Russian hot air balloonist, Fedor Konyukhov emerged victorious from his attempt to smash the world record for navigating a hot air balloon non-stop around the globe single-handedly.
Eleven days after he embarked on his amazing journey, his support team announced that he had flown over Northam – the Australian town where he set off on his worldwide flight – beating the previous record of 13 days, set by the late and well-loved American adventurer Steve Fossett back in 2002.
Soaring at heights as high as 9,000 metres above the Earth, 65-year old Fedor was forced to wear an oxygen mask to ensure he was able to breathe at such high altitudes. Not only that, but he was only able to sleep for roughly four hours each day, taking naps between checking his all-important equipment.
Whilst flying, Fedor wrote a blog, and in one entry, he expressed his struggles writing:
“This place feels very lonely and remote just a thick layer of cyclonic clouds below me and dark horizon to the east.”
The balloon which helped the Russian adventurer break the record an astonishing two days earlier than Fossett, was actually built in Bristol, a city which is well-known for creating some of the most famous hot air balloons in the world, including a giant Darth Vader balloon.
As well as this, Bristol is a well-known for the Bristol International Ball Fiesta, where revellers are able to see some of the best balloons in the world, and embark upon their own hot air balloon rides in Bristol.
