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Don Cameron (manufacturer)
Encyclopedia
Don Cameron is a Scottish
balloonist
, and later founder of Cameron Balloons
, the world's largest hot air balloon manufacturer.
in 1939, Cameron went to school at Allan Glen's School
and then went on to study aeronautical engineering at the University of Glasgow
, graduating in 1961. In 1963 he obtained a Masters degree at Cornell
, United States
. He then joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company
. Cameron developed Britain's first modern hot air balloon
entitled Bristol Belle
which flew for the first time at Weston on the Green in Oxfordshire
, England
on 9 July 1967. In 1968 Cameron and Leslie Goldsmith founded Omega Balloons which constructed ten balloons, before the company split into Cameron Balloons
and Western Balloons in 1970.
Cameron Balloons
of Bristol
, England, was formed by Cameron in 1971 - five years after he constructed his first balloon. The new company was based in Cotham, Bristol
where a total of twenty nine balloons were made in the basement of the property. 1971 also saw Cameron build Golden Eagle, a balloon designed specifically to fly across the Sahara
to shoot a film for Jack Le Vien.
In 1978 his attempt to make the premier Atlantic crossing by balloon ended when bad weather forced his heated helium
balloon "Zanussi" down after a 2,000 mile flight from Canada. It was piloted by Cameron and Christopher Davey. They left St. John's
, Newfoundland and Labrador
on 26 July 1978, covered 1,780 miles, and ditched on 30 July 1978 in the Bay of Biscay
only 110 miles from France
after a tear developed in the balloon. The two planned a second attempt, but discarded their plans when the Double Eagle II
successfully made a transaltantic flight three weeks later.
Never averse to technical challenges, Cameron went on to write computer programmes to design special shape balloons himself.
Cameron has received the gold, silver and bronze medals of the British Royal Aero Club
for his ballooning achievements which include being the first man to cross the Sahara
and the Alps
by hot-air balloon, and making the first flight between the UK and what was then the USSR in 1990.
His dream came true in 1992 when he flew a balloon of his own design from Bangor, Maine
, U.S.
to Portugal
and took second place in the first ever transatlantic balloon race.
Don Cameron has also been one of the few aeronauts to be awarded the Harmon Trophy
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
balloonist
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
, and later founder of Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city...
, the world's largest hot air balloon manufacturer.
Early life and career
Born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in 1939, Cameron went to school at Allan Glen's School
Allan Glen's School
Allan Glen's School was for most of its existence a selective fee-paying independent secondary school for boys in Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded by the Allan Glen's Endowment Scholarship Trust on the death in 1850 of Allan Glen, a successful Glasgow tradesman and businessman, "to give a good...
and then went on to study aeronautical engineering at the University of Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
, graduating in 1961. In 1963 he obtained a Masters degree at Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He then joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
. Cameron developed Britain's first modern hot air balloon
Hot air balloon
The hot air balloon is the oldest successful human-carrying flight technology. It is in a class of aircraft known as balloon aircraft. On November 21, 1783, in Paris, France, the first untethered manned flight was made by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in a hot air...
entitled Bristol Belle
Bristol Belle
The Bristol Belle was the name given to the first modern hot air balloon in Britain.. The balloon was created from an idea developed by members of the Bristol , UK Gliding Club. Following developments by Ed Yost in the United States, members of the Bristol Gliding Club decided to create their own...
which flew for the first time at Weston on the Green in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 9 July 1967. In 1968 Cameron and Leslie Goldsmith founded Omega Balloons which constructed ten balloons, before the company split into Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city...
and Western Balloons in 1970.
Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons
Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in Bristol, England by Don Cameron to manufacture hot air balloons. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city...
of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England, was formed by Cameron in 1971 - five years after he constructed his first balloon. The new company was based in Cotham, Bristol
Cotham, Bristol
Cotham is the name of both a council ward of the city of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and a suburb of the city that falls within that ward. The ward comprises the Cotham suburb, and a small portion of Redland, which is another Bristol suburb.-Cotham:...
where a total of twenty nine balloons were made in the basement of the property. 1971 also saw Cameron build Golden Eagle, a balloon designed specifically to fly across the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
to shoot a film for Jack Le Vien.
In 1978 his attempt to make the premier Atlantic crossing by balloon ended when bad weather forced his heated helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
balloon "Zanussi" down after a 2,000 mile flight from Canada. It was piloted by Cameron and Christopher Davey. They left St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
on 26 July 1978, covered 1,780 miles, and ditched on 30 July 1978 in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
only 110 miles from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after a tear developed in the balloon. The two planned a second attempt, but discarded their plans when the Double Eagle II
Double Eagle II
Double Eagle II, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman, became the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it landed 17 August 1978 in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours 6 minutes after leaving Presque Isle, Maine....
successfully made a transaltantic flight three weeks later.
Never averse to technical challenges, Cameron went on to write computer programmes to design special shape balloons himself.
Cameron has received the gold, silver and bronze medals of the British Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
for his ballooning achievements which include being the first man to cross the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
and the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
by hot-air balloon, and making the first flight between the UK and what was then the USSR in 1990.
His dream came true in 1992 when he flew a balloon of his own design from Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and took second place in the first ever transatlantic balloon race.
Don Cameron has also been one of the few aeronauts to be awarded the Harmon Trophy
Harmon Trophy
The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix , and aeronaut...
.