Fort Collins boy in loose aircraft (6 yr old boy found hiding at home not in balloon)

Denver Post ^ | October 15, 2009 | Kieran Nicholson

[Arec Barrwin]

Rescuers are tracking and chasing a "homemade flying saucer" that is in flight with a 6-year-old, by himself, on board.

The incident started this morning in Fort Collins when the boy got into the balloon-like device, which was built by an adult, and it came loose from a tether, according to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office.

The contraption could rise as high as 10,000 feet, the sheriff's office said.

The home-made flying saucer was last seen in flight over Weld County.

The sheriff's office is working the Federal Aviation Administration to determine how to best get the boy down.

The homemade airplane was tethered in Fort Collins when the boy got onboard and it floated away. (Lisa Ecklund via 9News)

The six-year-old boy was by himself on board the hommade aircraft. (Courtesy Lisa Ecklund, via 9News)

The craft could fly as high as 10,000 feet, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. (Lisa Ecklund via 9News)

[md2576]

HOME SAFE WOOHOO!

[halo66]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[paws_and_whiskers]

Praise God!

[mom4melody]

Thank you God!

[SE Mom]

Per BREAKING NEWS on Denver Channel 9- boy is alive- found at the house

[yield 2 the right]

Boy has been found, is at his home. News reports. All this for nothing? Glad that kid was on the ground the whole time and is okay.

[dfwgator]

Somebody has a lot of ‘splainin’ to do, but Thank God, that’s all it was.

They’ll be plenty of time for whatever punishment needs to be dished out.

[JoSixChip]

Old farm land that now has scattered neighborhoods, very open area.

[Jeff Chandler]

Praise God!

[Pondo]

Boy found alive, gotta be a publicity stunt by the family

[txhurl]

What! Alive! What!

[colinhester]

Yeah!!!!

[mware]

Damn, Cavuto nailed it. He said have little ones the boys age made him think the kid was hiding because he was afraid of what dad would do.

[Jewbacca]

Thank you, G-d!

[Sir Beowolf]

He’s home, falcon is home as per CNN

[dragnet2]

BOY FOUND OK

[Lorica]

FOUND, AND HE’S OK!

[Riley]

I’m looking now to see if this is a commercially-available product. If it is, there should be specifications that indicate the balloon’s volume and perhaps also it’s lifting capacity.

If the caller’s numbers were correct, they need to be looking closer to home for the kid- who may be freaked that he lost dad’s balloon and then the cops and the fire department and news teams and the Chilean Marines and everyone else showed up, so he’s hiding somewhere. One can hope, anyway.

[Lady Jag]