oxford's historic flight re-created

OXFORD’S HISTORIC FLIGHT RE-CREATED

1784

T he city of Oxford is renowned the world over

for its stunning architecture and fascinating

history, the university buildings a constant

source of interest to residents and visitors alike. The

Tourism Company reported that in 2013 Oxford

attracted some nine and a half million visitors.

What is less known is that Oxford was the site of a historic flight by a local aeronaut. On 4 October 1784 James Sadler, a self educated Oxford pastry chef, took off from Merton Fields, near Christchurch in a balloon - thus becoming the first Englishman to fly.

The James Sadler Oxford Balloon Experience concept

is a passenger-carrying, replica tethered balloon that

is intended to rise 120 metres over the city to offer

spectacular views to both tourists and residents.

Situated in Oxford, it would allow passengers to

appreciate a landscape and cityscape in many ways

unchanged since Sadler’s pioneering flight. As with

cities such as Vienna, Paris and Berlin, it would

provide an elevated viewing platform for an unrivalled

appreciation of Oxford’s architectural heritage. The

passenger gondola carries 25-30 people and can

accommodate 3 wheelchairs in flight.

An intrinsic part of the concept is a planned education

centre that would inform visitors about James Sadler

and his largely overlooked role in Oxford’s history.

Together with other facilities, this centre will enhance

the educational aspect of the Experience.

We believe the James Sadler Oxford Balloon

Experience will captivate the interest of thousands

of tourists and corporate event organisers and

further complement existing tourist attractions

providing a key referral link to other points of

interest across the city.

The James Sadler Balloon Experience could very easily

be included on the city sightseeing tour bus routes and

has good links to the railway and coach stations.

THIS BROCHURE PRESENTATION CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING:

• An outline proposal of the attraction

• A brief account of the life and achievements of

James Sadler

• A presentation of the proposed education centre

• Some feedback on public opinion

• Technical specifications and safety issues

1784

T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E • P A G E 3

‘There is not a better chemist or mechanic in the universe, yet

he can hardly speak a word of grammar.’

SIR JOHN COXE HIPPISLEY

• To bring a tethered balloon to the City of Oxford

• To enable locals and visitors to enjoy a unique view of the city’s beautiful architecture, Dreaming Spires and landscape

• To restore the reputation of James Sadler, a local innovator who became an international celebrity and hero of science

• To introduce an original and educational tourist attraction to a currently underutilised area of Oxford, balancing footfall away from the busy city centre

Aside from the balloon and the education

centre, the James Sadler Balloon Experience

will offer the following opportunities and

benefits:

• Boost to local employment

• Attracting visitors to the area

• A sustainable green project, with extremely

low emissions and virtually no noise

• Full disabled access

• Benefits of education centre, equipped to take

a full class size (30) in balloon gondola

• Additional income and associated economic

benefits to the City

Additional Amenities• Customer shop/café

• Children’s play area

• Picnic tables on site

• Waste management

• Area security: CCTV

• Welfare facilities

James Sadler: Oxford Hero

James Sadler is this country’s true pioneer of

flight. He became the first Englishman to fly; an

accomplishment rendered even more remarkable by

achieving this landmark feat in a balloon he designed,

built and piloted himself. Furthermore he attained

this historic first here in Oxford.

Indeed, Sadler is the ultimate Oxford hero - and

uniquely his achievements bring together Town and

Gown. Unlike many of the greats associated with

Oxford, who have only resided here fleetingly during

their time at the University, Sadler was Oxford born and

bred. He was christened (in 1753) in the same church

where he is buried just off the city’s High Street. He

worked in an Oxford pastry shop before becoming a

laboratory assistant in the Old Ashmolean’s basement.

And it was Oxford where he achieved greatness.

Sadler attempted to launch his balloon secretly from

Christ Church Meadows in a pre-dawn flight in

October 1784. Fortunately for posterity, witnesses

were present and history was recorded, referred to

as a ‘Fire Balloon raised by means of rarefied air’. A

month later, he returned to his launch site, this time

advertising his intention in advance by displaying

the balloon in Oxford’s Town Hall and charging

townspeople a shilling to inspect it. In November the

same year he took off in front of a crowd of tens of

thousands and drifted towards Thame. On his return,

he was paraded around the city by jubilant crowds.

