At first appearances, this may seem to be a very unsafe endeavour. However with meticulous planning and preparation I will make my venture very safe both for myself and for the people around me. The first step I took in planning this event safely was to contact someone with experience. I am very fortunately that Mike Howard, who has performed the second most cluster-ballooning flights in the world and is a professional pilot, has given me help and advice from the first time we meet at a hot air balloon meeting in Bristol, UK. To see how gentle the take-off of cluster balloons can be, just follow these links:

 

 ° Germany. Mike Howard flying for Greenpeace.

 ° UK. Jonathan Trappe crossing the English Channel.

 ° USA. John Ninomiya.

 

 I will be in Cape Town for 15 days hoping for perfect weather conditions for my flight. I will require a gentle wind between a SSW and NW wind direction or between 200° and 315°. I  have studied the weather patterns over the last 8 years from the South African Weather Service and there is a 34% likelihood of these weather conditions prevailing during this period. I will be in constrant contact with the weather station and will only fly with gentle winds in those specified directions. The helium cylinders will be transported from the mainland via ferry to Robben Island. I am liaising with Afrox, who have sponsored the helium gas to establish the appropriate manner to transport these cylinders. I will conduct a training session to demonstrate the appropriate way in which the balloons must be inflated to ensure complete safety to the team of people who will be helping me. Any excess helium will be returned to Afrox.

 I will need information about my altitude and rate of ascent or descent which I will get from an altimeter and variometer. My flight plan will be to take off from Robben Island and climb to 1000 feet. I will be carried by the wind towards the main land where I will descend and land on the beach or shallow sea water.  The harness that I’ll be flying in will be a standard paraglider harness that has been specially adapted with a lifting bar (this is the bar that all the balloons will be attached to and the ballast, all my apparatus and me will also be hang from it). The design of this is critical as I need easy access to the balloons or ballast so that I can detach them when necessary.  I will be wearing a helmet and will be arranging for a safety boat to follow my journey in the event that I need to drop into the sea before I reach land.  During this time I will be carrying a transponder so that the two local airports, Ysterplaat and Cape Town International Airport, will be able to track my progress. I will plan to carry a radio transmitter and receiver so that if I need to contact either airport or if they need to contact me, it will be possible.   Mike Moose will be providing a support vessel.