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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.