Balloon detected by NORAD over Utah intercepted by fighters (government, administration, world)

[Stepnking]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

You need some sort of weight beneath the balloon to keep it steady. Otherwise it would just blow away willy-nilly.

If NORAD thinks it was a hobby balloon, I'll take their word for it.

And what 'hobby' would this 50ft, 43,000 ft. altitude balloon fulfill?

"We don't know what it is, whose it is, or what it can do. But we are sure it poses no threat."

Based on the first bold sentence, how did they conclude the second sentence.....but of course NORAD never gives the public false information.

[Erratikmind]

Originally Posted by Stepnking

And what 'hobby' would this 50ft, 43,000 ft. altitude balloon fulfill?

"We don't know what it is, whose it is, or what it can do. But we are sure it poses no threat."

Based on the first bold sentence, how did they conclude the second sentence.....but of course NORAD never gives the public false information.

The government will never lie to you. You must believe everything it spews. To do otherwise, you would become a free thinking individual.

[clutchcargo777]

They also say it "likely" poses no threat. As it continues eastward. How many times have I heard lefties admonish a story that uses that word? Not this time.

[AZ Desert Guy]

Originally Posted by clutchcargo777

I searched and didn't find anything on here about it. 50 feet tall. That's the size of a 5-story building. I can't fly my drone below the 400 foot ceiling that aircraft use but hobby balloonist can fly their uncontrollable 50 foot blobs anywhere they want, including at 40,000 feet? Something is amiss.

Did you not mean above the 400 ft ceiling?

I too am a drone hobbyist and stay annoyed at the disparity in rules, especially regarding "threats" to the public and manned aircraft.

Balloons, model rocketry, ultralight manned aircraft, etc......have more lax rules in many ways than small hobby drones. Maintaining VLOS for a 1 lb drone at all times or the FAA can drop the hammer on you.

But a 50 foot wandering balloon? Its all good.

[RocketDawg]

Do hobby balloons typically carry a payload? I can see how this might be a weather balloon, since they do carry instruments, but they don't typically cruise at 40,000 feet - they keep on going up until the balloon bursts and the instruments parachute down to the ground (as I understand their operation). Maybe the balloon has a slow helium leak and can't go any higher. But officials should be able to identify a weather balloon by sight, and apparently they have not.

Regarding the 400 foot altitude limitation of a hobby drone - when my house needed a new roof, the roofing company rep brought a small drone to measure, etc., and I believe his limitation was something like 90 feet since we live a just a couple miles from the airport.

[ChrisC]

I lost my hobby balloon down on the park yesterday. It's the size of the Hindenburg. I usually try to fly it at about 40,000 ft in restricted airspace and near airports. Have any of you seen it?

[Igor Blevin]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Do hobby balloons typically carry a payload? I can see how this might be a weather balloon, since they do carry instruments, but they don't typically cruise at 40,000 feet - they keep on going up until the balloon bursts and the instruments parachute down to the ground (as I understand their operation). Maybe the balloon has a slow helium leak and can't go any higher. But officials should be able to identify a weather balloon by sight, and apparently they have not.

Regarding the 400 foot altitude limitation of a hobby drone - when my house needed a new roof, the roofing company rep brought a small drone to measure, etc., and I believe his limitation was something like 90 feet since we live a just a couple miles from the airport.

It is too big for a weather balloon. They are fairly small, like 6 or 8 feet and only expand to like 20 feet. 50 feet is way too big. This is just China playing games again.

[Igor Blevin]

Originally Posted by ChrisC

I lost my hobby balloon down on the park yesterday. It's the size of the Hindenburg. I usually try to fly it at about 40,000 ft in restricted airspace and near airports. Have any of you seen it?

I could not stop lauging after reading your post. Thanks for the humor break.

[ChrisC]

Originally Posted by Igor Blevin

I could not stop lauging after reading your post. Thanks for the humor break.

I couldn't resist after reading a certain earlier post.

[AZ Desert Guy]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Regarding the 400 foot altitude limitation of a hobby drone - when my house needed a new roof, the roofing company rep brought a small drone to measure, etc., and I believe his limitation was something like 90 feet since we live a just a couple miles from the airport.

Proximity to airports puts one in "controlled" airspace, and require permission via some semi automated apps to even launch the drone. The 400 ft rule applies always. The most popular drone models wont even let one launch via restrictions in the firmware in controlled airspace near airports. I'm OK with that.

But in "uncontrolled" airspace? Realtors are another great example of a semi arbitrary FAA rule getting in the way of progress, for dubious reasons.

Small consumer level drones have been a big assist for realtors to get those money shots of properties for sale. Some studies show that in many competitive markets properties with good overhead shots from drones sell at 60% faster rates.

BUT...... If ones uses a drone, even one of the tiny sub 259 gram models, to make money in any capacity at all, then one must jump through the hoops of getting their FAA part 107 license, or face fines up to $11,000 USD per offense.

Its the govt lining up the rules to drop the hammer on citizens when it is convenient to the govt.

But uncontrolled 50 foot hobby balloons at 40,000 feet? Its all good.