Maxie Anderson (September 10, 1934 – June 27, 1983) was an American hot air
balloonist
In aeronautics, a balloon is an unpowered aerostat, which remains aloft or floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or tethered to a fixed point. It is distinct from an airship, which is a powered aerostat that ...
and
Congressional Gold Medal recipient He was part of the balloon crews that made the first Atlantic ocean crossing by balloon in the
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.
It ...
and the first Pacific ocean crossing by balloon in the
Double Eagle V.
Early life and education
Born Max Leroy Anderson in
Sayre, Oklahoma, to rancher and mining industry executive Carl Anderson. He entered the
Missouri Military Academy
The Missouri Military Academy (MMA) is a private preparatory school established on November 22, 1889, in Mexico, Missouri. The academy is a selective, all male, boarding school, grades 7 to 12. As a U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Trainin ...
at
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Missouri, at the age of eight, and throughout his high school years assisted his father in building pipelines. He engaged in prospecting in the
Arctic Circle before completing his degree in
industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information a ...
at the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...
in 1956. He developed an early interest in flight, obtaining a license at the age of fifteen (having misrepresented his age). This allowed him to fly a plane to the academy at age 15, while cars were banned except for those aged 18. In
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, New Mexico, he entered the mining industry, acquiring his own company, Ranchers Exploration and Development Corporation, before he was thirty. His career was marked by innovations in extraction technologies, delivery systems, and administrative practices. For his work, Anderson was inducted into the
National Mining Hall of Fame.
Ballooning
Along with his friend
Ben Abruzzo
Benjamin L. "Ben" Abruzzo (June 9, 1930 – February 11, 1985) was an American balloonist and businessman who helped make Albuquerque, New Mexico, into an international ballooning center. He was part of the balloon crews that made the first ...
, he became interested in hot air ballooning. The two decided to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...
's flight, and engaged balloonist
Ed Yost
Paul Edward Yost (June 30, 1919 – May 27, 2007) was the American inventor of the modern hot air balloon and is referred to as the "Father of the Modern Day Hot-Air Balloon."
He worked for a high-altitude research division of General Mill ...
(whose transatlantic bid had failed in 1976) to build the ''
Double Eagle
A double eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. (Its gold content of 0.9675 troy oz (30.0926 grams) was worth $20 at the 1849 official price of $20.67/oz.) The coins are 34 mm x 2 mm and are made from ...
''.
The balloon was launched near
Marshfield, Massachusetts
Marshfield is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on Massachusetts's South Shore. The population was 25,825 at the 2020 census.
It includes the census-designated places (CDPs) of Marshfield, Marshfield Hills, Ocean Bluf ...
on September 9, 1977, but the flight was aborted off the coast of
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
on September 13. In 1978
Larry Newman, a manufacturer of hang gliders, was added to the crew for the next attempt in the ''
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.
It ...
''. This venture was launched August 11 at
Presque Isle, Maine, and arrived at
Miserey, France, on August 17.
For their efforts, the team was awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal
The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...
in 1979. It was both a distance record (3108 miles) and a duration record (137 hours) for the sport.
With his son Kristian, he made the first non-stop trans-North American balloon flight. The ''Kitty Hawk'' departed
Fort Baker
Fort Baker is one of the components of California's Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The Fort, which borders the City of Sausalito in Marin County and is connected to San Francisco by the Golden Gate Bridge, served as an Army post until t ...
, California, on May 8, 1980, and landed on May 12 at
Sainte-Félicité, Quebec.
Anderson attempted to complete a circumnavigation of the globe by balloon. With Don Ida he launched the balloon ''Jules Verne'' from
Luxor
Luxor ( ar, الأقصر, al-ʾuqṣur, lit=the palaces) is a modern city in Upper (southern) Egypt which includes the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of ''Thebes''.
Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open-a ...
,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
on January 11, 1981, travelling , and landing in Hansa, India 48 hours later.
Death
Anderson was killed on June 27, 1983, near
Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which beca ...
,
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. He was in the air with co-pilot Don Ida. Having no wish to stray across the border into
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
or
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
, he attempted to release the gondola from the envelope at touchdown. The bolts failed to fire, and a gust re-lofted the vehicle, whereupon the explosive bolts deployed, and both Anderson and Ida were killed in the fall. The locale of the accident is also given as "near the village of Schönderling in the county of
Bad Kissingen
Bad Kissingen is a German spa town in the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia and seat of the district Bad Kissingen. Situated to the south of the Rhön Mountains on the Franconian Saale river, it is one of the health resorts, which beca ...
" in a history of the
Gordon Bennett Cup balloon race, in which they were participating as non-competitors at the time.
Legacy
In 1973, Anderson founded the Anderson Valley Vineyards with his wife Patty. "We have a lot of balloon-themed wines and items," wine expert Angela Le Quieu says. She adds that the label for the winery's Balloon Blush wine always uses a picture from the previous year's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Creating a foundation, the Abruzzo and Anderson families partnered with the City of Albuquerque and constructed the
Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum is a museum dedicated to the worldwide history, science, and art of all types of ballooning and lighter-than-air flight. It is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, and is situate ...
next to the launch field of the
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is a yearly hot air balloon festival that takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, during early October. The Balloon Fiesta is a nine-day event occurring in the first full week of October, and has o ...
. The World's most photographed event, Fiesta is held the second week of every October.
In addition to the
Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
The Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum is a museum dedicated to the worldwide history, science, and art of all types of ballooning and lighter-than-air flight. It is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, and is situate ...
, Anderson's name lives on with the Maxie Anderson Award, for Albuquerque's "business owner who has demonstrated excellence in business success; reputation; community involvement; leadership; humanity; and humor."
[http://www.vertical-ascent.com/bizbuz_april/index.html]
See also
*
List of Congressional Gold Medal recipients
Below is a list of recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the United States Congress.
Recipients of Continental Congress Gold Medals
Recipients of Congressional Gold Medals
See also
* Congression ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Maxie
1934 births
1983 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
American balloonists
Aviators from Oklahoma
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany
Burials in New Mexico
Businesspeople from Oklahoma
Congressional Gold Medal recipients
People educated at Missouri Military Academy
People from Sayre, Oklahoma
University of North Dakota alumni
Balloon flight record holders
American aviation record holders
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1983
Transatlantic flight