Yes, Johnny, You really can float away with helium balloons...




Remember when you were a kid, holding a group of balloons, and you wondered just how many it would take to lift you up and carry you away?

A priest, Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carl, decided to try and break the current 19 hour record for the most hours flying with balloons. And now he's missing..balloons and all.

From CNN.com:

... Gallas said by telephone that the priest wanted to break a 19-hour record for the most hours flying with balloons to raise money for a spiritual rest-stop for truckers in Paranagua, Brazil's second-largest port for agricultural products.

Some American adventurers have used helium balloons to emulate Larry Walters -- who in 1982 rose three miles above Los Angeles in a lawn chair lifted by balloons.

A video of Carli posted on the G1 Web site of Globo TV showed the smiling 41-year-old priest slipping into a flight suit, being strapped to a seat attached to a huge column green, red, white and yellow balloons, and soaring into the air to the cheers of a crowd.

According to Gallas, the priest soared to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) then descended to about 8,200 feet (2,500 meters) for his planned flight to the city of Dourados, 465 miles (750 kilometers) northwest of his parish.

But winds pushed him in another direction, and Carli was some 30 miles (50 kilometers) off the coast when he last contacted Paranagua's port authority, Gallas said.







Although I feel badly for the missing man and his friends/family, I have to admit..that if you decide to get under thousands of balloons and float off, that you are just asking for it!

8 comments:

Drama said...

Okay, I actually just read this too! I have to admit I was ROFL, I shouldn't be, that may make me a bad person!

Bee's Dark Side said...

I saw the blurb last night on MSN when I was about to shut off my laptop. I had to click to find out what happened because I thought he was juts walking with balloons and then got carried away. You're right, if you're gonna do something stoopit...

Delightfully Chaotic said...

I'm with you it's kind of funny but at the same time I feel bad for the guy and hope they find him soon.

Anonymous said...

Drama - It is funny. That's the problem.

Bee - You're so going to hell-a-balu ;-)

Jesse - I know the feeling :-D

Brian o vretanos said...

It's a seriously stupid thing to do. You need an amazing amount of helium, certainly not something that happens accidentally.

Anonymous said...

Helium is taken from Helios, the ancient Greek god of the Sun. He carried the sun across the sky on his blazing chariot during the day while his sister Selene ferried the moon across the sky at night.

Hmmm, maybe this priest is on to something, what was his religon? Does this mean we will have two suns tomorrow?

Tracy Rambles On And On said...

Hasn't he ever watched Curious George? All you need to do is take a balloon out of the bunch and let the helium out and steer it! Duh!
(Ok, my son is obsessed with Curious George and we watch it like ten times a day. It has now consumed my logic.)

Drama said...

Okay, so as far as I know he has still yet to have been found....I am beginning to have a surge of guilt for my beforementioned laughter.....starting to wonder if I am going straight to hell for laughing at the priest who possibly went to meet God in a very special way....oh wait, damnit there's the laughter again...straight to hell I tell you!