Oxford was the scene of Sadler’s first triumph and the

birthplace of English flight.

James Sadler: Pioneer of Flight

Always experimenting, within a month of the

historic first ascent Sadler had jettisoned hot

air balloons as redundant technology. His second

launch from Magdalen College was in a self-built gas

balloon, fuelled by primitive hydrogen he had created

at a time when the element was so new that the term

‘hydrogen’ had yet to be coined.

Unlike the Montgolfiers, who mistakenly concluded

that smoke was required for airborne propulsion,

Sadler took off from Oxford realising that the

properties of air are fundamentally altered by heat.

He covered his self-designed stove with a lid, showing

that smoke was irrelevant to the lifting process.

Perhaps the flying autodidact’s greatest achievement

was possessing the necessary scientific wisdom to

survive, in an era when most of his fellow pioneering

Proposal T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E • P A G E 5P A G E 4 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E

aeronauts perished. Pilâtre de Rozier may have been

the first person in human history to fly - ascending in

the Montgolfier brothers’ famous balloon in France in

late 1783 - yet a few months later he had also become

the first person to die in an aviation accident.

Sadler became an undisputed polymath - unprecedented

for someone without formal education yet ironically

growing-up under the long shadows cast by the

Dreaming Spires. Fittingly, his epitaph was uttered

during his lifetime, when the scientist Sir John Coxe

Hippisley was moved to observe in 1812: ‘There is not

a better chemist or mechanic in the universe, yet he can

hardly speak a word of grammar.’

James Sadler:

Scientific Innovator

Having made seven ascents between October 1784

and September 1785, culminating in a terrifying

crash in his final flight, he temporarily retired from

aeronautics. Next Sadler worked for the Royal Navy.

Noting through empirical experiments he designed and

conducted himself that nearly half of all British rifles

and cannons missed their intended target (the French!)

by several feet, he set about designing vastly more

efficient munitions. Shipboard cannons had a disturbing

tendency to blow up on deck, often posing more danger

to their operators than to their enemies.

‘Sadler is known from the humble cabbage seller to the

mightiest of lords.’ DAILY CHRONICLE

Sadler applied himself to rectifying the accuracy and

efficiency of British guns, modifying the Royal Navy’s

firepower to such an extent that he directly affected

the outcome of the war with Napoleon. Admiral Lord

Nelson certainly thought so, and expressed such an

opinion publicly: ‘I would take on board the Victory

as many guns as Mr Sadler could send alongside.’

Sadler patented a 32-pounder gun that was far more

accurate than its predecessor and only required three

men to operate instead of twelve. He conducted

research into copper sheathing of ships, distillation

of sea water and seasoning of timber, then invented

air pumps, signal lights and several models of steam

engine. He even started a mineral water company,

with a semi-automated bottling plant run by a self-

designed steam engine. Ingeniously his bottles carried

a trademark balloon motif!

‘I would take on board the Victory as many guns as Mr Sadler

could send alongside’ ADMIRAL LORD NELSON

James Sadler:

National Celebrity

With the exception of monarchs, hardly anyone

would have received mass recognition by their

face in the late eighteenth century. Yet engravings of

Sadler were big-selling, mass-produced items. Even

rarer for a celebrity of the age were his humble origins.

An uneducated pastry cook, he consorted with nobility,

admirals and Cabinet ministers at a time when

social mobility was unknown; he was even granted

an audience with the Queen. Adored by the British

public for fully fifty years, he is perhaps best summed

up by the Daily Chronicle: ‘Sadler is known from the

humble cabbage seller to the mightiest of lords.’

Part of Sadler’s appeal as a self-taught chemist, inventor

and engineer was undoubtedly enhanced by his image

as an old-fashioned, derring-do daredevil. Frequently

taking off in force 7 gales, crashing into hills and

plopping into seas, Sadler regularly survived basket-

splintering crashes in extraordinary acts of courage.

Twice he had to be rescued from the freezing waters of

open seas when fortuitously spotted by passing ships.

