Balloon Boy Found at Home

Falcon Heene, the 6 year old boy thought to have been aboard a homemade balloon, was found at home, hiding in a cardboard box in the attic. He said he had run away to the attic after his father, Richard Heene had yelled at him over something. This anticlimactic discovery came, after a massive rescue operation was launched to recover the boy from the saucer shaped helium balloon flying in the air, as the nation watched in horror.

The drama unfolded on Thursday, when the helium balloon, accidentally took off from the family's home in Fort Collins, Colorado. The 6 year old boy, Falcon, had been playing in the yard, where the balloon was tethered, when the incident happened. His brother claimed to have seen Falcon enter the balloon's compartment, prior to its take off. Since the boy was nowhere to be found, his parents assumed that he was aboard the balloon that had set free. They informed the authorities, who immediately pressed into action. The Colorado Air National Guard sent out two helicopters to trace the balloon, and rescue the boy.

The balloon traveled 50 miles, and was adrift for over two hours, before it gently landed in a field near Colorado Springs. Rescue workers, who had been tracking the balloon, rushed to the spot to retrieve the boy from the compartment of the balloon, only to find that there was no one inside. This sparked fears that the boy may have fallen out of the compartment while the balloon was afloat, leading to a massive combing effort on ground. This was when news came that the boy was safe at home, and had been there all along, even as the media covered every minute of the story live. This brought much relief to the boy's parents and the rescue workers who had feared the worst, when the boy was not found inside the balloon's compartment.

However, there has been much speculation about the incident ever since. Authorities are wondering, how the boy was reported to have been aboard the balloon by an eyewitness. There have been suggestions in the media that the whole affair was a publicity stunt by the boy's family, to promote the homemade helium balloon (not to be confused with hot air balloons), which was designed by the father, Richard Heene, who is a meteorologist. The balloon was meant to be a '3D low-altitude vehicle' meant for research. It was in its experimental stages, and was supposed to fly at a height of 20 feet, and not intended to carry people, according to the father. However, the balloon reached a height of 8,000 feet during its flight. Richard Heene and his family are 'storm chasers', and have been on a number of TV shows, including the 100th episode of the reality show 'Wife Swap'.