That was Julian Nott, the effervescent balloon pilot and scientist, inventor, adventurer, lecturer, and writer, who was grounded in March … but only after a tragic earthbound accident. How do you hold back a shooting star - that meteor that moves so fast in Earth’s atmosphere that it heats up and glows as it moves through our space? Please mention the donation is in honor of Julian Nott. Box 3620 Santa Barbara, CA 93130 Or you can make a donation on-line here.

Please make out a check for any amount to The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara and mail it to them at P.O. Beginning in 2020 a scholarship award will be made to one Santa Barbara High School student, accepted to college and majoring in either science or engineering. If you wish to honor the memory of Julian Nott you may make a donation to the Julian Nott Scholarship Fund.

He is buried at the Nott Family Plot in the historic Watts Chapel and Cemetery in Surrey, England.

His beloved Anne Luther, his brother Robin Nott, and nieces Elizabeth Salmon and Katherine Nott survive Julian. We join the family and the ballooning community in mourning the passing of Julian Nott, an exceptionally brilliant man who rejoiced in exploration and adventure. The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum has described Julian as “a central figure in the expansion of ballooning as an organizer, pilot, and most of all as arguably the leading figure to apply modern science to manned balloon design.” He has broken 79 World Ballooning Records and 96 British Records including exceeding 55,000 feet in a hot air balloon. Known as the founder of the modern ballooning movement, and one of its most creative and innovative exponents, Julian was changing the course of balloon history with the development of an entirely new system in which conventional ballast is replaced with cryogenic helium.

His loving partner of 30 years, artist Anne Luther, was at his side. Julian was flying an experimental balloon that he invented, designed to test high altitude technology. Julian Nott passed away peacefully on Maafter suffering multiple injuries from an extraordinary and unforeseeable accident following a successful balloon flight and landing in Warner Springs, California.

Nott the brave death