#joe kittinger

[wausaupilot]

Stevens Point youths win national title in Civil Air Patrol balloon challenge

Well done!

A team of five cadets ages 12-14 from the Stevens Point Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, were awarded in October with the 2023 Kittinger Cup and $5,000 grant in the Civil Air Patrol High Altitude Balloon Challenge in a live broadcast awards ceremony. The win puts the team at No. 1 over 115 cadet teams of about 950 total cadets throughout the nation, the Civil Air Patrol said in a news…

[usafphantom2]

#OTD in 1960, U.S. Air Force Capt. Joseph W. Kittinger made a record-setting high-altitude parachute jump, stepping from a balloon-supported gondola at 102,800 feet. The record would stand for over 50 years. Read more from the #ASQ article: s.si.edu/3NTeIqE

@airandspace via X

[gonzalo-obes]

IMAGENES Y DATOS INTERESANTES DEL 14 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2024

Día Mundial de los Primeros Auxilios, Día del Bienestar en el Caribe, Día Mundial de la Dermatitis Atópica, Día Mundial de la Arepa, Día Internacional de la Observación de la Luna, Semana Europea del Cáncer de Pulmón, Semana del Bienestar en las Américas, Año Internacional de los Camélidos.

Exaltación de la Santa Cruz y Santa Cruz.

Tal día como hoy en el año 2005

Sucede una cadena de atentados en Bagdad (Irak), causando 154 muertos y más de 500 heridos, en su mayor parte chiíes. Siendo reivindicados por la banda terrorista Al Qaeda.

1984

Por primera vez se cruza el océano Atlántico en un globo de gas, realizado en solitario por el aviador estadounidense Joe Kittinger.

1954

Un bombardero soviético Tu-4 libera una bomba atómica de 40 kilotones que estalla a 350 metros de altura, sobre el polígono de Tótskoye (unos 1050 km al este de Moscú). Quedando expuestas a la contaminación radiactiva más de 45.000 personas.

1867

En Hamburgo (Alemania), se publica el primer tomo de la obra de teoría económica y social de Karl Marx, "El Capital. Crítica a la economía política". (Hace 157 años)

1854

Una fuerza francobritánica desembarca en Crimea, con el fin de iniciar en octubre el asedio de Sebastópol. El 25 de octubre de este año, en el transcurso de la batalla de Balaclava, un suburbio de la ciudad, tendrá lugar a llamada Carga de la Brigada ligera británica que concluirá desastrosamente. (Hace 170 años)

1847

El avance de las fuerzas estadounidenses del general Winfield Scott, con una serie ininterrumpida de victorias, culmina este día con la toma de Ciudad de México, donde los mexicanos verán ondear la bandera enemiga sobre el Palacio Nacional durante 9 meses. Las consecuencias de la guerra serán desastrosas. Para terminar con la ocupación, México se verá obligado a firmar el "Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo", mediante el cual perderá Nuevo México, la Alta California, Texas y la parte del territorio entre los ríos Nueces y Bravo. Recibirá a cambio quince millones de pesos. El país verá reducido su territorio a poco menos de la mitad. Pero a cambio, la guerra hará que los mexicanos sientan por primera vez la necesidad de estar unidos. (Hace 177 años)

1829

Se firma el "Tratado de Andrinópolis", mediante el cual las grandes potencias logran detener la marcha victoriosa de las tropas rusas sobre la ciudad de Constantinopla. El imperio otomano reconoce a cambio la independencia política de los griegos. (Hace 195 años)

1822

Se produce un punto de inflexión en la egiptología cuando Jean-Francois Champollion logra leer el nombre de Ramsés en la piedra Rosetta. Corriendo va a comunicárselo a su hermano que trabaja en el Instituto de Francia. Jean-Francois entra completamente exaltado en su despacho y le grita: "¡Lo tengo!" Acto seguido, se desmaya. La emoción y el trabajo han sido tan intensos que tardará varios días en recuperarse. (Hace 202 años)

