Larry Newman (aviator)
Encyclopedia
Larry Newman was an American
pilot and balloonist.
for his flight in the Double Eagle II
with Ben Abruzzo
and Maxie Anderson
. The flight was the first manned balloon crossing of the Atlantic non-stop. In 1981, Newman flew the Double Eagle V
in the first-ever manned balloon crossing over the Pacific with Ben Abruzzo
, Ron Clark and Rocky Aoki.
Larry helped popularize hang gliding
with his company Electra Flyer Corporation, which produced thousands of hang gliders at its peak.
In 1985 Newman sold his business and became a pilot for America West airlines.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pilot and balloonist.
Early life
Newman won the Congressional Gold Medal awarded by the United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for his flight in 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....
with Ben Abruzzo
Ben Abruzzo
Benjamin L. Abruzzo was an American hot air balloonist and businessman. He helped increase the reputation of Albuquerque as a center of lighter-than-air and hot-air ballooning.-Biography:...
and Maxie Anderson
Maxie Anderson
Max Leroy Anderson was an American hot air balloonist and businessman. He helped place Albuquerque on the map as the balloon capital of the world...
. The flight was the first manned balloon crossing of the Atlantic non-stop. In 1981, Newman flew the Double Eagle V
Double Eagle V
Double Eagle V, piloted by Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman, Ron Clark and Rocky Aoki, was the first balloon to cross the Pacific Ocean. It launched from Nagashima, Japan on November 10, 1981, and landed in Mendocino National Forest in California 84 hours and 31 minutes later, travelling a record 5,768...
in the first-ever manned balloon crossing over the Pacific with Ben Abruzzo
Ben Abruzzo
Benjamin L. Abruzzo was an American hot air balloonist and businessman. He helped increase the reputation of Albuquerque as a center of lighter-than-air and hot-air ballooning.-Biography:...
, Ron Clark and Rocky Aoki.
Larry helped popularize hang gliding
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
with his company Electra Flyer Corporation, which produced thousands of hang gliders at its peak.
In 1985 Newman sold his business and became a pilot for America West airlines.