08/14/2026
August 11-17, 1978
Today marks an anniversary that every contemporary balloonist knows and almost every New Mexican too. In 1978, a dream that began in 1873 and had 13 unsuccessful attempts was finally achieved by the balloonists Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman. These New Mexican balloonists have gone down in history as the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean by balloon and first by gas balloon. The balloon, “Double Eagle II” was the balloonists’ second attempt, the envelope was built by Ed Yost and was 112 feet tall and 65 feet in diameter with an open top gondola named “The Spirit of Albuquerque.”
They left Presque Isle, Maine on August 11 and flew for 137 hours and 6 minutes and landed in a field outside of Miserey, France on August 17, also setting the record for the longest time a balloon was aloft (record broken in 2015 by the “Two Eagles Balloon”).
The “Double Eagle II’s” gondola (“Spirit of Albuquerque") is on display in the Ultralight Aircraft at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. It is owned by the Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum.
Come explore the Balloon Museum’s exhibit celebrating our namesakes and their historic flight in the “Double Eagle II”! In the Grand Hall, step inside a life-size replica of the “Double Eagle II” and discover the remarkable story behind this historic achievement.
