Matias Perez
Encyclopedia
Matias Perez was a Portuguese
pilot, canopy maker and Cuba
n resident who, carried away with the ever increasing popularity of aerostatic aircraft
, disappeared while attempting an aerostatic flight from Havana
's "Plaza de Marte" (today, "Parque Central") on June 28, 1856.
A few days earlier he had made a successful attempt, flying several miles. His second try, however, became part of Cuba
's folklore: when somebody or something disappears into thin air, people say: "Voló como Matías Pérez" (flew away like Matias Perez).
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...
pilot, canopy maker and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n resident who, carried away with the ever increasing popularity of aerostatic aircraft
Aerostat
An aerostat is a craft that remains aloft primarily through the use of buoyant lighter than air gases, which impart lift to a vehicle with nearly the same overall density as air. Aerostats include free balloons, airships, and moored balloons...
, disappeared while attempting an aerostatic flight from Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
's "Plaza de Marte" (today, "Parque Central") on June 28, 1856.
A few days earlier he had made a successful attempt, flying several miles. His second try, however, became part of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
's folklore: when somebody or something disappears into thin air, people say: "Voló como Matías Pérez" (flew away like Matias Perez).
See also
- Cluster ballooningCluster ballooningCluster ballooning is a form of ballooning where a harness attaches a balloonist to a cluster of helium-inflated rubber balloons.Unlike traditional hot-air balloons, where a single large balloon is equipped with vents enabling altitude control, cluster balloons are multiple, small, readily...
- Other intrepid balloonists:
- Adelir Antonio de CarliAdelir Antonio de CarliAdelir Antonio de Carli , also known in Brazil as Padre Baloneiro, was a Brazilian Catholic priest, famous for going missing during an attempt at cluster ballooning on April 20, 2008...
(aka Padre Baloneiro), Brazilian priest, human-right defender, unfortunately lost in the Atlantic Ocean in Brazilian offshore water at his second cluster balloon tentative on April 20, 2008. - Bartolomeu de GusmãoBartolomeu de GusmãoBartolomeu Lourenço de Gusmão , was a priest and naturalist born in the then Portuguese colony of Brazil, noted for his early work on lighter-than-air airship design....
, a priest and naturalist born in the Portuguese colony of Brazil, recalled for his first balloon flight in Lisbon in 1720 (the ballon burned). - Danny DeckchairDanny DeckchairDanny Deckchair is a 2003 Australian comedy film written and directed by Jeff Balsmeyer. The majority of Danny Deckchair was shot in Bellingen, a Mid North Coast town in New South Wales....
, a 2004 Australian comedy film inspired by the story of "Lawnchair Larry" (Larry WaltersLarry WaltersLawrence Richard Walters, nicknamed "Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", was an American truck driver who took flight on July 2, 1982 in a homemade airship. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it...
). - Larry WaltersLarry WaltersLawrence Richard Walters, nicknamed "Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", was an American truck driver who took flight on July 2, 1982 in a homemade airship. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it...
, an American truck driver who took flight in California on July 2, 1982 in a homemade aircraft consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. - Yoshikazu Suzuki, a Japanese balloonist also lost in the ocean.
- Adelir Antonio de Carli