Capturing Napoleon would still leave the problem of getting him away from his supporters. The discussion treats extraction without a helicopter as the principal practical difficulty. A suggested hot-air balloon would depend on the wind for its movement and offer too little reliable control for the proposed escape. The comparison with a sailing vessel points to what the balloon lacks: a hull, keel and rudder acting against another medium to help control its course.
Notable Point · 35:06-36:04
The extraction problem in kidnapping Napoleon
A leadership-abduction scenario must solve the escape as well as the capture, and a wind-driven balloon offers uncertain control.