Balloon Boy's dad, Richard Heene, holds press conference to announce nothing

Richard Heene, the father of a young boy feared swept away in a homemade helium balloon, pulled a fast one on the media Saturday morning.

[Joshua]

Just get out of there let him sulk in fear he will be prosecuted and his kids pulled from him.

[bwg]

No reporter seems to understand basic math&physics or bother doing any investigation I guess since I posted this before. Ask someone with a clue re: the balloon's lifting capability based on how it actually behaved after the fact, rather than during the flight from a prof who may not have had all the info.. and what info he had was given presumably by the father.

Pictures show the balloon didn't lose much gas before it started to descend and only a small fraction of it by the time it landed. ie, the volume of gas that leaked out so it descended is all that would have been available to lift more weight than the empty balloon, which is a tiny fraction of that lifting capacity mentioned.

The only helium available at launch to lift extra weight is the amount that leaked out before descent which is a tiny fraction of total lifting capacity. Even if you went with as much as 20% or so of the gas leaked by the time it was on the ground, 20% of 80 pounds is only 16 pounds.

The father claimed to have been working towards a transportation device so he presumably has calculations around re: what the balloon can lift or has talked to people about it. Though due to the delay he may have destroyed evidence of course.

[shanjames]

true engineer would of been taking exact notes on project not jumping up and down
yelling there it goes there it goes

[Sacramento-CA]

I think the reporters should just walk away from this story and quit giving the guy what he so desperately craves.

[wolfie]

Sacramento-CA wrote:

I think the reporters should just walk away from this story and quit giving the guy what he so desperately craves.

exactly. I suspect it was a hoax but at this point Dad is just milking it. Drop the story and the coverage. Let the authorities bill him for the costs.

[Dan]

If you watch the whole LKL interview, it's obvious. Their whole demeanor changes after Falcon's reveal. Later the brother whispers "Don't say it" when they try to get more out of Falcon. Watch the whole interview again. They are focusing too much on his one statement when as a whole you know they are all in on it.

[Eric]

I'm not a professional investigator, but from watching the interview where Falcon said "it was for the show," you can tell it made the father nervous.

[matt]

Just let the authorities do their job. They have already determined that it was not staged. The media should quit creating sensationalist stories and stick to reporting the FACTS !

[tham]

"let the authorities do their job" -- you must be joking. That incompetent dullard sheriff is still mouthing that it wasn't a hoax and he said that within minutes of the balloon descending. Didn't even bother to really look into it. The local authorities are appearing dumber by the minute.

When the media coverage goes away, the issue disappears, the authorities go back to hiding in their holes and the Heene idiots will NOT be billed for the costs incurred by taxpayers.

Embarrassing all around.

[TheyRCons]

All you have to do is watch the interview on LKL. When little Falcon makes his statement about the "show," watch the other two boys immediately react and turn to look toward their mother. Just like another poster said, the father reacted also.

Is it my imagination but watching the father speak he appears almost unintelligent and all over the map, not making sense in his ramblings.

It is very sad if they did, in fact, pull a fast one for publicity.

[wowlfie]

Time to ignore this family--they are just full of hot air or helium or whatever gas you think fits them. Personally I think it's laced with methane.......and a few smelly organics.

[Smith]

Lets all just stop calling this the 'balloon boy" or 'big announcement" this is what it is a new media phrase. We all got:

"DICK-HEENED"

And I for one am feeling alittle chapped. Media please just drive away. I don't care and neither should you. Dick already filled one item with gas lets not inflate him with any hot air that he is special. A con is a con, a fraud is a fraud, and a hoax is a hoax. All I know is if I am pulled over for anything in Larimer County I will just simply ask to see the Sheriff and say "No, I didn't' and be on my way.

Sheriff stop being so naive you're being "Dick-HEENED" in public

[TAMPA]

This guy must pay all the cost of this joke. Everyone wants to be a star. These reality shows are full of jokers wanting to get rich ,have no talant and crazy people with no lives watch them. TMZ, Inside Edition is full of these people.People who deserves to make it are the ones that take time drama courses , acting lessions, take part in local plays, why would eanyone care about any of these so called reality people. Get a life!!!

[Bosco]

Heene needs to explain how charging the skin of his craft with a million volts could propel it. He must be a genius and has the answer to all our energy problems.
I didn't hear of any electrical devises being found in the craft.

[icewolf]

Either the father of all "Heinies"(buttocks) is on drugs or it's Bush's fault.

OR maybe HE is the one "propelled" when he keeps sticking his finger in the electrical outlet and charging his own skin.

I'll bet burning buttocks smell bad.

[Proud Veteran USA]

I'd rather check the weather forecast than waste time with banter on this idiotic subject any longer.
There used to be a time in this nation's history when Americans were content watching "Happy Days" and getting farm reports than knowing everyone else's mundane life stories (reality TV)

Get a life, people.

[Cheat Sheet News]

"Ex-Colleague of 'Balloon Boy' Father Says Incident Was Not An Accident"
"Ex-girlfriend of Father: Balloon Incident a Hoax"
Read the stories here: http://www.cheatsheetnews.com

[icewolf]

I wish we were still in those "Happy Days". Good times and less complicated.

[captain grumpy]

how much was the sherrif promised . OR how stupid is he????

[Kendra]

I think this is a stage. When they had the family interview on t.v. the parents was asking the boy "did you hear us calling you?" And the boy looked at his mother and she shook her head yes so the boy said "yes." Then the father "asked why didn't you answer?" the boy said "um." Then you can see the father whisper something to the boy. You can almost make out what the father says. Thats when the boy said "for the show."