Hobby Club's Missing Balloon Feared Shot Down By USAF

[Effete Snob]

https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/hobby-clubs-missing-balloon-feared-shot-down-usaf




The club—the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade (NIBBB)—is not pointing fingers yet.

But the circumstantial evidence is at least intriguing. The club’s silver-coated, party-style, “pico balloon” reported its last position on Feb. 10 at 38,910 ft. off the west coast of Alaska, and a popular forecasting tool—the HYSPLIT model provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—projected the cylindrically shaped object would be floating high over the central part of the Yukon Territory on Feb. 11. That is the same day a Lockheed Martin F-22 shot down an unidentified object of a similar description and altitude in the same general area.

There are suspicions among other prominent members of the small, pico-ballooning enthusiasts’ community, which combines ham radio and high-altitude ballooning into a single, relatively affordable hobby.

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

1. not The Onion?

[Alexander Of Assyria]

5. No. The Pentagon. Wagging the dog...by dog I mean the media and American people's sensibilities.

America, you were lied to. Again.

[Effete Snob]

9. Aviation Week does not joke.

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. Seems like any floating device, at an altitude of 20,000 ft or more, should have an ID transponder

and a filed flight plan. I am surprised that this is not the case.

[ripcord]

4. The weight of this balloon exempts it from FAA control

[Effete Snob]

7. Nope

These and other balloon hobby activities are indeed legal.

[Sneederbunk]

3. Better deny ownership or

club will get bill for cost of Sidewinder missile.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

6. The whole Week of The Balloons has been an exercise in mass confusion and propaganda.

But hey, people got to hate on China for awhile, that must have been worth the cost of credibility, right Generals?

[Effete Snob]

8. They don't owe a penny

It’s the other way around, if the US could be held liable.