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Balloon-assisted jumping



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 21st 05, 07:55 PM
JumpingMan
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Default Balloon-assisted jumping

Some friends of mine are obsessed with the idea of buying weather
balloons, filling them with helium, attaching them to a harness (with
probably about -3 to -5 lbs of net lift) and jumping up into the air.
If anyone has info on both the feasibility (with implicit danger) and
cost of such an excursion, you input would be most appreciated.

In addition, if this post better fits another group, please feel free
to redirect me. Thank you.

JumpingMan

  #2  
Old March 21st 05, 09:06 PM
William W. Plummer
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JumpingMan wrote:
Some friends of mine are obsessed with the idea of buying weather
balloons, filling them with helium, attaching them to a harness (with
probably about -3 to -5 lbs of net lift) and jumping up into the air.
If anyone has info on both the feasibility (with implicit danger) and
cost of such an excursion, you input would be most appreciated.


Several years ago I was into ballooning. One time we were approached
by two parachuters who wanted to jump from the balloon basket. One of
the group knew how to manage this and the two were able to jump from
about 5000 feet. It was necessary to establish about a 500 fpm descent
prior to each jump so that the weight change would be handled.
  #3  
Old March 22nd 05, 01:11 AM
bk
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Default

Google "Lawn Chair Larry".


JumpingMan wrote:
Some friends of mine are obsessed with the idea of buying weather
balloons, filling them with helium, attaching them to a harness (with
probably about -3 to -5 lbs of net lift) and jumping up into the air.
If anyone has info on both the feasibility (with implicit danger) and
cost of such an excursion, you input would be most appreciated.

In addition, if this post better fits another group, please feel free
to redirect me. Thank you.

JumpingMan


  #4  
Old March 22nd 05, 02:16 AM
Brian Whatcott
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Default

On 21 Mar 2005 10:55:08 -0800, "JumpingMan" wrote:

Some friends of mine are obsessed with the idea of buying weather
balloons, filling them with helium, attaching them to a harness (with
probably about -3 to -5 lbs of net lift) and jumping up into the air.
If anyone has info on both the feasibility (with implicit danger) and
cost of such an excursion, you input would be most appreciated.

In addition, if this post better fits another group, please feel free
to redirect me. Thank you.

JumpingMan



It's been done, of course. He put the frighteners on several airline
pilots approaching LAX - not the smartest place for his aluminum deck
chair, pellet gun and all. But you gotta believe, it can be done.

This may be about the cheapest fastest way to get airborne - except
for that pricey helium (or hydrogen, more so)

He committed suicide, some years later. On the ground. Pity!

Brian Whatcott Altus OK
  #5  
Old March 22nd 05, 02:19 AM
Brian Whatcott
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Default

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 15:06:22 -0500, "William W. Plummer"
wrote:

JumpingMan wrote:
Some friends of mine are obsessed with the idea of buying weather
balloons, filling them with helium, attaching them to a harness (with
probably about -3 to -5 lbs of net lift) and jumping up into the air.
If anyone has info on both the feasibility (with implicit danger) and
cost of such an excursion, you input would be most appreciated.


Several years ago I was into ballooning. One time we were approached
by two parachuters who wanted to jump from the balloon basket. One of
the group knew how to manage this and the two were able to jump from
about 5000 feet. It was necessary to establish about a 500 fpm descent
prior to each jump so that the weight change would be handled.


....And I was approached by a jumper who had missed his ride.
I was in a C150 (!) The Texas jumpmaster at the field told me it
could be safely done, with the door ON, if I slowed and banked left on
departure.
And so I did. Once.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

  #6  
Old March 25th 05, 08:04 AM
Capt. 'Wild' Bill Kelso, USAAC
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Brian Whatcott wrote:

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 15:06:22 -0500, "William W. Plummer"
wrote:

JumpingMan wrote:
Some friends of mine are obsessed with the idea of buying weather
balloons, filling them with helium, attaching them to a harness (with
probably about -3 to -5 lbs of net lift) and jumping up into the air.
If anyone has info on both the feasibility (with implicit danger) and
cost of such an excursion, you input would be most appreciated.


Several years ago I was into ballooning. One time we were approached
by two parachuters who wanted to jump from the balloon basket. One of
the group knew how to manage this and the two were able to jump from
about 5000 feet. It was necessary to establish about a 500 fpm descent
prior to each jump so that the weight change would be handled.


...And I was approached by a jumper who had missed his ride.
I was in a C150 (!) The Texas jumpmaster at the field told me it
could be safely done, with the door ON, if I slowed and banked left on
departure.
And so I did. Once.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK


Lucky you werent cited for dropping objects from an airplane
---------------------------------------------------------------
I am BillGatus of Borg. Resistance is futile. You will be assim
[General Protection Fault]
 




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