1812

Las tropas napoleónicas llegan a las puertas de Moscú (Rusia) después de tres meses de marcha en los que han tomado varias ciudades y librado varias batallas; pero los moscovitas se han refugiado en los bosques cercanos y prendido fuego a la ciudad por lo que, sin alimentos y soportando temperaturas extremadamente bajas, el ejército francés se verá obligado a retirarse sin haber logrado su objetivo de doblegar al Zar Alejandro I. Únicamente 58.000 efectivos del ejército napoleónico, poco más del 20% del total, sobrevivirán a la campaña rusa. (Hace 212 años)

1519

El Rey de Castilla Carlos I (Emperador Carlos V) establece una Real Cédula, dada en Barcelona, mediante la que se incorporan los territorios conquistados de América a la corona de Castilla. (Hace 505 años)

1509

Un fuerte terremoto destruye por completo uno de los barrios más poblados de Constantinopla (Turquía), matando a más de 13.000 personas y agravando la decadencia en que se halla sumida la antigua capital bizantina. Se establecerá un impuesto especial para sufragar los trabajos de reconstrucción y se construirán más casas de madera. (Hace 515 años)

81

En Roma, y tras la muerte ayer de su hermano el emperador Tito, Domiciano es proclamado emperador por el senado y las guarniciones militares. Tratará de hacer frente a la corrupción y a la crisis agraria. Se enfrentará a los dacios, a los germanos y los sármatas. En septiembre de 96 sera asesinado en una conspiración palaciega en la que su esposa Domicia estará implicada. (Hace 1943 años)

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.18 (after 1920)

1922 – The Kingdom of Hungary is admitted to the League of Nations. 1927 – The Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air. 1928 – Juan de la Cierva makes the first Autogyro crossing of the English Channel. 1931 – Imperial Japan instigates the Mukden Incident as a pretext to invade and occupy Manchuria. 1934 – The Soviet Union is admitted to the League of Nations. 1939 – World War II: The Polish government of Ignacy Mościcki flees to Romania. 1939 – World War II: The radio show Germany Calling begins transmitting Nazi propaganda. 1943 – World War II: Adolf Hitler orders the deportation of Danish Jews. 1944 – World War II: The British submarine HMS Tradewind torpedoes Jun'yō Maru, killing 5,600, mostly slave labourers and POWs. 1944 – World War II: Operation Market Garden results in the liberation of Eindhoven. 1944 – World War II: The Battle of Arracourt begins. 1945 – General Douglas MacArthur moves his general headquarters from Manila to Tokyo. 1947 – The National Security Act reorganizes the United States government's military and intelligence services. 1948 – Operation Polo is terminated after the Indian Army accepts the surrender of the army of Hyderabad. 1948 – Margaret Chase Smith of Maine becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate without completing another senator's term. 1954 – Finnish president J. K. Paasikivi becomes the first Western head of state to be awarded the highest honor of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin. 1960 – Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. 1961 – U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in an air crash while attempting to negotiate peace in the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1962 – Burundi, Jamaica, Rwanda and Trinidad and Tobago are admitted to the United Nations. 1962 – Aeroflot Flight 213 crashes into a mountain near Chersky Airport, killing 32 people. 1964 – The wedding of Constantine II of Greece and Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark takes place in Athens. 1973 – The Bahamas, East Germany and West Germany are admitted to the United Nations. 1974 – Hurricane Fifi strikes Honduras with 110 mph winds, killing 5,000 people. 1977 – Voyager I takes the first distant photograph of the Earth and the Moon together. 1980 – Soyuz 38 carries two cosmonauts (including one Cuban) to the Salyut 6 space station. 1981 – The Assemblée Nationale votes to abolish capital punishment in France. 1982 – The Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon comes to an end. 1984 – Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic. 1988 – The 8888 Uprising in Myanmar comes to an end. 1988 – General Henri Namphy, president of Haiti, is ousted from power in a coup d'état led by General Prosper Avril. 1990 – Liechtenstein becomes a member of the United Nations. 1992 – An explosion rocks Giant Mine at the height of a labor dispute, killing nine replacement workers in Yellowknife, Canada. 1997 – United States media magnate Ted Turner donates US$1 billion to the United Nations. 1997 – The Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention is adopted. 2001 – First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks. 2007 – Buddhist monks join anti-government protesters in Myanmar, starting what some call the Saffron Revolution. 2011 – The 2011 Sikkim earthquake is felt across northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and southern Tibet. 2012 – Greater Manchester Police officers PC Nicola Hughes and PC Fiona Bone are murdered in a gun and grenade ambush attack in Greater Manchester, England. 2014 – Scotland votes against independence from the United Kingdom, by 55% to 45%. 2015 – Two security personnel, 17 worshippers in a mosque, and 13 militants are killed during a Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan attack on a Pakistan Air Force base on the outskirts of Peshawar. 2016 – The 2016 Uri attack in Jammu and Kashmir, India by terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed results in the deaths of nineteen Indian Army soldiers and all four attackers.

