| Author | Message | ||
     Panhead_dan |
I just watched a show about "The Phoenix Lights" and it's time the truth was known. At least to somebody. The truth is, it was my brother and myself. We had no intention of spoofing a UFO. The UFO freaks seem to have taken off and run with it however... It was a simple hot air balloon experiment kinda. Recipe for Phoenix Lights; -about a dozen dry cleaner bags (the kind that your dry cleaned clothing comes covered with when you pic them up). -about 50 drinking straws from Micky D's. -a box of straight pins from mom's sewing kit. -a lot of birthday candles. -a spool of sewing thread. Crimp the end of a straw and stick it into another straw to create a longer straw. Repeat to make 2 longer straws. Hold them together to form an X and stick a straight pin through them so they stay put. Stick more pins through both straws all in the same direction. Stick birthday candles on all straws. Have your brother hold a laundry cleaner bag up by the top corners and place the assembled X under it. Pin all four ends of the straws to the bag so that it holds the open bottom open. Have your brother hold the assembly over a heat source till the bag inflates and wants to fly. Tie a piece of sewing thread to it at one of the straw/bag connections, light the candles, hold onto the thread and let it go. Make another one and tie it to the thread. Repeat till you have a nice chain of them and release them into the wild blue yonder. DANGER! When the candles burn down, the whole thing catches fire and can start a fire on the ground. Also, as in our case, the chain of balloons will float over Sky Harbor Airport and make the news for 30 years. DO NOT TRY THIS!! IT IS TROUBLE!! The only reason I posted it is because it's time I admitted it and this just seemed like as good a place as any. | ||
| Sticks |
I want to believe that you did it. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
My uncle and his squadron used to use the grand canyon for Wild Weasel training, some truly scary nap of the earth type shiate. Some of their fav tricks Sonic Booms on exit of canyon (until 1968) Buzzing farm fields with wing lights off, but landing gear lights down and on Flying in tight formation and switching lights off and on through out the formation (gives the impression of an impossible flight path at incredible speeds  ) And his favorite called SNOW WHITE Turn ALL your jamming equipment on as you directly pass the local radio/tv relay tower. Good Times The West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona skies were his play ground; I have no idea how many UFO sightings he caused. | ||
| Ferris_von_bueller |
Having seen the video, I never doubted the unidentified flying objects were terrestrial. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
We used to make hot air balloons out of tissue paper,gluing three pre cut patterns together and hanging a fuel table in it. (still have the pattern). The thing would go up slowly and then go "ballistic"...and then come down about as fast,and the chase was on.....usually a couple miles a way. The trick was preheating it with out catching the balloon on fire. It didn't just burn up,hot tissue paper neart explodes. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
We used to use those industrial size plastic dustbin bags, preferably in a light colour or, like Dan, those sleeves from the dry cleaners; the main difference was we'd pull a wire coat-hanger into a circle with the hook in the middle with the bag scotch taped to it & use a night-light candle to power it. They'd go for miles. | ||
| Aesquire |
I used to do the same thing with scotch tape instead of pins. Never thought to string them together. A coleman stove is near perfect for the preheat, though a Sterno stove works, just slower. One thing to be aware of is that in a hot air balloon, it's the density of the air that matters, not the temp. of the bag. A quick blast of hot air into a plastic bag may not destroy it but a longer preheat may. Don't preheat inside, if you don't like cleaning plastic or burnt paper off the ceiling. Back a while ago ( I hope the statute of limitations is over, so I'll skip names & dates. ) my buddies & I did some guerrilla parasailing. A bunch of skydivers & air junkies, we'd tow up a paracommander steerable skydiving chute & cut loose at the upper end to practice spot landings. We used to launch in any spot we deemed "safe", meaning no powerlines and few witnesses. Oddly enough, it's so obscure an activity that we evaded trouble because there was no law against it. While competing at the Collegiate Skydiving Nationals, one of us revealed a dream to be airborne over new years eve. Off to Daytona beach, north of the pier ( fewer parties on the beach ) out with the rope & gear, and at 11:57 pm up he goes. With black jumpsuit & helmet, and a red/white/blue PC. My job was to sit on the roof of the van, with a police spotlight, legs through the sunroof, to call out speed to the driver. You, know, the Safety guy. 2 minutes into the New Year, the pier looms up, we stop, and 5 minutes later we're off the beach & heading back to the Nationals. The next morning at the IHOP, the news announces that hundreds of people on hotel & condo balconies saw a giant flying saucer off the coast, that maneuvered around while glowing. It never occurred to us that we'd be right at multistory balcony altitude. During New Years parties peak. If this is a crime, of course, I deny everything officer.  | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Preheat with a hairdryer! | ||
| Redbuelljunkie |
Thanks Cityxslicker- you put a big smile on my face this morning with that anecdote. The F-105 is my all time favorite- especially the "G" Wild Weasel version.    | ||
| Whatever |
Panhead, That explains the UFOS over Phoenix, but not over Sedona... any thoughts on those... no I was sober when I lived there. Putting on my tinfoil hat. Char  | ||
| Vanvideo |
Ah, RedBuell, the "Thud" - great plane. I think it was the largest single-engine fighter ever built. | ||
| Ourdee |
I used to live in Area II in Nevada. Lots of UFOs are military or CIA. I no longer believe in greys. | ||
| Patches |
I would like to express my right to the 5th amendment of the constitution of the united states of america: not to incriminate myself. if you use basil wood strips they do not burn up as fast. when I went to high school this was a science project. it only works when the upper atmosphere is cooler, fall of the year. just my opinion. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Never heard about Sedona. Got a link? | ||
| Geforce |
Blue chemlights tossed from the paratroop door of low flying aircraft look cool to. So do "Piss Lights". *moisture activated chemical light that you attach to a PIE ball and measure with a clinometer. | ||
| Whatever |
Sedona is the UFO capitol of the world!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedona,_Arizona |
