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150 balloons from away

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 9:15 pm
by pdw
I'll try to get a pic on here ...
Who knows how far these helium balloons can drift ... from where to where ...

This bunch (all tied together into what looked like a heartshape with red purple and while ones) descended in from west-northwest 3pm May 20, and pressed itself against the neighbouring schoolyard's chainlink fence (St Michaels) adjacent my brother's farm. Was very windy from wnw direction over the 17acre strawberry patch where they touched down here at the west end of Virgil Ontario ; approx 35nm south-southeast of Toronto Island.

ADDS winds up high over 25,000 feet were 150mph wnw. The balloons look weathered and the helium gone.  I'm inquiring here in case someone has had any experience with what happens to wayward balloons after getting set free, ... on behalf of volks here who watched them bouncing along to a touchdown and stop after what seems to have been a long journey.

To what altitude can your typical helium ballon release climb up to before starting to come down again ?

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 2:56 am
by David MacRay
I bought some when we had a BBQ once. Put them in my hot van and a few of them over pressured and burst.

Recently I read someone claiming cows were eating them and dying. I'm skeptical but it is possible.

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 4:59 am
by vanNostrum
Read somewhere that typical helium balloons burst at around  25.000'
so this bunch never got that high

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 1:45 pm
by David MacRay
I suspect if you don't inflate them too much they would not expand to the point of bursting. They might not go as high either.

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 3:28 pm
by vanNostrum
The balloon will rise to the hight  where the weight. of the volume
of air it displaces is equal to the weight of the balloon

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 5:22 pm
by Slick Goodlin
I came across a big Mylar letter B drifting along at about 1200 AGL a year or two ago.  It would have been nice to be flying a Cub, I think with the door open a really aggressive slip might have been enough to capture it...

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 7:49 pm
by vanNostrum
Maybe PDW's bunch came from a flying lawn chair

Re: 150 balloons from away

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 11:47 pm
by Rookie Pilot