[narlus]

 

[Pesqueeb]

I sense an attention-whore scam....

There getting attention all right. Like attention from child protective services. Not to mention becoming an internet meme over night

 

[SkaredShtles]

 

[Pesqueeb]

SCAM!

*edit, thank you narlus for my new work desktop.

 

[X3pilot]

Well, America has tired somewhat of Jon and Kate, so we do need a new attention whore family to step in.

 

[4xBoy]

Well, America has tired somewhat of Jon and Kate, so we do need a new attention whore family to step in.

Boy do we ever need a new suck family to waste America's time with.


How big of a balloon is needed to lift a 45 pound weight anyways?

Anyone have a figure for that?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Boy do we ever need a new suck family to waste America's time with.

How big of a balloon is needed to lift a 45 pound weight anyways?

Anyone have a figure for that?

Yeah. 46 pounds of lift.

Edit:

Google for helium density pounds per cubic foot and you'll find that this has been beat to death on the intarwebz. See this for an example.

 

[pigboy]

Yeah. 46 pounds of lift.

or 54 pounds of lift if the "45 lbs" was a lowball estimate.

if you were looking for "how much hot air does it take to lift a 45lb weight" then you would measure the volume of the Father's lungs.

 

[X3pilot]

Anyone have a figure for that?

L=CL * q * S

 

[RUFUS]

It was said that a balloon of that size can carry up to 90lbs of weight.

 

[Pesqueeb]

Busted!

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A Colorado sheriff said Sunday it was a hoax when parents reported that their 6-year-old son was in a flying saucer-like helium balloon hurtling away from their home.

Sheriff Jim Alderden said Richard and Mayumi Heene "put on a very good show for us, and we bought it."

"We believe that we have evidence at this point to indicate that it was a publicity stunt done with the hopes of marketing themselves or better marketing themselves for a reality television show at some point in the future," Alderden said.

The sheriff said no charges had been filed yet, and the parents weren't under arrest. He said he expected to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant.

Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Alderden said all three of the Heenes' sons knew of the Thursday hoax, but likely won't face charges because of their ages. The oldest son is 10. One of the boys told investigators he saw his brother get in the balloon's box before it launched.

Alderden said 6-year-old Falcon may not have even been in the rafters in the garage, as originally reported, based on where the investigators were when the boy entered the house.

"For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," he said.

Story continues below

Heene, a storm chaser and inventor, and his family have appeared on the reality show "Wife Swap." Alderden said the couple met in acting school in Hollywood.

Alderden said interviews with the parents Saturday resulted in enough information to get a warrant to search the house. He said they were looking for computers, e-mails, phone records and financial records.

Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday morning, and child protective services had been contacted to investigate the children's well-being.

The sheriff initially said there was no reason to believe the incident was a hoax. Authorities questioned the Heenes again after Falcon turned to his dad during a CNN interview Thursday night and said what sounded like "you said we did this for a show" when asked why he didn't come out of his hiding place.

Falcon got sick during two separate TV interviews Friday when asked again why he hid.

A Colorado State University physics professor, using dimensions given by Richard Heene, had told sheriff's officials as they were tracking the balloon Thursday that it was plausible for it to lift off with 37-pound Falcon inside.

Once the device landed, sheriff's officials discovered it was made with plastic tarps taped together and covered with aluminum foil, with a utility box made of a very thin piece of plywood, cardboard on the side, held together with string and duct tape, Alderden said.

Using the true dimensions, the professor determined it could not have launched with the boy inside, Alderden said.

Ha! the only thing these white trash a-holes forgot was the bailing wire!

 

[IH8Rice]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_balloon_boy

The sheriff said if charges were filed, his office would seek restitution, but he didn't know the total cost of the rescue effort, which included military helicopters, a ground rescue and even a mounted posse

they shoulda cut him off at the pass

 

[Pesqueeb]

I thought I felt the state get smarter. Sorry Florida.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The family at the center of the balloon boy hoax has moved out of the house where the fateful trip began, leaving Colorado for Florida.

Richard and Mayumi Heene and their three boys have moved to Bradenton, Fla., where Richard Heene will continue working in construction, state court officials said.

The Heenes reported in October that their 6-year-old son had floated away in a homemade UFO-shaped helium balloon, touching off a scramble of dozens of emergency responders and two Colorado National Guard helicopters.

The boy wasn't on the balloon and was later found at his home in Fort Collins, about 60 miles north of Denver. Authorities accused the Heenes of staging a hoax to get publicity for reality TV shows they were trying to pitch.

Richard Heene pleaded guilty to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant and served a 30-day jail term. Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty to filing a false report and served a 20-day jail term.

Jon Sarche, a spokesman for the State Court Administrator's Office, said the Heenes' probation has been transferred to Florida.

Terms of their probation include not selling their story or profiting from the saga until December 2013. They also must make regular monthly payments toward $36,000 in restitution ordered by the court.

The Heenes also were fined $8,000 by the Federal Aviation Administration for launching an aircraft that wandered into the path of planes at Denver International Airport, briefly forcing the closure of a runway.

The Larimer County sheriff's office and other agencies had sought $48,000 for responding to the Oct. 15 incident.

Richard and Mayumi Heene, and their sons, left Colorado Monday and arrived in Florida Thursday, Sarche said.

Television footage of the house they lived in just outside of Fort Collins showed the family left behind belongings including plates, tools, chairs and appliances.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/03/richard-heene-balloon-boy-florida-balloon-boy-family-leaves-colorado_n_705003.html

So wait, he's moving the family to Florida to work in construction? Because they have a housing shortage down there and the economy is going like crazy? Sounds like another quality life decision.