Did anyone else call out the "balloon Boy" early?

[JohnR66]

When I saw the size of that mylar balloon, I though no way could that carry a 6 year old kid. Maybe it could lift 15 lbs...

When they found the kid safe and said his father had Hollywood connections, I immediately thought, "publicity stunt!".

This morning I hear one of his kids spilled the beans and this father questioning why his kid would have said such a thing.

Now people are coming forward with information on this guy. Looks like he owes people money and failed in show biz. He has worked some goofy science projects, one being a machine that makes more energy than it takes in. Yes, the guy is a real boob.

Sadly, he will probably get paid appearances now. Good for him. He may have to pay back for the emergency services rendered. It is costly to keep a helicopter in the air.

 

[saabgoblin]

Even before the child was found, I had a feeling that the story was a little fishy and then this morning I noticed how the father never gave direct eye contact with the camera and that Donald Trump loaf of hair on his head is just the icing on the cake of the fathers neurosis.

 

[Patriot]

I never even knew about the incident until now but if I had seen that clip of the balloon landing and the father grabbing it, I would have been laughing my tail off. The thing is only about 10-12 feet in diameter and no way is it going to lift 50 lbs.

 

[jzmtl]

The whole sounded fishy but I didn't pay much attention to it.

One of the reporters actually asked him if it's a publicity stunt, and he responded "why would you say such a horrible thing, no".

 

[jahxman]

I didn't think much of it initially, it certainly sounded outlandish and bizarre though.

Now that the dimensions of the balloon (21' diameter) and the fact that there is a lack of a compartment where a 6 year old boy could acually ride are known, it seems pretty obvious it was a stunt.

A flying saucer shaped 21' diameter mylar baloon filled with helium would not be able to lift a 6 year old boy; possibly a 10 to 20 pound instrumant package.

The helium to fill the ballon is expensive, and will leak out of a mylar baloon within a few weeks, so this had to have been set up just right to pull the stunt. He could not have had that thing parked and filled for any length of time.

And then of course the problem that it was a sealed mylar shell with no gondola, platform or compartment that anything, let alone a six year old, could ride in.

 

[js6968]

This was quite obviously a publicity stunt. The boy pretty much botched his answer when the dad asked him why he was hiding. Although I'm not sure why these people would get much publicity from something like this... although the dad was a sight to see in Wife Swap.

 

[MarNav1]

You have to wonder how this was "news" of any sort............... I guess the networks were having a slow day.

 

[Kestrel]

You have to wonder how this was "news" of any sort............... I guess the networks were having a slow day.

Heck, this event was reported on the BBC World News! :shrug:x10

 

[LukeA]

"He was never in the balloon. The volume of helium in the balloon wasn't enough to lift him that high off of the ground. There was at most enough helium to lift about 40kg, including the mass of the balloon and the plywood structure beneath it."
Yesterday at 4:39pm · Delete · Report

 

[Patriot]

How big is this thing anyhow? 16" in diameter perhaps?

 

[Blight]

I was wondering the whole time where the kid was inside that balloon. None of the TV talk about oxygen and altitude made any sense to me if the kid was actually inside the balloon and not some separate cabinet or something. Once I heard who the parents where I pretty much thought it was a hoax and when I saw the size of the balloon, it pretty much became a BS story to me.

 

[MarNav1]

Its too bad that law enforcement resources have to be wasted on this kind of thing too..............I'm sure they have better things to do.

 

[Mr.Penny]

I think in the end, the parents are going to have to pay the bill for the police search yesterday...

It was verified today that the father called the media before he called 911.

 

[Patriot]

It was verified today that the father called the media before he called 911.

What a donkey's rear this guy must be! :thumbsdow

 

[saabgoblin]

Nice way to abuse the 911 system.:shakehead

 

[StarHalo]

- The father, Richard Heene, has been in show business for several years, and has his own production company which he operates with his wife.

- Heene met his wife at an acting class, both are actors.

- The Heenes have been pitching a reality television show about their family to at least two networks, both of which declined.

- The Heenes have appeared on the reality show Wife Swap twice.

- Henne claims to be an inventor, however he didn't appear to know any of the technical details reagrding the mylar balloon when explaining it to the 911 operator.

- Upon noticing the balloon was gone/hearing the story from the "missing" boy's (Falcon) brother, Heene first called the FAA, then called a local news agency, then called 911.

- In the now infamous CNN interview, Henne asks Falcon if the boy heard people calling for him. Why would they call for him if they believed he was on the balloon?

- Heene is a stormchaser and has taken his children chasing with him before. If he has first responder mobility, why would he not chase the balloon he believes his son is on, instead choosing to stay at home and watch news reports?

 

[Burgess]

On a related note . . . .


I hereby predict:


Women will now be naming their babies Falcon (both boys and girls),
cuz' they really liked the sound of that name when they saw the newscasts.


Just you watch !


Remember, you heard it here first !



_

 

[John_Galt]

At first, when I'd only heard that a little kid was possibly flying loose in a home made balloon, I thought it might be possible, if the kid was light enough. Then I saw some pictures of it partially deflated, and knew it was a hoax. There is now way a 1/3 deflated helium balloon that small is going to stay in the air, with a kid in it.

What jackasses of parents... I hope they like the investigation that follows... I mean, come on, because of their stunt, international airline traffic into/out of Denver was delayed! For a stupid stunt!

Hope that kid is alright, though, I was watching Fox this morning, and they were showing a home video of (apparently) when the balloon had been completed, and the dad was releasing it. He freaked out and started kicking when one of the tether lines came undone.


But, overall, I call... @SSHAT!

 

[LuxLuthor]

Charges now expected.

 

[Wattnot]

Yeah, the moment I saw that ballon with a size reference next to it, I called this whole thing. My exact words were "this is going to have a white trash ending, I guarantee it." That was on the same day.

I was looking at a 35 foot helium blimp for myself and that can lift a total of 70 pounds. That's a total including the airship so actual payload is far less. That 20 or 25 foot Jiffy Pop/Chef hat thing of theirs might have been able to lift a small dog (teacup poodle?) but that's about it. Then they show a home video of the angry dad kicking the trampoline when the tether lines were purposely let go. I called it before even seeing that video.

This occurred in MY area, one town over! I was even worried about embarrassment for Colorado because all of the world was watching this. However, the swift bringing about of charges should keep us from looking too stupid!!