A man who tried to become the first person to float from the U.S. to Europe using helium-filled balloons has had his dreams deflated. It looked like he would be the real-life version of Carl Fredricksen, the lead character in Pixar’s Up, but it was not to be. After 12 hours, he ended his journey.
Jonathan Trappe of North Carolina began his journey in Caribou, Maine with a kiss, and an onlooker yelling, “Your dream is coming true!” But CBS News reports that the journey didn’t end in France. Instead, he stopped in Newfoundland, Canada Thursday night after only 12 hours in the air.
As Deadline notes, the feat had been attempted before and five people have died trying to use conventional hot air balloons for the 2,500-mile journey. “I’m just as afraid of dying as anyone,” the 39-year-old IT manager told The Daily Mail. “But I go forward in the spirit of adventure, doing something nobody has achieved before, and to live an interesting life.”
When he landed in Canada, he posted on Facebook, “Hmm, this doesn't look like France.” His reps also told CBS that a “technical issue” forced him to land his craft earlier than planned.
Still, Trappe does have his name in the record books. In 2010, he floated across the English Channel in a wicker chair. He also took a 12-hour journey floating over the Alps.
image: YouTube