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Fort Collins boy in loose aircraft (6 yr old boy found hiding at home not in balloon)
Denver Post ^ | October 15, 2009 | Kieran Nicholson

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)


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: balloon; balloonboy; denver; faa; falconheene; jiffypop; missing
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To: AFPhys
Now the dad says it's an invention in the early stages which is to be “tethered to cars in traffic” for whatever purpose. Few hours ago it was not going to be more than 20’ off the ground.

Not only did reporters not know anything, they didn't research anything. I like Shep but he was the worst, Fox was the worst, reporting based on unverified rumors and heresay.

The altitude thing made me switch from FOX Some woman expert said 6k feet altitude, Shep replied it looks more like 2,000 feet and she never explained that his height indeed was 2,000 feet. It was awful; no one did any calculations at all.

Like you say, maybe the problem is it's math and science and we were relying on heads that merely talk, not think.

Been called too much of a pronoid but I also feel the story is legit. They're an adventurous bunch who appear smart and eccentric and probably look suspicious to a lot of folks.

Glad the boy's alive and the family is still together.

1,621 posted on 10/15/2009 5:43:09 PM PDT by Lady Jag (Double your income. Fire the government)
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To: dragnet2
But would that not mean the kid was already safe on the ground, hiding when the prayer went out?

It's exactly like Schrödinger's Cat! Only with a balloon...and a 6-year-old boy.

1,622 posted on 10/15/2009 5:44:33 PM PDT by lonevoice (This tagline is identical to the one you are reading)
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To: glock rocks

A pretty good concept!... slow ultralight and cans of foam! Still, the airstream situation would be tricky... Worth a trial by someone for the next rescue attempt!


1,623 posted on 10/15/2009 5:45:23 PM PDT by AFPhys ((Praying for our troops, our citizens, that the Bible and Freedom become basis of the US law again))
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To: AFPhys
This is a job for International Rescue!
1,624 posted on 10/15/2009 5:46:36 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (They have a saying in Chicago Mr Bond once happenstance, twice coincidence, three times enemy action)
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To: ME-262

There is a good reason that most courts are very skeptical of lie detector tests, and that they are tossed out from evidence much more often than admitted. I would like to be certain of the truth, but I don’t think that is sufficiently reliable. The police have so far maintained that they believe the family has all been truthful. Surely there will be more thought about that, but so far I think that the police judgment should be given deference here.


1,625 posted on 10/15/2009 5:49:38 PM PDT by AFPhys ((Praying for our troops, our citizens, that the Bible and Freedom become basis of the US law again))
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To: Jewbacca
Not a big issue in our house.

ROFL!


1,626 posted on 10/15/2009 5:50:37 PM PDT by lonevoice (This tagline is identical to the one you are reading)
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To: Slings and Arrows

The whole incident was fishy from the start. How could a six-year-old who couldn’t even tie his own shoes untether the large ropes on that homemade flying saucer?

How could the child conceal himself in a storage space above the garage, about 12 ft. off the ground, where a large panel had to be removed for access? And stay there for four hours without needing a drink or a potty break?

How did he get himself out of the box and down from that height without a ladder or stairs to the storage space?

How come a neighbor saw the whole family “working” on the saucer at 11 a.m. just before it launched, when the parents said they were inside the house?

How come the older boys were on the roof with their camera ready as the balloon launched? They claim to have seen the little brother board it, which would have been impossible from their vantage point?

Crazy Richard (the Dad) has a whole lot of ‘splaining to do.


1,627 posted on 10/15/2009 5:51:19 PM PDT by Palladin (ACORN is a criminal enterprise.)
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To: SunnyUsa

Yoko Ono! Yes! I said the same thing to my wife when I saw Maiuma (or whatever the heck) and especially when she started talking. What an airhead!


1,628 posted on 10/15/2009 5:53:11 PM PDT by Palladin (ACORN is a criminal enterprise.)
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To: SunnyUsa

“How was the demeanor of the parents at the new conference after Falcon was found?”

Crazy Richard never looked directly at the reporters or the camera. Very nervous and evasive. Answers didn’t make sense.

The three boys had these goofy looks on their face that my boys used to get whenever they were lying.

Airhead mom did not have red, puffy, or weepy eyes, as you would expect of a mom who thought her kid maight have plunged 1000 feet into the hard earth.

Phonies, every one of them!

Glad the kid’s OK, but sorry that I was punked by them...as were many other people.

But then I believed those damn Ramseys when they said that an intruder came into the house and killed their little girl (at first)...and at first I believed Casey Anthony when she sent everyone on a wild goose chase looking for the child she had murdered.


1,629 posted on 10/15/2009 5:58:58 PM PDT by Palladin (ACORN is a criminal enterprise.)
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To: Palladin

The ability of small children and small dogs to cause trouble knows no limits. Granted that, I agree with you in principle.


