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Russian adventurer Konyukhov sets paragliding world record

Fyodor Konyukhov and Igor Potapkin reached a height of 4,728 meters

NALCHIK, September 15. /TASS/. Russian thrill-seeker Fyodor Konyukhov and top sportsman Igor Potapkin have set a world record in paragliding by climbing to over 4,700 meters in the Elbrus Mountains, Oskar Konyukhov, the head of Fyodor Konyukhov's expedition headquarters, told TASS. The record will be officially registered in the near future.

"Fyodor Konyukhov and Igor Potapkin have set a world record for a double paraglider. The previous record was set by Hungarian pilots in 2003 - 4,575 meters. According to the rules of the International Aviation Federation, the pilots had to improve on the current record by 3%. Thus, it was required to climb to 4,712 meters, our pilots reached a height of 4,728 meters at 10:54 a.m. Moscow time on September 15," the spokesman said.

Konyukhov and Potapkin took off from a plateau at the foot of Mt. Elbrus at an altitude of 2,400 meters at 7:17 a.m. Moscow time and gained 1,000 meters in an hour, reaching 4,500 meters in two and a half hours. "Then the hard work for the record began. After reaching the record altitude, the pilots landed on the plateau where the expedition camp was located. They feel great, although they didn’t take any oxygen equipment," Oscar Konyukhov said, adding that the team plans to return to the Elbrus region next year and make a flight to an altitude of 6,000 meters.

The flight to the region was made to set a world altitude record for the crew of a two-seater parallel. The travelers tested the performance of the paraglider systems and the life support of the crew in the rarefied air conditions near the North Pole. To do this, they attempted to reach an altitude of 6,000 m and fly over the western (5,642 m) and eastern (5,621 m) summits of Mt. Elbrus.

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