Adventurer breaks helium balloon record

David Hempleman-Adams has set a new world record for flying the longest distance in a helium balloon after crossing the Atlantic.

The 50-year-old adventurer and businessman, from Box, Wiltshire, flew over the coast of Brittany, northern France, in his "basic" helium balloon four days after setting off on the 2,100-mile journey from Newfoundland, Canada.

Hempleman-Adams endured temperatures of minus 20C, little sleep, and the possibility of crash-landing into the ocean - hundreds of miles away from help.

On his online blog, Hempleman-Adams could hardly contain his joy after being told he had broken another record at 5am.

He wrote: "We've done it! I've just passed the distance I needed to get the world record for the class of balloon I'm flying. I can't believe it. We've done it. I'm so pleased, thank you everyone."

Hempleman-Adams previously described the challenge as the toughest he had ever taken on as he had no way of navigating the tiny balloon with its 6ft long wicker basket and was at the mercy of the winds for the duration of the challenge.

Hempleman-Adams flew below 16,000ft, the altitude at which oxygen is required, and cruised at up to 12,000ft. He was forced to continually drop sandbags from the basket to make the balloon go higher to catch the optimum winds.

The balloon uses only helium and sand as ballast so the challenge will have a zero carbon footprint.

In 1998 Hempleman-Adams became the first person to reach the geographic and magnetic North and South Poles as well as climb the highest peaks in all seven continents.

He already holds a number of ballooning records, including staging the highest formal dinner party, at 24,262ft, in a specially-designed hot air balloon in 2005.

In January he broke the 26-year-old world hot air balloon altitude record, by ascending to 32,500ft over Alberta, Canada.

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