World Record Altitude

Nott designed and built the world’s first hot air balloon with a pressurized cabin and piloted it to a world record altitude of 45,836 feet.

He was awarded the Gold Medal by the Royal Aero Club for this achievement.

7.7The climb starts in earnest over Lake Bhopal

bhopal_launchThe flight launches from Bhopal

alt_record_treesThe Record Broken and Safely Down

21.1Nott, at right, and co-pilot Felix Pole, in the capsule during pre-dawn preparation

14.1Nott 36 hours after landing of the historic flight, still waiting for completion of a difficult retrieve in the remote Indian countryside

1974_cabinThe cabin under construction