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 can be regarded as a successful crossing at the point that the Double Eagle II crossed the
Irish coast, on the evening of 16 August, an event that
Shannon Airport notified the crew about when it happened. Newman originally intended to
hang glide from the balloon to a landing, while Anderson and Abruzzo continued to fly, but the hang-glider had to be dropped as ballast earlier on 16 August.