[lworbit]

Kittinger / 13.2.2020

[julio-viernes]

___

Otra baja a las baquetas es la de Martin Griffin de Hawkwind y Hawklords 1978- 83. Tocó en los LPs “25 Years On” (1978), “Sonic Attack” (1981),  “Church of Hawkwind” (1982) y “Choose Your Masques” (1982). Clip en homenaje al aviador y paracaidista Joe Kittinger.

[yo-sostenible]

La travesía en globo de Joe Kittinger sobre el Atlántico

Se cumplen 30 años de la travesía en globo de Joe Kittinger sobre el Atlántico. / Sinc Wearbeard Tras recorrer en tres días casi 6.000 kilómetros, el 19 de septiembre de 1984, el aviador y oficial de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos, Joe Kittinger se convirtió en la primera persona en cruzar en solitario el océano Atlántico en un globo de gas. Según cuentan las crónicas del momento, el…

[365daysofsnark]

September 18

Joe Kittinger completed the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on this day in 1984, landing in Montenotte, Italy. Hoping for a hero's welcome as he planted his flag, he was surprised to learn that the Italians had already been discovered some time ago.

[longislandairpower]

R.I.P. Joe Kittinger

[stone-cold-groove]

Captain Joe Kittinger (USAF) jumps from 102,800 feet reaching 614 miles per hour. Project Excelsior - 1960. 

[livingnomadstyle]

Do you know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is most known for? Some would say “where Bugs Bunny should have turned left” and others may even say the TV show Breaking Bad. But, before either of those were popular for Albuquerque, one of the things it was famous for was and still is hot air balloons. So, what better place to have an International Balloon Museum than Albuquerque?

Did you know that hot air balloons were the devices that allowed man to first fly? Did you know that studying balloons and doing tests in them paved the way for our space program? Did you know that a balloon was the platform for the highest altitude parachute jump in history? Neither did I! Hot air balloons have been a significant and important part in the history of our aerospace industry.

I learned all of that at the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. It is located at 9201 Balloon Museum Dr NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico. I honestly do not know what the admission price is. We went on a Sunday in the late morning and got in free. There is free admission from 9am to 1pm every Sunday. We went in June. I would suggest that you schedule things so that you do not try to visit during October. That is when they have a big Balloon Festival. By comparison, the parking lot had a couple of cars in it. However, we saw lanes that said “Trams Only” and a whole heck of a lot more parking. So, plan accordingly.

When you enter the museum, it opens up into a two-story open view with a blimp and balloons of all shapes and sizes in the background. The git shop is immediately to the right. You will want to go straight. This is where it begins the story of the flight of the first hot air balloon. It was September 19, 1783. The King of France, King Louie XVI, was worried about the safety of men in this new contraption, so he insisted on farm animals. So, the first animals to fly in a hot air balloon were a duck, a sheep and a rooster. Don’t worry, the animals landed safely.

From there, now that it was known that this can actually work, more and more people began to experiment with the hot air balloons. They used them for enjoying the views, travel, people would do tricks from them for entertainment and more. One man, Nadar Gaspar-Felix Tournachon, mounted a camera to the basket of the balloon and took the first aerial photograph 1200 feet over Paris, France in 1858. Men and women alike jumped into the ballooning world. And the museum goes into great detail telling you about each of them that were important in the history of the industry.

