Register review

Only one new type is shown in the New Allocations this issue but it is probably the most interesting that we have seen for some time. The Elson Space Engineering Haleiso 150 BNF is a high altitude research balloon which is in Australia for a project which the operators do not wish to publicise until closer to the launch date.

Andy Elson and his team at Elson Space Engineering specialise in research, development, logistics and project management of high altitude balloon flights and were involved with the first balloon flight over Mount Everest with Andy being the pilot of one of two balloons taking part in the record flight. The company also designed and built the world’s largest helium balloon which attained the world altitude record for a manned balloon of 25 miles and the world record for hot air balloons of 70,000 feet over Mumbai as well as the world endurance record for a non-stop sub-orbital balloon flight from Spain to the Pacific in 18 days covering 12,000 miles. Elson was also involved with the late US millionaire Steve Fossett’s solo, non-stop, around the world balloon flight which took off from Northam, WA, and landed back on Australian soil in Queensland during 2002.