Up

Up and Away

In my Beautiful Balloon .....

***** I wish a Safe and Happy landing for him. *****

I hope everything goes well, but on a side note- What an adventure! This is one of those stories that will be passed on for generations.

I hope his parents are arrested and charged with child endangerment. What dumb asses.

After watching the live video for 10 minutes... It's very frightening.

I change my comment (1.1) to I hope for a safe rescue ... it's going to take a rescue at this point.

I agree this will likely not end well. Even more sad is that the law will just have to butt its nose in and charge the parents with endangerment. I think this will be its own punishment.

Oh my God! What a disaster waiting to happen. An experimental helium balloon? I pray for this little boy. I would not want to be one of the officials responsible for figuring out how to save him!

Hopefully that balloon will slowly leak helium, but looking at the material it will be a while. But once he starts losing altitude. Hopefully the balloon will come down and get caught in the trees.

Shouldn't he be in school? I pray for his safety but this is just another example of parental stupidity. Hopefully he won't land in power lines or freeze to death. If he's healthy, he should be able to handle the low partial pressure of oxygen.

Actually, I hope this is a hoax. A balloon of that size filled with helium cannot lift a 6-year-old. On Mythbusters, a 4-year-old needed much more helium balloon volume to be lifted.

use an ultralight or glider to bring him down.

The FAA or Authorities need to know that they should drop a 300 or 400 ft line with a large metal net or a large fish hook and grab the ballon..this is no joke folks.please stop making dumb jokes

at 1:17 Mountain time...The balloon is loosing Helium this can be observed by even a layman.

Also the max height of 8250 foot high is now 6500 feet ...so Hopefully he's coming down slowly and safely

how do they grab him and bring him down if they're flying an ultralight or a glider?

maybe the kid is doing what he saw done in the movie 'UP'. . .we have to blame this on something, so whats it gona be, guns, video games, or movies?

In the words of my 3 year old "what the heck in the world!" Why would someone want to make an aircraft like this???? Is it even legal to do so?? This is craziness, I hope he returns safely but he should not be the only one to get in trouble here!

Blow him back to earth with the Harrier Jump Jet!

Denver is already a mile high and he's at least a couple of thousand above that. Anyone realize how cold that is, especially at this time of year?

I have no idea how they are going to get that kid down safely unless the ballon starts to deflate.

I have a solution. tie a rope between 2 helicopters with a basket inbetween. place a rock or similar object for ballast in the basket with a note reading "take rock out of basket". the additional weight will then bring the boy safely to earth.

And I thought that the idiots allowing pet pythons to share houses with babies were crazy, but they can't match these people. I can only hope that this ends well, but that kid is going to need more than just hope. The parents made a huge mistake. What the heck were they thinking?

A helicopter flying below the balloon should create a down draft that might suck the balloon downwards, but this should be done gingerly. If a dirigible were available it might be able to manouvre alongside to shout instructions whenever they cut their engines. I'm more pessimistic than optimistic on this one however.

Too bad this 6 yo isn't a boy scout, he could use his school outlawed pocket knife to help himself!

JUST KIDDING before the rants begin.

I hope this has a good outcome but its hard to see how it will be.

Shouldn't he be in school?

He's SIX. What school should he be in?

Actually, I hope this is a hoax. A balloon of that size filled with helium cannot lift a 6-year-old. On Mythbusters, a 4-year-old needed much more helium balloon volume to be lifted.

It's not a party balloon. Did you read the article? "The aircraft, which resembled a flying saucer, was approximately 20 feet by 5 feet and had a foil top."

SOUNDS FISHY TO ME.........

He's SIX. What school should he be in?

Elementary School - Kindergarden, First Grade ?

Nobody in baloon! Someone said they saw something fall in Larimer County - poor little guy

This family was on "Wife Swap." With the boy not being found in the balloon, are we sure this isn't a publicity stunt?

So the parents are watching the kid play, he climbs all the way into the balloon, then it coincidentally "comes loose" at just that moment? Something doesn't sound right here to me. How do we even know the kids really in the balloon?

