Tim Cole

Timothy Scot Cole (born 11 November 1945) is the balloonist who designed and built the Spirit of Freedom balloon capsule. This was the first aircraft of any type to carry a solo pilot around the world. In 2002 pilot Steve Fossett flew the Spirit of Freedom on the first successful nonstop solo circumnavigation flight.

Life and career

Born Timothy Scot Cole on November 11, 1945, in Sarasota, Florida. Became a lifelong Colorado resident after moving there at age 15, he lives in Greeley, Colorado with his wife Vikki. They have twin children Timothy and Elizabeth. From Greeley, Colorado, Cole made a world-record solo duration flight in an ammonia gas balloon on September 26, 1991; the National Aeronautics Association declared it one of ten most important flights that year. He was on the team for Fossett"s around the world attempts in 1997 and 1998.

Tim Cole was the flight director for the project Two Eagles Across the Pacific by Balloon for pilots Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev. Cole supervised system operational readiness, improvements, and design changes. On January 31, 2015, the Two Eagles flight surpassed the gas balloon records for distance set by the Double Eagle V and duration set by the Double Eagle II. The Two Eagles' distance was and the Two Eagles balloon stayed aloft for 160 hours, 38 minutes (6 days, 16 hours, 38 minutes).

In 1995, he was awarded the "Diplome Montgolfier," ballooning's highest honor, by the Balloon Federation of America and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).