First balloon ascent in BritainIn 1784, James Tytler made the first balloon ascent in Britain in a hot-air balloon at Ediburgh, Scotland. He exhibited his "Grand Edinburgh Fire Balloon" in the uncompleted dome of Robert Adam's Register House. It was barrel-shaped, 40-ft tall, 30-ft diameter, with hot air produced by a stove. He wore a cork jacket for protection, and sat a small wicker packing case below the balloon. Before a small number of onlookers, the balloon rose to 350 feet in the air, travelled half a mile, and landed in Restalrig village. Tytler reported that the flight was "most agreeable with no giddiness" and that he "amused himself by looking at the spectators below." Four days later, a large paying audience saw it, but that flight was much less successful.« |
