Fedor Konyukhov Solo Around-The-World in a Balloon – Official World Record Claims received!
The FAI received the following records claims from the Russian balloonist Fedor Konyukhov, 64, who completed his circumnavigation on Saturday 23 July 2016 by landing near Bonnie Rock (AUS) in a Roziere combined hot-air and helium gas balloon:
| ID | CLASS | SUB-CLASS | TYPE OF WORLD RECORD | PERFORMANCE | DATE | CLAIMANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17899 | A* | Absolute | Shortest time around the world | 272 h 11 min | 2016-07-23 | Fedor Konyukhov (RUS) |
| 17900 | A | AM-14** | Distance | 34'000 km | 2016-07-23 | Fedor Konyukhov (RUS) |
| 17898 | A | AM-15*** | Shortest time around the world | 272 h 11 min | 2016-07-23 | Fedor Konyukhov (RUS) |
| 17897 | A | AM-14 | Shortest time around the world | 272 h 11 min | 2016-07-23 | Fedor Konyukhov (RUS) |
* Class A - Ballooning
** AM-14 - Mixed Balloons: 16.000 to 22.000 m³
*** AM-15 - Mixed Balloons: 22.000 m³ and above
The performances were monitored by FAI Official Observers to ensure that they were made according to the Sporting Code of the Federation.
They will be ratified as World Records by FAI after examination of the full record files.
FAI Official Observer John Wallington, from the Australian Ballooning Federation stated: “Fedor Konyukhov’s around the world balloon flight was a simply amazing project. It was a tremendous feat of technical engineering and human endurance. To work with Fedor and his team has been very exciting and a great privilege.” Fedor Konyunkhov and late American aviation legend Steve Fossett are the only pilots to have completed the solo circumnavigation.
The FAI congratulates Fedor Konyukhov and the whole team on this splendid achievement.