Fanned by Sadler’s achievements, Balloonomania duly

gripped a nation increasingly hysterical about human

flight. For several decades, the country went balloon

T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E • P A G E 7P A G E 6 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E

in the cylinder, which laid it open to claims of

infringement by Boulton and Watt. It worked at

a pressure of 19 pounds per square inch and was

self-contained and direct acting.

• 1791 Boulton and Watt threatened Sadler over his

supposed infringement of Watt’s patent

• 1791 Patent (no. 1812 of June 1791) for a

quite different type of steam engine, a rotatory

engine.

• His first wife probably died in or after 1791

• 1792-99 Several Sadler engines were built and

erected at Coalbrookdale, and in London.

• 1793 Beddoes left Oxford. He sent Sadler to

London to set up his Pneumatic Institute but

Bristol was soon chosen instead.

• 1795 Appointed barracks master at Portsmouth.

• 1796 Appointed chemist to the board of naval

works in London.

• 1796 Married a second time to Martha Hancock

in Bristol; they had a son (William) Windham

Sadler (1796–1824) in October 1796.

• Sadler also established a mineral water factory

near Golden Square in London.

• 1798 Patent for a double-cylinder engine

• 1799 Erected the Admiralty’s first steam engine at

Portsmouth. Sadler researched copper sheathing

of ships (with Humphrey Davy), distillation of

sea water, seasoning of timber, and gunpowder

combustion, and constructed air-pumps, signal

lights, and apparatus for producing oxygen.

Outside his naval work Sadler tried to improve

alum making. He was elected a life subscriber to

the Royal Institution in 1799.

• At some point was involved with his friend, Revd

Dr Henry Peter Stacy, in gun-boring experiments

in London.

• 1810 Resumed aeronautics professionally, using

his balloon trademark to sell soda water.

• By 1815 Sadler had achieved his forty-seventh

ascent.

• From 1824 Sadler lived in the London

Charterhouse from the second quarter of 1824.

His son Windham was killed in a ballooning

accident in September.

• 1827 Moved back to Oxford to live with his

family.

• 1828 Died in Oxford on 26 March, in George

Lane.

crazy - if you wanted to sell anything in this period

of British history then adding a balloon motif to your

product was mandatory: from snuff boxes to ladies’

under garments and bidets.

Yet Sadler maintained an enquiring scientific

mind throughout such celebrity status. Measuring

instruments and apparatus accompanied him on all

ascents. He was the first to measure “sky air” and

decipher its components - an unknown at a time

when some warned that he risked crashing into

heaven! Wherever he went, his balloon launches

would regularly attract an audience in excess of 30,000

people. Contemporary newspaper reports confirm that

entire towns and cities would close every shop, school

and factory for the day in Sadler’s honour.

James Sadler: Chronology• James Sadler (1753-1828), balloonist, engineer

and chemist, of Oxford

• 1753 born in Oxford and baptized there on

27 February 1753, elder son of James Sadler

(1718–1791), cook and confectioner and his wife,

Elizabeth (1718–1802).

• He and his brother Thomas (1756–1829) worked

in their father’s business.

• Married Mary. Four children born before 1785,

including John, their eldest son.

• 1784 Sadler released a 36 foot hydrogen balloon,

probably from the St Clement’s residence of John

Sibthorp, on 9 February. Constructed a 170 foot

hot-air balloon in which he made the first ascent

by an English aeronaut on 4 October; the balloon

rose to 3600 feet and landed 6 miles away after a

half-hour flight.

• 1785 Further balloon ascents were made; Sadler

then changed to other experiments.

• c.1785 was one of the first to use coal gas as an

illuminant.

• By 1786 was experimenting with driving a

wheeled-carriage using a steam engine.

• From about 1788 to 1790 Sadler was technical

operator in the chemical laboratory at Oxford

University.

• 1789-90 Gave public performances “of

philosophical fire-works” in Oxford Town Hall.

