Balloonist vanishes south of Adak

wby0nder said:
My dad flew off Shemya and Adak during WW2 and said that you'd only live a few minutes in that cold water even if you managed to bail out or ditch successfully. Some of the worst weather anywhere.
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I was TDY on Adak a couple of times in the late 1970s. Trying a hot air balloon in that area this time of year is NUTS. Birthplace of the winds, they called that place. Armpit of the Navy was another term I heard. And we went there in the summer. :eek:
 
A followup. It appears he wasn't a complete idiot, but the weather has certainly conspired against him for a winter attempt.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/v-printer/story/301333.html
Kanda, 58, with 30 years of ballooning experience, was challenging the world distance record of 4,767 miles, said his assistant, Chika Edgar, who was reached by phone in Oregon on Thursday night.
Kanda also wanted to beat a duration record he set in 1997 on a 50-hour, 38-minute flight from Chestermere Lake, Alberta, to Jordan, Mont., Edgar said.
This trip was estimated to be nearly 5,600 miles long and take about 60 hours. Kanda was well-equipped and had the balloon fitted with autopilot, she said.
The balloon, about 15 stories tall and nearly 150 feet wide, is the largest in existence and the second-largest ever built, according to the Japan Balloon Federation.
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