Balloon priest missing

[NEOWatcher]

Another one of those party balloon lawn chair events gone bad.
Priest on party-balloons flight goes missing (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/21/priest.balloons.ap/index.html)
They say it's not that rare, yet they only cite one other instance (although I know of two)

He left in the rain and got blown off course.

[Argos]

He had hopes of going to the west, but the mid-altitude winds were surrounding a low pressure area and were blowing south in that spot. Also, he didn´t know how to operate the gps he was carrying [he asked for someone who could teach him when he was already descending].

[NEOWatcher]

He had hopes of going to the west...
Good; I was hoping you would chime in with some details.
... but the mid-altitude winds were surrounding a low pressure area and were blowing south in that spot.
And why he didn't call it off at that point is one of the issues.
...Also, he didn´t know how to operate the gps he was carrying
That might be an important thing to know. :think:
...[he asked for someone who could teach him when he was already descending].
Never too late to learn, is it?

Also; I'm having a hard time grasping the thought of raising money for truck stops.
Is there a big problem in that area where a commercial or government venture doesn't have the incentive?

[tdvance]

"spiritual rest stop" might be something hard to get governments or private industry to build.

[Argos]

I didn´t see the CNN video, so, sorry if I didn´t add more.

And why he didn't call it off at that point is one of the issues.

Well that´s because he doesn´t know a thing about meteorology [by what I´ve seen from his TV interviews]. Lets say he puts too much reliance on faith.

As for details, this site says (http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/cotidiano/ult95u394463.shtml) that the rescue team says [this morning] there´s is 70% [?] chance that he´s alive. It seems "he had knowledge of diving and survival in water (...) he carried water and cereal bars (...) the impermeable ballast sacks he carried could be used for floating (...)"

Problem is that the sea is quite agitated there right now [30-feet waves were reported yesterday]. I hope he makes it.

Also; I'm having a hard time grasping the thought of raising money for truck stops.
Is there a big problem in that area where a commercial or government venture doesn't have the incentive?

Well, if you´re a NGO type you have to have a public discourse, no? There are plenty of commercial truck stops in his state [well, Brazil is a truck country]. What he wanted was free ones [gathering points so he could proselytize. He´s a priest, you know...]

[mike alexander]

I'd offer a Darwin award, but that doesn't seem applicable in this case.

[Tuckerfan]

For those who'd rather not watch the video. (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/22/content_8029911.htm)Rescuers in helicopters and small fishing boats were searching off the coast of Brazil's Santa Catarina state, where a Roman Catholic priest borne aloft by hundreds of helium party balloons went missing Monday.

Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday afternoon, wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute. He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristovao parish, Denise Gallas.I bet the rescue mission winds up costing more than he raised.

[Argos]

From the Chinese [!] site: "He knew what he was doing and was fully prepared for any kind of mishap."

Well, he didn´t seem quite comfortable with the GPS on his distress call aired on Brazilian TV last night...

[Maksutov]

I'd offer a Darwin award, but that doesn't seem applicable in this case.Depends on the individual, it would seem.

I understand another balloonist went missing a while back. It was a hot air balloon manned by a politician who, it was determined, died from asphyxiation somewhere in the upper stratosphere.

[mugaliens]

Well, at least he was wearing a thermal suit...

However, he was apparently missing a few key pieces of equipment...

1. Radio that works on both maritime and aviation bands (121.5/243.0)

2. Spare battery.

3. One-man life raft.

4. Personal floatation device.

5. Signal mirror.

6. Something with which to pop balloons to keep the altitude to a reasonable maximum

7. An altimeter, so he might know how high he was in the first place.

8. A weather report (rule number one for balloonists - no ballooning near thunderstorms, or even rain clouds, as the updrafts and downdrafts can easily exceed the ascent / descent capability).

9. And perhaps the most important thing he forgot: A sense of good judgement.

[mugaliens]

Depends on the individual, it would seem.

I understand another balloonist went missing a while back. It was a hot air balloon manned by a politician who, it was determined, died from asphyxiation somewhere in the upper stratosphere.

You would die long before you reached the stratosphere (which begins around 60,000 feet).

Several minutes at 35,000 is enough to do it, if you're not acclimated. If you are acclimated, try 40,000 feet (a mile higher).

[mugaliens]

Hold the phone...

Carli had a GPS device, a satellite phone, a buoyant chair and is an experienced skydiver, Gallas said.

"We are absolutely confident he will be found alive and well, floating somewhere in the ocean," she said. "He knew what he was doing and was fully prepared for any kind of mishap."

Well, a satellite phone isn't bad...

1. Was it waterproof, or at least sealed in a water-tight plastic bag?

2. What's the water temp in Brazil this time of year? Was he wearing a wetsuit?

3. The chair may have been "floatable," but why no personal floatation device?

4. Still no personal life raft, weather report, or sound judgement. Therefore, the "fully prepared" comment is SO wrong, as is the "he knew what he was doing" part.

[Gillianren]

You would die long before you reached the stratosphere (which begins around 60,000 feet).

Several minutes at 35,000 is enough to do it, if you're not acclimated. If you are acclimated, try 40,000 feet (a mile higher).

Sigh. Try referencing the word "joke." It's a reference to political hot air?

[Neverfly]

Sigh. Try referencing the word "joke." It's a reference to political hot air?

It went over my head too.:neutral:

[mike alexander]

Re: Darwin award

I figured if he was a priest, this made it moot.