• Sadler was closely involved with Thomas

Beddoes, reader at Oxford University; Beddoes

and his friend William Reynolds encouraged

Sadler to experiment further with his steam

engine. This engine did not condense steam

T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E • P A G E 9P A G E 8 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E

James Sadler: The Legacy

This was not someone merely popularising the

scientific achievements of the age. Sadler’s lasting

legacy is that he showed how scientific progress could

be shared with the masses. He lectured to the Oxford

public on ‘Philosophical Fireworks’ in the Town Hall

while being simultaneously championed and patronised

by several dons at the University who described him

as ‘a clever, practical, experimental manipulator in

chemistry’. Bridging the age-old divide between Town

and Gown, his natural intelligence and ambition

enabled him to overcome his lack of education and low

social origins. He invented steam engines to rival James

Watts’ suspiciously similar designs and brought the first

street-lighting to Liverpool. After a 24-year absence

from aviation, Sadler the original aeronaut returned

to ballooning to mark the installation of Oxford

University’s new chancellor in 1810. He was still flying

solo balloon ascents well into his sixties where he

reached an incredible total of fifty ascents.

Sadly Sadler’s good fortune was not hereditary; his son

Windham’s balloon fatally crashed into a chimney.

After his son’s demise Sadler returned to Oxford, where

he died in George Lane (now George Street) in 1828.

All stars eventually lose their brightness. Sadler went

from being one of the biggest celebrities in Britain for

fully fifty years to almost total obscurity. However, with a

recent feature on the national BBC News, two dedicated

biographies about to be published and a planned BBC1

film, Sadler’s name is set to rise once again.

P A G E 4 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E • P A G E 1 1P A G E 1 0 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E

HIGHER, FURTHER, FASTER: A hands-on exhibition about the history

and science of balloon flight

The vivid story of James Sadler, Britain’s first balloonist, gives an unparalleled opportunity to explore the exciting science of ballooning, past and present. From materials science to key topics in physics including

heat, force and speed, this exhibition offers the chance for visitors to discover and understand for themselves the science behind the story of Oxford’s pioneering inventor and aviator.

2. Gases: how to inflate a balloonBalloonists like the Montgolfier brothers thought you

had to fill a balloon with smoke. But James Sadler

knew they were wrong - you needed a gas less dense

than air. So what did Sadler know about the physics

of making a balloon fly? What gadget did he invent

to help his balloons work? And what gases do we use

today to make balloons fly, and why?

Interactive exhibits:

The power of air: use an Airzooka to send a vortex of

air blasting across the room, and see how air might

be invisible, but it has mass and substance. Fill the

Airzooka with smoke, and you can see the vortex

made by the air.

Air maze: for younger visitors, see the power of air to

push balls around our maze of tubes.

Solid to gas: before your very eyes, see a lump of

solid carbon dioxide turn straight into gas, creating

swirling, misty patterns - and learn about the different

states of matter.

The right gas for the job: in this fun interactive game,

compete against other visitors to select a suitable gas

for your balloon - avoiding those that are too heavy,

too expensive, or too explosive!

3. Forces: how to get a balloon off the ground

James Sadler was all-too-aware of the dangers getting

your balloon to fly high - he cheated death many times.

So what are the forces that a balloon must overcome to

get off the ground? How can balloonists control their

height and speed, and how can they stay safe?


Hot air balloon model: activate our hot-air balloon

model and see it inflate and rise into the air in the

centre of the gallery. Learn about the force of gravity

that initially holds the balloon down, and how, once

V isitors will be able to trace the story

of Sadler’s life and exploits through

a series of hands-on and colourful

graphic displays, each based around a key

scientific principle. Family visitors, school groups

and overseas visitors alike will enjoy first-hand

demonstrations and interactives, grasping how they

apply to historic hot-air and gas balloons as well

as to contemporary leisure, weather and research

balloons. Their visit, culminating in an ascent in

a tethered gas balloon, will bring both history and

scientific principles fully to life.

The hands-on exhibition will draw on knowledge

and experience from Britain’s top interactive

galleries and communicate principles from Key

Stage Two primary level science. By linking historic

and modern balloon science, the exhibition will

present fundamental scientific principles against

the backdrop of James Sadler’s unique story.

