We will analyze the inflation of large balloons with helium using the example of inflating a meter balloon.
Balloon name and size
A 36" latex balloon is called by various names:
- a three-foot ball, because 36" (inches) is 3` (feet);
- a meter ball, because 36 "is 91 cm, i.e. almost a meter;
- olympic ball.
A meter balloon is inflated to different sizes: the diameter of the inflated balloon varies from 70 to 90 cm. All these are the same "meter" balloons.
The larger the diameter of the inflated balloon, the more helium is consumed, the greater the lifting force of the balloon.
The difference in numbers is big, but in appearance the balls with a diameter of 78 and 86 cm are practically the same.
An inflated meter-long balloon keeps well for a day and a half, then its size begins to decrease. After two or three days, the diameter of the ball will be 50 - 60 cm.
It is not recommended to inflate meter-sized balloons with a diameter greater than 86 cm. Firstly, such balloons will become out of round, overinflated and will burst from any impact. Secondly, the width of the doors will not allow such balls to be carried into the premises.
The size of the inflated balloons is easy to control. To do this, the balloon is placed between the limiters: two large objects, and inflated until the inflated balloon begins to come into contact with these objects. As limiters, you can use a wall and a large box (as in the video), a pair of chairs with large backs, the distance between the wall and the cylinder is 40 liters, etc. The distance between the limiters is controlled with a tape measure.
Ball pre-stretch
36" ball: before and after air stretch
The benefits of pre-stretching are obvious:
- balls with factory defects are detected in advance, i.e. they burst when inflated with free air, and expensive helium is not wasted;
- the walls of the stretched balloons are less elastic, therefore, when inflating, helium savings will be about 10%;
- the excess helium pressure inside the stretched balloon will be less, so the balloon will sag for several days longer.
Inflating meter balloons with helium
A meter balloon is inflated with helium at a low speed: the inflation time is 60 ... 100 seconds. The fact is that the compressed helium, leaving the cylinder, is strongly cooled. Slow inflation allows the helium inside the balloon to heat up and take on normal pressure.
If a one meter balloon is inflated very quickly, it will be inflated with cold helium. After a short time, the helium will heat up, the helium pressure will increase, and the balloon will increase in size. For example, if you inflate a meter balloon with helium to a size of 86 cm very quickly, then when the helium heats up, the balloon will try to increase to 93 cm and, most likely, will burst.
Tying and tying the ball
A lack of knowledge, together with an excess of money and enthusiasm, sometimes leads to misunderstandings. And the desire to get into the Guinness Book of Records at the same time - and does catastrophes.
Vlad Smirnov
It was September 1986. A rich, quiet time in America. Wealth was growing, there were enough loans for cars and houses, milkshakes were drunk regularly and with pleasure, and the last part of the original Star Wars trilogy had just died down in cinemas. solar time when the trees were big!
However, it was this year that a couple of man-made bells rumbled on one and the other side of the Iron Curtain: the Challenger and Chernobyl. However, for the most part, people have not yet thought about the consequences of these disasters. It seemed that this was an accidental failure, an unfortunate misunderstanding on the way to a brighter future, where starships plow the expanses of the Universe, and well-fed and happy people look into the sky without fear. blue sky full of funny balloons.
Approximately according to this scenario, a charity holiday in Cleveland, which was organized by the United Way Foundation in September 1986, was supposed to take place. During the event, it was planned to break the world record for the number of helium balloons launched into the sky. Don't ask me how, but all this was somehow supposed to contribute to helping the homeless, the hungry in Africa, as well as the undereducated sections of the population.
It would seem that a festive cloud of balloons can be fraught with bad things? The whole of Cleveland and even the whole state of Ohio enthusiastically participated in the event and bought a United Way subscription - two balloons per dollar. Children distributed balloon coupons in schools. Meanwhile, the black angels of man-made disasters, having made a circle over the planet, on a strafing flight returned straight to the central square of Cleveland. No one could have imagined that a fun city festival would end in one of Ohio's biggest environmental disasters...
fatal morning
The organization of the "ball" record was carried out by Treb Heining's Balunfest company. Treb was a kind of holiday guru. It was he who organized "Welcome!" from the balloons that flew into the sky at the 1984 Olympics in the United States. It was he who arranged the rise of a million balloons for the thirtieth anniversary of Disneyland. In Cleveland, Balunfest faced a new challenge. It was necessary to first hold in a small space in the central square, and then send two million spherical objects into flight.
Treb didn't lose face. To resolve the issue, he attracted a company that was engaged in the supply of cables for the spaceport. From these same space cables, a mesh was woven, which covered a metal frame measuring 76 by 46 meters. The structure was installed right on the central square, near the main city tower of Cleveland. The holiday was scheduled for September 27th.
Even in the evening, students and other volunteers began to flock to the square, who were attracted to inflate balloons. Several thousand people had to participate in this process, otherwise the record would not have succeeded. At midnight, people merrily puffed with helium balloons, talked, watched with delight how a moving multi-headed creature grew under the net.
