Having flown around the world in the Voyager, and then again in his experimental Long-EZ, Dick Rutan was intrigued by world flight. He had never circled the globe in a balloon...

The first attempt in the Global Hilton ended with a dramatic bail out of the pilots; Dick's third life saving parachute jump. See bail out decision pilot report

Moments after landing on terra firma, Dick vowed to try again. The World Quest Balloon project ceased after a rival team conquered the milestone in March of 1999.