The word may have been inspired by "aeronaut", an older term for an air traveler first applied in 1784 to balloonists.
ðə wˈɜːd mˌeɪhɐv bˌɪn ɪnspˈaɪɚd bˈaɪ "ˈɛɹoʊnˌɔːt", ɐn ˈoʊldɚ tˈɜːm fɚɹən ˈɛɹ tɹˈævəlɚ fˈɜːst ɐplˈaɪd ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvənhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi fˈoːɹ tə bælˈuːnɪsts.