- Lindstrand Balloons
Lindstrand Balloons is a manufacturer of
hot air balloons and otheraerostat s. The company was started by Swedish-born pilot and aeronautical designerPer Lindstrand inOswestry , England, as Colt Balloons (later Thunder & Colt Balloons, then Lindstrand Balloons) in 1978. Lindstrand Balloons is known for its leading-edge engineering, which includes sophisticated testing and production facilities.Of note, Lindstrand Balloons designed and built all of the
hot air balloons flown by Per Lindstrand andRichard Branson on their record breaking flights first across theAtlantic Ocean in1987 and then thePacific Ocean in1990 . Lindstrand's then designed and built threeRozière balloon s that Per Lindstrand and Branson (and others, including aeronautical engineer Alex Ritchie, and adventurer,Steve Fossett ) used in their unsuccessful attempts to circumnavigate the Earth by balloon. Per Lindstrand played an instrumental role in making these flights possible, and was pilot for all of them.Ownership Structure
In the late-1990s,
Cameron Balloons and its owner Don Cameron acquired two-thirds ownership of Lindstrand Balloons. Cameron bought the majority stake in Lindstrand Balloons from Rory McCarthy, a British industrialist associated with Richard Branson, who had invested in Lindstrand to support Branson's series of record-setting balloon flights. The remaining third of the company is owned by its founder Per Lindstrand.Despite Cameron's ownership, Lindstrand Balloons continues to operate as an independent company with separate management and its own distinct designs and products. Per Lindstrand also independently operates a separate company,
Lindstrand Technologies , which designs and buildsgas balloon s, innovative buildings, specializedaerospace equipment (including an advancedparachute for theBeagle 2 Mars -lander) and cutting edge inflatable structures including aircraft hangars, plugs for fire-containment for roadtunnels andflood prevention systems.External links
* [http://www.lindstrand.co.uk/ Lindstrand Balloons Ltd. (UK company)]
* [http://www.lindstrandtech.com/ Lindstrand Technologies Ltd. (UK company)]
* [http://www.lindstrand.com/ Lindstrand Balloons US (independently owned US affilliate/licensee)]ee also
*
hot air balloon
*hopper balloon
*Rozière balloon
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