Albert Eustace Short was born June 1875 in Stanton-by-Dale, England. Throughout his life, Eustace participated in many of his older brother's adventures, including once riding a mule through over 300 miles of bandit-infested mountains to find Horace after he had disappeared in Mexico. In 1897, Eustace purchased a second-hand Spencer balloon in a state of disrepair. Eustace and his younger brother Oswald then immersed themselves in the exciting sport of ballooning by mending and flying the balloon, and reading everything about the field they could lay their hands on. In 1902, they successfully designed and flew their first spherical balloon from a loft above Horace's laboratory. Encouraged by their accomplishment, the two brothers began taking passengers for balloon trips over London. In 1905, they won a contract to supply three reconnaissance balloons for the British Army in India. Two years later, they won a gold medal for excellence of manufacture at an exhibition held by the Aero Club of the United Kingdom and were subsequently appointed official Aeronautical Engineers to the Club. In November 1908, Horace joined them to form the partnership of Short Brothers. The same month, Wilbur Wright took Eustace up for a flight in the Flyer. Shortly thereafter, Short Brothers signed a contract for exclusive British rights to produce Flyers.