Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov landed safely in Australia on Friday evening, breaking by two days the record set in 2002 by Steve Fossett for a solo circumnavigation by balloon. Konyukhov, age 64, overflew his launch site after 11 days and 11 hours, then flew on to his landing spot in an open field. He suffered a bang on the cheek during the bumpy landing, but otherwise emerged from the gondola in good health and high spirits after the long flight. Konyukhov encountered rough weather and equipment failures along the way, and wrote that it was “scary to be so down south and away from civilisation” when the jet stream steered his balloon toward Antarctica. “This place feels very lonely and remote. No land, no planes, no ships,” he wrote at the time.
The winds shifted and brought him back to Australia. Konyukhov’s flight track was farther north than Fossett’s, resulting in a total mileage of about 21,561 miles, compared to 20,601 for Fossett. The record has not yet been officially certified by the Federation Aeronautique International, or World Air Sports Federation, which is based in Switzerland. The balloon, which is known as a Roziere type, combines the features of propane-fueled hot-air balloons and a helium balloon to create lift.
