Keywords
Citation
(1999), "Richard Branson deflated but buoyant", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 8 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.1999.07308dad.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited
Richard Branson deflated but buoyant
Inclusion in this section does not imply that these products, or companies/organizations, are recommeded or approved by the editor or publisher.
Richard Branson deflated but buoyant
Keywords: Fabrics
Richard Branson has given the "thumbs-up" to a revolutionary new material being developed for some of the toughest high performance applications anywhere in the world, following his latest attempt to be the first to fly non-stop round the world by balloon.
Branson and his co-pilots Steve Fossett and Per Lindstrand were plucked from the Pacific, ten miles north of Honolulu by two US Coastguard helicopters on Christmas Day, wearing emergency survival suits made with "Therma-Float" TM, a super-thin lightweight flexible insulation and buoyancy rated fabric now being evaluated by specialist manufacturers and military forces around the world.
Commenting graphically on the ditching, when bad weather forced their eight storey high balloon to ditch after a 12,500 mile journey across 97 countries at speeds of 200 mph and altitudes in excess of 27,000 feet, Richard Branson said: "As water started to come into the capsule we were fortunate to throw ourselves clear of it whilst being dragged, bouncing across the sea for a few miles by the attached balloon, amidst horrendous swells".
"Our prior experience training with the suits in this new fabric before the launch in Marrakech certainly proved valuable", he added. "It's not the first thing you think about when ditching, but you are definitely grateful for it afterwards".
The ICO Global Challenger crew required suits which would provide both buoyancy and good thermal properties to keep them afloat and warm but without hindering their movement, in a very tight capsule.
Royal Navy Chief Survival Instructor, Colin Towell, on secondment for the project was responsible for finding a suitable fabric, and said of his selection. "Time spent in the sea is critical in these conditions, and optimum movement is also a key factor, particularly in evacuation procedures. The Therma-Float fabric is a significant advance; we found its resistance to cold, extraordinary buoyancy and light weight perfect for this critical application".
The fabric is finding applications not only for use in the most extreme conditions, but also for a wide range of lifestyle clothing and kit for leisure activities. Evaluations are underway for military and commercial survival blankets, and uniforms, sleeping bags, tents, life rafts, mountaineering and rescue clothing, ski rescue clothing, plus ski-wear and work-wear; in the offshore exploration and fishing industries and refrigerated storage industries; balloon and airship production; even in such diverse applications as emergency planning and disaster relief, climbing, rambling, caving, angling and - most notably - water sports and sailing.
In the past inherently floatable and thermal garments have had shortcomings, in areas such as limitation in body weight, heat retention, and in being inherently bulky. This new material has a sleek profile which does not encumber the wearer when used as an interlining in protective clothing, and it is easily contoured throughout the whole garment whilst maintaining the drape properties of the chosen outer fabric, thus increasing the surface area of the buoyant material.
Contact for further information: Stephen Maynard, Managing Director, Therma-Float Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1625 251000.