planning and preparing, and so they agreed to look into it. Colin and Rosemary, and later Bushy's son Tim make up the team. Colin is a boat designer, Tim a student of mechanical engineering.
This became a two year investment of not only spare time, but practically all their time.
To be blunt - the venture didn't succeed fully - they broke some records, but ultimately they completed the journey in the very small boat, rather than their ambition of by balloon the whole way. This is stated in the Foreword, before the end of page 1.
I am no balloon expert, but I understand that modern "hot air" balloons use just that - air heated by propane burners. Back in 1958/59, the balloon was filled with Hydrogen - so it was a strictly non-smoking flight!
The co-author (who it seems was the primary author, with the information provided by Bushy and the others) used the first 2/3 of the book to catalogue the teams preparation and planning, their testing and obtaining of materials and equipment, licences, permissions, and most importantly sponsorships. These things allowed them to 1 - manufacture the balloon; and 2 - design, prototype and then build the boat (yes, it dangles from the balloon, and when required sails them to safety!).
Beside the hydrogen, the trade winds provide the energy and drive (and direction) from their departure point in the Canary Islands to Barbados - or it would if they had made it that far. The ambitious journey relied on the team being able to manage the superheating of the hydrogen (lifting them ever upward) by taking on ballast (water in this case), and some venting of the hydrogen - and conversely when the hydrogen is vented, escapes, or cools, they must throw off ballast to prevent the balloon ended up in the ocean! In this case ballast was initially sandbags, and the water they took on, but also ended up being anything they considered non-essential - which became their receiver, their transmitter (!), the propellers and mounts (these were pedal mounted and were to provide lift, but were very labour intensive!), their navigation books (!), their luxury food, their reserve food, their reserve water etc etc!
He then outlines the story of the voyage from his perspective - ie the balloon sets off, one brief contact is made, then nothing more is heard - vague (inaccurate) reports are heard of various contacts, then a hoax about them landing in Venezuela - and then of course, the painful waiting for news.
The last third of the book tells the story of the voyage from departure to arrival in Barbados - by Bushy, Tim (his son), Colin and Rosemary. It is here the highs and lows are really shared - although to be fair the first part is interesting for the pioneering of materials and design.
So in summary, the previous record of time in flight of a gas balloon was 87 hours. This team managed 94.5 hours before they became a boat, thereby setting a new record.
This was an enjoyable read, and would appeal across various interests. Their pioneering in design and ability to problem solve, the tradition of British manufacturing and some stubborn need to succeed, the romantic ideal of balloon flight (not very, you would soon see), attempts at records, the need to beat the Spanish and Americans (both rumoured to be planning similar ventures), and good old fashioned adventure.
4 stars
It was at this point the author (Arnold Eiloart - known without explanation as 'Bushy'), with the encouragement of a few drinks proposed to some like-minded friends that it would be possible to cross the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to the West Indies, by balloon, and rather than a car or basket (balloonists will tell you is may not be referred to as a gondola), why not a lightweight boat which would allow them to complete the journey should the balloon need to land. So they laughed, they speculated, the thought is a good way to spend some spare time planning and preparing, and so they agreed to look into it. Colin and Rosemary, and later Bushy's son Tim make up the team. Colin is a boat designer, Tim a student of mechanical engineering.
This became a two year investment of not only spare time, but practically all their time.
To be blunt - the venture didn't succeed fully - they broke some records, but ultimately they completed the journey in the very small boat, rather than their ambition of by balloon the whole way. This is stated in the Foreword, before the end of page 1.
I am no balloon expert, but I understand that modern "hot air" balloons use just that - air heated by propane burners. Back in 1958/59, the balloon was filled with Hydrogen - so it was a strictly non-smoking flight!
The co-author (who it seems was the primary author, with the information provided by Bushy and the others) used the first 2/3 of the book to catalogue the teams preparation and planning, their testing and obtaining of materials and equipment, licences, permissions, and most importantly sponsorships. These things allowed them to 1 - manufacture the balloon; and 2 - design, prototype and then build the boat (yes, it dangles from the balloon, and when required sails them to safety!).
