As the sun rose over the Kent countryside he filled several dozen balloons with helium, strapped himself into a chair and headed across the English Channel.
Four hours later he landed in a cabbage field in France, the fi rst cluster balloonist to cross the Channel and, for the French police who arrived to question him, possibly the most unexpected visitor of the year.
Mr Trappe, 36, just thinks it is fun. And much better than a hot-air balloon, “It is unique,” he said. “A hot-air balloon is beautiful but makes a huge roar. A gas balloon is the only kind of aircraft that fl ies in complete silence. I can hear the waves from a thousand feet.”
“Didn’t you have this dream,” he said, “just this wonderful fantasy of grabbing on to toy balloons and floating into open space?”
The Channel was, he said, an “iconic ribbon of water”, and yesterday he set off from the Kent Gliding Club to a destination unknown; although with any luck it was going to be in France rather than, say, the sea: with no immersion suit, Mr Trappe was ill equipped for a water landing.
“There are risks and we work methodically to reduce the risk so we can have a safe and fun fl ight,” said Mr Trappe, a trained pilot. “Because really it’s only about dreams and enjoying an adventure and that’s only enjoyable when it is safe.”
After touching down near Dunkirk he described sailing over the white cliffs of Dover as “an exceptional, quiet, peaceful and beautiful experience”.
© The Times May 2010
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