Thread: UP

**Jakebert** · 10-15-2009, 10:55 AM

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news...39/detail.html

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.

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.

LIVE VIDEO: AirTracker 7 Looks For Floating Boy

Turn on CNN. This is crazy.

**Ryan** · 10-15-2009, 11:00 AM

Every second more the experts discuss this, the less and less likely it seems that the kid will survive this.

**joe** · 10-15-2009, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by homer5000

Every second more the experts discuss this, the less and less likely it seems that the kid will survive this.

what if rescue workers are doing their job and the experts of discussing this?

**Ryan** · 10-15-2009, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by law'n

what if rescue workers are doing their job and the experts of discussing this?

No, no, I mean the experts keep painting a grim picture of what's to come...

**sacrelicious** · 10-15-2009, 11:05 AM

Poor kid. May fall victim to having stupid parents, which is no fault of his.

**DAntae** · 10-15-2009, 11:07 AM

wow. just clicked on cnn to watch. can't believe how fast it appears to be going.

**kevin** · 10-15-2009, 11:09 AM

oh man that thing is going so fast

**Ryan** · 10-15-2009, 11:10 AM

Holy shit, it's at 11,000 feet now...

**kimpantaloons** · 10-15-2009, 11:11 AM

i'm watching the coverage with no sound...what are their ideas for bringing him down?

**burnin'** · 10-15-2009, 11:14 AM

yeah first thing i noticed, damn that thing is flying

**Jakebert** · 10-15-2009, 11:14 AM

They don't have any ideas, because everything brought up gets shot down pretty quickly as not possible.

They're now reporting that the boy's sibling said the door wasn't closed all the way and may have fallen out during take off.

**DAntae** · 10-15-2009, 11:14 AM

they just said that maybe he had fallen out...of course they can't confirm it. apparently a sibling saw him climb in and the door was open? I dunno. jakebert beat me to it.

I didn't see any open door? anyone else

**Jakebert** · 10-15-2009, 11:16 AM

yeah, i looked and i couldn't see an open door. the reporters kept saying that they can see it, but i dunno.

**Dr. Horrible** · 10-15-2009, 11:29 AM

this is the first thing i thought of

**Ryan** · 10-15-2009, 11:39 AM

No one inside that balloon.

**burnin'** · 10-15-2009, 11:40 AM

damn, i had hope since it made such a rather soft looking landing.

**joe** · 10-15-2009, 11:42 AM

looks like he's dead

**sacrelicious** · 10-15-2009, 12:02 PM

Originally Posted by law'n

looks like he's dead

Love the optimism.

**Jakebert** · 10-15-2009, 11:44 AM

kid punk'd us.

**Magnum** · 10-15-2009, 12:01 PM

god that's fucked up

**burnin'** · 10-15-2009, 12:07 PM

http://abc.go.com/shows/wife-swap/ep.../161743?page=2

**chris** · 10-15-2009, 12:38 PM

granted i only took 1 community college journalism course years ago, but are you allowed to report hearsay as fact like that article does?

i'm pretty sure the professor said "no"

**morbot** · 10-15-2009, 01:04 PM

Well hopefully he never went up with it, or jumped when it was still low... maybe they were playing around with it, it got loose & he's hiding somewhere in the are because he thinks he's in trouble.

**sung** · 10-15-2009, 02:15 PM

found hiding in a fucking box in a garage per CNN

aka alive

**sacrelicious** · 10-15-2009, 02:19 PM

Cardboard box in the garage attic. Classic.

**joe** · 10-15-2009, 02:19 PM

fuck yes!

**kimpantaloons** · 10-15-2009, 02:20 PM

he's so grounded

**pepper** · 10-15-2009, 02:20 PM

holy crap

this kid will have the best college essay ever

**sung** · 10-15-2009, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by dr. pepper

this kid will have the best college essay ever

hahaha

**Ryan** · 10-15-2009, 02:26 PM

Wow, right out of a Full House/7th Heaven episode.

"I thought you'd be mad at me. I let your balloon fly away."

"No, I'm just so glad you're alive."

(hugs & sappy music ensue)

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