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.

FMI: http://records.fai.org/balloons