World News
Two pilots cross Pacific Ocean in helium balloon─── 09:33 Fri, 30 Jan 2015
Tokyo - Two pilots have surpassed the world distance record for a flight in a helium balloon after crossing the Pacific Ocean.
American Troy Bradley and Russian Leonid Tiukhtyaev also hope to set a new duration record. They left Japan in their "Two Eagles" balloon on Sunday and had aimed to land in Canada or the US.
However, weather has forced them to change course towards Mexico where they are due to land sometime on Saturday.
Their hi-tech balloon is fitted with monitors and other instruments that track their course and compile data to be submitted to record-keepers.
The specially-designed capsule sits beneath a huge helium-filled envelope and is designed to stay aloft for up to 10 days.
To set new distance and durations records the team needed to beat the existing records by 1%.
BBC
