Flying around the world

[Kaimi]

A group of us want to fly an unmanned balloon around the world at 30 KM (100000 ft) at latitude 38.5 degrees North. What are the restrictions if any? Do we need to get permission from every country we pass over? Are there fees we will have to pay? Any references, points of contact, or information you can give us would be appreciated.

[Romeo Tango]

I'm not sure about how far up national jurisdiction extends but I expect it's more than 100000 ft. In which case you will be expected to get permission from (or at the very least inform) each state the balloon passes over.

Each country publishes a document called the "AIP" that includes (amongst a lot of other stuff) who and what you need to ask to get permission. Some of these are online but the easy solution is to talk to one of the professional flight clearance agents, eg Overflight flight clearance specialists (http://www.overflight.co.uk)

Good luck - I note that your latitude includes Iran. I doubt they will be very keen :uhoh:

The other approach would be to make it very small and light and just do it ....

Bill

[Whopity]

Do we need to get permission from every country we pass over? If its unmanned, then "we" won't be passing over any countries! As balloons travel with the wind, how on earth do you plan to maintain a constant latitude?

[Romeo Tango]

You have some control by when and where you launch and then further tweaks by adjusting altitude. God/fate has a significant input though.

[Dave Gittins]

Way back in the 1950s one Lt Col David Simons as part of the pre Mercury USAF space exploration stuff flew a balloon up to 102,000 ft. Now he may have stayed within the Continental US but it may be worth looking the flight up to see how he went on, what approval he needed and ATC wise who he talked to.

There was another American, one Francis Gary Powers, who tried flying across unfriendly territory without approval and who, despite being over 70,000 feet up, did not fare well when he attarcted attention to himself.

Brian Shul, in a later model of aeroplane seems to have had more success as did the USAs space to earth glider recently retired.

Small meteorological balloons however, seem to wander round the globe with impunity all the time.

Research into all the above may help you.