There was a guy who did this with a lawn chair and helium ballons. Yes, he did get fined by the FAA.
Reaching almost 5000 meters is very impressive, and I love the plan of popping the balloons with a BB-gun to control the descent. I’m almost annoyed that they fined this unique effort.
I wonder what was the plan in case his gun got jammed.
I don’t think there was a plan B. A lawn chair strapped to 42 balloons doesn’t seem like a project without single points of failure.
Just remember the bottle of wine for whoever owns the land you fall onto
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
My country town is really into ballooning, so there’s always a bunch of balloons flying around here and there, so no one would even notice an extra one floating around, unless you were a dick and flying low.
Man, I wish I lived in a country town that’s really into ballooning :(
For the record, yes you need a pilot’s license to fly a hot air balloon.
And yes the “balloon police” (aka the FAA in the United States) or their equivalent governing body in other countries will stop you, and fine you.
You DON’T need a license for some types of flight though. Anything under 254 pounds. Ultralights and paragliders. (However that doesn’t mean there’s no rules)
I heard in France the balloon police are armed. With BB guns to take down offenders.
I don’t know if they can actually stop you. Especially the first time. But they can definitely find you and fine you. A lot. Like more than tree fiddy.
Yes. They wont kill you and take down your balloon. But you have to come back to land at some point. Then bam! You’re arrested…
They can definitely encourage you to land.
How do they stop you mid flight though
With helicopter mounted machine guns.
FAA if you’re lucky. If youre unlucky, the baloon police are an F-16 with a sidewinder
We all float down there!
That’s such a cool design, very topical with international politics too.
I wonder if the IR sensor of a sidewinder could get a lock on the heating element of a hot air balloon.
New versions could easily target a hot air balloon.
Breaking: Ban placed on hot air balloons, lethal force authorized on local festivals. Citizens confused.
Robert Fulton has entered the chat.
That seems like overkill
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://piped.video/FIXvt9y7ims
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Spoken like someone who never had an NES.
'member chinese spy balloon?
deleted by creator
👀
And the maniacs shooting at it? First thing I thought of.
F-22s using missiles
Balloon: *pops
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=oY-pdk_FWh0
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
What if you’re not Chinese? Checkmate.
But we stole a balloon!
Yeah, on national free balloon day.
What is this art style, it is so creepy. I love it.
Yes, it’s quite liminal isn’t it? Makes me think of old PS2 games.
Looks like a collage?
Jeroom
Oh wow. Did you know this or did you ask an AI?
Agreed
Is that Salvatore Ganacci?
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
I didn’t know there was a while genre here
I went in a hot air balloon once. Basically, once you’re up in the air, the wind takes you….where ever. It’s only controllable on one axis at that point. And the flame is fucking hot.
Yeah, I always wondered how the fuck you don’t crash into a building, forest or get swept out to sea. I guess you just pick really still wind days.
From what I’ve read the wind can point different directions at different altitudes, so you can navigate a little bit by changing your altitude, depending on the wind conditions.
I was told by someone who worked at a company that does balloon flights that winds are somewhat predictable, so they launch balloons in a way that gives them a decent margin of error to account for fluctuations in the wind.
If it turns out that you have to land in the middle of the highway or some dangerous location like that, there is enough time to anticipate that and get in touch with the authorities to have that area blocked off.
I think the main way is by not launching upwind of buildings, forests, or the ocean. And don’t launch when a weather system is coming in that would change wind patterns. Wind is usually fairly predictable.
All balloon cops are bastards
#abcab
Image Transcription: Meme
-
You don’t need a license to fly a hot air ballon.
-
Even if I do, who’s going to stop me? Balloon cops?
[A background image of a yellow hot air ballon]
-
Most countries require a hot air balloon pilot license. Don’t fuck with the FAA. They will ruin your life.
and if the FAA don’t get you, and you are using radios, the FCC might get you. And if the FCC get you, the FAA get you.
Don’t fuck with the FAA. It’s not a fair fight. And we will lose more and more fun things to do as commercial drones take over.
What happened to the FBB?
The Federal Boobie Bureau? They’ve got better stuff to do
Indeed; their hands are full.
Damn I wish I’d used that ahaha
Haven’t they just suffered a major data leak recently?
