Page 12 - The 'X' Chronicles - September 2023
P. 12
12 Hobbyists Missing ‘Pico Balloon’
Hobbyists Are Missing A
‘Pico Balloon.’ Did A U.S.
Fighter Jet Shoot It
Down?
Everyone seems worried about balloons
right now. The Pentagon announcement
that a fighter jet downed a Chinese spy
balloon over the Atlantic Ocean this
month has renewed attention to what’s in
our skies, and the military shot down
three other aerial objects last week. The
White House even had to assert that there
were no signs the objects were linked to
aliens.
Balloon hobbyists, meanwhile, are also
worried for other reasons — that the
small balloons they launch into the sky
could be shot down or that the focus on
balloons could lead to tight restrictions Balloon hobbyists have said it was balloon, did not appear linked to foreign
on their little-known hobby. possible the object blown to smithereens surveillance programs. He said Thursday
by an F-22 was a GPS-tracked party that intelligence officials think “these
Speculation has grown about whether one balloon. objects were most likely balloons tied to
of the unidentified objects taken down by private companies, recreation or research
a U.S. F-22 on Feb. 11 over Canada’s People launch balloons for radio institutions studying weather or
Yukon Territory was a small party-style experiments, or as part of projects to conducting other scientific research.”
balloon launched by a hobby group learn more about technology, balloons
whose name is a whimsical reference to and the sky — as well as for fun, U.S. officials have yet to recover
the children’s film “Up.” according to Dave Akerman, a member remnants of the object shot in Canadian
of the U.K. High Altitude Society who skies, after the Pentagon chief said it was
The Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon has launched nearly 100 larger latex “absolutely important” to recover debris.
Brigade recently said one of its balloons balloons. Now enthusiasts are concerned The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said
went “missing in action” on Feb. 11, near “there will be a knee-jerk reaction to Thursday that while search efforts
an island off the coast of Alaska. Then what’s happened,” he said in an continued, conditions were “extremely
questions emerged after Aviation Week interview. challenging” in mountainous terrain and
reported that, based on the last-known harsh winter weather.
location and forecasting models, the He said he hoped that authorities and
balloon was predicted to have been hobbyists could coordinate on reasonable The Pentagon said it had no updates to
floating over Yukon on the day the F-22 guidelines or rules if needed. “It’s also in provide as of Friday morning. The FBI
shot down a mysterious object. Politico the interests of authorities not to be could not be reached for comment late
has also reported that the FBI spoke with shooting down party balloons with Thursday.
the group. missiles.”
The detection of the Chinese balloon has
The Illinois-based group launches While the evidence remains also prompted the U.S. military, which
hydrogen-filled balloons that have GPS circumstantial in the case of the incident usually looks for threats such as missiles,
tracking and antennas, and can rise up to over Yukon, “what they described sounds to adjust its radar filters to detect smaller
47,000 feet, according to its website. It exactly like these pico balloons,” he or slower objects that would normally be
has not linked the fate of its missing added. filtered out. That could partly answer
balloon, which it launched months ago, to why other objects were later identified in
the shoot-down in Canadian airspace, and “The plastic balloons will stay up for quick succession. []
did not respond to a request for comment several months, during which time they’ll
Thursday. circumnavigate the globe and then THE BEST CLASSIC RADIO
eventually the wind and weather get to STATION WITH THE HITS THAT
Many balloons are probably soaring them,” he said. While it depends on the MADE MUSIC HISTORY IN THE
60’S, 70’S, 80’S AND 90’S
overhead at any given moment, for size and weight, the small, light balloons IS NOW ON-AIR IN ST. CATARINES
purposes from monitoring weather to typically don’t require permission from AND AROUNT THE WORLD
gathering intelligence, but hobbyists authorities for launching, he added. ON-LINE
worldwide also launch balloons into the
sky, including small ones referred to as President Biden has sought to reassure CLASSIC 1220 AM CFAJ
“pico balloons.” Americans that the three objects shot WWW.CLASSIC1220.CA
down last week, after the Chinese
