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Balloon boy hoax

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Template:Rescue

Location of Colorado in the USA
Location of Fort Collins in Larimer County in Colorado

The Colorado balloon incident took place on October 15, 2009 and attracted world-wide attention[1][2] when six-year-old Falcon Heene from Fort Collins, Colorado (referred to as "Balloon Boy" by some media outlets[3]) was thought to be travelling at altitudes reaching 15,000 feet[4] in a home-made helium balloon colored and shaped to resemble a silver flying saucer-type of UFO.[5][6][7][8] The boy had reportedly climbed into the balloon when it became untethered and launched. It was reported that an object had detached from the balloon and fallen to the ground and the boy was not in the aircraft when it landed 12 miles northeast of Denver International Airport.[6] A search was conducted for the child and he was found hiding in a box in the attic of his house.[9]

The boy later stated in a live interview that "we did this for the show", adding weight to the speculation that the incident was a hoax and a publicity stunt.[10]

Search and discovery

Heene was first noticed missing when his sibling reportedly saw him climb into the basket of the balloon. The balloon came down northeast of Denver International Airport. The boy was not found inside the balloon. Officials expressed concern that he may have fallen out during flight. Margie Martinez of the Weld County Sheriff's Office said that the door was unlocked in the balloon. A sheriff deputy reported seeing something fall from the balloon near Platteville, Colorado and a photograph of the balloon in flight with a small black dot below seemed to suggest the boy may have fallen out or something had detached from the balloon.[11] There was also speculation that he may never have been in the balloon at all, and that he was hiding somewhere in his neighborhood.[12] Once the balloon touched down, it was reported that it did not appear breached.[13] Search crews in Colorado searched for the boy.[14]

In the mean time, planes were rerouted around the balloon's flight path and Denver International Airport was briefly shut down.[15]

At approximately 4:14pm local time, the boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in his parent's attic over the garage.[16] Falcon's father said he had yelled at his son for meddling with the balloon, which was an experimental form of alternative transportation, capable of flying "50 or 100 feet" above traffic. [17] The father also claimed the balloon was used for experiments on finding extraterrestrial life, and attempting to build a flying saucer. [1]

Family background

The Heene family is known for storm chasing as well as being on two episodes of the reality televison show Wife Swap.[15]Mr and Mrs Heene also starred in Box Time Playhouse, Box Time Fire Truck and are mentioned in Judy Kerr's book, "Acting is Everything".[1]

Richard Heene, the father who built the UFO-shaped mylar balloon, had previously submitted video of himself to CNN iReport in which he claimed to prove that the planet Mars was civilized. Early media reports described the father as a "scientist", but more recently modified the description to "amateur scientist".[18] or "sort of a scientist-slash-inventor".[1] Heene's own website, however, uses the term "psyentist", which is nearly identical in pronunciation to "scientist". Heene's amateur YouTube contributions[19] often feature and promote pseudoscientific and paranormal beliefs. In a press meeting after his son's return, Heene claimed that the balloon was designed to use the Biefeld–Brown effect, a purported propulsion system championed among fringe science enthusiasts but unlikely to have practical use.

Possible hoax

After the incident, several news agencies began questioning whether it was a hoax.[20][21] Television hosts mentioned that reports of the boy in the craft were "unverified" only after the incident. As Editor & Publisher points out, "Few had raised the issue of whether such a balloon could even lift off with a 50-pound kid inside, and then float the way it did."[22] Helium has a lift capacity of 28.2 grams per cubic foot. To be able to lift 60 lbs, the size of the balloon would have to be 965 cubic feet of helium or a little larger than 12 feet in diameter.[23] However, the balloon used in this incident is saucer shaped and is not 12 feet in diameter in all directions.

A Colorado sheriff investigating the incident initially said it did not appear to be a hoax.[24] However, when Falcon and his family were being interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on Larry King Live he asked Falcon "Why did you not come out of the garage?" After his parents repeated the question, he responded by saying "You guys said that, um [pause] we did this for the show."[25] The next day, the boy got sick twice on live TV interviews on ABC and NBC, when he and his father were asked the same question.[26] After the incident, a news crew showed Falcon trying to demonstrate how he climbed up into the attic through a hole in the garage ceiling. He was unable to pull himself up on a rafter, and there was nothing close by to stabilize his footing.

