CARIBOU, Maine — On Sept. 14, 1984, a man known for his daredevil adventures journeyed to Caribou and became the first hot-air balloonist to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.
Aroostook’s wide-open fields and clear skies have made the region a popular spot for balloonists trying to soar to new heights. In 1978, the Double Eagle II lifted off from a Presque Isle potato field. Its 3-man crew became the first to cross the Atlantic in a hot-air balloon. In June, another pilot trio launched the Torabhaig from Presque Isle, hoping to fly the first hydrogen balloon flight across the Atlantic, but weather forced them to land in Canada.
But those aren’t the only famous balloon flights that put Aroostook on the map.
In 1984, Air Force veteran and Orlando, Florida, native Joe Kittinger, then 56, set out to beat the Double Eagle II’s record and fly to Europe in a hot-air balloon. At around 8 p.m. on a Friday evening, Kittinger launched the Rosie O’Grady Balloon of Peace from an open field just off of South Main Street in Caribou.
“It’s something I’ll never forget,” said Brenda Ketch of Madawaska Lake, who witnessed the event as a photographer for the Aroostook Republican.
Three days later, Kittinger landed in northern Italy near the coastal town of Savona. He traveled 3,543 miles across the Atlantic for 83 hours and 40 minutes, beating the Double Eagle II’s distance record of 3,107 miles. He was also the first solo balloonist to make that type of trip.
Kittinger died in December 2022 at the age of 94 and left a legacy of high-flying tales, including time he spent in northern Maine.
On the night Kittinger left Caribou, Ketch took photos as he and crew members began inflating the balloon around 6:25 p.m.
By the time Kittinger took off, the skies were dark but full of stars, Ketch said. She rushed to capture the moment with her camera filled with 35-millimeter film, which later took all weekend to edit in the newspaper’s dark room.
“I had great admiration and respect for his bravery,” Ketch said.
Kittinger’s flight has always been a big deal for Caribou. The city celebrated him with a parade in 1984 and again in 2009 when Kittinger took part in Caribou’s sesquicentennial.
Ketch became good friends with Kittinger and his wife Sherry over the years, along with her brother Jerry Drake, who passed away this year, and his wife Betty.
When Kittinger planned his flight, Jerry Drake was manager of Caribou Municipal Airport. He spent hours helping to coordinate Kittinger’s flight and was there as crew members filled sandbags that Kittinger would gradually drop from his balloon to lighten his load, making his balloon rise during the flight.
Jerry and Betty often hosted the Kittingers for dinners at their home when they visited Caribou, and kept in touch several times every year. Sherry Kittinger is still a good friend, Betty said.
“We’ve always talked and kept in touch. We’d send them potatoes and they’d send us oranges from Florida,” Betty Drake said.
The Drakes last saw Joe and Sherry Kittinger in September 2018. During that trip, Joe spoke at the monument commemorating his balloon launch. The adjacent street — Kittinger Drive — is named for him.
Kittinger’s love of ballooning started long before he found Aroostook County.
In 1958, Kittinger, then 30, joined Project Excelsior, a program that tested whether an astronaut could successfully escape from a capsule during an emergency landing. His job was to parachute out of high-altitude balloons.
Kittinger piloted two Excelsior balloons to 76,400 and 74,400 feet, respectively, in 1959, and a third to 102,800 feet in 1960. While a parachute malfunction nearly cost him his life during the first 1959 jump, Kittinger successfully jumped during the last two trips, according to his obituary in The New York Times. Kittinger went on to jump from a balloon at 82,200 feet in 1962 as part of Project Stargazer.
Kittinger maintained his adventurous spirit throughout his life. He ran Rosie O’Grady’s Flying Circus in Orlando, giving balloon rides, and often took part in balloon races.
Longtime friend Terry Dillard of Orlando, Florida, met Kittinger in 1975 at the Rosie O’Grady Church Street Station, one of the largest entertainment complexes in downtown Orlando, for which Kittinger’s 1984 flight balloon was named.
Both men were hot-air balloon pilots, and Dillard quickly joined the Rosie O’Grady Station Good Time Gang, a group of balloon pilots that Kittinger founded with Station owner Bob Snowe. At one point, the group had six balloons that could carry a total of 32 passengers.
When Dillard later began flying blimps, Kittinger joined him for an air show, flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Despite his fame in the Florida ballooning world, Kittinger remained a modest guy who made time for everyone, Dillard said.
“I remember many times going to dinner with him and people would ask for his autograph or for a selfie, and he always took time for them,” Dillard said. “He always was humble and acted like your average guy.”
