Chasing Helium Balloons

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RussellJ

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RussellJ
Anybody ever chase a helium ballon around the sky? Those pesky things are tough to catch up to and even tougher to bust. Not that I’ve ever tried it but I’ve heard stories.
 
For a visual demonstration of prop wash and wake turbulence, watch a helium balloon that was "just missed" on a balloon burst pass. It will stop rising vertically and stop and spin horizontally in position until the wake dissipates.
 
I used to do airborne traffic reporting. Whenever I’d fly the Saturday shift, I was almost guaranteed to spot a few party balloons over the suburbs. In my earlier days of doing the job solo in a 152, I’d try to see if I could nick one. In my later years flying with a reporter in a 172 over the DC beltway, I thought better of engaging in Mylar dogfights in the freeze while my reporter was doing her “traffic on the eights” bit.
 
Had one scare the crap out of me a while ago.

You know those moments when you let down your guard - the sky is calm, the scenery beautiful, you just know you are a great pilot.

Well, I was having one of those relaxed moments when this mirage appeared in front of me and my mind could not process it. It wasn't a plane, it wasn't a bird - and it was coming at me very fast. And it was some dark color which made it indistinct.

I yanked the stick to roll out of the way of this object. Even after it was past me it still took a few seconds for my brain to process that it was a balloon. Perhaps if it had been red or yellow I might have recognized it, but the dark color skewed with my brain cells.

I swore a few times afterwards. It kind of freaked me out when it was happening.

Because of this, and a few other incidents over 30 years of flying, every time I find myself slipping into a totally relaxed , "I'm a great pilot" mode - I now hear a little voice. "Pssst! THIS is when it happens!"
 
I can relate. Was flying IFR at 10 thousand when I suddenly spotted something at my altitude. First thought after WTF, was how come Approach hadn’t given me a call for traffic? Next thing I know, a mylar party balloon streaked by my right wing.

It was right after leveling off at the MEA, so yeah, I might’ve been getting into “I’m a great pilot mode.”
 
I nearly collided with a cluster of about 50-100 balloons. Found out later there was some memorial service where they released balloons, many of which were either connected or got twisted together into one mass. I thought balloon releases were frowned upon these days due to the wildlife/environmental impact, but never thought about risk to aircraft until then. I wonder what impact it could have had if we had snagged that mass of balloons with a wing, tail, or landing gear.
 
Mylar balloons are often mistaken for UFOs and Jetpack flyers.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I thought balloon releases were frowned upon these days due to the wildlife/environmental impact
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They are very much frowned upon due to wildlife/environmental impact. The problem in coastal areas is that in the water they look enough like jellyfish that marine animals that feed on jellyfish will eat them, often with fatal results.

I like to think balloon releases are less common now, but they do still happen.
 
Domenick said:
Mylar balloons are often mistaken for UFOs and Jetpack flyers.
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Actually had a T-38 pilot who was tempted to claim a Mylar weather balloon as a UFO. They used to launch silver ones in east Miramar weather station right on final. Not a good place to send up balloons.
 
RussellJ said:
Anybody ever chase a helium ballon around the sky? Those pesky things are tough to catch up to and even tougher to bust. Not that I’ve ever tried it but I’ve heard stories.
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Not in a long time. I was about 4 years old when it finally dawned on me I would never catch one.
 
I was landing and tower announced a caution for a big balloon release over town. It was some kind of worthy cause. 3 or 4 pilots called in together all asking for vectors. Twr made some kind of crude remark regarding their standards.
 
Some interesting stories there! Reminds me of one night a couple years back when I saw a swarm of glowing objects rising up over a small town near the airport. I could not come up with any ides for what I was seeing. Turns out there was something going on in the park and they released a bunch of Chinese lanterns. Wasn’t very comforting to learn I had been flying near a cloud of burning candles. Locked it into my memory though so next time I see something like that I’ll be sure to stay well clear.
 
I spend 20-30 days a year repositioning smaller sailing yachts mostly east coast to the Caribbean or back…if I could outlaw Mylar balloons I would…most common trash I see in the open ocean…then again we always make a pass pulling baits as that little bit of shade may hold a Mahi…second pass is a boat hook and removal…daylight only and painful in a sailboat.
 
I've hit two of them in flight. First one, I was flying along, saw a flash out of the corner of my eye, and thought, "I bet that was a Mylar balloon." I turned around, but it took me several minutes of circling before I saw it again. I managed to keep it in sight, made a sharp turn and hit it (or possibly just came really close to it) with my wing, which caused it to deflate and fall to the ground.
Second one was an accident, in fact, I didn't even see it. My brother, flying in the right seat of my Traumahawk, exclaimed, "We just hit a balloon!" I thought he meant hot air balloon and for a brief second I freaked out. Then he explained we hit a Mylar balloon. We found it tucked in the corner of my engine compartment, partially melted, after landing. The second experience made me realize: Hitting them has the potential to be dangerous. No more intentionally hitting balloons for me!
 
Mylar balloons are not good. I’m not keen on those burning Chinese hot air lanterns either. The regular rubber balloons don’t seem to cause issues with airplanes and they break down in a short period of time when left out in the weather.
 
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Domenick said:
Mylar balloons are often mistaken for UFOs and Jetpack flyers.
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or a drone these days - I saw one entering the pattern last summer and reported it to tower as either a drone or a balloon as I'm sure I wasn't going to be the last guy to see it @ 1000'
 
Warlock said:
…if I could outlaw Mylar balloons I would…most common trash I see in the open ocean…
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:yeahthat:
In the woods, too... I can be backpacking, off trail in a wilderness area and miles from the nearest trailhead, and I still find those damn things. At least the rubber balloons biodegrade in a few years (though the ribbons people attach to them don't).
 
I am going to Walmart and get all the mylar balloons I can find.!!

 
Did the conducting film on the balloons short a transformer on the pole?
 
RussellJ said:
Anybody ever chase a helium ballon around the sky? Those pesky things are tough to catch up to and even tougher to bust. Not that I’ve ever tried it but I’ve heard stories.
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tell me how it is under the cowl after something gets inside all melty. What’s the worst that can happen?
 
bluesky74656 said:
Have you guys ever heard the tragic story of Balloonfest ‘86? They set a world record for the largest balloon release, 1.5 million of them. The weather did not cooperate and chaos ensued. The pictures are epic, though.

https://www.forgottenhistory.me/disaster/1986-cleveland-balloon-disaster
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Ohio.. Man that's what happens when their cities try and compete. Seriously, how could they think they could compete with the Great Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Turkey drop? :D
 
Weird thing is, I lived in Cleveland in 1986 and have absolutely no recollection of that event. I’ll have to ask my wife if she does.
 
I’ve had some close calls with party balloons but I doubt they’d do any damage if I hit one.

Hit several kites on occasion with rotor blades. They can be loud until they sling off or forced to shutdown and pull them off. No damage though.
 
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