Brian Jones (aeronaut)
The calm Englishman who, with a Swiss psychiatrist, first tamed the winds to fly a balloon non-stop around our planet.
Born 1947 (age 79)·English balloonist·Birthday: March 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brian Jones was a commercial balloon pilot with thousands of hours in the air, but he craved a challenge that had eluded all who came before: a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. In 1999, he partnered with Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard on the Breitling Orbiter 3, a massive, high-tech capsule suspended beneath a helium balloon. For nineteen days, Jones as the flight director and technical mastermind navigated the craft through the jet stream's treacherous currents, managing fuel, altitude, and weather with meticulous precision. Their journey was a global sensation, a throwback to the age of exploration powered by modern technology. When they touched down in the Egyptian desert on March 21, they had shattered over a dozen records and achieved one of aviation's last great firsts. The flight proved that such a journey was possible, blending ancient romance with cutting-edge science. It made Jones, the quiet professional from Bristol, an instant but humble hero of the skies.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brian was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Brian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-piloted the Breitling Orbiter 3 to complete the first non-stop balloon flight around the world in March 1999.
- Set multiple world records for duration and distance in a balloon during the historic circumnavigation.
- Awarded the Gold Medal of the Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom for the achievement.
- Received the FAI's Gold Air Medal, one of aviation's highest honors, jointly with Bertrand Piccard.
Did You Know?
Before the successful attempt, he was the launch director for six previous failed around-the-world balloon missions.
The Breitling Orbiter 3 capsule is now permanently displayed at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the University of Bristol.
He and Piccard shared a $1 million prize from Anheuser-Busch for completing the circumnavigation.
“You don't conquer the sky; you negotiate a temporary truce with the wind.”
