Thu, Mar 25, 2004
Balloonist Claims Altitude Record
A daring balloonist sailed into a
world record attempt on Tuesday, but only to find himself in hot
water with the FAA. David Hempleman-Adams took off from Greeley
(CO) and landed about 3 1/2 hours later in a farmer's field near
Akron, 100 miles east of Denver on the Colorado plains. The British
balloonist claims he reached 42,000 feet -- nearly 8
miles -- in what would be a world record for a gas and hot air
balloon. Hempleman-Adams said he had intended to try only for the
34,741-foot record for his size of gas and hot air balloon, as
measured by volume. The record for all manned balloon flights was
set in 1961 with a gas balloon that ascended to 113,740 feet.
The current altitude record for gas and hot air balloons is
38,507 feet, set in 1999 by the Breitling Orbiter crew in a
pressurized cabin. Hempleman-Adams, 47, was in an open basket,
breathing through an oxygen mask and bundled up against
temperatures, he claimed reached minus-75 degrees. Verifying
the new record could take several months, since equipment measuring
the air pressure must now be shipped to Europe and tested. The
equipment was sealed before the flight.
While Hempleman-Adams tries to convince the aviation community
of his claimed success, he is also facing possible sanctions by the
feds. Late Tuesday, the FAA said it was investigating whether the
balloonist, who has a British pilot's certificate, was
issued US certification for the flight, and whether he was in
restricted airspace. The agency could seek civil penalties,
including fines.
This isn't the only record attempt for the daring aviator. Last
September, Hempleman-Adams became the first person to cross the
Atlantic solo in an open wicker basket balloon. As for future
adventures, he intends to fly over Antarctica and perhaps Mount
Everest.
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