Homemade Balloon Crossed Iron Curtain

In 1979, eight East Germans from two families crossed the Iron Curtain in a homemade hot-air balloon built with taffeta, a sewing machine, a motorcycle-engine blower, propane tanks, and a homemade flamethrower. The successful balloon used 1,250 square meters of fabric. After a 28-minute nighttime flight, the families landed near Naila in West Germany.

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