1,630 posted on 10/15/2009 5:59:45 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows ("When France chides you for appeasement, you know you're scraping bottom." --Charles Krauthammer)
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To: Boiler Plate

> Hmmm I read that it takes 4350
> liters of helium to lift a pound.

I don’t think that’s right. Wiki has the bouancy of He2 as -1.113g per liter. A pound is about 450g, so that means you need around 400 liters of He2, not 4000. The 400 number is also about what I got from the mol approach.

> Again the fact that it was a flat shape
> points to the fact the kid was not in it.

I agree 100%. My point was merely that it is not impossible for a craft of that approx size to lift a kid.


1,631 posted on 10/15/2009 6:00:32 PM PDT by MikeGranby
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To: the OlLine Rebel
Unless your conversions are wrong or I missed something, assuming a cylinder of 20x5, this thing filled with He can lift 392 lbs.

6m diameter, plan area c28m2 mean thickness maybe 1¼m = total volume 35 m3.

Helium lift 1Kg/m3 35Kg =c.80lb at sea level. Reduce by 25% to allow for altitude

Gross lift balloon and payload=60lb (best mental estimate, but would be surprised if out by more than 10lb either way)

1,632 posted on 10/15/2009 6:05:05 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy (They have a saying in Chicago Mr Bond once happenstance, twice coincidence, three times enemy action)
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To: deport

Looks like it turned out to be a hoax. What a waste of resources.


1,633 posted on 10/15/2009 6:08:28 PM PDT by PhiKapMom (Mary Fallin - OK Gov/Coburn - Senate 2010 ! Take Back the House/Senate! Stop ZERO!)
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To: MaxMax

LOL... I had one brother that loved to fall from trees, three times as I recall, but he always seemed to grab a branch on the way down and broke his fall! Never was badly hurt. One other brother fell once, but not hurt and only from about 9ft.

I was very cautious about the way I climbed, what I trusted, and concentrated sufficiently that I never had the falling experience... even though I was the undisputed champion of the neighorhood. LOL

At my age, I still enjoy climbing trees... laugh if you like!


1,634 posted on 10/15/2009 6:11:53 PM PDT by AFPhys ((Praying for our troops, our citizens, that the Bible and Freedom become basis of the US law again))
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To: socialismislost
yes, but not at 6,000 feet altitude in Colorado

Air pressure (and density) at 6000 feet is about 20% less than sea level pressure. The lift of a helium balloon will decline by about the same factor.

1,635 posted on 10/15/2009 6:13:01 PM PDT by wideminded
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To: Palladin

I agree. It is now obvious that pops is an attention seeking nutjob. No way those kids could have pulled all this off.


1,636 posted on 10/15/2009 6:17:41 PM PDT by lodi90
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To: wideminded

you are correct, which would not have been able to support the balloon envelope and rigid canopy, plus a 40 pound kid. This was an amateur weather balloon meant for lifting a small amount of meterological equipment, not a 40-45 pound child. The canopy looked like it had either a skeleton of rigid cardboard or thin plywood. The outer mylar envelope which was 20 feet in diameter also probably weighed several pounds alone. And the thethering ropes seen dangling would have also added to the weight.

I saw this video, and also noticed a large section of the balloon had no helium and was a flat sheet of mylar, trailing as the balloon swirled, which means it was no where even fully filled to volume. I also thought about the fact that the dad would have known lift capacity, yet stayed silent the entire time.

The press conference did it in for me. The dad was more interested in talking about the balloon than his kid, and mom didnt seeem too shook up about it. This was a hoax, and I hope the guy gets charged for the time money and effort that went into this stunt.


1,637 posted on 10/15/2009 6:22:08 PM PDT by socialismislost
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To: Lady Jag

It does sound like a very strange invention, but thinking out of the box is always needed for real progress! I agree with you and everyone who is most happy the kids are all safe at home! Also, completely agree with your assessment, “They’re an adventurous bunch who appear smart and eccentric and probably look suspicious to a lot of folks.”

As for me, it is the type of “live life large” “bunch” that I have a real enjoyment being around (but I haven’t watched the kids’ video yet!)


1,638 posted on 10/15/2009 6:25:07 PM PDT by AFPhys ((Praying for our troops, our citizens, that the Bible and Freedom become basis of the US law again))
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To: socialismislost

I just can’t stand it when parents like these exploit their kids. They are like that Jon and Kate duo.


1,639 posted on 10/15/2009 6:32:13 PM PDT by Palladin (ACORN is a criminal enterprise.)
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To: PhiKapMom

Glad the lad wasn’t in danger after all, but someone needs a good talking to. I was curious if they were home schooled or out of regular school for some reason. I never saw that info anywhere or heard anything on tv. I’m guessing home schooled but it’s only a guess.


1,640 posted on 10/15/2009 6:32:20 PM PDT by deport
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