Breitling Orbiter 3 : Day 16, 17 and 18 / Go Big or Go Home

Day 16

We are flying high, on our ‘ceiling’, at 10 500m. We are going fast. Really fast. Luc and Pierre, our meteorologists were in ecstasy after their incredible gamble of sending us so far south. …But we are burning fuel, and a lot of it. Because of the clouds that surround us in the jet-stream, the sun cannot reach us and our main batteries cannot be charged anymore. We turn off the high-frequency radio, to save energy.

During the night, we reach the coast for the first time since Japan : Mexico !

Day 17

Our fuel reserves are dramatically low. To stay up and keep this great speed we have to heat the balloon up constantly. The risk is clear : going down over the Atlantic. Will we have enough propane to take us home ? The question is driving us and HQ crazy. Brian and Alan, our flight director, are exchanging messages constantly. HQ raises the possibility that, by mistake, we maybe went over our ceiling, causing the balloon to lose its bearing capacity, thus pushing us to consume more fuel.?

The cabin is so cold I am trembling during my sleep. Waking up for my shift, I learn that our chances at making it all the way to Africa are thinner and thinner. I am alone, Brian went to bed. Alone with my stress. We are slowing down, going off course. We are not headed towards Africa anymore, but towards Venezuela…

In the middle of this crisis, we receive a message from the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philipp, asking us to accompany him when he will visit Cameron Ballons in Bristol in a few days…He adds :

“if you make it to Africa, the Queen will be there too”.

The tension is having an effect on my mood, as I reply to HQ : ‘If the Queen wants to see if we make it to decide if she comes or not, it’s better if she doesn’t anyways !’

My message is received with laughter by HQ. I have other issues. I am waiting for the jet-stream to bring us back on track, but it doesn’t…

Problems are accumulating. I start to feel weak, ouf of breath…that’s when Brian wakes up, way before his shift, whispering:?

‘I can’t breath’.

I call HQ, and learning that Michèle Piccard is there, I start crying, loudly, on the phone : ‘We are going to fail now! So close. After all these efforts. We are going south, we are short of fuel and we can’t breath’. As often, she’s stays calm and suggests I pick myself up : ‘Stay sharp, stay focused. You know how to deal with these situations, you know the drill. The weathermen are confident you’re going to get back to the jet’. She manages to calm me down, despite the feeling that I am suffocating.

It’s time for the daily update, live from Swiss TV, where my dad and our meteorologists participate. I couldn’t join for a few days now, because of the the time difference, but I am now able to join in :

“ I am…in the cockpit…Brian is…trying to sleep…We are…both…out of breath…not…our best day’.

Everyone starts panicking, calling doctors to have their opinions, all catastrophic scenarios are envisioned : coma, then crash into the ocean, and the eventual sinking of the cabin…

Our symptoms are not those of a lack of oxygen, but that doesn’t stop us from feeling suffocated.?

We receive instructions not to talk to the press anymore, as the whole of Switzerland is only talking about our breathing problems. After the flight, we figured that we were having a pulmonary preodema, caused by the inhalitation of very dry air for too long. Oxygen masks are now helping us, as they keep humidity close to our noses.?

Everyone down on earth has at least realised this is no stroll in the park : it’s difficult, and dangerous.

?HQ tells us : ‘If cheering and love could be used for fuel, you would be on your second circumnavigation of the globe’.

We are feeling better, but we are still facing the same dilemma : should we go up, to rectify our trajectory, or go down to save fuel ? We decide to go down, but are now on our way south, far from the jet-stream. Our meteorologists intervene :?

?‘Go up, as far as you can.Go to your ceiling. You should find a stream that takes you away from Venezuela.?It’s your last chance’.

Doing so, I used monstrous quantities of fuel, trying the last possible man?uvre to save the flight…Still heading towards Venezuela when all of a sudden I feel the wind turning. It happens live, on the phone with Michèle:

‘I only have 50 meters left to go before the ceiling, but it’s incredibile ! We are getting back on track ! We might make it ! We might make it ! It’s a miracle!’

?We are headed towards Jamaica, on our way to the Atlantic !

?Late on this 17th day, we receive a message from my father :

?‘Victory is near. You are tired, stressed, impatient to reach the finish line. Who wouldn’t be ? Stay cautious, have the courage to help those who are helping you with everything they have to achieve your dream, by achieving it. Courage. Everyone loves you and hugs you.

?Dad,?Wednesday evening, Marchs 17th’

?Day 18

Over Haiti, we are delighted to see islands below us. If we decide not to go for the Atlantic, we will be close from land. San Domingo’s air control asks that we take him with us next time…

At HQ, they are now looking towards Africa. Trajectory is good, until I feel again a sudden change of direction towards the south. The weathermen believe the direction will be better this time if we flew lower. Time for a difficult decision : I have to vent some precious helium to lose altitude and get back on track.?

Down on the ground, it’s media madness. After the oxygen drama, they are now wondering? if we will try to cross the ocean or not. Our press center is invaded by journalists, just a thin wall away from our HQ and our team cannot leave the place without being harassed by reporters.

The final decision has to be made. Do we go for it ?

We agree to make the decision live, during a press-conference. Live around the world, Alan asks us our speed, our altitude and our trajectory. We answer, very factually. Alan tells us, and media : “I think you can go for it’. I answer by remembering what Dick Rutan told me, before Orbiter 1 :?

“The only way to fail is to give up. And we won’t”.

We are going for it. We will cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Stay tuned...