70 Year Old Croatian Becomes First to Fly Balloon Underground!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...derground.html
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It's not hot air to say this 70-year-old balloon pilot is brave becoming the first in the world to fly a balloon underground! The huge aircraft was expertly lowered into a 675-foot deep and 200-foot wide cave (known as Mamet Cave) in Croatia. Pilot Ivan Trifonov gained his fifth Guinness World record by becoming the first person to accomplish an underground hot air balloon flight.
The daring undertaking took place ten years after legendary space jumper Felix Baumgartner successfully base jumped into the same pitch-black cave. The historic balloon flight, which was inspired by the visionary Jules Verne's book Journey to the Centre of the Earth, lasted about 25 minutes.
For this unique underground flight Ivan had to use a specially designed balloon which was smaller than most normal hot air balloons and which involved the pilot sitting on two gas cylinders instead of inside a basket.
Ivan, who was supported in the flight by the supported by the Croatian National Tourist Board, said: "This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to visit hell, right? It has been an incredibly difficult project. You must have the right balloon, the right weather, and the right support. I don't believe this is going to be repeated by anyone ever again."
The experienced balloon pilot has already broken four records in the Guinness Book of Records for hot air ballooning over the South Pole, the North Pole, the Mediterranean Sea andfor being the first man who stood, dived and flew over the North Pole all within 12 hours.
The Croatian National Tourist Board hopes the incredible video of Ivan's challenge will inspire other active tourists to visit Croatia and experience the country's beautiful landscapes.
First written records of the Mamet Cave, which is located in Obrovac in the Velebit Nature Park, date back to 1929.
The first descent to the bottom of Mamet Cave took place on 5th July 1968 when topographic mapping and aerial photography were performed, to produce a map of the site which is still being used today.
Pilot Ivan Trifonov gained his fifth Guinness World record by becoming the first man alive to accomplish an underground hot air balloon flight
The huge balloon was expertly lowered into the 675-foot deep and 200-foot wide Mamet Cave in Croatia
For this unique underground flight Ivan had to use a specially designed balloon, which was smaller than a usual hot air balloon
Ivan described the challenge as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
The historic balloon flight, which was inspired by the visionary Jules Verne's book Journey to the Centre of the Earth, lasted about 25 minutes
The Croatian National Tourist Board hopes the incredible video of Ivan's challenge will inspire other active tourists to visit Croatia
The experienced balloon pilot has already broken four records in the Guinness Book of Records
The daring undertaking took place ten years after legendary space jumper Felix Baumgartner successfully base jumped into the same pitch-black cave. The historic balloon flight, which was inspired by the visionary Jules Verne's book Journey to the Centre of the Earth, lasted about 25 minutes.
For this unique underground flight Ivan had to use a specially designed balloon which was smaller than most normal hot air balloons and which involved the pilot sitting on two gas cylinders instead of inside a basket.
Ivan, who was supported in the flight by the supported by the Croatian National Tourist Board, said: "This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to visit hell, right? It has been an incredibly difficult project. You must have the right balloon, the right weather, and the right support. I don't believe this is going to be repeated by anyone ever again."
The experienced balloon pilot has already broken four records in the Guinness Book of Records for hot air ballooning over the South Pole, the North Pole, the Mediterranean Sea andfor being the first man who stood, dived and flew over the North Pole all within 12 hours.
The Croatian National Tourist Board hopes the incredible video of Ivan's challenge will inspire other active tourists to visit Croatia and experience the country's beautiful landscapes.
First written records of the Mamet Cave, which is located in Obrovac in the Velebit Nature Park, date back to 1929.
The first descent to the bottom of Mamet Cave took place on 5th July 1968 when topographic mapping and aerial photography were performed, to produce a map of the site which is still being used today.
Pilot Ivan Trifonov gained his fifth Guinness World record by becoming the first man alive to accomplish an underground hot air balloon flight
The huge balloon was expertly lowered into the 675-foot deep and 200-foot wide Mamet Cave in Croatia
For this unique underground flight Ivan had to use a specially designed balloon, which was smaller than a usual hot air balloon
Ivan described the challenge as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
The historic balloon flight, which was inspired by the visionary Jules Verne's book Journey to the Centre of the Earth, lasted about 25 minutes
The Croatian National Tourist Board hopes the incredible video of Ivan's challenge will inspire other active tourists to visit Croatia
The experienced balloon pilot has already broken four records in the Guinness Book of Records
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