A pair of pilots have surpassed two balloon flight records -- for duration and for distance -- after flying across the Pacific Ocean.
After six days in the air, pilots Troy Bradley and Leonid Tiukhtyaev have already clocked more than 6,075 miles, bursting through previous records set decades ago. And they're not done yet.
The aircraft, dubbed the Two Eagles balloon, is filled with helium rather than hot air. Bradley and Tiukhtyaev's team told Mashable that the balloon is currently traveling southeast along the North American coast, and is expected to land on the Baja peninsula Saturday.
The balloon lifted off from Japan in the early hours of Sunday morning. Bradley and Tiukhtyaev have lived for the past six days in a small closet-like compartment under the balloon. It is designed to withstand the impact of a hard landing and provide shelter for the men, but is only seven feet long, five feet high, and five feet wide.
Since the compartment is non-pressurized, the pilots have to use oxygen whenever they are flying above 12,000 feet.
Another great photo from 15,000 feet, near Midway. Follow the flight of #TwoEagles http://t.co/HN2WwQD4ia pic.twitter.com/rhfJI01MYC— Troy Bradley (@TwoEaglesTeam) January 27, 2015
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"The team is now fully focused on the final and most important task: landing the balloon safely after a successful crossing of the Pacific Ocean," said a statement from the group.
On Friday, the Two Eagles balloon passed the previous world record for time in flight for gas balloons -- 137 hours, 5 minutes, 50 seconds, set in 1978. The previous night, the duo passed the world record for distance by completing more than 5,209-miles in its transpacific journey. This passes a record set in 1981.
The launch!! Video by: Savannah Bradley (@snbxabq ) A video posted by Two Eagles Balloon Team (@twoeaglesballoonteam) on Jan 27, 2015 at 6:57pm PST
While the team has undoubtedly logged the mileage to surpass both records set in 1978, the official call will made by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association and Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), after a review process that could take weeks.
Still, the Two Eagles team describe their traditional gas balloon as "the stuff of legends."
"Old-fashioned 'gas' balloons, filled with helium and without the benefit of burners, pit man against the elements at a very basic level with just bags of sand and a healthy dash of boldness, as the fuel," says the Two Eagles website.