Russian Man Reveals What He Missed Most after Breaking World Records as The First & Fastest to Fly Solo in Hot Air Balloon
ByAnd he already plans to set a completely different world-record next year!
A Russian man set a new world record with his hot air balloon trip.
For 11 days, Fedor Konyukhov flew solo, riding his hot air balloon around the world - making his journey the fastest one in history. He managed to record 34,000 km distance and finally landed safe and sound in Western Australia last Saturday albeit experiencing a little bump. All of his family and friends gathered in the site to wait for Konyukhov, The Star reported. There were some local farmers who also witnessed the emotional reunion.
Dick Smith, a fellow from Australia, was also there to help Konyukhov stopping the balloon as it landed.
The 65-year-old Russian breaks the previous record of hot air balloon trip was set by the late Steve Fossett with 13.5 days. Reached out for comments, Konyukhov's son explained that his father beat the speed and distance records. He also claimed that the adventurer is the first person to fly solo right from the start and go around the world non-stop without touching the ground for 11 days.
Hot air balloon journey that makes history
Being interviewed after his landing attempt succeeded, Konyukhov shared his experience while riding the hot air balloon. He flew at 10,000 meters of height and had to endure extreme temperatures up to -45 C and not to mention the strong winds of Antarctica. He flew over New Zealand, South America, the Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean, Inhabitat wrote.
He said that he hardly slept and he had to use oxygen mask to help him breathe properly throughout his journey. When asked about what he missed the most, the balloonist admitted that he's so happy to finally smell the grass.
As an adventurer, Konyukhov has made trips to extreme places including South Poles and Mount Everest. He is an orthodox priest and author of many books. In 2017, the Russian plans to ride camel crossing Australia.