[01101001]

I expect he drifted over Phoenix, Arizona, and tried to spell out ajuda with lights.

(See topic Phoenix UFO (http://www.bautforum.com/life-space/73144-phoenix-ufo.html).)

[Argos]

2. What's the water temp in Brazil this time of year?


It depends on your location. For the states of Parana/Santa Catarina [the south], it is about 20 C.


3. The chair may have been "floatable," but why no personal floatation device?


Because ending up on the sea was the last thing he expected.

[Tuckerfan]

Because ending up on the sea was the last thing he expected.Obviously, he was never a Boy Scout.

[Bearded One]

It went over my head too.:neutral:The stratosphere part pretty much clinched it for me.

Actually the politicians hot air could cause a huge thermal updraft sucking air from surrounding areas in and upwards. He could, perhaps, have gotten much higher yet, effectively pulling air along behind him.

[Maksutov]

Sigh. Try referencing the word "joke." It's a reference to political hot air?Thank you, Gillianren, for renewing my poetic license.

[Maksutov]

It went over my head too.:neutral:LOL! Good one!

Where's Max when we need him?

[Maksutov]

The stratosphere part pretty much clinched it for me.

Actually the politicians hot air could cause a huge thermal updraft sucking air from surrounding areas in and upwards. He could, perhaps, have gotten much higher yet, effectively pulling air along behind him.LOL! And sucking up cash and taxes along the way.

BTW, if a priest in a balloon did that, would the resulting cumulonimbus be considered a "supercelibate"?

[infoferret]

Very keen bloke, might even be talking to his boss now!

[Gillianren]

Thank you, Gillianren, for renewing my poetic license.

You're welcome. Next!

[Tuckerfan]

It looks like they're giving up hope. (http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKN2342661820080424)Brazil's air force suspended its search for de Carli on Thursday, a spokesman said. The navy continued to patrol waters off the coast of Santa Catarina state but was considering halting operations.

"The chances (of survival) are increasingly slim and we are considering when to end the search effort," Lieutenant Francisco Jose Cavalcante of the navy's southern search unit in Rio Grande do Sul state told Reuters.

"It's difficult to talk about survival. There have been cases of shipwrecked people having lived for four or five days at sea," Cavalcante said.

NPR did an interview with a cluster-ballooning expert, and he didn't think that the priest had thought things out very well. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89922191)

[Argos]

Family has rented an airplane to continue search. They hope he´s made it to the coast.

[NEOWatcher]

Rather old update by JustAFriend over here (http://www.bautforum.com/general-science/76327-ufo-unusual-flying-object.html#post1277754). (balloons found)

If it's a story occuring 2 days before the last post, is it an update, or just missing facts? :think:

[Argos]

In fact, last friday [july the 4th] news accounted that human remains had been found on the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, some 1,000 miles northeast from the point he disappeared. There were fragments of cloth and aluminum foil similiar to those he wore. I was waiting for DNA test confirmation [none to date] to post it here.

[mugaliens]

Well, the gentleman who attempt to go from Bend, OR to Idaho succeeded, landing on a farm there, near a fair, over the weekend.

That's a good sign that lawn-chair balloonists are making a comeback.

Now, if I were to attempt such a feat, I'd have:

1. Half the balloons attached to one end of a 12-ft tube, along with the head of my hammock

2. The other half attached to the other half, along with the foot of my hammock.

3. Two 20-ft ropes attached to each end of the tube, with each of their other ends attached to one of two, 2,000 lb rated bungee cords (with a half-loop of safety rope in case the bungee totally failed).

4. Also attached to the weight, but below the weight, would be my ballast, in sandbags which, instead of releasing the entire sandbag, would merely open a corner enough that the sand could pour out over between 3 and 5 seconds.

4. Attached to the tube immediately above me would be a sling for my BB gun, two GPSes with XM weather and winds aloft and a VVI (vertical velocity indicator), a separate altimeter, temperature guage, plenty of water, some food, a few rolls of toilet paper, a complete survival kit (bag, bivy sack, flares, flint, etc....), parachute, reserve parachute, and rig parachute (deploys 2 seconds after emergy balloon jettison).

Total mass: Less than 1,000 lbs, which is about 2.5 times less than the gentleman from Oregon.

[mike alexander]

But in fairness to the guy from Oregon, he actually went out and did it.

[Tog_]

I was in Bend about a month ago. We drove out to Newport for a few days, then swung back through Bend on the way home. The GF's brother lives there, and works for the lawn chair guy. We got a short tour of the outside of his house and met him and his twitchy little dog. We also saw the rig he flew this time hanging in the garage.

I didn't follow it at all, but his plan when I talked with him in June was to have two GPS trackers, one on him and one on the chair. In one of his other attempts, he bailed off when some of the balloons popped. He parachuted down, but was about (he said) 1000 feet closer to the ground than he thought. He paid a $1,000 reward to the person that recovered the chair. Interesting guy to talk to, but serious ADD issues.:)

[Jens]

Very keen bloke, might even be talking to his boss now!

Looks like you were prescient. His body's been found in the ocean.

I don't know if you usually say this about balloonists, but I believe he "earned his wings."

[Argos]

In fact, last friday [july the 4th] news accounted that human remains had been found on the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, some 1,000 miles northeast from the point he disappeared. There were fragments of cloth and aluminum foil similiar to those he wore. I was waiting for DNA test confirmation [none to date] to post it here.

Priest confirmed dead, last night.