QuoteA 6-year-old boy is floating over northeastern Colorado in a homebuilt balloon and authorities are racing to try and rescue him.
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21306839/detail.html
Un freaking believable!
WOW! That boy may already be dead... temperature alone at 8000 feet will do it but he is probably hypoxic from the altitude... if he has been or rises above 10k he will certainly lose consciousness...
This is Colorado which is a mile high already. Pikes Peak is 14,000 feet and while it is cold it is survivable.. But how are they going to get him down?? Holy cow..
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/livestream/breaking.aspx?storyid=146730&catid=319 (http://www.firstcoastnews.com/video/livestream/breaking.aspx?storyid=146730&catid=319)
Live video coverage
Reports are saying he should stay at low altitude from low cloud cover. Hope he comes down ok.
That is an interesting problem.
6 years old? Wow. As a parent, this makes me heart hurt.
(http://www.thedenverchannel.com/2009/1015/21307294_240X135.jpg)
It is losing helium, but he's moving fast!
Does he have a needle?
oh lord this thing is going to crash on live tv..say a prayer that the kid survives
What a landing!
thank god it didn't crash
No kid?
The kid is not in it... :(
I think the kid has fooled us all! Was Geraldo in on this?
not good..cause they are saying he is not at home either
would you be? He's hiding!
Quote from: Sigma on October 15, 2009, 03:41:31 PM
I think the kid has fooled us all! Was Geraldo in on this?
How bout we save the jokes for later.
..or he fell out. and I don't even want to think about that..and yes..lets save the jokes for something thats actually funny.
My apologies. I just think he untethered the line and took off after seeing what he did.
Something that is unexplained and overshadowed by the potential tragedy of this:
WTF were the parents intending to do with this balloon in the first place? Who has a giant, homemade mylar balloon just laying about?
They are "inventers"/"stormchasers".
^
::)
Maybe he just went "home"?
The family was on the TV show "Wife Swap" . AND he was never on board.
Well that's good. The never on board part, that is. Have you actually read that somewhere or is that your theory?
I hope he was never on board. That would be tragic. I too wonder why the family would have an inflated 20X5 foot lighter than air craft tethered within the reach of a 6 year old.
This might hurt Ock and SDare's argument for the return of lighter than air transport (just joking, please don't judge).
Quote from: ac on October 15, 2009, 04:02:44 PM
Well that's good. The never on board part, that is. Have you actually read that somewhere or is that your theory?
My co-worker has a close friend at CBS
Ah, OK.
The kid was never inside to begin with. Guarantee it.
CNN is saying there was a basket or box attached to the bottom of the balloon... it was not attached when the ballon landed nor was it seen in any of the video... Boy was supposed to be in the basket.
Hopefully he is found by night fall.
The plot thickens... apparently someone saw something fall from the ballon at some point. It is being reported that this family appeared on ABCs "Wife Swap".
Quote from: BridgeTroll on October 15, 2009, 06:05:30 PM
The plot thickens... apparently someone saw something fall from the ballon at some point. It is being reported that this family appeared on ABCs "Wife Swap".
media stunt?
News reports boy is safe at home...
Zeppelin Aircraft, Cargo-Lifter, Airship Ventures, Goodyear, damn kid has a real future in LIGHTER THEN AIR! Time to issue him his official single wing, LTA or LZ badge.
OCKLAWAHA
Quote from: reednavy on October 15, 2009, 04:27:13 PM
The kid was never inside to begin with. Guarantee it.
Damn I'm good.
Quote from: Sigma on October 15, 2009, 03:45:26 PM
would you be? He's hiding!
reednavy, Dude - see my post #17
He was in a box at home!
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-balloon-boy-found-101509,0,6905331.story
Quote'Balloon Boy' found alive, was never inside inside balloon
KDVR Denver
4:52 PM MDT, October 15, 2009
Richard Heene holds his 6-year-old son, Falcon, as he talks to the media after his son was found hiding in the attic of his family's garage in Fort Collins, Colorado. Oct. 15, 2009.
(http://www.kdvr.com/media/photo/2009-10/colorado-balloon-boy_49878818.jpg)
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A flying saucer-shaped helium balloon drifted away from a home in Fort Collins, Colorado Thursday. Contrary to earlier fears, however, there was not a 6-year-old boy inside.
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office says the family of Falcon Heene kept the saucer behind their home on Fossil Ridge Road in Fort Collins.
His brothers initially told officials that Falcon climbed into the basket attached to the saucer and, somehow, the rope that held the aircraft in place became untied at about 11:00 a.m.
Authorities say the balloon may have risen to an elevation of approximately 15,000 feet as it drifted over Colorado's eastern plains. Due to high winds in the area, experts say the balloon may have reached speeds of nearly 60 miles per hour.
During a news conference outside the family's home at 4 p.m. local time, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced that Heene had been located, alive and well. The boy had been hiding inside a cardboard box in the attic of the family's garage, Alderden said, giving reporters a 'thumbs-up.'
Concerns the boy was inside the balloon as it drifted over northern Colorado prompted a emergency response, and massive media coverage. Helicopters tracked the balloon in-flight waiting for it to come down on its own.
Around 1:40 p.m., the balloon came down on its own, crashing into an open field near 160th Ave. & County Road 79, just south of Keenesburg, in Adams County, approximately 50 miles southeast from where it first took flight.
Richard Heene, the boy's father, is a known weather tracker and it is believed the balloon was built for weather monitoring.
The Heene family appeared on the ABC television show "Wife Swap." A website for the show said when Heene family members aren't together chasing storms, "they devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm."
A photo of the family on the show's website shows what appears to be the helium saucer in the background.
Now I'm very surprised there hasn't been some debate on this forum this morning as to whether this was a hoax or publicity stunt. My first inclination was that it was not for publicity but then I see the family popping up news shows nationally to discuss it. Maybe they want to clear their names and they figure the best way is to not hide but to come right out. Yes the 6 year old did say "it was for the show." But he's six for crying out loud. I'm still leaning towards not for publicity...Time will tell.
jb
Quote'Balloon boy' incident was hoax, sheriff says
(CNN) -- Three days after the world watched a giant balloon fly through the air and a tearful family express fears that their 6-year-old boy could be inside, authorities announced what millions already suspected: The whole thing was staged.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/colorado.balloon.investigation/index.html
Quote from: Sportmotor on October 15, 2009, 06:07:45 PM
Quote from: BridgeTroll on October 15, 2009, 06:05:30 PM
The plot thickens... apparently someone saw something fall from the ballon at some point. It is being reported that this family appeared on ABCs "Wife Swap".
media stunt?
Called it lol I hope a judge comes down hard on them for this. That was alot of taxdollars thrown aside and alot of people's emotions they toyed with just to go onto tv to get a free ride again.
The FAA may also have charges filed against them as well.