We’ll forgive you for mistaking Jonathan Trappe for Carl Fredriksen of the Pixar movie UP. Like Fredriksen, Trappe is a “cluster balloonist” who likes to fly around the world with a bunch of balloons. He’s attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean soon.
To promote his upcoming trip, Trappe teamed up with Casasyes to make another real life version of the Up House for the Leon International Balloon festival in Mexico. Yes, a house that actually flies with balloons. Though we saw National Geographic already pull off that stunt, it always brings a smile to my soul when we’re recreating Pixar movies. You can see amazing pictures of the Up House here.
Next summer, Trappe is planning to make the 4000 kilometre journey across the Atlantic using 365 giantic helium balloons attached to a boat (I know, I was disappointed it wasn’t a home too) flying at about 18,000 to 25,000 feet. Trappe is a big time balloonist, he currently holds the record for flying the most cluster balloons, crossing the Alps, the longest distance and even flying from England to Belgium. This one is his biggest challenge though. Five people have died trying to cross the Atlantic with balloons and no one has ever completed the feat attached to cluster-balloons. Well, “no one” other than UP’s fictional Carl Fredriksen. It’s sure to be a wild ride. But the bigger question: who’s going to be Russell?
Check out more details of Trappe’s upcoming trip at his site Cluster Balloon [Daily Mail, Outside]