In the morning, disturbing news spread across the square. Forecasters gave an unfavorable forecast. A front of cold air was advancing on the city, and the holiday was in jeopardy. It was decided to stop at one and a half million balls and launch them as soon as possible ...
Catastrophe
There is a photograph of the Cleveland Balloon Festival taken from an industrial area on the river bank, not far from downtown. These are very impressive photos! They show how on the morning of September 27 a huge mass of multi-colored balls, like a sultan of dense smoke, rose above the main city tower. The mass appears orange, although all the particles in this cloud are actually different colors.
A girl named Jane Cahoon, who was a journalist for a local newspaper and was present at the square, recalls this spectacle: “There were about two and a half thousand volunteers who inflated balloons. And there was still a crowd different people around. I remember how the excitement grew. The balls looked like a huge multi-colored dome under the net. And then someone gave a signal, they let go of the big balls to which the net was tied, they raised it ... And all this mass rose up, covered the tower with itself, and in another moment disappeared in the sky, turned into tiny specks!
Under normal weather conditions, balloons inflated with helium rise so high and fly so long that they have time to completely deflate before they hit the ground. Of course, a piece of rubber is also not going anywhere: it takes several years for it to turn into small crumbs. However, on the general scale of the planet, these rubber rags are insignificant. A completely different story happened in Cleveland.
The disaster began with the fact that a cold air front approached the city just at the moment the balloons were launched. Barely having time to rise above the square, one and a half million pieces of rubber, still retaining their spherical state, were pressed back to the ground by a strong wind ...
It was a kind of heavenly clown balloon attack that caused the city huge problems. There were more than 50 collisions on the roads, highways were paralyzed, the local airport stopped working, the river and lake near the city were covered with multi-colored garbage, and the “rain of fun” kept coming and going to the ground! The Cleveland authorities were so shocked by the fact that the $500,000 (about a million in today's prices) that the "holiday" cost not only did the city no good, but caused a traffic collapse, that the cost of it fateful day for urban infrastructure has never been published.
human sacrifice
Lake Erie near Cleveland, one of the Great Lakes, was turbulent on the night of September 26-27. A change in the weather was felt in the air, but this did not stop two fishermen who, on a small boat, decided to try their luck and went out onto the water. Erie is part of the Great Lakes system North America. This is a huge water area, the eleventh largest lake on the planet, including the Caspian Sea. So pretty quickly the little boat with the fishermen sailed so far away that the lights of the shore disappeared from view on all sides. Clouds soon filled the sky. The darkness was deep and complete, and the wind on the lake began to pick up.
Raymond Broderick and Bernard Sulzer, of course, were experienced in their field, but the elements can overcome anyone. During the night, the waves on the lake increased so suddenly and abruptly that the fishermen lost control of the boat and it capsized. The waves carried them away from the ship.
It is likely that at dawn Raymond and Bernard were still on the water, for both were good swimmers. They knew that in the morning the wives would raise the alarm. They had to endure quite a bit until the moment when rescuers in helicopters and boats began searching. And now it's completely dawn. People in distress looked hopefully into the sky, where helicopters should have appeared. An hour passed, another one, and suddenly they saw a small dot! Then another, third, tenth ... The whole sky was filled with dots that began to descend, and it soon became clear that these were damn balloons!
We do not know how happy the unfortunate fishermen were with such a dying gift, but it is known for certain that the operation to save them that day was canceled. Rescuers shrugged. The boat even went into the water area, but soon returned back. It is simply impossible to look out for the head of a drowning person on a lake filled with floating balls. Later, the bodies of Raymond and Bernard washed ashore. The wife of one of them sued United Way for $3 million. The woman accused the charitable foundation that their "ball" action interfered with the rescue operation. United Way went for a pre-trial settlement. The lawsuit was withdrawn on terms that were not disclosed.
In the dry end
Needless to say, this was not the only litigation that the United Way and the Cleveland administration had to face as a result of the ill-fated day of "fun blast." Of course, we managed to pick up a significant part of the balls right away. However, a considerable portion of them sailed away or flew away to the Canadian shore of Lake Erie. One morning, the Canadians found that they now have to admire nature, strewn with American rubber rags. Of course, this could not cause delight. The United States had to pay for cleaning not only at home, but also in the territory of its neighbors. In total, about three tons of rubber debris fell into the lake. The work went on for many months. The damage to fish and birds was not assessed at that carefree time, but even just cleaning the beaches cost more than 10 thousand dollars.
In addition, a completely unexpected lawsuit in the amount of 100 thousand came from the owner of elite Arabian horses that grazed near Cleveland. The balls diving from the sky frightened the animals so much that they rushed, crashed into the fence and were seriously injured. The city administration had to pay for this damage as well.
