Page 4 - Cluster Balloon News Today

Some people would use weather balloons. ive never done that. party balloons seem real dependable. the funny thing is usually i use a lawn chair because its comfortable and i can recline it and i can lean back. its kind of redneck, and im kind of redneck. >> there are some federal aviation rules to follow. but remarkably, as long as couchs aircraft stays under 254 pounds, he isnt required to have a pilots license nor is he required to register with the faa. but couch does need some technical assi...

>> and then we spray painted it so we could see it if it fell in the forest. it was traffic cone paint, so it really stood out. >> although the neon paint will make it easier to spot, they will need something much more dependable if they want to find it. >> an iphone seemed to have the best app to track the balloon. it gives you longitude and latitude but altitude as well. >> if you lost your phone, you would have where to track it. and we could follow it. >> next to it was a little hd camera th...

Ability to control his altitude. each time it made things a little better just learning from previous flights. >> i started using a pilots parachute, which is nice and comfortable. we had more balloons, more ballast, we got more security and safety. better communication between the ground crew. >> july 5, 2008. kent couch attempts to fly from bend, oregon, to boise, idaho, and break his record of 193 miles traveled in a cluster balloon. >> on launch day, we had to be up at 3:30 in the morning. >...

>> each time it kind of made things a little bit better, learning from a previous flight. >> i started using a pilots parachute, which is nice and comfortable. we had more balloons, more ballast, we got more security more safety. better communications between the ground crew. . >> july 5th, 2008. kent couch attempts to fly from bend, oregon, to boise, idaho, and break his record of 193 miles traveled in a cluster balloon. >> on launch day, we had to be up at 3:30 in the morning. >> its usually a...

Groups of 5 into larger assemblies of 15, 20. >> once everything checks out, couch kisses his wife and, with cameras rolling, begins the ascent. >> for the most part, i cant steer myself. thats what i like about this little cluster ballooning thing. you just go where the winds take you. >> the thing you wouldnt realize is how peaceful it is up there. its super quiet. hes traveling at the same speed of the wind. even when he was moving at 50 miles an hour, he could set a napkin on his knee, and i...

The camera captures. fortunately, it lands only 30 miles north of the launch site. and theyre able to retrieve the footage. >> to be totally honest, we got a little sick watching it. because we were eating it and watching it at our kitchen table the first time. and we were so focused on the screen and eating at the same time. and its whooshes around. >> but once it reaches the stratosphere, everything levels out. >> we were shooting from about 80,000 feet. twice as high as a plane. three times a...

There isnt a lot of oxygen. and the air is very thin. >> the pressure of the helium inside the balloon is now much greater than the surrounding air pressure. finally the balloon pops and the craft comes plummeting back to earth at more than 100 miles an hour. >> so the parachute deploys maybe 30 seconds after the balloon bursts. it doesnt do anything until it gets to heavier air. >> at one point, it rocked head over heels. even though it didnt have head or heels. it was just like that. it was pr...

Could see it if it fell in the forest. it was traffic cone paint, so it really stood out. >> although the neon paint will make it easier to spot, they will need something much more dependable if they want to find it. >> an iphone seemed to have the best app to track the balloon. it gives you longitude and latitude but altitude as well. >> if you lost your phone, you would have where to track it. and we could follow it. >> next to it was a little hd camera that was a little hd camera thats used f...

Then you start assembling the groups of five into larger assemblies of 15 or 20. >> once everything checks out, couch kisses his wife and, with cameras rolling, begins the ascent. >> for the most part, i cant steer myself. thats what i like about this little cluster ballooning thing. you just go where the winds take you. >> the thing you wouldnt realize is how peaceful it is up there. hes traveling at the same speed of the wind. even when he was moving at 50 miles an hour, he could set a napkin ...

>> despite missing the mark, he knows hes still broken his previous record. so couch prepares to land. >> you got to have a way to make sure you can get these balloons popped on the way down. my preference is a daisy red rider bb gun. >> it only takes a couple of balloons to change him from ascending to descending. >> im coming in on a gradual descent. im looking for an open area. no fences or wires or houses or roads. thats what im hoping for. >> couch touches down in cambridge, idaho, to a her...