Briton sets paragliding record Flies at 29,500 feet over the Himalayas A British national, Bear Grylls, has set a new world record after he flew over Mt Everest in a powered Paraglider (Paramotor). Grylls ascended up to 29,500 feet on May 14 and broke the previous record of 17,000 feet to become the first person to reach such a height on a paraglider. Grylls, who arrived in Kathmandu from Everest region today, said: “It was incredible. It was always my dream and it has finally come true. It was a dream flight.” Grylls also told a press conference organised here by the Explore Himalaya (EH) that he circled over some of the most famous peaks in the Himalayas the same day. However, his friend Giles Cardozo — another British national — who was in the mission with him, was forced to abort the flight at the height of 28,000 feet due to some fault in his machine. “People had doubts that the machine would never take off and accomplishing the mission was tough. It was difficult for us to carry the heavy machines at our backs,” he said. Cardozo said taking the smallest machine at that height was a “great achievement.” Suman Pandey, the EH president told the conference that they had sought a special permission from the government for the mission. A paragliding expert from the United Kingdom was there to ensure that the world record was set.