A British explorer has smashed two world records for spending the longest amount of time in a hot air balloon.
David Hempleman-Adams, 52, spent 14 hours and 15 minutes in a laundry-basket-sized balloon, flying 200 miles over the US Midwest. The previous record of eight hours and 12 minutes had not been broken for more than 26 years. Hempleman-Adams' feat broke the record for the AA-01 and the AA-02 class balloons.
The explorer said his worst fear was landing in water, which made flying over a lake especially stressful. He also had to dodge wind turbines and radio masts and contend with bugs.
''Whenever I put on my head torch to read the map all the mosquitoes in the area headed straight for me and bit me to death,'' he told the UK's Telegraph.
Hempleman-Adams said he's already facing competition -- from within his own family. His daugher Alicia has her sights set on ballooning and has been training to be a pilot.
''She has already done better than me in her balloon piloting exams. It won't be very long before she'll be breaking my records. That's kids for you,'" he told the Telegraph.
Hempleman-Adams was also the first person in history to ever reach the Geographic and Magnetic North and South poles as well as climb the highest peaks in all seven continents.
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