In general, the event ended in such a catastrophic failure that the era of the mass launch of uncontrolled flying objects in the United States ended there. The record of one and a half million helium balloons released will probably never be broken (of course, if rubber spherical structures are not invented that will explode with rainbows right in the atmosphere).
In fact, Cleveland balloons have become the first signs of the 21st century, our sad era, in which completely harmless things, when their number reaches a critical value, suddenly turn into a danger to society. Fast food restaurants, soft drinks, new buildings, and even large, strong plastic bags that are so convenient to store small bags - all these beautiful phenomena, alas, discredit themselves. It remains for us to console ourselves with virtual joys that leave no trace in this world, manifesting themselves as a second flash of pixels on the phone screen.
The annual Guinness Book of World Records is full of breathtaking feats of human endurance, perseverance and achievement. However, the strangest records are the most interesting, and the world is full of them.
The largest ball of rubber bands
The longest pizza in the world
The photo shows how people lay out cheese and tomato sauce on a layer of dough (which has no end in sight). This is how the longest pizza in the world (2.13 kilometers) was prepared. The whole thing took place at the Auto Club Speedway (Florida) in June 2017. Thus, these guys broke the previous record set in Italy (182 meters).
The largest number of twerking people in one location
The initiator of setting this record was the rapper Big Freedia, who called on the crowd to twerk together. This record was set on September 25, 2013 at Herald Square in New York.
The longest nails in the world
This lady showed off her nails, which, by the way, were 6.02 meters long, in the New York public library September 14, 2011.
The largest collection of sneakers
It hosts the world's largest collection of sneakers with all of its pieces from Nike's Air Jordan Retro series. The collection has 2,500 pairs and includes every Air Jordans shoe ever made.
The largest number of people who opened their umbrellas at the same time
Crowds of fans set a world record by simultaneously opening umbrellas at a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California (2016).
The most expensive dessert in the world
Sunday "Golden Plenty" is the most expensive dessert in the world, which was created at the restaurant Serendipity 3 in New York on the occasion of his golden jubilee. Dessert consisted of five scoops of Tahitian vanilla ice cream made with Madagascar vanilla, topped with an edible 23 carat (958) gold leaf sheet, the most expensive chocolate in the world, Amedei Porcelana, and more.
The world's largest margarita cocktail
A huge container the height of a 2-storey building was filled with 30 thousand liters of Margarita, and this drink was cooled with 17 tons of ice.
World's largest popcorn ball
The ball weighed no less than 1.5 tons, and its diameter was 7 meters.
Most people in swimsuits skiing and snowboarding down a mountain at the same time
This original record was set in Russia, at a ski resort in Sheregesh (Kemerovo region). Here, half-naked from the mountain, more than 1000 people came down!
According to materials:
On the eve of the holidays, we think about the beautiful design of the space in which we plan to hold a celebration. With all the variety of options, most people prefer balloons, decorations from which always delight children and adults.
Manufacturers are constantly releasing new products, improving technology and expanding the color palette, inventing new forms. It is not surprising that it can be difficult for a buyer to navigate all the new products, to choose the best solution for their event. So that you can make the right choice and get the most out of air decor, we:
- we will tell you about all types of balloons with delivery,
- share information about their features;
- we will give recommendations for use from the aerodesign professionals of our company.
Types of balloons and features
You can look at balloons endlessly! They always bring smiles and cheer up. And thanks to our article, you will begin to understand the whole variety of these holiday products, learning about the merits of each type:
1. Ordinary or classic balls round shape, familiar to many generations of children who have grown up and have their own children. They are produced from latex - a special composition based on natural rubber. Thanks to modern technologies, various sizes and a wide range of colors are available to us. Even the most demanding customer will find a suitable shade for themselves. Promptly responding to fashion trends, manufacturers delight us with ivory, tiffany, black, lavender colors. From such balls, aero designers create arches, weave complex garlands and original compositions. They look spectacular on their own - launched under the ceiling, collected in bouquets.
Even one such area attracts the attention of others if you:
2. Foil or milar balloons- made by fusing layers of polyethylene and applying a metallized coating on all surfaces. They are extremely durable and never explode. Due to the shiny surface, wide selection, foil balloons are always popular. For any solemn occasion, you can choose them in the form of letters, numbers, figurines of people and animals, various geometric shapes, with images of cartoon characters and movie characters, congratulatory inscriptions.
3. Walking balls (walkers)- a special kind of foil models. They are made in the form of a large figure of the popular cartoon character, superhero. Due to a small weight located in certain places, the figure moves under the breath of the breeze and “walks”, causing delight of others. In open areas, where there is a free flow of air, the greatest effect of such a toy is achieved.
4. helium balloons is any of listed species filled with helium. Due to the volatility of the substance, they are able to soar under the ceiling or in the open air. They make the most fantastic balloon decorations. You can use gas at any time of the year, but with a significant decrease in air temperature, you need to consult with aerodesigners.