In outline, the content could include:

1. Materials: how to make a balloonJames Sadler chose to make his balloons out of silk -

colourful, light and strong. But do we use the same

materials today? And what properties do different

materials have that make them good for ballooning?


Mystery materials: feeling inside boxes, visitors try

to describe the texture of the materials within - and

whether they have any place in making a balloon as

Sadler would have known them. Visitors can then

reveal how the materials - silk, rope, wood, metal,

animal bladder etc were used by early balloonists.

Modern materials under the microscope: since the

1950s, rip-stop nylon has been a material of choice

for ballooning - see this fabric and other modern

materials under the microscope and learn what makes

them so special.

T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E • P A G E 1 3P A G E 1 2 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E

5. Height, speed, distance: how to break records in a balloonJames Sadler travelled at up to 94 miles per hour by

balloon, when the usual travel speed was that of a horse.

On his very first balloon flight on 4 October 1784, he

rose about 3,600 ft (1097m) in the air, seeing a view no

one had seen before. How did Sadler manage to avoid

the dangers of ballooning that later claimed the life of

his son? And what are the big ballooning achievements

today, for manned or unmanned flights?


Help Sadler stay alive: play a game, presented on touch

screen or as a board game, to see if you can avoid the

storms, trees and other dangers of a balloon ride - and

catch the right breeze to get to your destination without

having to vent too much hot air or run out of fuel.

Record-breakers’ video wall: from Per Lindstrand to

Felix Baumgartner, explore a video database of record-

breaking balloon flights and daredevil stunts

6. Aerial science: how balloons can reveal secrets James Sadler was the first Englishman to fly, and today

you can see the view that he saw from our balloon.

Balloons are increasingly important for science,

archaeology and for gathering data. How do unmanned

weather balloons supply vital atmospheric information?

And how are they helping reveal secrets about our

landscape and our planet?


Balloons to the rescue: in this interactive and easily

updated touchscreen database, find out about the latest

science stories in which balloons will reveal data about

the weather (balloons launched in Malawi), promise to

bring internet access to those in remote areas (Google’s

Loon project), and are destined to lift huge cranes at

major seaports (the Tethered Air project).

the balloon is filled with hot air, it rises through

buoyancy.

Bubble tube: see how bubbles of different gases and

temperatures of air move through tubes of liquid,

observing that warmer air takes up more space than

cold air and that warm air bubbles rise more quickly

Balloon workshop: in a special hands-on workshop,

build and fly your own tissue paper balloon.

4. Heat, temperature and energy: how to make a balloon flyJames Sadler was one of the first people to fly a balloon

using coal gas, a form of energy only just being

understood. He also used his knowledge of heat energy

to invent and patent a rotary steam engine used in

London and Shropshire. But how and why does the

heat of the atmosphere change as you rise up into the

air during a balloon flight?


Heat camera: use a thermographic camera to see what’s

warmer and colder around you - and on you. Point

the camera at the hot air balloon exhibit to see its

temperature change.

The weather report: learn how the atmosphere changes

temperature as you rise up, and try your hand at

giving the atmospheric weather report in our very own

weather TV studio

Energy show: put your goggles on for an energetic

exploration of the energy stored away in different fuels

- gas and liquid.



Hands-on weather: explore what we know about the

atmosphere today from satellites and balloon data, and

see it projected onto a real-time globe.

Aerial puzzles: balloons give you an amazing view of our

planet. See if you can piece together these aerial images

of familiar places (e.g. Stonehenge, the Pyramids, the

Sheldonian Theatre) - and work out what they show.

7. Future of transport: how balloon travel might returnJames Sadler had lowly beginnings as a pastry chef, and

had to overcome the scepticism of the more educated

residents of Oxford that he could do what he claimed.

Yet in his lifetime he became enormously successful and

celebrated - and now, balloons are incredibly popular

again. What are the advantages and disadvantages of

the ways we fly now? It might seem unlikely, but could

airships and balloons be a viable alternative for flight

and commercial transport today?

Festo interactive flying penguin: see how the helium-

filled Festo penguin flies, and investigate how to make

agile and manoeuvrable flying objects by learning

from nature.

