MADE IN MONACO
ground. Hot-air ballooning is one of the
safest ways to travel. If you want to take
a balloon ride with me in Italy, the most
dangerous part of the journey will be
getting there by car.
HM: Tell us about the most curious moment.
AC: That’s when I was flying among the
cirrus clouds and found myself surrounded
by a billion diamonds. (Note: cirrus clouds
often cause optical illusions, like ice crystals,
changing colour and shape).
HM: Going back to the Jeeper, how is it
different from a traditional balloon?
AC: The principle is very simple. Your house
is likely to have double-glazed windows
with a minimal air space between them.
Same thing here: the balloon has some
space between its inner and outer shells.
This air ensures thermal insulation. Thanks
to this technology, we are saving up on gas.
If a standard propane consumption is 60
L/H, the Jeeper balloon only uses 18. We
thus save up to 70 % of energy. Moreover,
the weight of our cabin is only 50 kg, while
the standard weight can reach 150 kg. This
also helps in saving gas. The design of
our innovative balloon was developed in
Switzerland, and Jeeper itself is produced
in Spain. The implementation of this project
took us 10 years.
HM: What is aeronautics for you, is it more of
a sport or an environmental project?
AC: It’s a combination of the two. I do
understand that children are our future.
I am willing to believe that they will
continue my business being friendly to the
planet. This question worries me since, as a
pilot, over the past years I have witnessed
climate change. Aeronauts have a particular
sensibility to it since we spend a lot of
time in the air. Not only do we see the air
pollution over the cities, we can actually
smell the smog with our nostrils.
How can one become a member of the Monaco
Aeronautics Club?
I
n order to become part of our club, you must have done several flights with
us. Moreover, two current members send a request for a new person to be
accepted in the team. Then our office considers the applicant. The entrance fee
is €5,000 and the annual membership fee is €500. You also need to compete with
the club and help the team. We do not want to see «phantom members»! You also
need to pass a specialized medical examination including an electrocardiogram.
You need to be trained at our club in order to acquire the necessary psychological
and physical skills. Then you do a short test-flight, and there may be a need for
several parachute jumps. The whole procedure for obtaining such a permit may
take up to 6 months.
118 / Hello Monaco Spring–Summer 2018