5. CDM (balls for modeling)- these are the very long “sausages” from which animators and clowns create unusual figures of men and animals, hats, sabers, flowers, entire panels and large decorations. To inflate them, lung strength alone will not be enough and you must definitely purchase a pump.
6. Surprise ball- strikes the imagination appearance! A sphere with a large neck serves as a kind of gift wrapping. If you want to surprise with your present, then pack a soft toy, expensive perfume, jewelry, fresh flowers or a bottle of collection alcohol in such a transparent balloon.
7. Lincolons- These are models with two tails. Through them, you can create decorations for any celebration that is celebrated in the family circle or throughout the city.
8. Balloons are small in size. Their diameter is only 15 -18 cm. Inside there is a capsule with chemical reagents. When you press it, a reaction occurs and gas is released, which inflates the balloon.
9. Luminous balls (with LEDs)- This is a traditional version filled with helium or air, but with a special "filling". LEDs and power supply provide an amazing glow that lasts a long time and has several modes.
10. Panoramic 3D- look impressive due to the pattern applied from the inside to half a translucent sphere.
11. Hot air balloons- made of foil and equipped with a valve of the "nipple" type.
12. Banner balloons- ordered for advertising or promotions. Printed text, slogans are applied to such products with a length of more than 1 m.
Knowing this information, you will easily navigate in a wide range and be able to choose your favorite
1986-1987
After the big boom, how about a little pop? By early 1986, all eyes were on the City. Everyone who bought shares in British Telecom doubled their money, and the privatization of british gas made people say about Sid: "If you see Sid, tell him ...".
I will never forget driving to the City to look at the crowd of people lined up. They wanted to buy shares in Virgin. We've already received over 70,000 share purchase requests in the mail. but these people postponed everything until the last day - November 13, 1986. I walked along the queue and thanked people for their trust, a few yus remarks remained in my memory:
We are not going on holiday this year. We invest our savings in Virgin.
“Come on, Richard, prove that we are doing the right thing.
“We rely on you, Richard.
At some point, I found that photojournalists were filming my legs.
Yane found an explanation for this. Then he looked down and was horrified to find that he had put on different shoes in a hurry.
Virgin has attracted more people with its public offering than any other newcomer to the stock exchange, except for the huge state-owned companies that are being privatized. Over 100,000 individuals have applied to purchase our shares, and the post office has deployed an additional twenty staff to process mailbags. That day we heard that The Human League had become the number one band in America. Mixed with our euphoria about this was anxiety, as only a few institutions representing the business community submitted applications. This was the first harbinger of the difficulties that were to be encountered in the City.
By 1986, virgin had become one of the largest privately owned companies in England, with approximately 4,000 employees. At the end of July of the same year, the company's sales amounted to ?189 million. Compared to the same period last year, when it was ?119 million, the growth was approximately 60%. Our pre-tax profit was £19m, not £15m the previous year. Even though we were big company, there was very little scope for expansion; all we could do was use the money we made or ask the banks where we had accounts to increase the amount of the overdraft. I have seen many other private companies sell their shares on the stock exchange: body shop, tsb, sock shop, our price, reuters, atlantic computers … Almost every week another company appeared, and the stock exchange had to arrange the queue in such a way that a fair order was observed between the large companies being privatized, such as British Telecom, british airways and BP. Placing shares on the stock exchange was an attractive option in many ways: would allow the virgin to get the money needed to invest in subsidiaries; would increase assets and allow us to feel more independent from banks - we could dispose of an increased authorized capital and, if desired, take a loan more money. In addition, it would allow the issuance of shares that could be purchased by Virgin staff, which would be an incentive for them and strengthen the position of Virgin. And it dawned on me that at one time we could use Virgin shares to buy Thorn EMI, the largest record label in the country. Don liked the prospect and would have been very happy to be the CEO of a publicly traded company. Trevor and Ken weren't particularly interested, they warned me that we would all soon give up on this idea that the City was a very insecure place and that we were losing our independence to a large extent. As for Simon, he would be free to sell his own share of Virgin stock at any time if he wanted to. Ultimately, I discarded all pessimistic reasons and decided to implement my plan. As a first step, Trevor had already arranged for a private placement of Virgin's convertible preferred stock last year. He expected to receive ?10 million, but since Virgin was on everyone's lips, Morgan Grenfell, who guaranteed the placement of the loan, ended up closing the private offer at ?25 million.
When the public sale of securities began, financial institutions converted their preferred shares into approximately 15% of ordinary shares, and we issued new shares for sale to outside investors, which raised ? 30 million. After the share was placed, I owned 55% of Virgin Group , Simon owned 9%, Ken, Don, Trevor, Robert and some other employees each owned 2%, outside investors owned 34% of the shares. We sold each share of Virgin for 140p, at that value the entire Virgin Group was valued at £249m. Of course, this was only part of the company – virgin atlantic, virgin holidays, virgin cargo and nightclubs were not included, as London business circles thought that when placing their shares increased financial risk. The virgin group was in the same business that only twelve months ago Courts was willing to force us to declare ourselves financially insolvent for overspending?300,000 over the $3 million credit limit. A portion of the money received was immediately used to finance Voyager, the holding company for the airline, in which we considered it necessary to invest along with other recipients.