I also learned that a hot air balloon can lift about a 1/4 of an ounce for every cubic foot of hot air. So, in order to life one pound, you would need 64 cubic feet of air. That is a 4 foot x 4 foot x 4 foot cube of hot air for one pound of weight. To lift 1000 pounds, you need about 65,000 cubic feet of hot air. That is why they are so big. The average hot air balloon is 70,000 to 90,000 cubic feet. That is big enough to fit 22 or more grown elephants inside!

In addition, they began to experiment with different gases due to their ability to lift. For example, if you have a balloon that has 1000 cubic feet of space, the following gases are able to lift the corresponding weights:

Hot Air            26 pounds

Ammonia        31.7 pounds

Natural Gas    44.2 pounds

Helium            66 pounds

Hydrogen        71.2 pounds

So, you can see, it would be preferred to have hydrogen in the balloon to be able to lift the most. However, once the hydrogen is gone, you cannot just pick up and go again. So, hot air is the most versatile if you have an actual heat source.

Balloons developed from the common light bulb shape into long cylindrical shapes we call blimps. The USA even had a handful (4 to be exact) of them in military service: USS Shenandoah, USS Los Angeles, USS Akron and USS Macon. They used them for training, airmail delivery and fleet maneuvers. Every single one of them were lost in weather-related incidents.

Now, when I say blimp, most people think of one of two popular ones. We have the Goodyear Blimp. This is the blimp seen flying high over sports stadiums in the United States. It commonly is displaying some kind of electronic message on its side.

Then we have the infamous and less happy blimp, the Hindenburg. On May 6, 1937, a German airship, the Hindenburg, came from Germany and attempted to dock with a mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey. The blimp caught on fire and, because it was filled with hydrogen (very flammable) the whole blimp went up in a great ball of flames. There were 97 people on board. 35 died on the blimp and one ground crew perished.

Now then, in the 19050’s, the United States Government wanted to do tests at the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. Where do you think they turned to? Yep. Balloons again. They launched a 1200 pound aluminum, sphere gondola attached to a helium gas balloon to explore the Stratosphere. It was used to test cosmic ray detection, space suit development and planetary research.

Then, on August 16, 1960, Captain Joe Kittinger took the Excelsior III up. It was a helium gas balloon. And when I say up, I mean waaaaay up! He ascended 102,800 feet (31,333 m) and it took him one hour and 31 minutes to achieve this height. Kittinger maintained this peak altitude for 12 minutes until he was over the landing target area. Then this courageous man stepped out of the gondola to begin his descent. He free fell for over 4 minutes until his stabilizer parachute opened. He reached speeds of over 614 miles per hour (988 km/h) and subjected to temperatures as low as  −94 ��F (−70 °C). Then at 17,500 feet (5,334 m) Kittinger opened his main chute and landed in the New Mexico desert. The whole descent took 13 minutes and 45 seconds and set a world record for the highest parachute jump. Here is a clip of that historic jump.

I never knew how significant balloons were to our aeronautic and aerospace futures. Come to find out, they were absolutely integral. The museum actually has a short film that talks about the importance of balloons as it pertains to space flight. It is worth watching. In addition, there are more displays and stories about people who flew balloons through the arctic, across continents and more.

The museum was definitely an eye opening experience for me and the Nomads. We never knew balloons had such a fascinating history. If you are anywhere near New Mexico, it is worth the trip to stop in and check this place out. Allow yourself 2 to 3 hours and don’t go in October unless you want to fight crowds. Safe Travels.

International Balloon Museum Do you know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is most known for? Some would say "where Bugs Bunny should have turned left" and others may even say the TV show Breaking Bad.

