View Full Version : Priest missing on balloon flight
kg4kww
04-23-2008, 05:26 AM
Hope this priest isn't fish bate.
A Roman Catholic priest who used 1,000 helium balloons to try to break a flying record has gone missing off the southern coast of Brazil.
Father Adelir de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday, equipped with a parachute, thermal suit, satellite phone and a GPS device.
A sea and air rescue operation is under way after he lost contact with port authority officials late on Sunday.
He wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons.
Father Carli was hoping to raise money to fund a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, one of Brazil's major ports for agricultural products.
As well as his GPS and satellite phone, he was equipped with a buoyant chair. He is also an experienced skydiver.
full story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7360416.stm)
kb2vxa
04-23-2008, 08:13 AM
A guy in California did it but he came back down, the priest apparently made it all the way.
w2amr
04-23-2008, 08:31 AM
Hope this priest isn't fish bate.
A Roman Catholic priest who used 1,000 helium balloons to try to break a flying record has gone missing off the southern coast of Brazil.
Father Adelir de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday, equipped with a parachute, thermal suit, satellite phone and a GPS device.
A sea and air rescue operation is under way after he lost contact with port authority officials late on Sunday.
He wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons.
Father Carli was hoping to raise money to fund a rest stop for lorry drivers in Paranagua, one of Brazil's major ports for agricultural products.
As well as his GPS and satellite phone, he was equipped with a buoyant chair. He is also an experienced skydiver.
full story (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7360416.stm)
Ladies and gentleman Jesus has left the building
Ladies and gentleman Jesus has left the building
Down there it's pronounced Hay-Zeus...
WB8MKV
04-23-2008, 02:13 PM
I have a Kenwood CD-00978-BS cloud detector and now he is on cloud 9
vk4agk
04-23-2008, 02:37 PM
I have a Kenwood CD-00978-BS cloud detector and now he is on cloud 9
Me plays Darts :D
KD6NIG
04-23-2008, 03:06 PM
Wow, I knew airline ticket prices were climbing because of costs, but man.
Probably got to higher altitude, wasn't enough oxygen, and he expired or passed out up there, then the balloons failed and he plunged to earth (or maybe slowly, depends on how many he lost and how fast).
They will probably find him in a few days.
N9MOQ
04-23-2008, 03:23 PM
A Roman Catholic priest who used 1,000 helium balloons to try to break a flying record has gone missing off the southern coast of Brazil.
Father Adelir de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday, equipped with a parachute, thermal suit, satellite phone and a GPS device.
As well as his GPS and satellite phone, he was equipped with a buoyant chair.
Why did he bring along a satellite phone, GPS and buoyant chair? Sounds like this "priest" didn't have much faith in his god.
Why would he need anything more than a Bible and "faith"?
So long as he went straight up, he should have arrived in heaven. That is, depending on which side of the Earth he was on at the time. Up for the one hemisphere that points to heaven at any given time, is the completely opposite direction for heaven to the other hemisphere, not to mention the poles.
Why did he bring along a satellite phone, GPS and buoyant chair? Sounds like this "priest" didn't have much faith in his god.
Why would he need anything more than a Bible and "faith"?
So long as he went straight up, he should have arrived in heaven. That is, depending on which side of the Earth he was on at the time. Up for the one hemisphere that points to heaven at any given time, is the completely opposite direction for heaven to the other hemisphere, not to mention the poles.
Got a real problem with religion, doncha?
KB9BVN
04-23-2008, 06:54 PM
Why did he bring along a satellite phone, GPS and buoyant chair? Sounds like this "priest" didn't have much faith in his god.
Why would he need anything more than a Bible and "faith"?
So long as he went straight up, he should have arrived in heaven. That is, depending on which side of the Earth he was on at the time. Up for the one hemisphere that points to heaven at any given time, is the completely opposite direction for heaven to the other hemisphere, not to mention the poles.
Are you really, deep down inside, an idiot or are you just bored today?
w6ire
04-23-2008, 08:06 PM
He was wearing a "thermal flight suit" what ever that is. I'm pretty sure that's a fancy term for a thick jacket. He reached 20,000 feet and reported he was cold. Not only is the air about 40% as dense at that altitude as on sea level, the temperatures would most likely be below freezing.
He probably jumped from his chair, planning to use his parachute, but his body was probably extremely stiff from spending so much time in one position and he was probably hypothermic as well. He either went FUBAR trying to deploy his chute or he successfully parachuted onto the surface of the ocean where he struggled and drowned under the weight of his gear, etc.
As much as we like to goof on priests, ya gotta admit this guy had brass balls. All for a nasty little truck stop in south america.
http://skyhivisuals.tripod.com/horseshoe%20malf%20over%20colorado.jpg
Here is the "horseshoe malfunction" where the canopy becomes entangled with the sky diver. How ever he went, it wasn't pretty...
kg4kww
04-23-2008, 08:53 PM
This dude will most likely never been found as he most likey splattered on impact with the ground or wound up as dinner for Jaws.
w2amr
04-23-2008, 09:10 PM
Why did he bring along a satellite phone, GPS and buoyant chair? Sounds like this "priest" didn't have much faith in his god.
Why would he need anything more than a Bible and "faith"?
So long as he went straight up, he should have arrived in heaven. That is, depending on which side of the Earth he was on at the time. Up for the one hemisphere that points to heaven at any given time, is the completely opposite direction for heaven to the other hemisphere, not to mention the poles.
Sounds like the title for a hit new movie, Rapture at 20000 feet! Zap, outta here. :D
ad4mg
04-23-2008, 11:47 PM
Are you really, deep down inside, an idiot or are you just bored today?
We wonder that about you almost constantly, Mr. Congeniality.
n2ize
04-24-2008, 03:19 AM
I think he went looking for the Flying Nun.
KE6SHJ
04-24-2008, 04:41 AM
Seems like a noble enough thing he was trying to do, but come on. Balloons???? He must have been a couple cans short of a six pack to think he'd actually pull it off. :p
There's nothing like having a GPS receiver in-hand, watching your latitude and longitude remain the same but your altitude rapidly plummet. Once again, in a science vs. religion contest, science wins (with gravity).
The type of ballooning the wayward priest used is called cluster ballooning http://www.clusterballoon.org (http://www.clusterballoon.org/) ...which has nothing to do with a cluster f........ It's a rush to be sure, but ballooning requires a ground crew, short of Kootenai County Fire & Rescue.
AF6IM
04-24-2008, 07:39 AM
If he was an experienced skydiver, as some have reported, he probably was able to jump OK, but it is a big ocean and without an EPIRB (rescue beacon) his chances of being found alive are small. I have jumped many times from 18,000 ft without oxygen and twice from 24,000 ft using a mask in the plane but free falling without supplemental oxygen. It is C-C-C O L D at 24K!
73,
AF6IM