The World - News from Feb. 16, 1989

A Japanese adventurer attempting the first solo balloon flight across the Pacific battled shifting winds and mechanical problems as he floated nearly 4 miles above the Earth, bound for California. Fumio Niwa was flying at 35 m.p.h. at an altitude of 20,000 feet, said his spokesman, Naoko Higashi. Niwa set out before dawn from Yokohama in a helium balloon. Depending solely on the power and direction of the wind, he hoped to reach San Diego, Yokohama’s sister city, possibly in six days. During radio contact, Niwa described the 56-foot balloon as “slightly swollen” and complained of rising temperatures in some of his instruments. However, neither problem was considered serious, Higashi said.