Donald Louis Piccard (January 13, 1926 – September 13, 2020) was a Swiss-born American balloon pioneer, promoter, innovator, designer, builder, and pilot. Piccard was born in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, Switzerland to Jean Felix Piccard and Jeanette (Ridlon) Piccard. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1931. Don Piccard first flew in a balloon in 1933, when he was enlisted as "crew" by his mother. She was the first woman to fly to the edge of space and the first American woman to earn a balloon pilot's license. Don Piccard served as a balloon and airship rigger in the U. S. Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and at

Naval Air Station Lakehurst A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

First post-WW2 balloon free flight

Despite not graduating, Piccard was one of the driving forces behind the ballooning revival after the war while a student at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. He made the first post-war free flight on February 16, 1947 with a captured Japanese Fu-Go balloon, earning his balloon pilot certification from the CAA. In 1948, Piccard organized the first balloon club in the United States, the Balloon Club of America. This club, along with the Balloon Flyers of Akron, formed the U.S. national ballooning organization the

Balloon Federation of America The Balloon Federation of America (BFA) is a 501c3 non-profit group for the advancement of lighter-than-air aviation which includes hot air and gas balloons. Founded in 1960, located in Indianola, Iowa. The BFA partners with the National Bal ...

. On August 17, 1959, Piccard flew a red, white and blue balloon basket at a centennial commemoration of John Wise's Jupiter balloon flight of US Mail. In the same basket he set a gas balloon world record altitude of 34,642 feet on July 19, 1961 from

Faribault, Minnesota Faribault ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 23,352 at the 2010 census. Faribault is approximately south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway ...

. Piccard pioneered plastic and Mylar balloons for superpressure balloons. In 1962, he set a new altitude record for a second-class free flight balloon, climbing to 17,000 feet.

Hot air ballooning

In 1962, he founded the nation's first hot-air balloon race at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. On 13 April 1963, Piccard and

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 ...

were the first people to cross the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

in a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

. Also in 1963 at Kalamazoo, Michigan; Piccard clerked the

National Aeronautic Association The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the Uni ...

recognized first National Hot Air Balloon Championship. Piccard worked on thermal balloons at

Raven Industries Raven Industries, Inc. is an American company that manufactures precision agriculture products, high-altitude balloons, plastic film and sheeting, and radar systems. The company was founded in 1956. They are headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Da ...

from 1962-1964. At Raven, he is credited with making hot air balloons safer by the use of load tapes, lobular gore design, light weight long life fabric, non-conductive materials. Most notably load tapes in the design and construction of balloons receives credit as the single greatest factor in hot air balloon safety and is used in today’s manufacturing. Piccard is also credited with rapid delation concept superior and safer than the 1970 balloon parachute top design. He also promoted ballooning as a sport and in 1964 started designing balloons through his company Piccard Balloons eventually incorporating in 1972. In 1985 he sold the FAA balloon type-certificates to Galaxy Balloons and The Balloon Works. Piccard appeared as a "Mr. X" guest on ''

What's My Line ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'' on September 1, 1963, at which time, he stated he was from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He died in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2020 at the age of 94.

Piccard Balloons

Piccard Balloons was an American manufacturer of

hot air balloons A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries p ...

. Don Piccard, descended from a long line of aeronauts, built and sold some of the first modern hot air balloons, beginning in the mid-1960s.

Piccard family links

* Auguste Piccard (physicist, balloonist, hydronaut) **

Jacques Piccard Jacques Piccard (28 July 19221 November 2008) was a Swiss oceanographer and engineer, known for having developed underwater submarines for studying ocean currents. In the Challenger Deep, he and Lt. Don Walsh of the United States Navy were the f ...

(hydronaut) ***

Bertrand Piccard Bertrand Piccard FRSGS (born 1 March 1958) is a Swiss explorer, psychiatrist and environmentalist. Along with Brian Jones, he was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe, in a balloon named Breitling Orbiter 3. He was ...

(psychiatrist, balloonist) * Jean Felix Piccard (organic chemist and balloonist; twin brother of Auguste) * Jeannette Piccard (wife of Jean Felix) (balloonist) ** Don Piccard (balloonist; son of Jean and Jeannette, nephew of Auguste)

References

External links

Don Piccard - 50 Years of Ballooning Memories

Balloon Federation of America

Balloon Club of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piccard, Don 1926 births 2020 deaths American aviators Aviation pioneers American balloonists People from Minneapolis University of Minnesota alumni American people of Swiss descent Balloon flight record holders American aviation record holders People from Lausanne Naturalized citizens of the United States