The Blessing of Contrary Winds

By Alan Stewart

On January 13, 1997, Steve Fossett began an adventure with high expectations of becoming the first person to circle the globe in a hot-air balloon. After three days, he had already crossed the Atlantic Ocean and was flying at 24,500 feet eastward over Africa.

However, as he was approaching Libya, he faced a strong headwind that made it very difficult to navigate the balloon. Knowing that hot-air balloons cannot be turned, Fossett made a change in the altitude of the balloon in hopes of finding a crosswind. He vented helium, and the balloon dropped to 6,300 feet and found a southeastern wind that took him just south of Libya.

What adds intrigue to this story is the fact the Libyan government did not approve of the idea of someone entering its air space. Unbeknown to Fossett, once the balloon was spotted on radar, the Libyan military was prepared to shoot him out of the sky. His life had been saved because of winds that were contrary to his course of direction.