Man crosses English Channel with helium balloons

[May 28, 2010]  LONDON (AP) -- In a goofy yet mesmerizing stunt, an American adventurer has crossed the English Channel tied to a bundle of helium balloons.

Jonathan Trappe was strapped in a seat below a bright cluster of balloons when he lifted off early Friday from Kent, in southeast England. After sailing above the water for several hours, Trappe lowered himself into a French field by cutting away some of his colorful collection.

Trappe told Sky News that the crossing fulfilled a lifelong dream and that it was an "exceptional" experience.

The crossing is reminiscent of the animated film "Up." In the movie, an elderly man whose wife had died attached hundreds of colored balloons to his house to fly away for an adventure -- although in his case he traveled to South America.

[Associated Press]

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