6-year-old boy floats away in balloon

**Buttercup** · 10-15-09, 03:04 PM

6-year-old boy floats away in balloon

By P. SOLOMON BANDA, Associated Press Writer P. Solomon Banda, Associated Press Writer 13 mins ago

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A 6-year-old boy climbed into a homemade balloon aircraft and floated away Thursday, forcing officials to scramble to figure out how to rescue the boy as he hurled through the air.

The bizarre scene played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus says the agency has been notified and it was unclear whether traffic controllers had picked it up on radar.

Larimer County sheriff's spokeswoman Eloise Campanella says the device has the potential to rise to 10,000 feet. Sheriff's officials last saw the device floating south of Milliken, which is about 40 miles north of Denver.

"We were sitting eating, out looking where they normally shoot off hot air balloons. My husband said he saw something. It went over our rooftop. Then we saw the big round balloonish thing, it was spinning," said neighbor Lisa Eklund.

Additional details about the child and the balloon were not immediately available.

**Buttercup** · 10-15-09, 03:12 PM

Here's another article with a video link.

Fort Collins boy in loose aircraft - The Denver Post

**TXCharlie** · 10-15-09, 03:47 PM

The balloon landed, but the boy isn't in it.

A search crew at his house hasn't found him either.

**Cidp24** · 10-15-09, 03:52 PM

CNN just said that a big search is now underway.

**pgg** · 10-15-09, 05:19 PM

I hope they find him alive, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

**Buttercup** · 10-15-09, 05:36 PM

Originally Posted by pgg

I hope they find him alive, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

I hope so too, I was hoping that maybe he hadn't been in the balloon at all and was hiding, but I guess that's not the case.

**Captain America** · 10-15-09, 05:40 PM

Prayers ........

**Buttercup** · 10-15-09, 06:04 PM

I just heard on the news that he's at home and he's unhurt, they don't have any other information.

I bet he'll be grounded for this.

He was hiding.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091015/...boy_in_balloon

**Cidp24** · 10-15-09, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Buttercup

I just heard on the news that he's at home and he's unhurt, they don't have any other information.

I bet he'll be grounded for this.

He was hiding.

Boy feared floating away in homemade balloon found - Yahoo! News

I bet he got HUGE hugs from his parents! Immediately followed by a good whipping and/or grounding.

Just glad he's around to get grounded.

**Odd** · 10-15-09, 08:05 PM

Whew! I walked by a TV this afternoon and caught a glimpse of this, but didn't know what was going on exactly. Glad the kid's ok, and yeah, grounded until he's 72.

Well, they have their Thanksgiving dinner conversation lined up.

**Captain America** · 10-15-09, 09:06 PM

**TXCharlie** · 10-16-09, 12:10 AM

Now the kid said something that indicated the family may have planned the hoax... That kid is pushing his luck, whether it's true or not

Boy in Balloon Hoax: 'We Did This for a Show' - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The 6-year-old Colorado boy thought to have floated off in a homemade balloon has raised questions whether it might have been a family stunt.

During a live interview on CNN, Falcon Heene said he heard his family calling his name as he hid in the rafters of their garage. At the time, there was a frantic effort to bring down the balloon safely.

Falcon's father asked, "Why didn't you come out?" The boy answered, "You had said we did this for a show."

After the CNN interview, the father said he didn't know what his son meant.

Click here for photos of the balloon.

The boys' parents have appeared twice in the ABC reality show "Wife Swap."

The show promoted the Heene family as storm chasers who also "devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm."

Richard Heene adamantly has denied the notion that the whole thing was a big publicity stunt.

**Buttercup** · 10-16-09, 02:59 AM

If it was a hoax set up by the family, they should be billed for all the resources used in searching for that child.

**TXCharlie** · 10-16-09, 04:38 AM

I agree, - he should probably pay anyway, for not securing the craft better.

**Code6** · 10-18-09, 04:10 PM

Flight of the Falcon turns into a Felony!

Balloon boy family facing felony charges for 'hoax' in Fort Collins | coloradoan.com | The Coloradoan,

**Jenna** · 10-18-09, 04:13 PM

Those poor kids.

**Captain America** · 10-18-09, 05:23 PM

I'm just glad no one was injured or worst attempting some type of rescue because of the jackass parents. Fucking "reality" TV. Reality is someone could have died because of this BS.

**TXCharlie** · 10-18-09, 06:17 PM

Originally Posted by Captain America

I'm just glad no one was injured or worst attempting some type of rescue because of the jackass parents. Fucking "reality" TV. Reality is someone could have died because of this BS.

+1

The kids apparently never were in danger except mentally, but think of all the rescuers and aircraft involved - Could have easily ended in someone getting in an accident of some type, and if they are searching then they can't be handling other emergency calls.