Boy in a runaway helium ballon over Colorado...

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:14 pm

Kyleb wrote:

A little math would also have told them that it was physically impossible for a balloon that size to carry a 6 year old to that altitude, and probably incapable of lifting a 6 year old off the ground in the first place.

The Sheriiffs had been in touch with a University of Colorado professor who computed that the ballon with
those dimensions of roughly 1500 cubic feet could carry an 80 pound payload...Falcon weighs 38 pounds.

I heard a CNN report mid-afternoon after they were in touch with some ballon folks who figured it, at roughly
2000 cubic feet, would carry a 100# payload. I agree, the ballon looked too small to me once I saw it on the
ground, but them's the numbers. :roll:

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:15 pm

airnutz wrote:

Kyleb wrote:

A little math would also have told them that it was physically impossible for a balloon that size to carry a 6 year old to that altitude, and probably incapable of lifting a 6 year old off the ground in the first place.

The Sheriiffs had been in touch with a University of Colorado professor who computed that the ballon with
those dimensions of roughly 1500 cubic feet could carry an 80 pound payload...Falcon weighs 38 pounds.

I heard a CNN report mid-afternoon after they were in touch with some ballon folks who figured it, at roughly
2000 cubic feet, would carry a 100# payload. I agree, the balloon looked too small to me once I saw it on the
ground, but them's the numbers. :roll:

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:16 pm

repeat

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:18 pm

repeat

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 12:21 pm

Ahhhh, no editing in Off Topic..tryed to add an "o" to balloon in the 1st post and backspace delete the repeaters..
sly dogs!

Kyleb · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:34 pm

airnutz wrote:

Kyleb wrote:

A little math would also have told them that it was physically impossible for a balloon that size to carry a 6 year old to that altitude, and probably incapable of lifting a 6 year old off the ground in the first place.

The Sheriiffs had been in touch with a University of Colorado professor who computed that the ballon with
those dimensions of roughly 1500 cubic feet could carry an 80 pound payload...Falcon weighs 38 pounds.

I heard a CNN report mid-afternoon after they were in touch with some ballon folks who figured it, at roughly
2000 cubic feet, would carry a 100# payload. I agree, the ballon looked too small to me once I saw it on the
ground, but them's the numbers. :roll:

I don't put much faith in CNN's experts. Reference: Scary Mary Schiavo.

I put the balloon at 1200 CF (that assumes 8' tall and 20' diameter when inflated, with a triangular cross section). So the 80 pound lift figure becomes more like 64 lbs. The balloon, gondola, and tie-down ropes weigh something (15 -20 lbs?), so the payload is 45-50 lbs at sea level.

Add in the impact of starting at an elevation of 5k ft, and I don't see the balloon lifting off the ground...

But I'm no CNN expert. ;-)

airnutz · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:54 pm

Kyleb wrote:

airnutz wrote:

Kyleb wrote:

A little math would also have told them that it was physically impossible for a balloon that size to carry a 6 year old to that altitude, and probably incapable of lifting a 6 year old off the ground in the first place.

The Sheriiffs had been in touch with a University of Colorado professor who computed that the ballon with
those dimensions of roughly 1500 cubic feet could carry an 80 pound payload...Falcon weighs 38 pounds.

I heard a CNN report mid-afternoon after they were in touch with some ballon folks who figured it, at roughly
2000 cubic feet, would carry a 100# payload. I agree, the ballon looked too small to me once I saw it on the
ground, but them's the numbers. :roll:

I don't put much faith in CNN's experts. Reference: Scary Mary Schiavo.

I put the balloon at 1200 CF (that assumes 8' tall and 20' diameter when inflated, with a triangular cross section). So the 80 pound lift figure becomes more like 64 lbs. The balloon, gondola, and tie-down ropes weigh something (15 -20 lbs?), so the payload is 45-50 lbs at sea level.

Add in the impact of starting at an elevation of 5k ft, and I don't see the balloon lifting off the ground...

But I'm no CNN expert. ;-)

Nor do I, that's why I began with the Sheriff's statement. I'm assuming their Colorado based expert considered
those details, as well as 25 mph winds...warming part of the day, etc. But I'll defer to your expertise... :wink:

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:15 pm

let's have the entire family suck in helium, then do the interview, it will make them sound like munchkins from oz, & think they are their already!!

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Boy in a runaway helium ballon over Colorado...

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