Jonathan Trappe Attempting Atlantic Cross with Helium Balloons

Jonathan Trappe, an aviator from the U.S., is attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean with only helium balloons, it was reported.

In this photo provided by Mark McBreairty, a balloon cluster carrying Jonathan Trappe lifts off from Caribou, Maine, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013. Unlike a conventional hot-air balloon, Trappe lifted off Thursday using hundreds of helium-filled balloons clustered together. Trappe hopes to be the first person to successfully complete a trans-Atlantic flight using the balloon cluster. AP Photo/Mark McBreairty

Jonathan Trappe, an aviator from the U.S., is attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean with only helium balloons, it was reported.

The 2,500-mile trip could take as long as a week and he could land anywhere from Norway to North Africa.

But due to the nature of the trip, he might also be forced to leave his balloon vessel in the sea.

“I’m just as afraid of dying as anyone,” he told The Mirror. “My heart could never live a long life the way it is beating now.”

He said on his website: “The Atlantic Ocean has been crossed many times, and in many ways, but never quite like this,” according to The Associated Press.

City Manager Austin Bleess of Caribou, Maine, said that around 150 people signed up to fill his helium balloons on Wednesday night.

“Man, it was awesome,” Bleess said. “It was amazing to watch.”

Trappe told AP that he was working on flying with cluster balloons for two years.

On Thursday, he was heading towards Newfoundland, Canada.