Beside the hydrogen, the trade winds provide the energy and drive (and direction) from their departure point in the Canary Islands to Barbados - or it would if they had made it that far. The ambitious journey relied on the team being able to manage the superheating of the hydrogen (lifting them ever upward) by taking on ballast (water in this case), and some venting of the hydrogen - and conversely when the hydrogen is vented, escapes, or cools, they must throw off ballast to prevent the balloon ended up in the ocean! In this case ballast was initially sandbags, and the water they took on, but also ended up being anything they considered non-essential - which became their receiver, their transmitter (!), the propellers and mounts (these were pedal mounted and were to provide lift, but were very labour intensive!), their navigation books (!), their luxury food, their reserve food, their reserve water etc etc!
He then outlines the story of the voyage from his perspective - ie the balloon sets off, one brief contact is made, then nothing more is heard - vague (inaccurate) reports are heard of various contacts, then a hoax about them landing in Venezuela - and then of course, the painful waiting for news.
The last third of the book tells the story of the voyage from departure to arrival in Barbados - by Bushy, Tim (his son), Colin and Rosemary. It is here the highs and lows are really shared - although to be fair the first part is interesting for the pioneering of materials and design.
So in summary, the previous record of time in flight of a gas balloon was 87 hours. This team managed 94.5 hours before they became a boat, thereby setting a new record.
This was an enjoyable read, and would appeal across various interests. Their pioneering in design and ability to problem solve, the tradition of British manufacturing and some stubborn need to succeed, the romantic ideal of balloon flight (not very, you would soon see), attempts at records, the need to beat the Spanish and Americans (both rumoured to be planning similar ventures), and good old fashioned adventure.
4 stars
January 20, 2015
From the very first page of its Foreword, the authors are open about the failure of their attempt to set the record for being first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by balloon, utilising the East-West Trade winds.
So I don’t hesitate to recommend a good synopsis written by Rosemary Mudie, the only female on-board the flight of “The Small World”; which can be read at
http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/2246...
Did Sir Richard Branson and Per Linstrand read “The Flight of the Small World” as ‘preparation’ before their record first Atlantic crossing by balloon, the Virgin Atlantic Flyer in 1987? If I ever meet either of them (alas, unlikely), I hope I’ll remember to ask.
At first I tried to comprehend why anyone in their right mind would actually want to attempt to cross the Atlantic by balloon; and secondly, more positively, I sought to learn just how the project was initially conceived and progressed. For a Brit, it’s a real eye-opener to read the “Word of Thanks” at the end of this book; which lists not only the names of people who rendered assistance, but also all the British manufacturing companies who contributed … everything from Araldite to the general engineering of small units, to Terylene® for the gas bag, and special controls for the radio receiver. And very much more. Post WW2, technological innovation had rapidly accelerated. I was pleased to feel that I had gained some understanding of many of the technical challenges governed by the materials available at that time.
However it was with some incredulity that I admired the annotated illustration of ‘on-board’ technical equipment on page 110. Just one measure, I conjectured, of how tricky it must have been (in 1958) to fly a balloon over an ocean. A soap bubble pipe gave an estimate of vertical wind speed; a 4ft balloon, tethered to the basket, but floating on the surface of the ocean measured wind shear and gradient; whilst a torch battery and bulb were suspended so as indicate when a ball touched the water. And that wasn’t all. Looking desperately ‘Heath Robinson’-like in concept; everything depicted had undoubtedly been carefully identified, devised and logically thought through in absolute seriousness. Like a rider in the Tour de France, weight was shaved off where thought of; though apparently overlooked elsewhere. The aim here was to cross the ocean at a steady, low, altitude, because gas is lost in ascending to altitude, and cannot be replaced en-route. Survival to tell the tale was imperative.
This book may appeal most to those with a scientific / engineering bent of mind; but ought not be overlooked by those who take a more ‘romantic’ passage of thought. It’s not a techie’s book. Though, ballooning may rationally be considered as having ‘died’ in 1908, when powered flight (heavier than air flight) was successfully proved; this book, along with other daring ballooning exploits since 1970, just go to show that there’s plenty of life in the ‘old’ gas-bag yet!
So I don’t hesitate to recommend a good synopsis written by Rosemary Mudie, the only female on-board the flight of “The Small World”; which can be read at
http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/2246...
Did Sir Richard Branson and Per Linstrand read “The Flight of the Small World” as ‘preparation’ before their record first Atlantic crossing by balloon, the Virgin Atlantic Flyer in 1987? If I ever meet either of them (alas, unlikely), I hope I’ll remember to ask.