Behind the façade of stability that any public company should have, my life remained as active as ever. Mid-1980s: The start of Virgin Atlantic was the time when I really started to deliberately get myself into the spotlight for the sake of Virgin advertising. We didn't have the kind of money that British Airways and other companies were forced to spend on advertising, but I found that the press was happy to publish stories about Virgin as long as the company had a face in addition to its name. Unlike the Virgin Music ads, where we promoted bands and not Virgin as a brand, I first started using myself to promote the companies and our brand. So my own name and the Virgin brand came to be seen as one.
My family has always shied away from the press, but I myself am happy to do everything to increase public interest in Virgin: advertising has been one of the keys to our growth. If no one knows about us, no one will fly our planes. And if no one will fly, we will go bankrupt. So if I could do something to help the airline by wearing Biggies goggles or lying in a bubble bath, then I did it.
One of my greatest press failures was participating in a project devised by the Department of Labor to create more jobs. It was called "Great Britain 2000". I was brought in by Kenneth Baker, then Secretary of the Environment, who asked me to chair the committee for this project. I agreed on the condition that the government would make an unconditional financial commitment to the project and that it would appear as non-political as possible. Unemployment was approaching 4 million people, and new project seemed like a good way to shorten it.
The idea behind Great Britain 2000 was to find jobs that would benefit the environment for a large number of the unemployed. These activities ranged from tidying up urban areas to building playgrounds: clearing canals, recreating footpaths, cleaning up industrial areas, and planting trees. I contacted charities, in particular Friends of the Earth and Foundation. Their representatives agreed to help with some of the work and come with their own list of what they would like to see done, but there is not enough money and manpower. I pondered whether or not to accept my role during the weekend when I landed on the Isles of Scilly to thank the people for their hospitality during our crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. A helicopter arrived, which excited everyone. It turned out that it was a journalist from Sun. For some reason, he held a broom in his hands.
“Listen, Richard,” he said. Hold this for me, okay? So, - he snapped a few frames, - make a smile.
I didn't think about it until the next day, when I saw in Sun heading "Trash King".
Since then, the UK 2000 project has been perceived as a garbage collection campaign. No matter how I tried to change this impression, the same associations arose. Whenever and whatever newspaper wrote an article about the work we were trying to do, they described it as "garbage pickup." I have sent countless letters to many editors, drawing their attention to our security projects. environment countrywide. They were either ignored or placed on the page of letters, where they safely remained unnoticed by anyone. None of our projects at the time included garbage collection, as that was not what we were asked to do. Our task was to find useful work which would include some sort of training and lead to full employment. Garbage collection, a commendable activity in itself, was not in line with our aspirations.
For three years I was chairing the UK 2000 project. but it was a lost cause. The participants began to lose morale, because whatever they did, they were ridiculed and treated as nothing more than janitors. Despite the fact that Jonathon Porrit and other prominent environmentalists of the time were involved in the project, people still did not accept the idea. This was a huge disappointment: the project could have created many more jobs than it had managed to do and make the UK a slightly better place to live.
However, everything else turned out great. When we returned from the Atlantic voyage, the whole country seemed to rejoice at its successful completion. Mrs. Thatcher expressed interest in seeing the ship, and I suggested that she take a walk up the Thames. We managed to get permission to exceed the speed limit of 5 miles per hour on the Thames, and when the Atlantic Challenger whistled under the Tower Bridge, its gates opened. We invited Mrs. Thatcher and, together with Bob Geldof and Stint, made a lap of honor to the Houses of Parliament and back. At this time, other boats on the river honked their signal horns, and the fire brigade saluted us, throwing huge jets of water into the air. Mrs Thatcher, the Iron Lady. stood on the deck next to me, and a sharp wind hit her in the face.
“I must admit,” she said as we sped up the river, “I love fast driving. I like powerful boats.
I looked at her. She really enjoyed. Her face, like a bowsprit, was open to all winds, and not a single strand of hair stirred on her head.
So I was on the crest of success. At this time, there were various strange polls that nominated me as the best-dressed, the worst-dressed man in the UK and recognized Virgin as the most beloved company in the country. With this attitude, we could not make mistakes. Every day I was asked to give an interview to a newspaper, open a shopping arcade, or give a speech at a business school. One day, against the backdrop of all these events, I even got the feeling that, apparently, I really am quite important person. Once I caught a taxi.
"Where are we going, papa?" the driver asked.
“Billingsgate, please. I replied. As soon as we drove off, he looked inquiringly into the mirror, as if he almost recognized me, and said:
- Can you tell me?
