Boy Of Six 'Floats Off In Hot Air Balloon'

A boy of six has floated away in a hot air balloon after climbing into the makeshift craft in Colorado, USA, reports say.






The silver balloon, which the boy's family described as a "homemade
flying saucer", can be seen drifting thousands of feet in the air.

A radar gun has reportedly clocked the balloon travelling at 25mph.

Authorities on the ground in Denver are now desperately trying to work out how to rescue the boy safely.

Police said there was no way to reach the boy inside the sealed craft, or to ascertain his condition.

The Denver Post newspaper reported that the boy got into the balloon
at his family's home in Fort Collins and that it then came loose from
its tether.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesman Mike Fergus says
the agency had been notified and it was unclear whether traffic
controllers had picked it up on radar.

Boy Still Missing In Hot Air Balloon Drama

A hot air balloon that reportedly drifted off with a six-year-old
boy inside has been found empty after making a soft landing in the
Colorado desert.

The silver balloon, which the boy's family described as a "homemade
flying saucer", had been seen drifting thousands of feet in the air,
travelling at up to 25mph.

Rescue workers opened the balloon after it landed and failed to find the boy.

He is still missing and there are concerns he may have falled from the craft, although there was no evidence this had happened.

"The balloon was in the air for two hours and travelled a distance of 60 miles," said Sky's US correspondent Robert Nisbet.

"You can imagine how difficult such an extensive search would be," he added.
Authorities on the ground in Denver had been desperately trying to
work out how to rescue the craft safely when it drifted towards earth
and landed gently.

Sky's US correspondent Robert Nisbet reported that the National Guard had been preparing to launch a chopper.

The Denver Post newspaper reported that the boy got into the balloon
at his family's home in Fort Collins and that it then came loose from
its tether.

A six-year-old boy who was feared to have floated away in a homemade helium balloon has been found alive, US police say.

Falcon Heene was discovered hiding in a box in the attic above the garage at the family's home in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The silver, flying saucer shaped balloon, which is about 20ft
across, had drifted off after coming loose from its moorings - thought
to be with Falcon inside.

The boy's brother said he saw the six-year-old climbing into the contraption before it became untethered.

The runaway balloon soared up to 7,000ft in the air and reached speeds of 25mph.

It drifted for miles across the Colorado skies before landing gently in the desert after slowly deflating.

Rescue workers, who grabbed the object as it floated down to the ground, opened it and failed to find Falcon.
Speaking after Falcon was discovered at the family home, Larimer
County Sheriff Jim Alderden said: "The boy's been there all the time.

"He's been hiding in a cardboard box in the attic above the garage.

"I don't want to make a conjecture, but this is not the first time when we have been involved in searching for some child.

"And once the child realises people are looking for them, they hide because they're afraid they're going to get in trouble."

Dozens of police and rescue workers had been involved in the search
for Falcon and there had been concerns he may have fallen from the
craft.

A spokesman for the Colorado National Guard earlier told Sky News
the boy's brother had said he saw him fall out of the balloon but that
report "was unsubstantiated".

Eloise Campanella of Larimer County Sheriff's Department had told
CNN: "The bottom of (the balloon) is contained and hasn't been breached.



"So at this point we are thinking he did not fall out of it. He has to be somewhere on the ground near his home."
Falcon's father Richard Heene built the balloon at his family's home, reportedly as part of his work as an amateur scientist.

Heene, who once appeared on TV as the father of a "storm-chasing, science-obsessed" family, said the craft was hovering above the ground before it came loose.

Captain Michael Hodges, from the Colorado National Guard, told Sky
News: "I don't know if that's good news or not, that the boy is not in
it.

"We are now going to begin trying to find out where that child is."

He had said the area they had to search was "quite extensive" and
added: "Hopefully we can take care of that as quickly as possible and
hopefully bring this to a happy conclusion."

Sky's US correspondent Robert Nisbet said: "The balloon was in the air for two hours and travelled a distance of 60 miles.

"You can imagine how difficult such an extensive search would be."

Great news! Was following it earlier on Sky News and my first thought when they said 'the craft had landed but the boy wasn't inside' was that he fell out at some point.

How cool though if he had of taken off and landed safely, with a name like Falcon.

Poor kid probably released the thing, shit himself and ran of to hide lol.