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)

[GonzoGOP]

Won't matter if he hits the lines. At the power they put out almost anything conducts. And at a minimum they will tear the envelope and send the kid to the ground uncontrolled. For us cube dwellers, how high are the power lines, can he just go over them?

[PhiKapMom]

It landed softly!

[BuckeyeTexan]

The balloon descended low enough that rescuers were able to grab the tether lines. They looking inside the balloon now.

[dragnet2]

Waiting for the kid to exit....Where is the kid???.....

[Erik Latranyi]

Appears to be nobody on board

[Carpe Cerevisi]

On the ground. Soft landing!

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

No matter what happened kudos to the rescue people for being on the scene so quickly.

[TomGuy]

Live link for MS Player

http://mfile.akamai.com/22341/live/reflector:34154.asx?bkup=34162&prop=n

[TomasUSMC]

why don’t they get him out!

[ohioWfan]

WHERE’S THE BOY??

[BuckeyeTexan]

They poking holes in the balloon the prevent it from floating off again. No child emerging yet.

[PhiKapMom]

Poking a whole in the mylar.

[dragnet2]

Where is the kid??

[Constitution Day]

Hmm...I don’t know why. Worked flawlessly for me.

[hattend]

One source says 1 liter of helium can lift 1 gram.
Translating to the other measurement system, you get
1 gram = .0022 pounds
200 pounds = about 91,000 grams

1 liter = .035314 cubic feet
91,000 times .035314 cubic feet = about 3214 cubic feet.

Thus, not counting the weight of the balloon (or whatever is holding the helium), it would take more than 3,000 cubic feet of helium to lift a 200-pound person off the ground.

---

get out your calculators

[crusty old prospector]

Hopefully he hasn’t been breathing helium for the last two hours.

[envisio]

He/She would NEVER talk to someone’s face like that.

[MaxMax]

Someone shoot that idiot with the shovel!

[dragnet2]

There is no kid!!!!!!!!!

[US_MilitaryRules]

Hoax???????????????