In November 2005, an Indian businessman, Vijaypat Singhania, claimed a new world record for the highest flight in a hot air balloon after a voyage lasting several hours.

The 67-year-old textile tycoon soared past 69,000 feet in a balloon as tall as a 22-storey building.

Brief History

1783 - Birth of Flight

1784 - English Aeronaut

1785 - Conquering the Channel

1793 - America Takes Off

1800 - Death of the Hot Air Balloon

1812 - The Irish Question

1898 - Balloons to Airplanes

1931 - A Stratospheric Achievement

1935 - Highest Men in the World

1960 - Balloons and Parachutes

1960s - Renaissance of Hot Air

1978 - Transatlantic Challenge

1981 - Transpacific Challenge

1987 - Richard Branson

1999 - The Last Frontier

2005 - Altitude Record Broken Again