Falcon's answers prompted the sheriff's office to pursue further investigations as to whether the incident was part of a publicity stunt.[27] The helicopter flights alone during the rescue operation cost about $14,500.[28] On October 16, Sheriff Jim Alderden said "the suggestion that the boy ... was coached to hide seems inconceivable".[29]

During a second interview with the sherriff on whether it was a hoax, CNN discussed that the father had actually called a local television station about the incident before calling 911 emergency services.

Media frenzy and Internet meme

Wikinews has related news:

For hours, the incident received extensive media coverage in many parts of the world, with local TV helicopters broadcasting live video of the balloon and rescue operation.[30] The incident also sparked a "balloon boy" Internet meme, as the events were closely followed in blogs and social networking sites in real time, generating speculation, image editing jokes and parodies of the story, which started even when the boy's safety was uncertain.[31][32][33] "Balloon boy" became the No. 1 search on Google within hours of the event and 34 of the top 40 searches on Google were related to Falcon Heene and the incident.[34]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "6-year-old Colorado boy found alive after setting loose balloon". CNN. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  2. ^ "World watches odyssey of 'Balloon Boy' in real time".
  3. ^ Canada. "Balloon boy rescuers had few options". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  4. ^ "Boy found safe after experimental balloon drifts off - KDVR". kdvr.com/news/. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  5. ^ "Boy trapped in 'UFO-like balloon' floating over Colorado - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  6. ^ a b Page 1 of 2 View as a single page Updated. "Missing 'balloon boy' found hiding in attic - World - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2009-10-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Fort Collins 'balloon boy' found alive; actually hiding in attic - Boulder Daily Camera". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  8. ^ "Falcon Heene: Balloon Boy, Wife Swap Son (PHOTOS, VIDEO, INFO)". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  9. ^ 6:50 p.m. ET. "Runaway balloon chase: Boy found at home - Life- msnbc.com". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-10-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Balloon boy says 'we did this for a show'". news.com.au. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  11. ^ "Picture of falling object from balloon is ominous for Fort Collins Heene family".
  12. ^ http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/6-year-old-alone-in-hot-air-balloon-over-colorado/?hp
  13. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/15/colorado.boy.balloon/index.html
  14. ^ "Crews Launch Search Effort For Ft. Collins Boy".
  15. ^ a b "'Boy in Balloon' family never shied from spotlight". Associated Press. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  16. ^ "6-year-old Colorado boy found alive after setting loose balloon".
  17. ^ "Falcon Heene fuss all over 'hovercar' experiment". www.news.com.au. 2009-10-16. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  18. ^ "Balloon boy: who is Richard Heene?".
  19. ^ "Heene YouTube Channel".
  20. ^ "The Family behind the "Balloon Boy" Story".
  21. ^ "Was Balloon Boy Chase a Hoax?".
  22. ^ "'Boy in Balloon' Captivates Media: Balloon Lands And He's Not Inside--Hiding in Attic--Hoax?".
  23. ^ "How Helium Balloons Work".
  24. ^ "Balloon aftermath...Recovery warning...Lindsay Lohan".
  25. ^ "Hoax fears after Falcon Heene hid 'for the show'".
  26. ^ "Balloon boy gets sick twice during TV interviews'". Associated Press.
  27. ^ "Sheriff to Investigate 'Balloon Boy' Comment That 'We Did This for a Show'".
  28. ^ "Boy's Comments After Balloon Chase Spark Fresh Questions". Washington Post.
  29. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ie0x4tv2tFVwxzfVpFiJG47OvbgwD9BCBJI81
  30. ^ "A balloon ride to fame, or maybe just hot air'".
  31. ^ "Boy in balloon captivates news-hungry Web'".
  32. ^ "Balloon Boy - Quickest Meme Ever?'".
  33. ^ http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/balloon-boy--2
  34. ^ 'Balloon boy' dominates Google search engine Gazette.com. 2009-10-15. Retrieved 2009-10-16

External links

Uncut home video of the balloon's release, released to media by the Heene family

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