New Mexico-based balloonist Peter Cuneo, Pennsylvania pilot Bert Padelt and British pilot Alicia Hempleman-Adams have completed a projected record-setting transatlantic gas balloon flight in the hydrogen-powered Atlantic Explorer. According to the Albuquerque Journal, the crew launched from far northeastern Maine early Thursday and landed in Luxembourg early Sunday after flying 2,852 nautical miles in 70 hours and 11 minutes.
The crew spent about 36 hours over the North Atlantic before reaching the coast of France on Saturday evening, the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. The flight included high-altitude operations above 20,000 feet, temperatures as low as 17 degrees below zero and periods of ice buildup on the balloon.
The flight was Padelt’s third attempt to complete the crossing. Cuneo was also aboard Padelt’s most recent attempt in 2025.
“He just felt like it would be a really, really nice accomplishment,” Cuneo told the Journal. “He thought it would be kind of a life-changing thing.”
The flight is still awaiting official review by the International Aeronautical Association. If verified, it is expected to be the longest transoceanic gas-powered balloon flight recorded.
https://avweb.com/aviation-news/balloon-crew-complete-record-atlantic-trip