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12 Facts About Ed Yost

1.

Ed Yost became a senior engineer in the development of high-altitude research balloons.

2.

Ed Yost patented further refinements he made to the hot-air balloon, including nonporous synthetic fabrics, maneuvering vents, and deflation systems for landing.

3.

In October 1955, Ed Yost developed and flew the first prototype of the modern hot-air balloon in a tethered flight.

4.

Ed Yost remained aloft for 25 minutes and traveled three miles from the takeoff point.

5.

On October 22,1960, Ed Yost lifted off from Bruning, Nebraska, on the first-ever free flight of a modern hot-air balloon.

6.

Ed Yost's balloon flew untethered for 1 hour and 35 minutes with the aid of heat generated by a propane burner.

7.

In November 1960, Ed Yost made a second flight with an improved balloon from the famed Stratobowl, near Rapid City, South Dakota.

8.

Ed Yost contributed to the advancement of the sport of ballooning and lighter-than-air flight.

9.

Ed Yost helped to found the Balloon Federation of America and assisted in the organization of the first US National Ballooning Championship in Indianola, Iowa.

10.

Ed Yost founded the Balloon Historical Society in 2002, which dedicated four monuments on the rim of the Stratobowl on July 28,2004, to memorialize the Stratobowl projects in the 1930s as well as the second flight of a modern hot-air balloon.

11.

On May 27,2007, Ed Yost died of a heart attack at the age of 87 at his home in Vadito, near Taos, New Mexico.

12.

Ed Yost was buried in the Allison cemetery in Allison, Iowa.