Congratulations are in order for Leonid Tiukhtyaev and Troy Bradley, who arrive in Puerto San Carlos, Baja California, Mexico on Saturday, January 31, 2015, after completing their successful attempt to capture the world gas balloon distance and duration records.
The balloon flight came to a safe and successful conclusion, landing in the water about 4 miles off the coast of Mexico. The pilots were picked up by a passing fishing boat and the balloon and capsule were later successfully recovered.
Subject to ratification, the Two Eagles team has surpassed both the distance and duration records for gas balloons. The team’s distance of 6,646 miles (10,696 km) surpassed the existing record of 5,208 miles (8,383 km), set by Double Eagle V pilots Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman, Ron Clark, and Rocky Aoki in 1981, by 27%. The team stayed aloft for 160 hours, 38 minutes (6 days, 16 hours, 38 minutes), besting by 17% the previous record of 137 hours, 5 minutes, 50 seconds set in 1978 by Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman aboard the Double Eagle II.
Well done to everyone involved, what a fantastic achievement!
Image and information courtesy of www.pacificballoon.com.
