Cabin shell sample, from hot-air balloon ‘Daffodil II’ cabin: 1974 world altitude record holder

Cabin shell woven-roving carbon fibre and fibre-glass sheet sample; a taped-on label reads: “Sample piece of cabin shell made before construction of cabin”, designed by Roger Munk at Aerospace Developments, London, England, and Tony Offredi, England and constructed by Maidboats Limited, Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, 1973. From high altitude, pressurized hot-air balloon cabin: ‘Daffodil II’, with the overall design specification by Julian Nott, England; cabin shell structure designed by Roger Munk at Aerospace Developments, London, England, and Tony Offredi, England; and constructed by Maidboats Limited, Thames Ditton, Surrey, England, 1973. On 25th February 1974, Julian Nott and Felix Pole used ‘Daffodil II’, to break the world hot-air balloon altitude record. They reached a height of 13,961 metres near Lake Bhopal, central India.