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Dr. Bertrand Piccard

Bertrand Piccard was born in Lausanne, Switzerland into a family of explorers and scientists. Married and father of three children, this scientist-adventurer, psychiatrist and aeronaut combines science and adventure to explore the human soul. After a classical education, he studied medicine, became a senior consultant in a psychiatric hospital, and specialised jointly in psychiatry and psychotherapy for adults and children. An expert in hypnotherapy, he is a lecturer and supervisor for the Swiss Medical Hypnosis Society. Always interested in the study of human behaviour in extreme situations, he was one of the pioneers of hang gliding and microlight flying in the 1970s and became European champion in hang-glider aerobatics (1985). After qualifying as a balloon pilot, he won the first transatlantic balloon race (Chrysler Challenge, 1992) and then initiated the “Breitling Orbiter” project. Captain of the three attempts, he succeeded with Englishman Brian Jones, the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight, achieving the longest flight in terms of both duration and distance in the history of aviation: 45,755 kilometres in 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes, capturing a total of 7 world records. After this circumnavigation, considered the last great adventure of the 20th... Next

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