Joe Kittinger completes the first solo balloon crossing of the Atlantic.

Joseph Kittinger

American military pilot (1928–2022)

Joseph William Kittinger II was an American military pilot who was an officer in the United States Air Force. He served from 1950 to 1978 and earned Command Pilot status before retiring with the rank of colonel. He held the world record for the highest skydive—102,800 feet (31.3…