"Stan Gosnell" wrote in message =
...
=20
Nope, they're still around. Balloons are a lot cheaper than =
ceilometers,=20
especially if you only need an exact ceiling now and then.
=20
Stan

Well, yes, a balloon is cheaper than a ceilometer.
But I'd have guessed that over the life cycle of a ceilometer,
the controlling costs would involve the time a meteorologist spends
watching and timing the rising balloons.
But what do I know? I'm an engineer, not an accountant.