Fly the airship: try our simulator of an airship and

compare its cost, capacity and environmental impact to

that of an aircraft.

8. Science myths, science fact: how we can follow in Sadler’s footstepsAlthough it’s hard to believe now, James Sadler had

been warned that sky dragons might come and attack

him on his balloon flight. Some people also thought

you could row through the air with a paddle. So how

do inventors like him help us go from myth to fact?

What does it take to be an inventor, an explorer, a

risk-taker, and overcome sceptics like he did? Do you

think you can take up the challenge and help build

the future?


Your big science questions: what scientific problem or

daily challenge would you like to solve in your lifetime?

What invention or discovery would make your life

better? Leave your video on our special exhibit.

GENDER

Male 255 51.00%

Female 245 49.00%

500 100.00%

AGE

21 - 40 199 39.80%

41 - 60 117 23.40%

16 - 20 100 20.00%

61+ 84 16.80%

500 100.00%

TYPE OF RESPONDENT

Resident of Oxfordshire 228 45.60%

Tourist/Visitor 142 28.40%

Professional 72 14.40%

Student 58 11.60%

500 100.00%

Survey ResultsThese are the results from a survey conducted in

Oxford City Centre during July and August 2013.

Of the 500 responses, the sample was broken down

as follows:

1. A tethered balloon ride would be a good way to

experience views of Oxford?

2. Other historic cities have tethered balloons. How

would you feel about one being situated in Oxford?

3. Do you think a tethered balloon would be in keeping

with the regeneration of the Oxpens Meadow

Agree 264 52.80%

Strongly Agree 198 39.60%

Neutralal 25 5.00%

Disagree 12 2.40%

Strongly Disagree 1 0.20%

500 100.00%

Support 254 50.80%

Strongly Support 176 35.20%

Neutral 47 9.40%

Object 20 4.00%

Strongly Object 3 0.60%

500 100.00%

Yes 472 94.40%

No 22 4.40%

Maybe 6 1.20%

500 100.00%


The Lindstrand HiFlyer Tethered Balloon• Passenger carrying captive helium balloon

• 72-foot (22-metre) diameter balloon

• High tensile wire tether

• Reaches a maximum height of 500 feet (150 metres)

• Operates in wind speed of up to 25 knots

• Gondola can carry up to 30 passengers including up

to 3 disabled passengers

• Standard 15-minute ride cycle can be increased or

reduced as preferred

• 50-metre diameter mooring platform

The Balloon Net• Carries entire structural load from the envelope to

the winch cable

• Manufactured by Aircraft Engineers from high

tenacity polyester yarn

• Load shared by 192 elements

• The net has the same life expectancy as the envelope

The Gondola• Aircraft quality stainless steel

• Non-slip marine plywood floor

• Enclosed by mesh to prevent ejection of objects

• Single inwards opening entry and exit doors secured

with a twin-locking mechanism

• Circular walkway accommodates a standard

wheelchair

• Gondola designed to remain firmly on the ground

between flights - even in high wind conditions

Training, Safety and ControlHiFlyer Training

• We engage and train all staff in HiFlyer balloon

operations, mandatory for all pilots

• Staff will understand full emergency recovery and

receive Training Certificate levels 1 and 2


Redundancy and Safety• PLC disabled: key switch recovery

• Main motor disabled: auxiliary motor recovery

• Main power lost: generator recovery

• In an emergency the HiFlyer can be recovered by:

Ground station

Venting helium

Hand crank: handle fitted to the auxiliary motor

Pulley system

Generator back-up system fitted as standard

Auxiliary motor back-up system

Approval and CertificationFounded by legendary aeronautical engineer,

Per Lindstrand, the Lindstrand factory has been based

at the same site in Oswestry for over 30 years. The

company produces some of the most advanced lighter-

than-air vehicles and inflatable structures globally.

There are presently forty Hiflyers in operation in

eighteen countries.

Lindstrand Technologies Ltd. is certified by the pan-

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the

British CAA as a Design, Production and Maintenance

Organization under Part 21.

About the James Sadler Oxford Balloon ExperienceWe have chosen Per Lindstrand’s company Lindstrand

Technologies as our partners for their wealth of

experience in setting up similar projects around the

globe-making them the world leaders in balloon

technology.