[usafphantom2]

Colonel Kittinger reported:

At approximately 18 miles the system broke lock but it was quickly reacquired. A slow left turn ensued to keep the dot centered. Altitudes were slowly increased from 8,200 feet to 11,500 feet. The Vc on the scope was extremely difficult to interpret; however, it appeared that we were not really overtaking the target, so the outboard tanks were dropped. Heading of the aircraft changed to approximately 360° at time of firing. At approximately 6 miles the “in-range” light illuminated, followed by an increase in the ASE circle. Trigger was squeezed and crew felt a thump as the missile was ejected; however, missile motor did not ignite. The trigger was squeezed again and held for approximately 3 seconds; however missile did not fire. Trigger was squeezed again and missile #3 fired. The missile made a small correction to the left then back to the right and guided straight away. Pilot maintained the dot centered.

McDonnell F-4D-29-MC Phantom II 66-7463, flown by Captains Richie and DeBellevue, 28 August 1972. (U.S. Air Force)

Approximately 5 to 6 seconds after launch, detonation was observed. Almost simultaneously, two enemy missiles were observed coming from the vicinity of the detonation. Evasive action prevented more thorough observations of detonation. The flight turned to a heading of 210°, maintained 9,000 feet, airspeed 500 knots, and egressed the area.

— Aces and Aerial Victories: The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia 1965–1973, by R. Frank Futrell, William H. Greenhalgh, Carl Grubb, Gerard E. Hasselwander, Robert F. Jakob and Charles A. Ravenstein, Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF, 1976, Chapter III at Page 87.

Joe Kittinger is officially credited with the destruction of the MiG 21.

This McDonnell F-4D-29-MC Phantom II, 66-7463, was flown by LCOL Joe Kittinger and 1LT Hodgdon when they shot down a MiG-21, 1 March 1972. Flown by several different crews, this airplane is officially credited with shooting down 6 enemy fighters. It is on display at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. (U.S. Air Force)

[gonzalo-obes]

IMAGENES Y DATOS INTERESANTES DEL DIA 18 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2023

Día Internacional de la Igualdad Salarial, Día Mundial de la Ética Médica, Día Mundial del Control de la Calidad del Agua, Día Mundial del Bambú, Día Mundial del Síndrome de Pitt-Hopkins, Día Mundial de la Quiropraxia, Semana Internacional de las Personas Sordas, Semana Europea de la Movilidad, Año Internacional del Mijo y Año Internacional del Diálogo como Garantía de Paz.

Santa Ricarda, San José de Cupertino y San Ferréolo.

Tal día como hoy en el año 1812: Se extingue el fuego de Moscú, provocado por sus habitantes para evitar la entrada de Napoleón y sus tropas. Unas tres cuartas partes de la ciudad pudo quedar destruida por el fuego.

En 1851: Se funda el periódico The New York Times, en Nueva York

En 1928: Juan de la Cierva, a los mandos de su autogiro, realiza su primer vuelo a través del Canal de la Mancha.

En 1964: El ejército de la República Democrática de Vietnam inicia la invasión de Vietnam del Sur.

En 1973: Las Naciones Unidas admiten como miembros a las dos Alemanias y a Bahamas.

En 1977: La sonda espacial Voyager I realiza la primera fotografía desde el espacio en la que aparecen la Tierra y la Luna juntos.

En 1984: El aviador Joe Kittinger realiza el primer vuelo en solitario en un globo de gas a través del océano Atlántico.

En 2006: Desaparece Jorge Julio López en Buenos Aires (Argentina), uno de los principales testigos del juicio contra el excomisario Miguel Etchecolatz, quien estaba acusado por homicidios, torturas y desapariciones cometidas durante la dictadura.

En 2009: Ocurre una explosión de gas en la mina de carbón de Wujek-Slask, al sur de Polonia, en la que mueren doce mineros y quince resultan heridos.

En 2014: Se celebra en Escocia un referéndum para independizarse del Reino Unido.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.14 (after 1940)

