Singhania to set world record in ballooning

    Mumbai: Renowned industrialist and amateur aviator Dr Vijaypat Singhania is scheduled to undertake his much awaited adventurous flight on the MI 70K this coming Saturday. Singhania plans to set a world record in ballooning by becoming the first person to fly a hot air balloon to the edge of space. Singhania, 67, plans to fly the balloon at a height of 21,000 metres (70,000 feet) above the sea level at Mahalaxmi Race Course from Bombay on the scheduled day. The current world record for 'High Altitude in a Hot Air Balloon' of 19,811 metres (64,997 feet) was set by Sweden's Per Lindstrand in Plano, Texas, in June 1988.

     "I have done a lot of things abroad. This is a new milestone I am going to achieve. Hopefully if God permits I will accomplish more of such adventures. The practice was thorough and extensive. It is over and I am ready. Flying a balloon is very different than flying an aeroplane. The aerodynamics are the same but the balloon doesn't have things like wings or a real engine. So learning its technology is very important," says Dr. Vijayapat Singhania. British pilots Andy Elson and Colin Prescot, who are leading Singhania's technical team, have designed the 40-ton ( 44-U.S. ton) balloon, fired by propane and kerosene and the pressurized aluminium cabin Singhania will be sealed in. The flight could take about five hours and the balloon is expected to travel a distance of 100 kilometres or 62 miles.

Elson will follow

    Elson will follow Singhania's flight in a helicopter to monitor wind direction and landing. The temperature outside the balloon would be about -93 degrees Celsius (-135 Fahrenheit) and oxygen will be virtually negligible. The balloon would be parachuted in case things went wrong. Dr Singhania has been an aviator for four decades with a total flying experience of over 5000 hours. Rising to challenges and breaking records is nothing new for him. Despite winning several records and accolades in the field of aviation, the hunger for achieving something for the pride of the country is still burning bright.