“Well, how can I tell you,” I began modestly, “record company, airline, Heaven nightclub, record stores …
“No,” the taxi driver said. - tell me …
“Crossing the Atlantic,” I continued, “Sex Pistols, Boy George, Phil
Collins …
“Excuse me, sir,” the driver said, losing patience, “I don’t understand what you are talking about there. Tell me how to get to Billingsgate.
And one day, after I spent the night dealing with airline problems, I had to take a taxi early in the morning to make it to a meeting. As usual, I was a little late and tried to say goodbye to my family on the run, pick up my papers and make the last phone call - all at the same time. I flopped into the back seat of the taxi, planning to read the papers and get ready for the meeting.
- Ouch! the taxi driver exclaimed. - I know you. You are that Dick Branson.
You have a record label.
“Yes, it is,” I admitted.
“Isn’t it a good day for me today,” the taxi driver continued. - Just imagine - Mr. Branson in my taxi. Now I know that I am a taxi driver, I mean - now it's clear, isn't it. But you know what? I am also a musician. Indeed. I am the drummer in the band.
- Great. I said without enthusiasm, feeling tired and hoping that he would shut up so I could read the newspaper.
Do you mind if I play my demo? I mean, this day could be happy for me. And for you too. You could make a lot of money from me.
“That would be great,” I said.
“No, you look a little tired,” he said, glancing sideways in the mirror. You must listen to this calmly.
– No, please turn on the tape recorder.
No, you look too tired. But here's what I want to say: my mother lives right around the corner here. Do you mind if I take you to her place and we have a cup of tea?
“You know, I have to be at the TV studio,” I answered in a low voice.
She will be so glad to see you. For her, this will be a whole event. - he said. "Let's have a quick cup of tea and that's it."
“Okay, that would be great,” I replied, thus dooming myself to a terrible delay.
The car turned into a side street.
“You know what,” the taxi driver said, “I’ll still turn on my record. Just to show.
As soon as the taxi pulled up outside the little house, the recording began, and in the first few bars I heard the familiar sounds of drum beats. Words came through the speakers: "I can feel it, walking outside tonight … »
The taxi driver got out and opened my door. It was Phil Collins.
I mentioned in an interview the other day that although I barely know rock stars and remember their names, there is one whose face I always recognize, and that is Phil Collins.
Even though we got ?30 million from the listing on the stock exchange, it soon became clear that this was the wrong decision. A few weeks after the November stock offering, Roger Seelig, our investment banker at Morgan Grenfell, was litigated by the Department of Labor and Industries. His role in the January takeover of Distillers by Guinness was under investigation. Roger left Morgan Grenfell, and although his business eventually fell apart, his career came to an end. I began to lose faith in the City and the onerous official requirements that were placed on us.
First, the City insisted that virgin appoint several non-employee directors. Sir Phil Harris was recommended to us. He was a man who had risen from the bottom and made a fortune selling carpets. We also appointed Cob Stenham, who was Unilever's CFO and also a respected banker. I found it difficult to comply with all the formalities that the City insisted on accepting. Simon and Ken used to talk to me about the bands they wanted to sign with and then work with them themselves. Virgin board meetings have always been the highest degree informal events. We met at Duanda. at my house in Oxford Gardens or when we spent the weekend together. In my mind, our business was not suited to a highly regimented meeting schedule. We had to make decisions quickly, without preparation. If we had to wait four weeks until the next board meeting to authorize Simon to sign a contract with UB40. we would probably lose this group.
I also had disagreements with Don, most of all about dividends. I did not want to follow the English tradition and pay big dividends. I was more impressed by the American and Japanese traditions, when the company prioritizes the reinvestment of its profits in order to strengthen its position and increase the market value of the shares. High dividends meant a loss of money that would have been better placed inside Virgin. It seemed to me that third party shareholders entrusted their money to Virgin so that we could grow them, not so that we would give them back 5% of the same money, which would be taxed as income and instantly lose 40% of its value.
This argument may seem insignificant, but it illustrates the general loss of control that I experienced. Most people believe that owning 50% of a public company is the key to controlling it. And while this is true in theory, in practice you lose control to a very large extent, for example, due to the need to appoint directors who are not employees of the company, but in general you spend time trying to please the City. Before that, I had always been confident in the decisions we made, but now virgin was a public company, and I began to lose faith in myself. It became difficult to make quick decisions, and I wondered: does every decision need to be formally approved and recorded at a meeting of board members? In many ways, 1987, when we were a public company, was Virgin's most creatively unlucky year. We spent at least half of our time traveling to the City explaining what we were going to do to fund managers, financial advisors and the City PR firm, instead of going out and doing it.
