# Scary stuff: the boy in the balloon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 15, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940 "2009-10-15T18:58:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/241 "2009-10-18T04:54:49Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Actually, I went to work that day and most of the people I work with were there also, and it’s not like we were providing any kind of critical service – we just had no particular reason not to be there. True we spent a lot of time talking about events and the boss did end up encouraging us all to leave early, but we did get some work done and it’s an exaggeration to say the nation stood still. There were certainly other cars on the freeway on the way home. Okay, you’re just being nitpicky and totally missed my point. On 9/11/01, the nation was attacked, planes were grounded, iconic buildings destroyed, thousands died. Obviously, people in other parts of the country still had to function, but if there ever was a time when one could say the nation was at a standstill it was 9/11/01. Reporters now overuse the phrase for melodrama and phrases like that now loose all meaning. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/242 "2009-10-18T07:24:50Z")
The morons in this world never cease to amaze me. BTW, well done **Dolores.** ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/243 "2009-10-18T07:34:56Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I am going to get ahead of this meme/theme curve for once. > > Here it goes : > > Once, for two hours and 50 miles, in 2009, in Colorado. Now, if he went to the Mariannas Trench in a balloon I would be impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/244 "2009-10-18T08:28:09Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Okay, you’re just being nitpicky and totally missed my point. On 9/11/01, the nation was attacked, planes were grounded, iconic buildings destroyed, thousands died. Obviously, people in other parts of the country still had to function, but if there ever was a time when one could say the nation was at a standstill it was 9/11/01. Reporters now overuse the phrase for melodrama and phrases like that now loose all meaning. I don’t want to get too sidetracked but I agree. There has been nothing in modern American history that even closely matches the events of 9/11. People in large cities didn’t know if their buildings were going to be attacked. Every commercial airplane was grounded and office workers were huddled around TV’s, radio’s and computers. There was round the clock news coverage of the event. The WTC debris burned for 3 months. This is as close to the definition of grinding to a standstill that I can imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/245 "2009-10-18T09:04:23Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I don’t want to get too sidetracked but I agree. There has been nothing in modern American history that even closely matches the events of 9/11. People in large cities didn’t know if their buildings were going to be attacked. Every commercial airplane was grounded and office workers were huddled around TV’s, radio’s and computers. There was round the clock news coverage of the event. The WTC debris burned for 3 months. This is as close to the definition of grinding to a standstill that I can imagine. There was also _nothing_ on any channel but news coverage. Perhaps it was different in other parts of the country (I was in New Jersey), but every single TV channel had either a news feed or a text message on the screen saying basically “Put the news on”. I had to google “balloon boy” when I watched the night before’s Daily Show online. Was there anyone not living in a tent in the wilderness who found out about 9/11 on Wednesday? ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/246 "2009-10-18T10:29:55Z")
> [@vd](#): > > [QUOTE=billfish678] > Off the top of your head do you know the weight / size limit, if any the FAA has for unmanned balloons? > > If saucer dad was smart, its under that limit. \< 0 lbs? [/QUOTE] And the 2009 Smartass of the Year award goes to… 😃 From what I’ve seen, the balloon wasn’t big enough to have the lift to take the kid away and it was moving around in ways that would discount a heavy weight placed inside the gondola thingy. Hoax, no doubt in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/247 "2009-10-18T10:48:23Z")
> [@Obsidian](#): > > There was also _nothing_ on any channel but news coverage. Perhaps it was different in other parts of the country (I was in New Jersey), but every single TV channel had either a news feed or a text message on the screen saying basically “Put the news on”. I had to google “balloon boy” when I watched the night before’s Daily Show online. Was there anyone not living in a tent in the wilderness who found out about 9/11 on Wednesday? Actually, I don’t. I wasn’t in a habit of reading newspaper and I set my homepage to ‘blank’ so I didn’t get most news from the Internet. I found out on Wed itself when I was walking past by a computer shop, and I saw a live feed of CNN (or some other online news broadcast, or perhaps a computer connected to cable TV) and saw people jumping off. It was freaky. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/248 "2009-10-18T16:53:55Z")
I saw an interview with the father where he said he checked the tape to confirm that Falcon had entered the balloon. I’m guessing he hung himself on that statement if, in fact, it’s not on tape. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/249 "2009-10-18T18:03:45Z")