“James Sadler has been a hero of mine

for some time and I have had a picture

of his Oxford ascent on my wall since the

mid 70’s. His amazing career from that

of a pastry chef to an acclaimed scientist

is nothing less than remarkable and it

is high time that his achievements were

remembered. To have a tethered aerostat

dedicated to his name in Oxford would

be the perfect recognition and something

which he richly deserves.”

PER LINDSTRAND Leading balloon specialist and world record holder

P A G E 2 2 • T H E J A M E S S A D L E R O X F O R D B A L L O O N E X P E R I E N C E

CONTRIBUTORS:

DAVE DAVIES & DAVE DUNPHY - DIRECTORS

With a background is in the construction and

renewable energy sectors, both company directors,

Dave Davies and Dave Dunphy, have achieved

significant success with design and build construction

projects that include architectural concept through to

implementation.

RICHARD O. SMITH - AUTHOR • SCREENWRITER

Richard is an author, screenwriter and an Oxford

Times columnist who has lived in Oxford for over

twenty years. He has written regularly for BBC2’s Dara

O’Briain’s Science Club, BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show

and The News Quiz, and was the principal screenwriter

for Rupert Grint and Rob Brydon’s latest movie The

Unbeatables. His books include Oxford Student Pranks

(“A jam-packed jamboree of jollity” - Dr Lucy Worsley),

Britain’s Most Eccentric Sports and last year’s Amazon no.

1 bestseller in humour As Thick As Thieves. His book The

Man with His Head in the Clouds is the first biography of

the first Englishman to fly - Oxford’s own James Sadler.

JAMES FERGUSON - PUBLISHER • WRITER

James is a publisher and writer who has lived in Oxford

for forty years. He has published several books on

Oxford, including The Man with His Head in the Clouds.

MARK J. DAVIES - LOCAL HISTORIAN

Mark is an Oxford local historian and guide, with a

special interest in the history and literature of the

non-University aspects of the city. He has written and

published several local interest books with a focus

on the city’s waterways, its castle, and the influence

of the River Thames on Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’. His

biography of James Sadler - “King of all Balloons”: the

Adventurous Life of James Sadler, First English Aeronaut

- was published in November 2015. Fully illustrated, the

book is also a tribute to Sadler’s tragically short-lived

balloonist son, Windham, who himself made more than

thirty ascents, including in Ireland and Scotland.

PHIL PIKE - MARKETING EXECUTIVE

Phil is an entertainment guru who has conceived and

created visitor experiences around the world.

Pike says: ‘It is a great pleasure for me to be involved with

the James Sadler Experience. It will without doubt be a

world class visitor attraction for Oxford.’

Phil Pike started his career at The London Palladium

before becoming the Production Show Producer for

The Hippodrome London and then spending 15 years

opening Tussauds Group experiences including Madame

Tussauds visitor attractions, theme Parks such as Porta

Ventura in Spain and Alton Towers the UK and “in

capsule” entertainment for The London Eye.

REBECCA MILEHAM - MUSEUM CONSULTANT

With over fifteen years’ experience in the museums

sector, and a background in physics, Rebecca specialises

in developing exhibition concepts and interpretation.

She spent ten years at the Science Museum in London,

firstly as an Explainer in the hands-on galleries and

then in exhibition development. Now Rebecca has a

wide portfolio of museum interpretation and writing

projects, working on award-winning touring exhibitions

(1001 Inventions, about the scientific heritage of

Muslim civilisation; Universe of Sound, created by the

Philharmonia Orchestra) and with many UK museums.

Rebecca also delivers popular training courses in text-

writing and interpretation, and is a science journalist

and author.

ANDREW LOVE - GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Andrew is a designer based in Oxford with more than

twenty years experience in predominately marketing

and corporate identity.

for more information please email:[email protected]

The tethered balloon at the heart of The James Sadler Oxford Balloon Experience will seek to replicate the

distinctive look of the aeronaut’s pioneering prototype - but with state-of-the-art facilities, access and safety features.

oxford's historic flight re-created

Documents