Feb. 9 (UPI) — Fyodor Konyukhov, a Russian adventurer who is also an Orthodox Church priest, set a world record on Thursday after flying a hot-air balloon for 55 hours, his support team said.
Konyukhov, born in Soviet Ukraine, and Ivan Menyailo, a certified balloonist and aeronautics expert, set off on the journey aboard the Binbank Premium balloon on Tuesday near the Russian city of Rybinsk. They landed in Volga River Saratov region’s Krasnokutsky district.
Konyukhov’s support team said his flight lasted 55 hours and 15 minutes — 4 hours and 37 minutes longer than the previous record set in 1997. Upon landing, local resident and regional authorities greeted Konyukhov and Menyailo.
“The record was beaten, and a new record of 55 hours in the air has been set. Fyodor and Ivan feel excellent, the flight and the landing went off well,” Konyukhov’s son Oskar told Tass Russian News Agency.
Japan’s Michio Kanda, who took off in Canada and landed in the United States, held the previous record.
To successfully set the record, Konyukhov and Menyailo needed to avoid crossing borders into the nearby countries of Ukraine, Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania, which would force the men to land.
Konyukhov dedicated the flight to Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, an Orthodox saint.
