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196:. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1931. Don Piccard first flew in a balloon in 1933, when he was enlisted as "crew" by his mother. She was the first woman to fly to the edge of space and the first American woman to earn a balloon pilot's license. Don Piccard served as a balloon and airship rigger in the United States Navy during World War II and at
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from 1962-1964. At Raven, he is credited with making hot air balloons safer by the use of load tapes, lobular gore design, light weight long life fabric and non-conductive materials. Most notably load tapes in the design and construction of balloons receives credit as the single greatest factor in
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hot air balloon safety and is used in today’s manufacturing. Piccard is also credited with the rapid delation concept, which is superior and safer than the 1970 balloon parachute top design. He also promoted ballooning as a sport and in 1964 started designing balloons through his company
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was an
American manufacturer of hot air balloons. Don Piccard, descended from a long line of aeronauts, built and sold some of the first modern hot air balloons, beginning in the mid-1960s.
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Jupiter balloon flight of United States mail. In the same basket he set a gas balloon world record altitude of 34,642 feet on July 19, 1961 from
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on
September 1, 1963, where he stated he was from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He died in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2020 at the age of 94.
177:(January 13, 1926 – September 13, 2020) was a Swiss-born American balloon pioneer, promoter, innovator, designer, builder, and pilot.
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Despite not graduating, Piccard was one of the driving forces behind the ballooning revival after the war while a student at the
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In 1962, he founded the nation's first hot-air balloon race at the St. Paul Winter
Carnival. On 13 April 1963, Piccard and
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232:. This club, along with the Balloon Flyers of Akron, formed the United States national ballooning organization the
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On August 17, 1959, Piccard flew a red, white and blue balloon basket at a centennial commemoration of
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220:. He made the first post-war free flight on February 16, 1947 with a captured
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Don
Piccard (balloonist; son of Jean and Jeannette, nephew of Auguste)
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278:. Also in 1963 at Kalamazoo, Michigan, Piccard clerked the first
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651:"Piccard Takes Off Into The Blue: Balloonist Shatters Record"
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352:(organic chemist and balloonist; twin brother of Auguste)
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585:. September 13, 1947, p. 3. Retrieved on May 29, 2013.
414:"Donald Louis Piccard – Pioneer of Hot Air Ballooning"
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659:, August 26, 1962, p. 4. Retrieved on May 29, 2013.
282:-recognized National Hot Air Balloon Championship.
224:, earning his balloon pilot certification from the
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717:"Don Piccard, a Pioneer Who Soared, is Dead at 94"
681:, April 14, 1963, p. 1. Retrieved on May 29, 2013.
450:"Don Piccard, a Pioneer Who Soared, Is Dead at 94"
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735:"National Balloon Museum - History of Ballooning"
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695:"The History of Ballooning - Piccard Balloons"
764:Don Piccard - 50 Years of Ballooning Memories
485:"Don Piccard 50 Years of Ballooning Memories"
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212:First post-World War II balloon free flight
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902:Naturalized citizens of the United States
673:"Record Balloon Flight Made By Americans"
379:List of English Channel crossings by air
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301:Piccard appeared as a "Mr. X" guest on
912:Aviation history of the United Kingdom
583:"Don Piccard To Try Balloon Ascension"
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715:Green, Penelope (October 13, 2020).
552:"One Balloon Bomber (Slightly Used)"
448:Green, Penelope (October 13, 2020).
596:"Balloon Club of America - history"
330:(physicist, balloonist, hydronaut)
270:were the first people to cross the
358:(wife of Jean Felix) (balloonist)
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207:1959 Balloon Gondola, Don Piccard
892:American aviation record holders
882:American people of Swiss descent
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622:"Gondola, Balloon, Don Piccard"
412:Crouch, Tom (October 7, 2020).
280:National Aeronautic Association
877:University of Minnesota alumni
250:Piccard pioneered plastic and
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887:Balloon flight record holders
769:Balloon Federation of America
234:Balloon Federation of America
522:"Balloonmeister Don Piccard"
16:American balloonist inventor
198:Naval Air Station Lakehurst
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907:Aviation history of France
862:American aviation pioneers
342:(psychiatrist, balloonist)
226:Civil Aeronutics Authority
127:Montgolfier Diploma (1962)
194:Jeanette (Ridlon) Piccard
145:Jeanette (Ridlon) Piccard
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872:People from Minneapolis
774:Balloon Club of America
656:Sarasota Herald-Tribune
398:National Balloon Museum
230:Balloon Club of America
218:University of Minnesota
100:University of Minnesota
374:John Wise (balloonist)
256:superpressure balloons
222:Japanese Fu-Go balloon
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200:during the Korean War.
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80:Saint Paul, Minnesota
897:People from Lausanne
867:American balloonists
322:Piccard family links
245:Faribault, Minnesota
180:Piccard was born in
175:Donald Louis Piccard
741:on August 31, 2010
721:The New York Times
626:Airandspace.si.edu
455:The New York Times
418:airandspace.si.edu
350:Jean Felix Piccard
285:Piccard worked on
262:Hot air ballooning
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190:Jean Felix Piccard
139:Jean Felix Piccard
104:Swarthmore College
72:September 13, 2020
356:Jeannette Piccard
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340:Bertrand Piccard
316:Piccard Balloons
311:Piccard Balloons
296:Piccard Balloons
291:Raven Industries
287:thermal balloons
167:Bertrand Piccard
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50:January 13, 1926
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556:airspacemag.com
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272:English Channel
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74:(2020-09-13)
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857:2020 deaths
852:1926 births
824:Switzerland
529:www.FAI.org
492:www.FAI.org
241:John Wise's
186:Switzerland
88:Nationality
62:Switzerland
25:Don Piccard
846:Categories
385:References
110:Occupation
46:1926-01-13
800:Biography
531:. FAI.org
494:. FAI.org
155:Relatives
812:Aviation
632:June 12,
368:See also
182:Lausanne
147:(mother)
141:(father)
91:American
54:Lausanne
786:Portals
745:June 9,
700:June 9,
606:May 31,
600:BFA.net
268:Ed Yost
132:Parents
114:Aviator
602:. BFA
525:(PDF)
488:(PDF)
274:in a
252:Mylar
747:2010
702:2010
634:2020
608:2020
564:2020
537:2020
500:2020
463:2020
426:2020
192:and
82:, US
69:Died
58:Vaud
40:Born
289:at
188:to
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.