Edmund of Social Minds sent me a fascinating link today. Apparently the real-life balloonist, Michio Kanda, will attempt a hot air balloon crossing from Japan to North America. The catch: Kanda needs a crash course in English in order to speak to North American air traffic control.

Enter Australian Aviation English specialist Mike Smith, who uses Second Life and a Terra Wind Rider hot air balloon to teach Kanda some basic English skills.

We mocked up Kanda-san?s balloon in Second Life and built a simulation, along with the instruments that he would need to control based on instructions from the control tower: A transponder to adjust the the frequency on which he would talk to the tower, and an altimeter on which he would base the his reports to the ground.

(LINK: "Social Minds: Aviation English for a trans-Pacific balloonist").

Michio Kanda is an accomplished balloonist with a long list of impressive feats, including the world's longest balloon flight (50 hours, 38 minutes) in January 1997, according to the Féderation Aéronautique Internationale.

Update: CNN.com: Record-holding Japanese balloonist missing