news now has statement that sheriff says it was a hoax to promote themselves to future reality shows. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/250 "2009-10-18T18:18:23Z")
I just saw where the Larimer Sheriff is not just going to file the misdemeanor false report charges, but will also charge the parents with several more serious crimes (criminal conspiracy, fraud) that could potentially land them in prison for over 6 years… ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/251 "2009-10-18T18:21:31Z")
[Here’s the CNN story.](http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/colorado.balloon.investigation/index.html) What a dumbass that guy is. How the hell did he ever expect to get away with it? ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/252 "2009-10-18T19:03:25Z")
He would have too if it wasn’t for those meddling kids! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/253 "2009-10-18T19:08:23Z")
God damn it, who’d have thought a six year old would be so bad at keeping a secret?! This has really opened my eyes. In my future publicity stunts, I’ll be relying on 10-year-olds and up - and they’ll have to pass a polygraph. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/254 "2009-10-18T19:47:21Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > God damn it, who’d have thought a six year old would be so bad at keeping a secret?! This has really opened my eyes. In my future publicity stunts, I’ll be relying on 10-year-olds and up - and they’ll have to pass a polygraph. Ya got given em prostitutes and cocaine, or blows and hoes in slange terms, to keep em quite. Nothing else works. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/255 "2009-10-18T19:51:54Z")
And now “we did it for the show” will become the hot new catchphrase, and we’ll have to suffer though weeks of it being used by the un-clever. Wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/256 "2009-10-18T20:22:55Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > And now “we did it for the show” will become the hot new catchphrase, and we’ll have to suffer though weeks of it being used by the un-clever. Wonderful. Slithy Tove, I’mma let you finish, but “I’mma let you finish” is one of the best catchphrases of all time! ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/257 "2009-10-18T20:31:54Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > [Here’s the CNN story.](http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/18/colorado.balloon.investigation/index.html) > > What a dumbass that guy is. How the hell did he ever expect to get away with it? He was hoping the FAA would sail it to the public first, and who keeps the FAA number handy to call in a emergency? I bet they thought it was some crank call and hung up on him!😛 Falcon was plan b. It would have made for better TV if it was first reported by an official agency, as a UFO, with the Heenes, in their TV absent household are blissfully unaware of the red alerts. next he launches the rockets… :eek:😉 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/258 "2009-10-18T21:08:48Z")
According to [this AP story](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy), the hoax went beyond the family: > [@](#): > > …Alderden said the alleged hoax had been planned for at least two weeks and that investigators suspect that other individuals and a “media outlet” that he would not name were in on it. > > “We do understand, looking at some of the documents already, that at least one of the media outlets has agreed to pay them some money with regards to this particular incident,” Alderden said. > > He said he was not talking about a news organization, but “there are so many of these shows that kind of blur the line between entertainment and news.” Another issue – whether the balloon actually had enough lifting capacity for a small child, was addressed in the story. Daddy Heene alegedly gave false dimensions to the authorities, leading them to believe it could lift enough weight. When the balloon was recovered, the true dimensions were taken and it became clear that it wouldn’t have been able to lift the kid. I can kinda see a new reality show out of this, “Mommy and Daddy Go To Prison”. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/259 "2009-10-18T21:19:34Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > According to [this AP story](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091018/ap_on_re_us/us_balloon_boy), the hoax went beyond the family: > > Another issue – whether the balloon actually had enough lifting capacity for a small child, was addressed in the story. Daddy Heene alegedly gave false dimensions to the authorities, leading them to believe it could lift enough weight. When the balloon was recovered, the true dimensions were taken and it became clear that it wouldn’t have been able to lift the kid. > > I can kinda see a new reality show out of this, “Mommy and Daddy Go To Prison”. Hah. I thought the dims were wrong. I should have typed out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2009, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940/260 "2009-10-19T00:19:03Z")
Earlier on, people here and elsewhere were wondering how a kid that age could stay silent and in one place for so long, or how he even got into that crawl space. Guess this answers that: he wasn’t in the crawl space the whole time. All the parents had to do was _say_ “He’s not in the house; we can’t find him!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-stuff-the-boy-in-the-balloon/513940.md?page=14)