Page 16 - Cluster Balloon News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

I've never done that. party balloons seem real dependable. the funny thing is usually i use a lawn chair because it's comfortable and i can recline it and i can lean back. it's kind of redneck, and i'm kind of redneck. >> there are some federal aviation rules to follow. but remarkably, as long as couch's aircraft stays under 254 pounds, he isn't required to have a pilot's license nor is he required to register with the faa. but couch does need some technical assistance. >> mark noel is my friend who has done a great job of making everything work so much better. he's a techie guy who thinks abo...

Hard case and kind of made it this hamburger shape that was very aerodynamic. >> 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 the camera was a little hd camera that's used for skydiving...

>> it got like that big. because the pressure lightens as you get up. there isn't a lot of oxygen. and the air is very thin. >> the pressure of the helium greater than the surrounding air pressure. so it continues to expand until 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 doesn't do anything until it gets to heavier air. >> at one point, it rocked head over heels. even though it didn't have head or heels. it was just like that. it was pretty amazing because there...

Each time it made things a little better, just learning from the previous flight. >> i started using a pilot's parachute, which is nice and comfortable. we had more balloons, more ballast, we got more security and more safety. better communication 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. >> it's usually about 50 to 70 volunteers that make this thing work. we'd normally have four or six helium stations. each ...

And the air is very thin. >> the pressure of the helium inside the balloon is now much greater than the surrounding air pressure. so it continues to expand until 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 doesn't do anything until it gets to heavier air. >> at one point, it rocked head over heels. even though it didn't have head or heels. it was just like that. it was pretty amazing because there's a lot of reasons it wouldn't work. >> i've shot a lot of things. ...