Incredibly long balloon flight achieved by Fedor Konyukhov and Ivan Menyaylo

Source: Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI – fai.org

What a fantastic performance! Fedor Konyukhov and Ivan Menyaylo have just landed after spending more than 55 hours in the air.

The pilots took off on Tuesday morning [February 7] from Rybinsk, Russia, in a bid to break the long-standing world record of duration in a hot air balloon (9 000 to 12 000 m³). This record has been held by Michio Kanda from Japan since 1997 (50h 38 min).

Fedor Konyukhov and Ivan Menyaylo and members of their support team.
Credit: FAI.org

The crew traveled more than 1000km in the sky of Russia before landing near Krasny Kut, where they were welcomed by the ground support team.

Konyukhov/Menyaylo’s flight route
Credit: FAI.org

Adventurer and priest Konyukhov is well known for achieving a record-breaking solo flight around the world in a balloon last year, for which he was named FAI-Breitling Pilot of the Year.

Fedor Konyukhov and Ivan Menyaylo.
Credit: FAI.org

For this new flight Konyukhov paired with another experienced pilot, Ivan Menyaylo, who is the current holder of the duration record in the category of hot air balloons from 3 000 to 4 000 m3. 

Photo credit: Facebook/Fedor Konyukhov

The FAI is now waiting for the official claim to be sent in by the FAI Official Observers in order to ratify the record.

Source: Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI – fai.org