@SG-1262236

Kids go to school at his age. It's called kindergarten.

That baloon could not support the weight of a six year old child. He is not in it.

An early photo of the balloon (taken by a neighbor) shows no other basket hanging from the balloon And yet when we saw the lower part(basket) it looked to be totally intact w/ no rips on the side of the cylindrical basket. In other words It appears noone was ever with-in the compartment of the basket. Or at least no one ripped through the sides.

Very Strange.

And if another part was attached...would you not think this should have been reported early on during this tragic incident?

Let's hope they find him hiding for fear of getting in trouble and not splattered somewhere...

Well, I was right, no boy was found in the craft. Now I hope they find him at school or hiding somewhere, otherwise we need an AMBER alert. I hope it turns out O.K.

Alphonse-

Kids go to school at his age. It's called kindergarten.

Sure. However, during the broadcast, an interviewed police officer said that there was no school that day, and that they are assuming that is why the child was at home.

To all of you who asked if this boy should be in school. A lot of our schools here are on fall break. I know my kids are. I don't think this is a hoax or a publicity stunt. This little boy may be dead. Have a heart and think of how he may have spent his last hours here on earth scared to death.

A 20 ft x 20 ft x 5 ft rectangular balloon would have about 56 kg = 122 lbs of lifting power (approx. 1 kg per cubic meter) at standard temperature and pressure (STP). The colder air would be denser, but at altitude in Denver would be less dense than STP, so the effects might cancel out. The balloon is circular, thus has less lifting power, but still possibly more than the weight of the ballon + gondola + 6 year old. So I withdraw my statement that a 6-year-old couldn't have been inside, but am still glad it was a hoax or mistake.

I am absolutely disgusted by MSNBC's coverage of this. It was fine until one of the on air reporters start talking about the belief's of the family, while the balloon was still in the air. What the hell does that have to do with anything!? Yea, they are kooks, but just because their belief system is not main stream, that has nothing to do with the story. Journalism is dead. Sensationalism has won. If only someone would reprimand this ass. If they were mainstream Christian, I am sure it would not have been reported that "These people believe in a 2000 year old zombie from outer space. They may be a bit suspect" I hope this was all a misunderstanding or joke from the brother, but when they find this kid dead 40 miles from his house, I hope a small part of this hack reporter dies inside.

If they find this kid alive, expect to see the family crucified and villianized by the media.

MSNBC has been my source for news on my desktop and on my TV for years and years. No more. Be gone. I guess I will have to just read the AP feeds!

Stating that they are "kooks" brings in viewers, and that's job #1 in modern corporate news. Actually when you get down to it, their job is to generate viewers, not report news, so if you look at it that way it makes perfect sense. The wackier the better!!

Somethings Fishy!! This family was on trading Spouses. They are a nutty family .

Wife swap? Are you kidding me? People just get dumber and dumber by the minute, and, unfortunately, the innocent have to pay for their stupidity and reckless irresponsibility. Some people just shouldn't have kids. Plain and simple. They also need to shut off their tv's, which obviously contribute to the severe dumbing down of America. Just dumb and idiotic!

Unfortunately, if the boy was in it, he must have fallen out. He may not have even know the balloon took off. Hopefully, the boy accidentally released the balloon and was scared and is hiding. Additionally, I don't see this as bad parenting. Any kid can get hurt or die in any home.

I hope that the boy is found to have gone for a nap on his own bed - is the brother POSITIVE that he climbed in, or did he just lose sight of him? If this is the case, what a waste of tax dollars for the police, etc to be going on a wild-goose chase!

I hope that this was yet another smart kid taking police on a chase in order escape the horrors of Church.

It is not possible that the boy would be in the balloon here is why:

mathematically, helium doesn't provide enough lift

if the parents were smart enough to build the balloon wouldn't they be smart enough to:

i. tether it properly

ii. realize it did not have enough lift

iii. make sure their child wasn't in it when they filled it up with helium

Also if the boy was in it he probably wouldn't live since you cant breath helium

it is probably another shameless publicity stunt

Why were the kids not in school? Please don't tell me they are "home schooled".

no, it's a day off in Fort Collins for parent teacher confrences

You name your kid "Falcon", he's going to want to fly!

