New World Newsfeed: Famous Balloonist Trains for World Record... with a Cubey Terra Wind Rider (Updated)
Recent dispatches from the outside world...
This news is several levels of cool: Michio Kanda is a seasoned balloonist who holds the world record for longest duration balloon flight (50 hours and 38 minutes.) He's now preparing to make a daring (deranged?) flight from Japan to North America; if successful, it'll establish yet another world record. Trouble is, Kanda isn't fluent in English, a problem when he enters US/Canadian airspace.
To train him in language fluency, Japanese metaverse developer Social Minds created a simulated balloon flight system in Second Life, outfitted with transponder and altimeter heads-up display, with an Australian aviation expert manning the virtual control tower. The balloon comes courtesy of Cubey Terra, who's been building SL-based aircraft since 2003. Read more about it on Social Minds' blog, and from Cubey Terra himself, where I first gleaned this news. Metaverse leveraged for language instruction and flight simulation and (if all goes well) setting a world record. Godspeed, Kanda-san!
1/2: In Comments, Patchouli Woollahra notes some disturbing news: Michio Kanda and his balloon have gone missing somewhere near Alaska.
Interesting to see SL used for this. However, kinda misleading with the stats. For clarification, Kanda holds the distance record for a "hot air balloon." If the general "balloon" is used then Steve Fossett holds that record with a flight of 146hrs and 44mins.
Posted by: Alexander Lapointe | Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 07:48 AM
Things have gone pear-shaped, Hammy. :( Kanda-san has gone missing off the West Coast.
http://www.newsminer.com/news/2008/feb/01/coast-guard-searches-missing-hot-air-balloonist/
Here's hoping he makes it out alive.
Posted by: Patchouli Woollahra | Saturday, February 02, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Still no radar contact. Things not looking good.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004160560_webballoonist02.html
Posted by: Patchouli Woollahra | Saturday, February 02, 2008 at 02:47 PM
It's now been about three days since his last check-in by satellite phone.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/japanese.balloonist/index.html?iref=newssearch
Posted by: Cubey | Sunday, February 03, 2008 at 08:01 AM
You'd think he'd have fired off an emergency beacon by now. Assuming the worse is not really in my base nature, but I'm doing it now.
This vigil? DO NOT WANT.
Posted by: Patchouli Woollahra | Sunday, February 03, 2008 at 11:00 AM
More updates on the search for Michio Kanda available now at the temporary blog here:
http://kandaupdate.wordpress.com/
I'm tiring of following this matter as closely as I have in recent days. No, not becoming callous, but trying to grow calluses, rather.
Posted by: Patchouli Woollahra | Tuesday, February 05, 2008 at 08:26 AM