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air balloon. World records would accumulate, nearly 80 and counting,
including three altitude records.
Still, it took some time for Nott’s family, and even Nott himself, to
accept that this was his path. He remembers a seminal moment that
came while decompressing after having just crossed the Sahara in a hot-
air balloon.
“I can remember getting back from that, and I had my parents
constantly telling me to become an accountant and do something
sensible. I can remember lying in the tub. It was one of those
a-ha
moments and I was just thinking, ‘Well, I’m not required to be anything
else,’” says Nott.
It’s obvious that bathtub moment remains a revelation.
“Years later, I had a strange argument with my father and I said,
‘Father, I know I haven’t made as much money as my brother the lawyer,
but, you know, I have an interesting life. I’ve paid my taxes and I never
came to you and asked you to pay my gambling debts. Don’t think of
me as a wastrel.’”
Nott laughs heartily at the end of that anecdote, a laugh afforded
by the path less taken having turned out to be the one well chosen.
“There’s a wonderful line in
The Spirit of St. Louis
in which
(Charles) Lindbergh says, ‘Science, freedom, beauty, adventure,
what more could you ask of life?’ That absolutely resonated with
me from day one; those were all the things I love.”
Those are the things Nott chased in a balloon. It’s a chase
winter
|
spr ing
39
UP
&
OUT
It wasn’t until he was able to introduce his father to Prince Charles that his dad finally
agreed that perhaps there was a future in his son’s unnatural predilection for balloons
and ballooning. (shown above) Nott receives the gold medal of the Royal Aero
Club. (below) A gathering at the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Aero Club, includes
Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth, and other dignitaries.