At first I tried to comprehend why anyone in their right mind would actually want to attempt to cross the Atlantic by balloon; and secondly, more positively, I sought to learn just how the project was initially conceived and progressed. For a Brit, it’s a real eye-opener to read the “Word of Thanks” at the end of this book; which lists not only the names of people who rendered assistance, but also all the British manufacturing companies who contributed … everything from Araldite to the general engineering of small units, to Terylene® for the gas bag, and special controls for the radio receiver. And very much more. Post WW2, technological innovation had rapidly accelerated. I was pleased to feel that I had gained some understanding of many of the technical challenges governed by the materials available at that time.
However it was with some incredulity that I admired the annotated illustration of ‘on-board’ technical equipment on page 110. Just one measure, I conjectured, of how tricky it must have been (in 1958) to fly a balloon over an ocean. A soap bubble pipe gave an estimate of vertical wind speed; a 4ft balloon, tethered to the basket, but floating on the surface of the ocean measured wind shear and gradient; whilst a torch battery and bulb were suspended so as indicate when a ball touched the water. And that wasn’t all. Looking desperately ‘Heath Robinson’-like in concept; everything depicted had undoubtedly been carefully identified, devised and logically thought through in absolute seriousness. Like a rider in the Tour de France, weight was shaved off where thought of; though apparently overlooked elsewhere. The aim here was to cross the ocean at a steady, low, altitude, because gas is lost in ascending to altitude, and cannot be replaced en-route. Survival to tell the tale was imperative.
This book may appeal most to those with a scientific / engineering bent of mind; but ought not be overlooked by those who take a more ‘romantic’ passage of thought. It’s not a techie’s book. Though, ballooning may rationally be considered as having ‘died’ in 1908, when powered flight (heavier than air flight) was successfully proved; this book, along with other daring ballooning exploits since 1970, just go to show that there’s plenty of life in the ‘old’ gas-bag yet!
January 13, 2021
Years back I took my first hot air balloon flight and have subsequently volunteered as a crew member for a half dozen or so hot air balloon festivals locally. So I was intrigued when I read a review by my GoodReads friend Daren of this book and was happy to find a used copy.
I have filed this book under the heading "eccentrics" as well as "nonfiction" and "adventure" because, let's face it, the entire enterprise was rather eccentric but also rather daring and charming. The first half of the book, on the conception, planning, and building of the balloon was written by a fellow who initially volunteered for the voyage but then later dropped out, while the second half was penned by the balloon captain, a rather gruff fellow who was lucky to have found a very tolerant couple to join him but not as lucky in bringing along his somewhat peevish son.
It's a tribute to the British character, in a way, in that not only was just about everybody the crew told about the venture or, more importantly, those they approached asking for help, was generous and supportive. Any number of businesses, government agencies, and individuals provided material and assistance. Not to mention the can-do attitude of the crew themselves, undaunted by the prospect of possibly having to land their craft, which doubled as a light-weight boat, at sea.
The details of how the balloon was constructed and all the various deliberations about how much ballast to carry, what materials to use, how to compensate for loss of hydrogen, and other matters were quite interesting. All-in-all, this was recommended read for those who enjoy real-life adventure and especially for anyone like me who enjoys the company of balloonists. They are a special breed, as this book demonstrates.
I have filed this book under the heading "eccentrics" as well as "nonfiction" and "adventure" because, let's face it, the entire enterprise was rather eccentric but also rather daring and charming. The first half of the book, on the conception, planning, and building of the balloon was written by a fellow who initially volunteered for the voyage but then later dropped out, while the second half was penned by the balloon captain, a rather gruff fellow who was lucky to have found a very tolerant couple to join him but not as lucky in bringing along his somewhat peevish son.
It's a tribute to the British character, in a way, in that not only was just about everybody the crew told about the venture or, more importantly, those they approached asking for help, was generous and supportive. Any number of businesses, government agencies, and individuals provided material and assistance. Not to mention the can-do attitude of the crew themselves, undaunted by the prospect of possibly having to land their craft, which doubled as a light-weight boat, at sea.
The details of how the balloon was constructed and all the various deliberations about how much ballast to carry, what materials to use, how to compensate for loss of hydrogen, and other matters were quite interesting. All-in-all, this was recommended read for those who enjoy real-life adventure and especially for anyone like me who enjoys the company of balloonists. They are a special breed, as this book demonstrates.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews