Double Eagle II made the first successful transatlantic balloon flight in 1978.
The balloon carried Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman from Presque Isle, Maine, to Miserey, France. It launched on 11 August 1978 and landed on 17 August after crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The expedition covered roughly 5,000 kilometres and lasted about 137 hours.
Double Eagle II was a helium gas balloon, not a conventional hot-air balloon. Its success followed several failed attempts by other teams, demonstrating how difficult it was to maintain altitude, manage weather and navigate over a vast ocean. The crew used ballast and controlled their altitude to work with favourable winds.
The name is sometimes confused with Double Eagle V, which later completed a Pacific crossing. Another distinction is the balloon type: later long-distance records often used hybrid Rozière balloons combining gas lift and hot air, whereas Double Eagle II relied on helium.