On board the Generali Arctic Observer balloon, Jean-Louis Etienne is getting ready to fly over the North Pole this evening (Wednesday), two and a half days after taking off from Spitsbergen. Caught in a snow storm, Jean-Louis Etienne is having to be even more cautious and prudent as he travels along just above the pack ice in some strong winds, which are pushing him along towards the Pole.
Paris, Generali flight headquarters, 7th April 2010: After two days of slow speeds, moving along gently at an average of 10km/h (6 mph), Jean-Louis Etienne has stepped up the speed. The strong winds associated with a snow storm are allowing him to advance at more than 70 km/h (over 40 mph) towards the North Pole. In order to keep on track towards the Pole, the doctor-explorer is having to fly at a very low altitude, between 100 and 300 metres above the ice. If he was to fly any higher, the winds at altitude would move him a long way away from his goal. Piloting is my main concern, admitted Jean-Louis Etienne during his daily radio session at lunchtime. I need to find the right air stream at the right altitude to get as close to the Pole as I can. During the afternoon, conditions worsened, forcing the balloonist to lift himself further up off the ice to ensure hi s safety. Moving along at 80 km/h (50 mph) 100 metres off the ground may be risky, especially if the air is unstable, warned Christophe Houver, the flight coordinator. When he felt the conditions were dangerously unstable, we suggested he moved to a slightly higher altitude. As soon as the situation improves, he will come back down again to get back on the right trajectory. As a precautionary measure, the team at flight headquarters told him to hang a sand bag 25 metres under the balloon. If the balloon suddenly goes down, the bag will hit the ground first, self-destruct at these speeds and he will lose 15 kg of ballast enabling the balloon to lift back up again. This is a classic technique used by gas filled balloon pilots, added Christophe Houver. It is a way to avoid the gondola making any contact with the ground in order to ensure his safety.
The impressive sounds of the pack ice
Since he lost sight of the final island in Spitsbergen, Jean-Louis Etienne has been flying over the Arctic ice cap. Yesterday over Spitsbergen, I saw some reindeer staring at me in amazement. When I left the final island behind, I came down much lower above the Arctic Ocean. But I couldn't see anything because of the clouds. I could hear noises, the cracking sound of the drifting ice, as it slid to the north of Spitsbergen. It was the first time I'd ever heard this cracking. I've often been up on the ice cap in a light aircraft, in a helicopter just above the ground. But you can't hear it then. I really love seeing the polar ice cap from the balloon. It's a frozen ocean, where you can find every variety of ice. I walked on the pack ice for 63 days to get to the North Pole. Seeing it again brings back some fine memories.
The North Pole at around 9 tonight
Thanks to his acceleration today, Jean-Louis Etienne is expected to fly over the area around the North Pole this evening (Wednesday) at around 9 p.m. Once he has achieved the first goal of this adventure, he will head for a higher altitude at around 600 metres to be safe. It is hard to say whether the Arctic Ocean crossing will take him towards Alaska or Siberia. If we change the balloon's altitude by a hundred or two hundred metres, it will modify his trajectory in a matter of degrees to the left or to the right, but it will mean a difference of thousands of kilometres at the finish, explained Luc Trullemans, the team's weather expert. This morning we came up with several projections taking us towards the North East of Siberia depending on the altitude. This afternoon, the trajectory seems to take him further to the left, and so potentially he could end up in Ala ska. But I stress again that it will all depend on the weather.
The day's data
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Jean-Louis Etienne's interview
