Posted on 10/17/2009 3:57:40 PM PDT by GVnana
Thomas spent several months earlier this year working on developing a reality science TV show to pitch to networks - the "show," Thomas says, that Falcon was referring to when he told CNN "We did it for the show."
Among the ideas that Heene, Thomas and two others came up with for their reality TV proposal — and one that he says most intrigued Heene — involved a weather balloon modified to look like a UFO which they would launch in an attempt to drum up media interest in both the Heene family and the series he was desperate to get on the air.
Still, Thomas never imagined that Heene would involve his six-year-old son in what he is certain was a "global media hoax" to further Richard Heene's own celebrity. Thomas' story of his time with Heene, based on an interview with Ryan Tate, follows below. It's a fascinating account and after he publicly offered to sell his story, we paid him for it.
-snip-
And then we delved into the area of UFOs. I was reading a book on witness reports of Roswell at the time, just out of curiousity — I've never concluded whether it really took place or was an elaborate hoax. And Richard said, "how much do you want to bet we could facilitate some sort of a media stunt that would be equally profound as Roswell, and we could do so with nothing more than a weather balloon and some controversy?" (See item 16 here.)
Can we attract UFO's with a homemade flying saucer? We will modify a weather balloon, so that it resembles a UFO and will electrically charge the skin of the craft (Biefield-Brown Effect). We will capture the footage on film, and will utilize the media as a means with which to make our presence known to the masses. This will not only provide us with incredible footage, but will also generate a tremendous amount of controversy among the public, as well as publicity within the mainstream media. This will be the most significant UFO-related news event to take place since the Roswell Crash of 1947, and the result will be a dramatic increase in local and national awareness about The Heene Family, our Reality Series, as well as the UFO Phenomenon in general.
I clearly remember Richard telling me that, if we accomplish this, it would be the most controversial and widespread UFO news story since Roswell in 1947. (See audio at top of post.)
The plot thickens.
I’m shocked! /s
bttt
I don’t know the exact size of the balloon, but it would have required something like 50 pounds of helium to just be able to get off the ground with the kid inside, anyone who is interested in science would know this.
At least this info makes some sense of this story, thanks.
I heard the father say something about the balloon was to be charged with a million volts and wondered what he might be talking about.
I believe they were planning some kind of stunt, but I don’t think the boy was intended to be part of it.
Hey, come on, man. Don't you know when a little kid is involved, all intellectual thought is thrown to the wind? /Sarc.
This has turned into a reality show for reality show wannabees.
This father is an idiot.
did you see the launch video?
It was most definitely a hoax
he knew the balloon could not lift the kid.
I’m not sure who is sicker, the father or the people who are stuck on this subject, giving him exactly what he wanted.
If he is found to have orchestrated this fiasco, I hope he is required to foot the bill for the emergency services he caused to roll on this one.
Further, he should be removed from the home for six months, be put under a strict program of counseling, and be required to perform a few thousand hours of community service.
The wife and children should be talked to, to make sure they are safe in the home before he can return. And when he returns, I’d keep his arse on a very short leash.
The abuse of the children in this incident is just sickening, if he did this for a stunt to get notoriety.
"The Heenes say that when they couldn't find Falcon, they called the Federal Aviation Administration, then a local TV station with a news helicopter, and then dialed 911. The sheriff said the TV station call made sense because the helicopter could have provided immediate assistance.
In the 911 call, the boy's mother, Mayumi Heene, told a dispatcher in a panicked voice that her child was in "a flying saucer." She sobbed and said, "We've got to get my son."
It was not the first time someone from the Heenes' home has dialed 911. A Colorado sheriff's deputy responded to a 911 hang-up in February at the home, hearing a man yelling and noticing Mayumi Heene had a mark on her cheek and broken blood vessels in her left eye. She said it was because of a problem with her contacts.
Richard Heene said he was yelling because his children stayed up past their bedtime. The husband and wife said nothing had happened, and the deputy concluded he did not have probable cause to make an arrest.
Must have a lot of presence of mind to first call the FAA, then the local TV station, then 911.
“I don’t think the boy was intended to be part of it.”
At this time,,, I’m inclined to agree. But,,, we’ll have to see what shakes out in the next few days.
It's getting harder and harder to tell these days.
I heard a report that it was about 20ft in diameter
I think it would still be too small, as the amount needed to lift it is what will just get it off the ground, it would require a lot more to get to 8,000 feet.
Bluntly, I think Richard's ego blinds him to his brilliance. The only thing inhibiting him from progressing is a steadfast determination to become famous and live a Hollywood lifestyle. Someone needs to slap him in the face and say, "Wake up! This is not what's important." He has an amazing family that has already been subject to a tremendous amount of criticism. I especially feel bad for Falcon. He's going to be known as Balloon Boy the rest of his life. That's not something you want to tell a girl on the first date.
I think the wife is even wackier. Did you hear her when she said, “These kids are so ‘free’ (or whatever the adjective was) — they even burp and fart at the dinner table.” She was so proud. SHE also said that they were descended from aliens, and her eyes look crazy.
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