I also felt responsible for the people who invested in Virgin by buying stock. Phil Collins, Mike Oldfield and Brian Ferry bought shares, Peter and Sarees, my neighbors and close friends in the Mill End invested some of their savings in Virgin, my family, cousins and many people I met on roads of life, – they all bought shares. Trevor Abbot borrowed from me? 250 thousand ., to buy shares in Virgin, and though he was even better with the numbers than I was, I still felt responsible for a possible drop in the stock.
I wouldn't mind if the City analysts were right about what Virgin is doing poorly or the level of competence of its management. Something else began to piss me off. No matter how or how many times Simon, Ken and I tried to explain that 30% of our income comes from payments from previously released records, and even if we can’t release a new record, we will still receive money, or that 40% the profits made in France come from French singers, not from Boy George or Phil Collins, who provided us with a stable local income - the City continued to simplisticly interpret the Virgin operating system. Analysts still believed virgin was completely dependent on me and Boy George. Simon and Ken started playing UB40 records. the human league and simple minds at analyst meetings, but it didn't make any impression. Virgin shares, initially trading at 140 pence, soon fell to 120 pence. The trust that the people in line, the artists, and the Virgin staff had shown in me by spending their own money to buy Virgin stock had become too much of a burden to me.
Throughout 1987, the value of Virgin shares bounced back to around 140 pence a share, but did not rise higher. We started using the money received from the sale of shares for the implementation of two investment projects. The first was aimed at creating a full subsidiary of Virgin in America, the second - at Thorn EMI with a view to its subsequent acquisition. Creation of Virgin Records American Inc. was a cheap undertaking. We took into account the difficulties that we encountered earlier, and this time we were not stingy. In 1987, we managed to release four Top 20 singles and one gold album in America. Even though virgin america was unprofitable in 1987, we saw it as a long-term investment and were confident that we would end up making a lot more money owning our own record label than selling licenses to American companies to release records of our best artists.
The second challenge, the takeover of Thorn EMI, had to be handled carefully. We felt that EMI's management was rather lethargic and that the incredible catalog of albums they released, which included Beatles recordings, could have been put to better use. The entire thorn emi group was valued at around £750 million, three times the value of Virgin. In the end, I thought the best thing to do was go talk to Sir Colin Southgate, managing director of Thorn EMI, and ask him if he would like to sell us EMI Music.
- Shall we go with you? Simon and Ken asked.
“That might be too much,” I replied. “I'll seep through to him, talk face to face, and then, if he's interested, we can go together.
I called Sir Colin and arranged to meet him at his office in Manchester Square. I was directed to the top floor and invited to enter the room. There was silence. At least twenty faces without the slightest trace of a smile were turned towards me. People sat on one side of the table, shoulder to shoulder, in pinstripe suits, forming an impenetrable wall. Sir Colin shook my hand and looked over my shoulder to see if anyone else was there.
“I am alone,” I said. - Where can I sit?
One side of a long shiny brownish-red table was empty. There were ten or fifteen notepads, with sharpened pencils on them. I sat down and looked at the sea of faces opposite.
“Allow me to introduce you,” Sir Colin began. He rattled off the names of bankers, lawyers, accountants, and management consultants.
“I’m Richard Branson,” I introduced myself, laughing nervously. “And I'm here because I just wanted to know if you'd like, maybe you'd like to …, I paused. All necks stretched in front of me.
“Perhaps you would like to sell the EMI subsidiary,” I said. – I think Thorn EMI is such a big group of companies that EMI Music might not be your top priority. You have so many other things. It's all.
There was dead silence.
“We are quite happy with EMI,” said Sir Colin. “We are doing everything we can to manage this leading Thorn EMI Group company.
“Well, okay,” I said. “I think it’s worth finding out.
With these words, I got up and left the room.
I drove straight to Vernon Yard to talk to Simon and Ken.
“They are serious,” I said. “They are in a critical situation.
Thought I would bargain with them. They met me with hostility. If Sir Colin is so worried that he invited all his heavy artillery to him, then they are really vulnerable, and I think we should press.
Simon and Ken agreed with me. Trevor set up a meeting for us with the management of the investment bank Samuel Montagy. These gentlemen introduced us to the Mountleigh real estate group and advised us to submit a joint proposal. Since Sir Colin wouldn't just sell us EMI, we could try with Mountleigh to get the whole Group and then break it apart. In a nutshell, Mountleigh would take the TV rental chain and we would take EMI Music.
Our first year profit as a public company more than doubled to more than £30 million (despite the cost of the project in the United States). and we planned to publish these results in October at the same time as announcing our claim to Thorn EMI.
Over the summer, Trevor managed to negotiate a loan of £100m from the Bank of Nova Scotia, and we slowly began to buy shares in Thorn EMI, paying about £7 per share, and thus acquired a stake that we could use as a launching pad for our bidding. As the activity of trading on the stock exchange increased during the summer months, rumors began to circulate that thorn em] was fluctuating, and I became worried that if we left it until October, it would be too late. But there was little I could do because I was determined to face the challenge that many saw as the beginning of my end. The challenge was as confusing and daring as it was in the business world: Per Lindstrand and I planned to fly across the Atlantic in a hot air balloon. Before my return, unharmed, no one was going to seriously consider buying Thorn EMI by Virgin.
