| The
present World Record for the maximum altitude in a Hot
Air Balloon stands in the name of Per Lindstrand, a
Swede based in UK. The record stands at 64997 ft. achieved
on 6th June 1988, in Plano Texas, USA. The Federation
Aeronautique International (FAI), mandates that a record
to be recognized must surpass the previous one by at
least 3%. The aim of the present project is to climb
to a height of at least 70000 ft. To put this height
into perspective it is noteworthy to understand that
the biggest jumbos with commercial airlines can fly
at a little more than 40000 ft.
The
other requirements for the record are that the pilot
must fly his machine on his own, land with the balloon
and capsule attached intact and survive for at least
24 hours after landing. These requirements may sound
outlandish to some but on reflection it would dawn on
most that the FAI does not recognize or reward suicidal
missions. World records are required to be planned and
meticulously executed. The record also needs to be suitably
verifiable by the FAI inspectors.
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