The boy wasn’t in the balloon when it came down.
Jen Graves (The Stranger’s former arts critic) mostly writes about things you approach with your eyeballs. But she’s also a history nerd interested in anything that needs more talking about, from male... More by Jen Graves
Does the kid in question say something about a “faggot in a tree” in his video? I can’t make it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWJXXgaY…
Of course not.
He was bored with the whole thing.
I don’t understand how the parents could have thought the kid was in there, unless they’ve grossly misrepresented the size of the balloon. According to the news coverage, the balloon was 10 feet in diameter by six feet high, so total volume is approx. 470 cubic feet. It takes approx. 15 cubic feet of helium to lift one pound, so that balloon could lift a theoretical maximum of 31 lbs. Even if the kid was malnourished, a six year old should weigh more than 40 lbs. There’s no way the dad, who built the thing and presumably knows the calculations, should have thought the kid was inside. Apologies in advance if my math is off.
Seems convenient that the wacky Dad is a pseudoscience nut and that the kid was on “Wife Swap” once.
Smells like a hoax/publicity stunt.
@6: See my post above; this was not a solid structure. If the balloon could have even lifted the kid off the ground, it wouldn’t had a huge kid-shaped piece hanging down where his body rested against the bottom. He was never in there. Any gondola would have added to the total weight, making it even less likely that the balloon would have even been able to get off the ground. He either accidentally let the balloon go and is hiding so he doesn’t get in trouble, or the family is in on it and angling for a reality show. The father who built the thing should know the carrying capacity, and should know that it wouldn’t lift a 40-60 pound kid.
@3: I heard 20 feet diameter, not 10 feet — that would get the lifting capacity up to about 100 pounds. If everything were made of mylar and cardboard and shit, the ballon itself might weigh just a few tens of pounds, and a tyical 6-year-old weighs, what, 50 pounds? 40, if he’s skinny?
@5: Of all the scenarios I can come up with, “publicity stunt” is the least bad. So, hoping you’re right.
@3: It was 20 feet, not 10 feet in diameter.
@ 7: “wouldn’t had” should be “would’ve had”.
BULLETIN… A SECOND BOY IN A SECOND BALLOON HAS JUST CRASHED INTO THE OTHER TOWER…
@ 1 I was wondering that exact same thing. What an aggressive energetic group! I sort of admire their musical efforts, they are like little Beastie Boys in a way. Its weird.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBWJXXgaY…
It’s been reported that the kid’s brother saw him get in the balloon.
He was found at his house.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10…
@16. Yeah, me too. Banna called it. Just a few minutes before he was found, it was reported that the first thing the father did after lift-off was call the TV station to ask if their helecopter could track the baloon. Hoax-arama. I feel dumb.