Posted on 10/15/2009 11:45:55 AM PDT by 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)
Wolf Blitzer should stop saying the photo is “intriguing” like it’s fun, whereas it might be the child falling.
I disagree. It IS the right size for a 6 year old child in relation to the balloon.
right ... ~105lbs at sea level. At 5000ft it’s about 96 lbs of lift.
The “15,000 ft” was probably the MAXIMUM it could have achieved. Since that is extremely dependent on the temperature at altitude and the amount of helium the balloon was charged with, it is more a theoretical number than anything else... and is also dependent on the load. None of these are figures that we have a very reliable handle on.
I am just sick to my tummy. Raised two little boys, who now still keep me on my knees at 30 & 33 and they both have little boy each. I can see lots of little boys who could have done this same thing. Just so sad for the family.
Wolf is proving that his negative-winnings performance on Jeopardy wasn't a one-time fluke.
Yes, he never got lifted, and he is the world’s most grounded kid in history. Please, God.
Fox31 reporter indicates that they are now centering their search in the general area where the policement thought he saw something falling.
That area is rural and open (little population which might have witnessed something).
[IIRC, from earlier reports, that search area is about 50 miles from where the balloon originated its flight.]
It’s just bizarre.
Regardless what any of us think about this family- they must be in utter hell right now- they and the little boy need prayers.
Cut Wolfie some slack. After his dismal performance on celebrity Jeopardy, there's no way of telling if he actually understands the meaning of the word.
I’m looking at the photo now...
You’d think the parents would be looking at that and the father would confirm very quickly what that is...
This is probably not going to turn out good...
Probably won’t be too much longer...
Sad...
Anyone quick enough with the math to determine the rate of acceleration upward if max load were suddenly released? I think it would be a real pop.
It came down without a kid in it how could it taken off with him in it?
That would be more a function of air resistance than anything else.
Just saw a neighbor interviewed that said this was a planned event and that the balloon got away from them. Said the parents were frantic.
So they should know if the kid was in the balloon basket or balloon or not.
“can usually put one down withing a mile of where he’s aiming.”
Try doing that with contained helium.
The balloon isn’t open and you can’t change the pressure of the gas inside, except by “popping” it.
It landed without the kid in it, right? How did it take off with him?
When it landed, there didn’t seem to be much urgency on the part of the people on the ground. If they thought there was a child in there, they would have been hustling to get him out.
I think they knew the outer compartment was lost and were just following it to be sure.
Search efforts are focused on the assumption that the boy was in the craft. Search occurring around Windsor, Colorado.
The balloon would also probably go into a sideways attitude -- since aerodynamic drag would be minimized that way as it was zooming upward.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.