the Falcon who didn't fly

[memnoch]

I decided to create a separate thread because of the angle this has taken. It would seem that this was all a hoax started by the parents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6UONWCq7A&feature=player_embedded

Falcon, when being asked why he didn't come out when his name was called responded "you guys said...that...um...we did this for a show"

[Cunae]

A total hoax by a family greedy for more media attention. I say make them pay back every dime that was wasted in the "rescue" effort, but unfortunately we can't prove it was all bullshit.

[Élistariel]

Bahahaha!
Busted. Sooooo busted.

Part of me wants to know who names their son Falcon, the other part thinks it's an awesome name.
But mostly I'm now thinking of the Millennium Falcon.


Millennium... strange spelling for a word there.

[Lunacie]

I decided to create a separate thread because of the angle this has taken. It would seem that this was all a hoax started by the parents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI6UONWCq7A&feature=player_embedded

Falcon, when being asked why he didn't come out when his name was called responded "you guys said...that...um...we did this for a show"

That's what I said in the other thread - there was no place in that balloon for the kid to have hidden away. Shame on the parents for the deliberate attempt to get some media attention. Shame on the law enforcement and rescue personell who didn't use their brains to see that there was no place for a person to hide in that balloon, they should have questioned the whole affair much more closely.

[Anthony41671]

I'm filing this one away in the "don't give a rat's ass" file!

[ShadowcatX]

Lunacie, I disagree about the emergency personnel. When lives are either at risk or on the line you don't always have time to get the precise measurements of something, especially if that something is attached to a weather balloon that's currently in flight. You should know, given that you're a parent IIRC, kids can hide very well in spaces we wouldn't think they'd be able to get into.

[Lunacie]

I didn't see any space in that balloon that wasn't part of the balloon itself, therefore filled with hydrogen. Children can't breathe hydrogen eh?

I understand that they felt they had to take it seriously just in case, but I'm honestly surprised no one else seemed to question where the boy would have been riding in the balloon.

[Caitlin.ann]

I thought it was helium.

[Corvis Canis Latrans]

I had read in another article that there had originally been another portion hanging from the bottom, that was at one point a witness had viewed it falling.

That said, I haven't watched the clip, no sound on my computer. According to the news report I read, yes, there was a hoax intended and I'm not arguing that, but it seemed that the intended hoax was a UFO hoax...

The article did imply, but never outright stated, that the child being carried off was in any way intended as part of the hoax.

What I wonder is if the family was attempting their originally intended hoax, and then panicked when it appeared the child had climbed inside whatever the missing piece is and gone up with the balloon.

I haven't looked in depth, but that was the gist of the original article I read. They never said outright that the missing child aspect was an intended component of the hoax, just implied it.

We'll probably know soon enough.

CCL

[aranarose]

LMAO Never try to get a 6 year old to participate in a hoax... they'll blow it for you every time!

[Lunacie]

I thought it was helium.

I don't think we're supposed to breath helium either.



I had read in another article that there had originally been another portion hanging from the bottom, that was at one point a witness had viewed it falling.

That said, I haven't watched the clip, no sound on my computer. According to the news report I read, yes, there was a hoax intended and I'm not arguing that, but it seemed that the intended hoax was a UFO hoax...

The article did imply, but never outright stated, that the child being carried off was in any way intended as part of the hoax.

What I wonder is if the family was attempting their originally intended hoax, and then panicked when it appeared the child had climbed inside whatever the missing piece is and gone up with the balloon.

I haven't looked in depth, but that was the gist of the original article I read. They never said outright that the missing child aspect was an intended component of the hoax, just implied it.

We'll probably know soon enough.

CCL

I thought I saw a clip of the actual launch and there was no basket attached.

I thought the 6-year old implied pretty clearly that he was hiding because he was part of the hoax and that he was supposed to pretend he had stowed away. None of this is very clear though. I remember watching this family last year on "Wife Swap" and they were way screwed up even for that show. Especially the father.

[Caitlin.ann]

I don't think we're supposed to breath helium either.





Thats not the point..the point is that it was helium, not hydrogen. There is no reason to mince facts, especially when trying to prove oneself smarter than the rescue personnel that day.

[Lunacie]

Thats not the point..the point is that it was helium, not hydrogen. There is no reason to mince facts, especially when trying to prove oneself smarter than the rescue personnel that day.

What difference does it make that I started off with the right letter and then went off track? Do you really think my point was that I'm smarter than the rescue personel in Colorado? I wasn't claiming to be a scientist or an experienced helium balloon flyer. I was asking what seemed to be an obvious question and wondering whether such an obvious question had occurred to any of the rescue personel?

I don't know of any gases that humans are able to breath besides oxygen.

[Caitlin.ann]

What difference does it make that I started off with the right letter and then went off track? Do you really think my point was that I'm smarter than the rescue personel in Colorado? I wasn't claiming to be a scientist or an experienced helium balloon flyer. I was asking what seemed to be an obvious question and wondering whether such an obvious question had occurred to any of the rescue personel?

I don't know of any gases that humans are able to breath besides oxygen.

There are a lot of different letters between "Hydrogen" and "Helium"..though I could see your point if you were using the scientific names: "H" and "He".

[HetHert]

What difference does it make that I started off with the right letter and then went off track? Do you really think my point was that I'm smarter than the rescue personel in Colorado? I wasn't claiming to be a scientist or an experienced helium balloon flyer. I was asking what seemed to be an obvious question and wondering whether such an obvious question had occurred to any of the rescue personel?

I don't know of any gases that humans are able to breath besides oxygen.

We're able to breathe them all just not purely or in quantity depending on the gas.

Helium can be breathed as in the case of trying to sound like a chipmunk or Lollipop Guild member however breathing large quantities of pure helium will cause asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen being present.

I'm kinda with CCL on this one. I thought perhaps the original hoax was UFO related and that it went awry.

[WitchJezebel]

The parents are idiots and they should pay for the rescue effort, etc.

[memnoch]

The parents are idiots and they should pay for the rescue effort, etc.

They are being charged, so they will do jail time

[brymble]

The poor kids. They're going to be so messed up by all this.

[Philosophia]

From what I've seen on TV, the father seems to have an uncontrollable anger issue that kinda makes me worried for the family. I hope everything gets sorted out soon and all guilty parties be made to pay back the money used in trying to rescue Falcon.

[Lunacie]

From what I've seen on TV, the father seems to have an uncontrollable anger issue that kinda makes me worried for the family. I hope everything gets sorted out soon and all guilty parties be made to pay back the money used in trying to rescue Falcon.

Apparently the cops have been called in before because of those anger issues and tried to talk the wife in to taking the kids and going somewhere safer, but she wouldn't go. From what I saw on the "Wife Swap" episode, she's been trained to do everything and never disagree, while he refuses to listen to anyone else and has a meltdown, storming out if that doesn't happen. Serious issues in that home, and I too feel sorry for the children.

[Rowan Darkmoon]

Apparently the cops have been called in before because of those anger issues and tried to talk the wife in to taking the kids and going somewhere safer, but she wouldn't go. From what I saw on the "Wife Swap" episode, she's been trained to do everything and never disagree, while he refuses to listen to anyone else and has a meltdown, storming out if that doesn't happen. Serious issues in that home, and I too feel sorry for the children.

Me too. When I read that he had an anger problem, I wondered if DCFS had been involved before.