Hopefully, this ends ok.

Hey NU Wildcat Fan: How about the volume of a cylinder = pi(r-squared) x height of cylinder = 3.1415 x 100ftsquared x 5ft = 1571 cubic ft = 44 cubic meters; so, if 1 lb/cubic meter of lifting power as you report is correct, only 44 lbs of lifting. You may want to remain skeptical. I certainly hope it was a hoax; the alternative is heartbreaking.

I'm afraid his older brother had something to do with it. How did the balloon just somehow become untied?

Who the hell proofed this article before publishing it?! It's full of grammatical errors!

That being said, I hope this kiddo's found and he's OK. Weird situation.

Just to let you know that there may be a misspelling

"In the article, Heene described becoming a storm chaser after a tornado ripped off a roof where he was working as a contractor and said he once flew a [place] around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter in 2005."

I think you mean a "plane", just FYI.

I hope they find him alive.

Pretty exciting childhood if you survive it. Parents have all sorts of risky pursuits that seem like enrichment when no harm comes of it and the kids turn into really super-interesting adults. Parents are easy to condemn as irresponsible if the kids don't survive it. Guns in the house and hunting, snow mobiles, mountain climbing, surfboarding, scuba, ham radios (saw the entire family electrocuted yesterday?), fast cars--kids get killed in families doing these things. Furthermore, if kids get killed in an auto accident we don't think much of it, because that's a "normal" way of dying in this country, although one could say parents are completely irresponsible rushing their kids around at 70 or 80 mph--but we don't. It's a free country. If a kid dies mountain climbing everyone is down on the parent for taking the kids out on a dangerous sport. This is America. It makes for a lot of really interesting people doing really interesting things. Thank god we don't march around like automatons.

Totally agree, John 370712. Unfortunately, the country becomes less free every day.

Called that one. The kid was found at home.

Woo hoo! He's okay.

Looks like a fake runaway ballon with kid inside, when all along the kid was at home safe. I think the family was looking for some free news coverage, which cost thousands of dollars to the tax payer, FFA, and news agencies that scrambled news crews to the scene. One BIG fake incident and everyone took it in, hook line and sinker. How for more than two hours was it possible, if the boy was safe at home all along, that no one discovered him at home in the first place.

So the little b%&@#&# was hiding up in the attic all along. After this stunt, he should get a good hiding!

Thank goodness he is ok. now whip his little a$$.

This is a publicity stunt. How does a 6yo launch a balloon? Did they have it tied up with scotch tape? If it's able to easily lift a child, and you have a child, don't you think they would have locked it up a bit better? The 9yo makes up a story about a box tied to this thing somehow and everyone believes it? Where are the reporters? I guess they "just left it there". By the way, amateur scientist = @!$%#. I loved the retarded psychic on the Ed Show, though. She made it all worth it.

SheikhYerbouti -

It's been years since I had geometry or calculus. Your cylinder estimate is better than my box shape (I was lazy, made the math real easy), but the volume is even less than your estimate. I don't know the volume of the flying saucer shape on the video. Oh, and the lift provided by 1 cubic meter is 1 kilogram, not 1 pound as you wrote. Physics tells us that to lift the balloon + gondola + boy might be possible. Since dad was a scientist, perhaps we will find out the actual lifting capacity of the balloon, something I'm sure he wasn't thinking clearly about when he thought his son was inside. As the boy was found hiding, my guess was correct, thankfully. It would have been awful to hear that he fell out.

Geez...what's with all the hate for the family? My guess is the little guy accidently (or on purpose) dislodged the tethers and when he realized how much trouble he was going to be in, he went and hid in the attic. As a resident of Colorado who watched the whole thing unfold, I am completely relieved that this is the way it turned out.

