Around the World in 20 Days: The Story of Our History-Making Balloon Flight

"A roller-coaster adventure of emotional highs and lows." ?Library Journal

Into the real thin air: The gripping story of the history-making around-the-world balloon flight as told by the pilots themselves. In this dramatic and inspiring account, adventurers Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, the pilots of the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon, tell the remarkable story of their record-breaking, first-ever around-the-world balloon flight in March 1999.

During their 30,000-mile voyage, they faced many unexpected challenges and near-disasters, including a harrowing six-and-a-half-day trip across the Pacific when the balloon came dangerously close to plunging into the ocean. Using their logbook and journals, as well as photographs taken on- board, Piccard and Jones have brought their 20-day marathon flight vividly to life, capturing the emotion of their many moments of high tension, as well as the uplifting humor and camaraderie that helped them persevere. This is the tale of a great adventure that shows how two very different characters forged a unique relationship during the greatest challenge of their lives.

BERTRAND PICCARD is a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry. He comes from a family of scientific explorers: his grandfather was the first man to reach the stratosphere in a balloon, while his father dove to the deepest part of the ocean in a bathyscaphe. He lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.

BRIAN JONES spent thirteen years with England?s Royal Air Force and is now the United Kingdom?s chief flying instructor. He was the flight?s project manager before becoming a pilot of the balloon. He lives in Wiltshire, England.