Printable Biography of Brian Jones

The first men to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon, Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard have joined the ranks of legendary aviators. Sharing the story of an ordinary man who rises to extraordinary heights of achievement, Jones takes his audiences on the adventure of a lifetime, tackling obstacles of weather, political intrigue, sub-zero temperatures and sleep deprivation. Images captured from the Breitling Orbiter 3 bring to life the glories as well as the trials of his 30,000-mile flight.

To fly a balloon around the world is no simple feat. Some may say that it depends entirely on luck. It doesn't. In ballooning, as in business, you create your own luck. You use your knowledge, skills, imagination and expertise to exploit the opportunities presented to you. Certainly you can plan, but you must also respond rapidly and flexibly when unexpected challenges arise.

A balloonist since 1986, Jones served as an on-the-ground project manager for previous global attempts and oversaw construction of the Breitling’s gondola and flight systems. In addition to setting seven world records in the Orbiter 3, Jones and Piccard won a million-dollar prize, which they used to set up a foundation for children suffering in unreported or forgotten circumstances throughout the world. Jones is also co-author of Around the World in 20 Days.

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Ordinary Heroes: With his natural ability for communicating with an audience, Jones inspires listeners with his real-life example of an ordinary man who has risen to extraordinary heights of achievement. With typical British humor and humility he describes what was undoubtedly the greatest adventure in the history of aviation when he and his Swiss co-pilot Bertrand Piccard became the first men to circumnavigate the globe in a balloon. Yet behind the success of this non-stop 20 day, 29,000 mile epic journey lies seemingly insurmountable challenges of doing what no one had ever done before. With Jones, you will live through and rise above the obstacles that caused previous attempts to fail--hostile political conditions which threatened to abort the flight; and surviving the challenging living conditions, including life-threatening storms and severe icing, limited oxygen and sleep, poison fumes in the capsule, and finally utter exhaustion. With the added advantage of a business background, Jones is able to subtly draw on the strong parallels between his adventure and how enterprises and the teams within them must operate in their chosen fields to achieve their goals. Following a roller-coaster ride of emotions, audiences emerge energized and enthusiastic to face the turbulence of everyday life and work, which lies ahead, with a clearer vision of how to navigate their own course through the horizons of the future.