Well at least there was a happy ending to this story, at 6 years old a kid just don't know any better, a kid is just that a kid ........ I had feared he may have falling out of that craft, but at least his safe ......Advice to the parents if they have a ballon that can fly it would be wise to pad lock it with a chain not tie a piece of rope to secure it, especially if you have yound kids, this could have turned out very badly ....

Yea, you're right Carianne. I'm glad the kid is alive. It will be interesting to see whether it's actually a case of the kid launching the thing or if it was staged, though.

So this is the story of the boy who cried balloon?

Balloon,...yeah right.. They were making a UFO! The basket in the bottom was made of cardboard!

Nice, Louie Lou!

Yes, NU Wildcat Fan, agree with all. Not really a complete cylinder, more like a...flying saucer (!), but 44kg x 2.2 lbs/kg = 96.8 lbs, so the cylinder per se could lift him.

Very happy the little tyke's ok.

Hey, it's fun doing geometry and physics on newsvine. Appreciate the rational analysis, thanks, NU.

Thanks SheikhYerbouti.

Now that the boy is safe, and no one was hurt during the rescue attempt, we can have a good laugh. It will be interesting to see if officials will try to recoup any excess costs (e.g. fuel, overtime, etc.) involved.

don't go to any links here..they are loaded with spyware and malware. My computer stopped them but yours might not..

We can not have a good laugh.

Thousands of dollars were needlessly spent on this and who may have gotten delayed services of some sort resulting in their own real injuries due to diverted resources. I hope they send the parents the complete bill for all costs incurred and that child protective services gets involved with the obviously negligent family.

What should be done is have the kids taken away until these so called parents get their home secure...what person in their right mind would have something like this in their backyard know that little kids are going to explore !!!! I watched the tv coverage all the time fearing that this helpless little boy was going to die !!!!!!What the hell is wrong with some of these parents today?You had them now take care of them !!!!

Great big example of DUMB AND DUMBER.

Idiot parents who couldn't manage a goat farm much less conceive human life.......

WHAT A TOTAL WASTE OF CONCERN OVER MORONS........................

PITY THE IDIOT KID...........................

Unbeleivable, all of these people who think these parents were negligent! Do you have a can of paint in your house? Could your 6 year old EVER gain access to it? Take those kids away! Seriously people. In a white padded world, how do you ever expected anyone to be sane or industrious? Kids used to climb trees and wander the streets with their friends. Apparently the only safe kid is one that is securely locked inside and medicated. You all need to lighten up. And for you liberal haters out there. Get a life. I am a liberal and A) that kid should get his ass wooped, followed by a long hug. and B) takes some responsibility for your own actions. Oh that's "right", everything is a liberals fault.

Ok people, I'm thinking that it wasn't a publicity stunt, and if I were the parents I'd be greatly insulted by anyone telling me that I faked my kid's disappearance. They must have been worried sick that their poor kid was going to die today, and I'm sure it's just great to have a bunch of jerks telling them how they "staged" the whole thing.
Also, it seems to me that the dad might have yelled at the kid for crawling into the balloon, turned his back, and then turned again only to see the balloon rising skyward. Not his fault. I don't know what he was doing with the balloon at the time that it became untethered, but since this has never been a problem for them before, I guess they must keep it pretty well tied down normally.
Also, WHY IN THE WORLD IS THIS HEADLINE NEWS?! I go on the MSNBC page today, only to see a big red bar that says BREAKING NEWS! That scared the hell out of me, I thought we'd had another 9/11 or something. But then I look down and what do I see? Some stupid pointless story about an accident involving an experimental weather balloon. Good God, what bullish!

Just watched the father (Mr. Heene) holding the boy Falcon(I believe) sucking on a

ice slurpee(BOY THAT SHOWS DISCIPLINE AND CONTROL FOR NATIONAL TELEVISION; RESPECT WASN'T CONSIDERED HERE EITHER!!), when he commented: " I hollered at him"...and while holding the child said:

"I am sorry I hollered at him"....THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!......... ALL YOU PARENTS OUT THERE: YOU JUST WITNESSED A PARENT SAYING HE WAS SORRY ON NATIONAL TELEVISION TO A CHILD WHOM HAD DONE SO WRONG......AN ACT...AND THEN WHILE HOLDING THE CHILD ADMITTED THAT HIS DISCIPLINE WAS ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG THING TO DO!!!...DUH....

