OLHZN-20 was the twentieth high altitude weather balloon flight for Overlook Horizon High Altitude Balloons.  This flight launched on September 5, 2019 at 7:35:06am EDT (11:35:06 UTC) from Canandaigua, NY. This flight was a top-secret collaboration project with popular YouTuber, Just Dustin.   Dustin contacted us in August 2019 and originally wanted to fly his YouTube Gold Play Button to the edge of space and back and film it.  We discussed numerous possibilities and setups and ultimately decided, due to the massive weight of the Gold Play Button, it would be best to operate a flight with his Silver Play Button instead.  We chose a date to correspond with the timeline in which Dustin wanted to publish his video in his rotation of weekly YouTube videos and we were off!  One of the things Dustin wanted to achieve was the highest altitude, within reason.  To accomplish that, we launched a light payload with minimal on-board items and hoped to reach over 112,500 FT, which was (still is) our personal max-altitude record, from OLHZN-9, but it was going to be close!  Ultimately, we came up just short as our balloon burst at 111,015 FT. in altitude.  This flight was a lot of fun.  Definitely go check out JustDustin’s video for his side of the story!

Flight Info

The maximum altitude achieved for this flight was 111,015 FT. (33,837 m) MSL which occurred 106 minutes into the flight at 9:22:02am EDT (13:22:02 UTC).

This payload landed 63.60 mi. (102.35 km) downrange from the launch site. The final landing occurred 2 hours, 25 minutes & 4 seconds after launch at 42.91091708, -76.0173157 at an altitude of 1,646 FT. (502 m)

The minimum recorded temperature was -70 °F (-56 °C) which occurred at an altitude of 56,416 FT. (17,196 m)

The maximum recorded temperature was 62 °F (16 °C) which occurred at an altitude of 816 FT. (249 m)

The maximum recorded horizontal ground speed was 91 mph (147 km/h) which occurred at an altitude of 45,859 FT. (13,978 m)

The fastest vertical free-fall speed achieved after balloon burst was recorded at 269 mph (433 km/h). This measurement occurred at an altitude of 70,684 FT. (21,544 m) shortly after the balloon burst event at 111,015 FT. (33,837 m) MSL

OLHZN-20 Max Altitude for JustDustin
OLHZN-20 JustDustin YouTube Play Button to Space
OLHZN-20 JustDustin YouTube Play Button to Space
OLHZN-20 Just Dustin YouTube Play Button to Space
OLHZN-20 JustDustin YouTube Play Button to Space
OLHZN-20 JustDustin YouTube Play Button to Space

Flight Data

Below is the collected flight data during the flight.  Note that this flight, in particular, had a much smaller sample size and recorded data points every 30 to 60 seconds as it used our micro-tracking system.  Other flights typically use our large flight computer and record data points every 1 second.

Flight Path Prediction vs. Actual

This map shows the pre-flight prediction path (purple) vs. the actual measured flight path (red).

Technical Specifications

  • Launch Time: September 5, 2019 at 7:35:06am EDT (11:35:06 UTC)

  • Launch Location: 42.90861742, -77.27265663 at 816 FT. (249 m)

  • Ascent Rate: 1,031fpm (5.24 m/s)

  • Burst Altitude: 111,015 FT. (33,837 m) MSL

  • Time to Burst: 106 minutes

  • Descent Time: 38 minutes

  • Descent Rate: 2,185fpm (11.10 m/s)

  • Landing Location: 42.91091708, -76.0173157 at 1,646 FT. (502 m)

  • Downrange Landing Distance: 63.60 mi. (102.35 km)

  • Landing Time: September 5, 2019 at 10:00:10am EDT (14:00:10 UTC)

  • Total Flight Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes & 4 seconds

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