1940 – Ip massacre: The Hungarian Army, supported by local Hungarians, kill 158 Romanian civilians in Ip, Sălaj, a village in Northern Transylvania, an act of ethnic cleansing. 1943 – World War II: The Wehrmacht starts a three-day retaliatory operation targeting several Greek villages in the region of Viannos, whose death toll would eventually exceed 500 persons. 1944 – World War II: Maastricht becomes the first Dutch city to be liberated by allied forces. 1948 – The Indian Army captures the city of Aurangabad as part of Operation Polo. 1954 – In a top secret nuclear test, a Soviet Tu-4 bomber drops a 40 kiloton atomic weapon just north of Totskoye village. 1958 – The first two German post-war rockets, designed by the German engineer Ernst Mohr, reach the upper atmosphere. 1960 – The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is founded. 1960 – Congo Crisis: Mobutu Sese Seko seizes power in a military coup, suspending parliament and the constitution. 1975 – The first American saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton, is canonized by Pope Paul VI. 1979 – Afghan leader Nur Muhammad Taraki is assassinated upon the order of Hafizullah Amin, who becomes the new General Secretary of the People's Democratic Party. 1982 – President-elect of Lebanon Bachir Gemayel is assassinated. 1984 – Joe Kittinger becomes the first person to fly a gas balloon alone across the Atlantic Ocean. 1985 – Penang Bridge, the longest bridge in Malaysia, connecting the island of Penang to the mainland, opens to traffic. 1989 – The Standard Gravure shooting where Joseph T. Wesbecker, a 47-year-old pressman, killed eight people and injured 12 people at his former workplace, Standard Gravure, before committing suicide. 1992 – The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declares the breakaway Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia to be illegal. 1993 – Lufthansa Flight 2904, an Airbus A320, crashes into an embankment after overshooting the runway at Okęcie International Airport (now Warsaw Chopin Airport), killing two people. 1994 – The rest of the Major League Baseball season is canceled because of a strike. 1997 – Eighty-one killed as five bogies of the Ahmedabad���Howrah Express plunge into a river in Bilaspur district of Madhya Pradesh, India. 1998 – Telecommunications companies MCI Communications and WorldCom complete their $37 billion merger to form MCI WorldCom. 1999 – Kiribati, Nauru and Tonga join the United Nations. 2000 – Microsoft releases Windows Me. 2001 – Historic National Prayer Service held at Washington National Cathedral for victims of the September 11 attacks. A similar service is held in Canada on Parliament Hill, the largest vigil ever held in the nation's capital. 2002 – Total Linhas Aéreas Flight 5561 crashes near Paranapanema, Brazil, killing both pilots on board. 2003 – In a referendum, Estonia approves joining the European Union. 2003 – Bissau-Guinean President Kumba Ialá is ousted from power in a bloodless military coup led by General Veríssimo Correia Seabra. 2007 – Financial crisis of 2007–2008: The Northern Rock bank experiences the first bank run in the United Kingdom in 150 years. 2008 – Aeroflot Flight 821, a Boeing 737-500, crashes into a section of the Trans-Siberian Railway while on approach to Perm International Airport, in Perm, Russia, killing all 88 people on board. 2015 – The first observation of gravitational waves is made, announced by the LIGO and Virgo collaborations on 11 February 2016. 2019 – Yemen's Houthi rebels claim responsibility for an attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. 2022 – Death of Queen Elizabeth II: The Queen's coffin is taken from Buckingham Palace, placed on a gun carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery and moved in a procession to Westminster Hall for her lying in state over the next four days with the queue of mourners stretching for miles along the River Thames.

[princess-of-songs]

My 100 favorite female characters

96. Jalander “Jal” Fazer

"I’ve been thinking about what Chris would have wanted me to say today. The advice he’d give me, which’d be something like, ‘Know what, babe? Fuck it. These guys know all about me. Tell them about someone else.’ So I thought I’d tell you about a hero of Chris’s, a man called Captain Joe Kittinger. In 1960, climbing into a foil balloon, Captain Joe ascended 32 kilometers into the stratosphere. And then, armed with only a parachute, he jumped out. He fell for four minutes and thirty-six seconds, reaching seven hundred and forty miles per hour before opening his parachute five kilometers above the Earth. It had never been done before, and it’s never been done since. He did it just because he could. And that’s why Chris loved him - because the thing about Chris was, he said yes. He said yes to everything. He loved everyone. And he was the bravest boy - man - I knew. And that was - he flung himself out of a foil balloon every day. Because he could. Because he was. And that’s why - and that’s why we, we loved him.”