MR. HEENE....DUH!!!....YOU just negated everything that the child """should have learned and held important in his being for this event"""", for his action in this serious event that cost tens of thousands of dollars for the rescue people; the police; the EMT;

whom were pulled away from possible serious events; the whole thing was negated by you Sir...with apologizing on national television. which then showed your parental beliefs...that the child controls the family and not you!!!!....you said : I'm sorry I disciplined you for your action!!....WOW!!!!... now reality shows control our '''REAL

REALITY"" AND NOBODY IS RESPONSIBLE!!!!....OOPS SORRY THAT IS """EXACTLY "" WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR REAL WORLD TODAY....."""NO BODY IS RESPONSIBLE AND WE ALL PAY FOR THIS STUPIDITY AND LACK OF COMMITMENT TO OUR LIVES!!! WE PAY!!

This is of course my opinion on this matter.

GUESS WHAT MR. HEENE AND ALL YOU PARENTS WHOM APOLIGIZE TO YOUR CHILDREN AFTER YOU HAVE DISCIPLINED THEM....""""""""""""""IT MEANS DIDLEY SQUAT!!!!???"""

TO THEM...AND THE NEXT TIME THEY MESS UP ...THEY NOW KNOW YOU ARE THERE TO APOLOGIZE TO THEM....ERGO...."""NO DISCIPLINE, NO CONSEQUENCE FOR THEIR ACTIONS AND GUESS WHAT DAD...I """CAN DO WHAT THE HELL I EVER WANT"" IN YOUR WORLD....WHOO....HOOOO!!!

Obviously the parents should be concentrating more on learning about discipline than reality wife swapping shows and searching for aliens. What a piece of work! I am glad the boy is OK, but this was unnecessary.

I think the kid and the parents should be whipped.

a. The parents are very irresponsible leaving a device like this around children loaded ready to go.

b. The parents had no permit to build something like this?

c. Oh I'm sorry the parents were put out by the question "was this a setup" well let me tell you most kids wont stay still in a box in an attic for 2 or 3 hours..and why didn't the cops look up there? suspicious.

d. The parents should pay for all of this because I am sick that a dime of my tax dollars went to this circus. If that child had been in that I guarentee he would be dead. Those parents need to be fined, community service, and parenting skill classes. To me they are nothing but attention seekers...and if their kids are on youtube with Potty mouth..yank it. This story makes me sick ..I was really worried for that kid.

hahahahahahahaha This only shows us how many, to quick to speak, people are on the puter. So many mouths so little thought.

So that's why UFOs are coming to earth; the aliens are swapping their wives with wife-swapping earth men. Boy, what if that's true....

This obviously was a publicity stunt by the father, and the other members of the family. He should be charged with a false police report and be charged for all the expenses he caused.

Some thoughts. Why weren't these kids in school? It seems a bit suspect that they've been on "reality" tv twice. The boy hiding says "I thought it was part of a show".

These people need to lose their kids and be locked up and sterilized, and billed for the authorities' time.

Ok people, I'm thinking that it wasn't a publicity stunt,

Evidently your definition of thinking and mine are a bit different.

son, it was a no school day there, one of those teacher things.

frankly, you should be sterilized and have any kids taken from you just for your statement.

Having raised my kids to adulthood - Either Daddy was too brutal with his yelling or the kid needs some psych help or has a problem the parents are not addressing. Hey, we all want perfect kids. Not the way life works.

Hope the parents have to pay for the time and money spent on the fiasco.

"You did?" Mayumi Heene said.

"Why didn't you come out?" Richard Heene said.

Falcon answered, "You had said that we did this for a show."

What more proof do you need that it was a publicity stunt?

