The SolVin Bretzel : the new generation of canopy raft
A light platform 400 m² in area and weighing 500 kg; each of the rings measures 12m in length; it is made of UV-resistant PVC pontoons connected by a net.
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The idea
1783. François Pilâtre de Rozier and the marquis d’Arlandes performed the first human flight in a hot air balloon, between the Château de la Muette and the Butte aux Cailles.
A spoilsport asked an elegant elderly man with long white hair:
- Sir, to what use do you think balloons can be put?
To the delight of those taking part, the elderly man reflected an instant and smiled before replying:
- Sir, to what use can a new-born child be put?
The name of the elderly gentleman was Benjamin Franklin."
Bernard Marck - History of aviation
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February 1974, during a journey into French Guyana in the company of a group of students of tropical botany, the idea of studying the canopy (the top layer of large trees in primary forests) on board a dirigible occurred to Professor Francis Hallé. Until that time the canopy had only been observed from debris that had fallen to the forest floor. When he returned home, several tests on board hot air balloons confirmed the feasibility of the project.
In 1983, he met the pilot Dany Cleyet-Marrel who was delighted to find a scientific use for hot air balloons.
The same year, but independently, Gilles Ebersolt had already designed the Canopy Raft and was looking for finance so he could construct it.
Their meeting, in November 1983, marked the start of this tremendous adventure.
