The Two Eagles balloon soaring above the Pacific. Photo: APThe Two Eagles balloon soaring above the Pacific. Photo: AP

Two pilots soaring over the Pacific Ocean have made history by first matching, then surpassing the 8,383-kilometre official world distance record for human flight in a gas balloon.

“There it is! There it is!” shouted team members at the flight’s mission control in Albuquerque as a giant screen showed the helium-filled Two Eagles balloon passing the record set by the Double Eagle V in 1981.

The balloon was about 644km northwest of San Francisco when it hit the mark and everyone inside the control room had their smartphones pointed at the screen to document the moment.

In a matter of hours, they hit another milestone in similar fashion when they reached the 8km mark, the distance – one per cent more than the current record – they needed to meet in their quest to establish a record under international aviation rules.

The pilots had been aiming for Canada until a high-pressure ridge formed off the US west coast

The distance still has to be confirmed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, a process that can take weeks.

“We’re not taking any time to celebrate,” said Steve Shope, head of mission control. “We have a lot of work we have to do, and we’re just taking this flight one hour at a time.”

The Two Eagles pilots, Troy Bradley of Albuquerque and Russian Leonid Tiukhtyaev, are aiming to set both distance and duration records with their flight from Saga, Japan, which began shortly before 6.30am Japan time last Sunday.

The duration record was set in 1978, when Ben Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson and Larry Newman made the first transatlantic balloon flight.

That record of 137 hours, five minutes and 50 seconds in the air in a traditional gas balloon is considered the ‘holy grail’ of ballooning achievements. The Two Eagles team expected to surpass that later yesterday.

The pilots had been aiming for Canada until a high-pressure ridge formed off the US west coast, forcing a sweeping right turn towards Mexico, where they now plan to land today.

The shifting weather patterns resulted in a flurry of decision-making that made for a “hard night” for the pilots and mission control.

Shope said the pilots were in better spirits yesterday after getting some sleep but he acknowledged that being on oxygen for so many days and the high altitude can take a physical toll.

Because weather conditions vary at different altitudes, the pilots traded speed and altitude throughout Thursday so the balloon would track to the south.

“It’s a pretty sophisticated dance up there,” said Ray Bair, a member of the mission control team.

Rather than head to Canada, they are aiming for the peninsula of Baja California, where volunteer chase crews were being organised to help with the landing.

The balloon is fitted with an array of monitors and other instruments that are tracking its course and compiling data to be submitted to the record-keepers. With a massive, helium-filled envelope and a specially-designed carbon fibre-composite capsule, it was designed to stay aloft for up to 10 days, but the loss of gas and ballast has shortened that time by a couple of days.

The last task will be a safe landing.

Sand dunes along the peninsula were looking like the best option, Bair said. There are more favourable spots immediately along the Mexican coast, but then come the mountains.

Things to know about the challenge

Life in the capsule

Troy Bradley likened the journey to a camping trip in the sky. The balloon’s capsule is about the size of a large tent – 2.1m long, 1.5m wide and 1.5m tall, which left the pilots little room to move around. Since they were flying at an altitude of at least 4,570m, they had oxygen masks and were bundled up to cope with the 10˚C temperature inside the capsule. They had sleeping bags and a small onboard heater. The balloon is also equipped with a simple toilet.

Food and drink

Packing required the pilots to be thorough since they were on their own after lifting off. They had freeze-dried meals, fresh fruit, beef jerky and energy bars, along with lots of water to stay hydrated. They also had a small stove for occasional hot meals. Because of the altitude and the inability to move around, however, they didn’t have large appetites.

The view

Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev have been sharing photos of the view from their carbon composite capsule via social media. Some show the sun peeking over the earth’s curve, while others show part of the balloon and spotty clouds covering an ocean of blue tens of thousands of feet below.

Live tracking

The team has been in constant communication with mission control, and updates on the balloon’s location were posted to social media sites. The team’s exact destination in North America is not known because the location will depend on the winds the balloon encounters along the way. As of mid-Tuesday in New Mexico, the balloon was travelling 126kph at an altitude of more than 6,100m.

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