How convient is it that the reason your kid was hiding and wouldn't come out is because you disciplined him for doing exactly what you later assumed he did which therefore created the whole story? Way to conviently show that you really are a good parent and therefore move all the blame to the kid. "Oh, you yelled at him earlier for getting in the balloon? well we know you're doing your job as a parent then..."

What a crock of B.S. I hope they recieve the bill for all of the rescue personal who spent hours chasing a damn balloon across several counties.

well i just saw the video, and actually if i was in that thing, well it wouldn't be a pretty site by the time i touch ground, i can tell ya that. but glad the kid was found alive and ok, had me going for a moment there too, thought he was in till the last clip.

but i see there are a lot of people out there that think they are the perfect parent, or grab the fact that they live in a world where only to them can thier child do no wrong. kids are kids, don't any of you remember the old saying your folks had of said, "i give you an inch, you take a mile."? it isn't being a bad paerent to look away from your kids for a sec, espcially when you consider them in a secure surrounding. who ever hasnt had to give a short chase after thier child for some reason, has them on quite literally a leash. omg! they even came out and still have out, leashes for kids....why do you think that is?

i dont think bad parenting has anything to do with it, i think the sheer terror, of seeing the balloon take off, and no child to be found...well...easy to succumb to that one.

as for those who were thinkinking all gliders, helicopters, and suprised not to see something about the mars rover saveing the day, i'm totally suprised the 2 science majors didnt step in to say the odds of actually comming up with a feasable plan, within that time frame, and not to mention work, might be. not to have the kid fall out, in the meantime thu the hatch door, that might, or might not keep him inside if he say....fell against it, and go screaming to his death.

i give it this tho, was a real hoot reading this...lolz.

This is one of the most weird news stories.

Realistically, if he had been in the balloon, he would have died very soon from just breathing the Helium. He had no pure oxygen. There was no chance that he would have come out of this alive.

This is a story for "Ripley's Believe it or Not".

The parents will merrily go on their way, even though they used every source of rescue effort from Denver costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.. It was very selfish of the Dad. He knew the son was not in there.

The 6-year old child is the victim. Is this child abuse from the parents?

Hawaii~ Hundreds of thousands of dollars?? The City of Denver had nothing to do with it, it was Fort Collins, Larimer County, Weld County. The 6 year is a victim of what?

In 1.35 I said

I'll bet some democrat is drafting a bill banning ballons now for public safety reasons

And the communist in here decided to have my comment collasped. But the joke is on you since I got 10 votes and a green star and here is my proof to my comment seeing a democrat has already tried to ban helium balloons in the past.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/sunday/commentary/la-oew-scott10-2008jun10,0,7479366.story

compliments to the LA times

Great, now the media is going to tear this family apart. They're already finding every way they can to make them sound like mad, reckless scientists who should never have had kids. There are much, much worse parents out there who don't care about their kids at all. These parents are great compared to them.

Did anyone see the video the family took from the eye of Huricane Gustav? Maybe this was a good thing...that the family's child endangerment has to come to an end. Unbelievable. www.HelpFromHome.com

Probably at first. Probably not anymore, especially when he gets high enough to run out of oxygen. Plus, it is cold and he has no food and no water most likely. This is bad...bad...bad. What horrible parents! What were they thinking?????

I bet he is crying his eyes out! That thing is going very fast! Hopefully, he won't jump out before they can save him!

Oxygen doesn't start running out until 15k feet!

I doubt it, Duffy. If there is anyplace for him to look outside, I'm sure he's scared, especially alone. Like another poster said I hope there is a gradual leak like in party balloons where they sink gradually to the ground. He is at the mercy of the wind and weather. I am definitely praying for this little guy.

Hanna-1254118

Oxygen doesn't start running out until 15k feet!

OK Einstein now tell us all how hight Mt.Everest is .... just a tip: they need OXYGEN to even climb to 8,475 ft

The air is thin, not gone.

Humm... Everest is 29k. Quite a bit more than 15k. What's the height of Denver? I don't see to many people using oxygen there?

