MI-70K: 70,000 ft in a balloon, no gas this!

‘‘The flight will take roughly five hours, three to go up and around an hour-and-a-half to return. If I come alive, I should land somewhere 80 to 100 miles away from the take-off point — tentatively in Aurangabad or Nashik,’’ he said. ‘‘Through this feat, I want an Indian to make history. India needs a record in aviation.’’

The magnitude of the attempt, costing ‘‘several crores of rupees’’, can be gauged by the numbers involved. ‘‘The balloon,’’ Singhania claims, ‘‘has a capacity of 80 tonne (equivalent to eight BEST buses) of hot air, and when fully inflated, will be equivalent to a 30-storey building.’’ Incidentally, this air balloon would be the largest hot-air envelope ever built. Speeding at 10 miles an hour, the pressure involved is so strong that the balloon could crack a building if it so much as brushes past. The balloon will use a dual burner system of kerosene and propane and will have 48 burners.

Singhania has been an aviator for four decades with flying experience of over 5,000 hours. He holds the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Gold Medal — the most coveted award in aviation sports — for the international round at the World Air Race in 1994, starting and ending in Montreal, after a 24-day odyssey covering 34,000 km across several countries.

He holds a Guinness Book of World Record for the fastest solo flight in a Microflight Aircraft from UK to India.

‘‘I am hoping that the flight goes well, as I do not want to imagine touching any electric wires or falling down to find myself hanging on any tree,’’ says Singhania. To ensure that, he will be assisted by two world expert balloonists — Andy Elson — who has made six flights above 40,000 feet and Colin Prescot and a team of ground controllers. ‘‘I have an entire support system to help me navigate with three sets of radios,’’ said Singhania. ‘‘If I am successful in this, I would like to go ahead and fly in a rosier air ballon, which is a combination of hot air and helium at a height of 1,30,000 feet. NASA has promised that they will give the person who accomplishes that feat the rank of an astronaut,’’ says Singhania.