Montgolfier’s Legacy in Ballooning Honors Record-Setting Pilot

On the anniversary of the brothers’ first test flight, we talk with NAA award-winning balloon pilot Kim Magee.

Julie Boatman

Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 04:32 PM ET

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Kim Magee obtained three world and six national records in the AX-02 balloon. Courtesy: Kim Magee

Key Takeaways:

The Montgolfier brothers initiated hot-air ballooning in 1782, a legacy honored by Montgolfier Day and the FAI's Montgolfier Diploma, recently awarded to multi-record holder Kim Magee.
Kim Magee's achievements highlight how larger balloons facilitate setting multiple world and national records for altitude and distance, a process she explains in detail.
The ballooning community is currently facing changes, notably the FAA's controversial proposal to require a second-class medical for commercial balloon pilots, sparking concerns about the sport's future and aging demographic.
Despite challenges, obtaining a balloon certificate is relatively straightforward, especially for existing pilots, typically requiring a 10-hour course and check ride, with local clubs serving as key learning resources.

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On December 14, 1782, the Montgolfier brothers—Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne—set out on their first serious flight test of the lighter-than-air conveyance they had developed while researching and experimenting with the process in the department of Ardèche, France.

The two brothers had built a wooden box, measuring roughly 9 ft by 9 ft by 12 ft and covered in taffeta-like cloth—based on a previous design of Joseph’s—and set it aloft by burning wool and hay under the bottom of the box. But they promptly lost control of it, according to C.C. Gillispie, in The Montgolfier brothers and the invention of aviation 1783-1784. It drifted nearly a mile and a quarter away—a failure.