Ex Merchant Navy

Everst is 8848 metres high, a fair bit higher than 15,000 feet

"A blast" is unlikely. He isn't in the now-landed craft.

Either the child has fallen from the balloon to the ground.....or, this story is "curiouser and curiouser." How could a child of 6-years untie a rope and then, get into the balloon with door secured before take off?

I do hope that this story has a happy ending.

exMerchant, you see how your name calling appears now that you've been proved to be the real Einstein. Let's post an apology to Hanna for the name calling.

Kid is fine. He was just hiding cause more than likely he set the balloon free on accident.

Well Exmerchie/Navywannabe; What immensly difficult job did you have when you were sailing the high seas in your little barnacle covered rust bucket? Counting the potatos maybe?

I wonder how many times the Captain ended up yelling at you NOT to do that there, It's just called the poop deck that's not really what it's for!

L. O. L.

Duffy did you not think if he were in it he could of fell out,or died hitting the ground..gee it takes a tragedy to make ya laugh !!!!

exmerchantnavy, you need to check your numbers.

you can drive to the top of pikes peak, and that is almost 15000 feet.

I agree--further, it appears the child was never aboard the contraption--but at home.

The question is: are they going to send a bill to the boy's family for the resources used in chasing the empty balloon?

They question is, why did they need mulitple squad cars and helicoptors to spot and chase a bright silver balloon in an area with very few trees? I'm thinking one small team of people in a car would have done the trick. Multiple helicoptors can't stop a kid from falling out of a balloon. That was just a waste of fuel and time. I say they should foot the bill for using their resources inefficiently.

why did they need mulitple squad cars and helicoptors to spot and chase a bright silver balloon in an area with very few trees

I Have noticed this behavior many times before at various events ... it seems typical. Not sure what you call it ... seems like a ghoulish kind of party almost.

If the child were in the balloon, he would not of had oxygen to breathe. He would of suffocated.

It looks like that is what probably happened. He wasn't in the balloon when it landed. Bummer.

If only that could be the case! Pray for the little guy!

I think we should stop rewarding kids hijaking any type of transportation with news media sensationalizing and attention and start spanking thier hineys!! How many times has this happened in the past two months??

well I don't think the boy devised an evil plan and did it on purpose. Although I am sure his parents told him before not to be in it. He just got in it to play, no doubt, and then it came loose and floated up.

mommamarrs........

He's six f**king years old. What level of comprehension exactly do you expect from him??? Kids experiment with with whatever they can. IT IS THEIR NATURE.

Duuuuuuuh...........

uh, with a helium balloon capable of 10,000 ft, just once to my count....

How many times has this happened in the past two months??

How many kids have hijacked an experimental, one-of-a-kind balloon in the past two months? ummmm, none.

Plenty of kids have taken joyrides in cars lately, though none in a giant helium balloon. However if this was my kid and by some miracle he was found alive, I'd hug him first and then ground him for a year. But I don't think they're going to find this kid alive unless this was a terrible hoax..... Which I hope it was.

I knew there were a Flying Saucer all those years. The truth has prevailed.

Salam. Bon Voyage, Don't forget to send me a post card of planet Mars.

Or vent helium, land.

Told ya. Salam for time being.

Good call

what?

What is this a slow slow news day or what. Who the hello cares. Bunch of dumbarses!

Exactly

And I am sure the parents will write a check to the government/taxpayers for the several hundred thousand dollars it will take in an effort to rescue that poor child. I sure hope the ground wind speed is slower than it is at that altitude.

CJ,

No more than a spelunker or a hiker getting lost...That's what we pay search and rescue for..

Right away people go after the parents...You can tell a kid not to do certain things and it becomes an instant magnet to them...I am sure the parents are frantic..

Why are the parents at fault? Haven't you ever done anything that you were told not to. All I can say is I hope the Kid comes down ok and the parents are not held responsible no matter the final outcome. To blame the parents is idiotic. They stand the chance of losing their son, think about it. Feel for them also.

Yes it is the parents fault. The kid is 6! So what if you tell them not to do something. It's called negligence. This should have never happened. The balloon should have been secured beyond a 6 year old's capacity to undo.

