October 15, 200916 yr http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21306839/detail.html Boy Floats Away In Balloon Frantic Search Under Way To Find Boy FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A 6-year-old boy is floating over northeastern Colorado in a homebuilt balloon and authorities are racing to try and rescue him. The balloon, in the shape of a flying saucer is covered in foil and filled with helium. It has a compartment for a passenger underneath. It lifted the boy into the air near Fort Collins Thursday morning after the balloon became untethered at the boy's home. The father and son had apparently been working on the aircraft for some time. Click here to find out more! Fort Collins police and other authorities have been alerted and Airtracker 7 has launched in an effort to locate the boy. Airtracker 7 located the craft at 12:35 p.m. at about 8,000 feet in Weld County. It appeared to be slightly tilted. Skies in the area are partly cloudy and southwest wind speeds are 15 to 20 miles per hour. "It is believed the device could rise to 10,000 feet," said Eloise Campanella, Larimer County Sheriff's Officer spokeswoman. "The structure at the bottom of the balloon that the boy is in is made of extremely thin plywood and won't withstand any kind of a crash at all," said Erik Nilsson, Larimer County Emergency Manager. Deputies from Larimer and Weld counties are tracking the balloon as it drifts. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus said the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar. The balloon may drift into air traffic control corridors used by Denver International Airport, based on its current location and direction.
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 01:57 PM) http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/21306839/detail.html BANANAS!
October 15, 200916 yr Author QUOTE (Controlled Chaos @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 02:20 PM) BANANAS! This was my first thought.
October 15, 200916 yr This is funny but its not. I keep thinking of that priest in South America that ended up floating away and dying/crashing into the ocean
October 15, 200916 yr Its not just scary to think about a crash landing here either. There is also the fact that I'm sure its not exactly warm in Denver right now, and will only be colder as he goes up. He could go into hypothermia pretty quickly.
October 15, 200916 yr Author QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 02:36 PM) They just got him down apparently (looking at Fox at work) This is good. Now arrest daddy for negligence.
October 15, 200916 yr I'm in class now. When updates come in, please post them here. Here's hoping the kid's still in and breathing.
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 02:37 PM) This is good. Now arrest daddy for negligence. let's slow that down a bit. Might want to know what actually happened first. Do we know that?
October 15, 200916 yr Live Video Feed. Yet to see the kid. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/video/18205848/index.html
October 15, 200916 yr Interesting twist: 7News confirmed the boy is the son of Richard and Mayumi Heene appeared on an episode of ABC's "Wife Swap." Also, they named their child "Falcon". I'm starting to side with Steve.
October 15, 200916 yr Correction, they got the BALLOON down and the kid wasn't inside, they don't know what happened.
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 02:42 PM) Correction, they got the BALLOON down and the kid wasn't inside, they don't know what happened. Damn. That's awful.
October 15, 200916 yr Author More likely, this was done for notoriety purposes (hence having been on wife swap).
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 02:47 PM) More likely, this was done for notoriety purposes (hence having been on wife swap). If this was a publicity stunt by Falcon's daddy. Falcon's daddy needs a good old fashioned ass beating.
October 15, 200916 yr Trying to publicize their hairbrained idea of a helium air balloon. Nice publicity stunt hilbillies. Now go have another kid and give it a ridiculous name.
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 03:48 PM) If this was a publicity stunt by Falcon's daddy. Falcon's daddy needs a good old fashioned ass beating. QFT
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 03:47 PM) Now I'm hearing it was a hoax. Where are you hearing this?
October 15, 200916 yr QUOTE (southsideirish71 @ Oct 15, 2009 -> 03:48 PM) If this was a publicity stunt by Falcon's daddy. Falcon's daddy needs a good old fashioned ass beating. A couple years in prison too. He wasted A LOT of Denver's money today, if this is a hoax.
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