It all started with a phone call in my office the very first day after returning from a trip aboard the Atlantic Challenger.
“Per Lindstrand is calling,” Penny said. He says he has an amazing offer.
I picked up the phone.
“If you think there is anything unusual about crossing the Atlantic on a speedboat,” the man said in a high-pitched voice with a Swedish accent, “don't jump to conclusions. I plan to build the world's largest hot air balloon, and I also plan to fly it in a jet stream at 30,000 feet. I believe that my balloon will be able to cross the Atlantic.
I had a vague idea of who Per Lindstrand was. I knew that he was an international aeronautical expert and held several records, including the highest flight altitude. Per explained that no one had ever flown a hot air balloon more than 600 miles, and no one had ever managed to keep such a balloon in the air longer than 27 hours. To cross the Atlantic, a hot air balloon would have to travel over 3,000 miles (five times the range of any previous achievement) and spend three times as long in the air.
A helium-filled balloon, like the old zeppelins, can stay in the air for several days. The principle of operation of the balloon is based on the use of hot air inside the shell, which rises above the surrounding cold air and raises due to this in the air itself is a balloon. But because there is a rapid loss of heat through the balloon's shell, balloonists burn propane. Prior to Per's proposed flight, balloons were greatly hampered by the incredible cargo of fuel needed to keep them moving.
Per believed that we could make a record flight by putting three theoretical ideas into practice. The first is to raise the balloon to about 30,000 feet and fly where fast winds or jet streams moving at 200 miles per hour. Until now, this was considered impossible, since their power and turbulence of the flows are capable of breaking any balloon. The second idea was to use solar energy to heat the balloon during the daytime and therefore reduce fuel consumption. Nobody has ever tried to do this. And the third idea was due to the fact that the balloon should fly at an altitude of 30 thousand feet, so the pilots will be in a pressurized gondola, and not in a basket woven from wicker.
As I studied Per's proposal, I realized with amazement that with this huge balloon, this huge clumsy thing that could swallow the Royal Albert Hall with all the giblets, you could cross the Atlantic Ocean much faster than our Atlantic Challenger with an engine of 4 thousand horsepower. Per calculated that average speed at 90 knots, the entire flight would take less than two days, which was nothing compared to a boat speed of 40 knots. It could be imagined as driving on a fast freeway, where only the Royal Albert Hall, traveling twice as fast, can overtake.
Having tormented myself with some scientific calculations and theoretical calculations regarding the inertia and speed of the winds, I asked Per to meet me. When we saw each other, I put my hand on a stack of papers with theoretical calculations.
- I will never be able to. “All this science and theory,” I said, “but I will fly with you if you answer one single question.
“Listen,” said Per, drawing himself up in readiness for some incredibly difficult question.
- Do you have children? - Yes. Two.
- Then good.
I stood up and shook his hand.
- I will fly. But first I would like to know better how they fly.
Only later did I learn that seven people had already tried to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a balloon, and five of them had died.
Per took me to Spain for a week-long course in balloon handling. It turned out that flying in a hot air balloon is one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced in my life. Soaring into the air, silence when the burners are turned off, the feeling of moving through the air and breathtaking panoramas - all this immediately captivated me. After a week of yelling at me from instructor Robin Batchelor, who looked exactly like me, I got my balloonist license. I was ready.
Since the prevailing jet streams move from west to east, we chose a launch site in Maine near Boston, about a hundred miles from the coast, to eliminate the influence of the sea breeze. Per calculated that by the time we crossed the coastline, we would have reached the jet stream and be out of touch with the local weather. Our two main leaders were Tom Barrow, who led the engineering team, and Bob Raie, the meteorological expert. Both, no doubt, were such great specialists that I completely trusted them. The jet stream divided over Atlantic Ocean: one stream rushed to the Arctic, the other turned towards the Azores, and then returned to the middle of the ocean. Rayet said that if we take the path to the right, it will be the same as "rolling a ball under the attraction of two magnets." If the fuel runs out or icing occurs, we will have to make an emergency landing on the water.
“There are buoyancy rings around the gondola to keep it on the surface,” Barrow explained.
What if they don't survive? I asked.
“Your money will be returned,” he replied. – Or we will receive money on your behalf.
During Tom's final briefing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, the day before the balloon launch, he conducted the final evacuation exercise:
- Landing this thing is comparable to a Sherman tank without brakes.
This is tantamount to collapse.
His final warning was most eloquent:
“Now, even though we are here, I can still cancel a flight if I deem it too dangerous or if you have health problems.
Are mental health issues included? I joked.
“No,” Tom replied. – This is a prerequisite for the flight. If you are not crazy and not scared to death, then you should not be on board - this is first of all.
I was definitely scared to death.
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