Now something horrible may have happened and it is the parents fault.

Chris-1414003

Now something horrible may have happened and it is the parents fault.

I have no doubt that they are more aware of how 'negligent' and 'at fault' they are then any of us can even comprehend right now. But maybe you're right. It sure seems to me that this is the perfect time for all of the self-righteous-finger-shakers to come out of the wood work and start screaming (or typing furiously on line) so that they can get their shallow-holier-than-thou-desperately-need-to-feel-superior-to-someone(anyone)-else fix.

Yup. That'll fix those lousy parents (that probably just lost their son) good. I'm a believer now Chris. You've convinced me. We need... No... Have an obligation as a society to call such people to task precisely in the midst of their pain so they'll never do anything like that again... Because the loss (or even just possible loss) of their son probably isn't enough...

I hope still that this will turn out alright. My prayers (for what those are worth) are with that boy and his family. All of them.

Couldn't have said it better msyelf, Morgan.

Supposedly the older brother saw the six year old climb into the balloon. I'm hoping it was a practical joke on his part to say that, and that the six year old is asleep in the car.

GregL -

I understand your point about unintended emergencies in activities such as spelunking, or mountaineering. You can't plan on freak storms or broken cable leading to a fall. But this is different. To do such tasks that involve risk, such as scuba, there are permits that are required and certificates of expertise that are authenticated and designated areas where the activities are permissible before one is allowed to put one's self in harms way. That is not true here. What permit or qualification does one get to launch or be launched in a home made air craft? Where would they file a flight plan? What if they passed into commercial air space? Or nearly collide with power lines and cause another safety hazard? No. This stunt today was very different than a mountaineering accident.

Our search and rescue have enough to do.

Good thing that article states 10,000 feet then.

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thedavinator125
Thankyou for your correction - I stand corrected - nice one !!!

ExMerchantNavy: 1 meter is a little over 3 ft, or slightly longer than a yard. FYI.

If that child hits "main aeronautical height" then you don't have to worry about prosecution - I just feel sorry for all involved.

What exactly is that?? This isn't going to end well is it?

Oh good grief. Things happen and they happen quickly. If you've kept a child under lock and key to prevent anything from ever happening, you're the only one and, if so, you've ruined a child. Unless something more sinister is at work here, the parents will suffer tremendously. What we don't need is the nazi micro-scopers examining every second after the fact and then kicking these poor souls in the crotch while they're down. They need support and humanity not persecution.

Just hope he really wasn't on the balloon.

did you read the article? I understood that the parents were close by, the child climbed in to play and it came LOOSE, from where they *thought* it was safely tied up. And then began floating off quickly.

How do they land in the ballon without completely destroying it and plummeting to the earth?

I am not entirely sure. but I would suspect if 1-3 flying men approach the balloon at about the same time from different angles, then maybe they could grab the tether of the balloon and then land it by using their parachutes. But someone should talk with them--they may know how to do it.

No wonder why America is in danger.

OK, I can't resist.

Why not get close to it with ahelicopter and shoot it with a small dart, puncturing the ballon with a small hole and allowing the helium to SLOWLY leak out?

Anybody?

doesn't guarantee it will leak out slowly, it may just erupt.

looiking at the construction of it all, he most likely fallen out.

My question is, as much news and coverage.. could they not put all the coverage together and see when the basket was on there and when it was not? NO one is bringing this up..

ncody-

My question is, as much news and coverage.. could they not put all the coverage together and see when the basket was on there and when it was not? NO one is bringing this up..

Maybe because they still aren't really sure if there was an additional 'basket' on the thing, or if it was completely intact, as built, when it hit the ground.

There is some confusion there. First local law enforcement says one thing then another. Check the twitter link from the article, it shows the confusion in real time.

During the live feed, they mentioned that confusion, and that there was the better part of an hour when there was no media or really official constant observation of the thing. I would imagine that they are working very hard to find out definitively whether or not there was another piece that is now missing.