“Math lets dreams take flight. Math, queen of the sciences, lets you build bridges to cross rivers, planes to cross oceans or rockets to cross our galaxy.” – Julian Nott

In his unequaled career Nott set 79 official World Ballooning Records, 96 official British Records and completed many other projects. But Nott stressed that record-breaking was never the central objective. “Most of all I hope to use science to advance and innovate. But setting a world record is indisputable proof of the success of a new design.” Indeed Nott changed the course of balloon history: for detail click here for “INNOVATIVE DESIGN” Below are just a few examples of his record breaking and related projects..

Nott designed & built the world’s first pressurized cabin for a hot air balloon & pilots it to a world record altitude of 45,836 feet. Click to view the details and photography

Nott was the first to cross the Sahara Desert in a hot air balloon. Nott made the first crossing of Australia via hot air balloon from Perth to Broken Hill. Click to view the details and photography

Kurumanenv

Smithsonian-balloon-in-flight

Nott designed and built Innovation II the world’s second pressurized cabin for a hot air balloon and piloted to a world record altitude of 55,134 feet from Longmont, Colorado. This cabin is now on permanent exhibition at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.   Click to view the details and photography

Nott piloted the world’s first Solar Balloon to cross the English Channel from Barham near Dover, England, to Nielles-lès-Ardres near Calais, France.  He covered more than forty miles with the balloon lifted solely by heat from the sun. Nott set a world altitude record for class AX-7, an extraordinary altitude for such a small balloon. He flew to over 37,000 feet from Kuruman, a town northwest of Kimberly in the South African desert.  This flown envelope commemorates the flight and is a collectors piece.