Dr Janet Folkes (20 July 1959 – 17 January 2012)[1] was an academic from Nottingham, who held multiple ballooning records.[2] She died in 2012 from breast cancer.[3][4]
Career
edit
Folkes worked in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham.[5] She was an expert in lasers and water-jetting.[3] She researched the use of lasers in cutting, welding and shaping metals – working closely with the engine maker Rolls-Royce.[2]
Ballooning
editFolkes took up the sport of ballooning in 1984.[6]
She competed in the Gordon Bennett Cup (for gas-filled balloons) in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2009. During the 2009 race, she set the women's world endurance record with Dr Ann Rich, staying in the air for over 69 hours.[7][8] She also piloted hot air balloons.
In 1995, she set the women's world altitude balloons record.[9] In total, she established 46 world records.[6]
She was involved as a technical engineer on the non-stop around the world attempt by Richard Branson, Per Lindstrand and Steve Fossett.[7]
Death and legacy
editFolkes died in January 2012, leaving as a legacy the Nottingham University balloon, G-NUNI.[10] Her funeral took place in Bulcote, Nottingham,[3] where she had lived since childhood.[7]
References
edit- ^ "FAI Ballooning Commission - Hall of Fame - Janet Folkes - Inducted 2015" (PDF). Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ a b "BBC - Nottingham Features - Janet Folkes - world record breaking balloonist". www.bbc.co.uk. October 2003. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ a b c "World record-breaking balloonist Janet Folkes' funeral held". BBC News. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
- ^ "A tribute to Dr Janet Folkes". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Dr Janet Folkes - The University of Nottingham". www.nottingham.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Great Wall balloon bid". Times Higher Education. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
Dr Folkes, from Bulcote in Nottingham, took up the sport in 1984 and holds 46 world records in ballooning...
- ^ a b c "Janet Folkes". The Times (paywall). 4 February 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "Test Tube - Behind the scenes in the world of science". www.test-tube.org.uk. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ "The Royal Aero Club Silver Medal". British Balloon and Airship Club (BBAC). Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
- ^ Brooke, Lindsay (23 November 2015). "Nottingham balloon - a taste of summer! - The News Room". The News Room. Nottingham University. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.