Sky News 43 minutes ago   A child of six has floated away in a hot air balloon after climbing into the craft in Colorado, USA, reports say. The balloon, which resembles a flying saucer, can be seen drifting thousands of feet in the air. Authorities on the ground in Denver are now desperately trying to work out how to rescue the boy safely. More follows...                                                                                                                                                                             

Hmm... craft has returned to Earth but no boy in there!   Police are now searching for the boy...                                                                                                                                                                             

is this real or are you joking tc                                                                                                                                                                             

Nope, happening right now!   Thought it might be interesting how they get the balloon down but the story has taken a dramatic twist by the disappearance of the boy...                                                                                                                                                                             

A homemade balloon aircraft, built to chase tornados, has landed in a Colorado field, but there was no sign of the 6-year-old boy believed to be inside. Emergency services tracked the craft for around 60 miles before it landed in a field. The bizarre scene was being played out live on television and prompted fears that the flying saucer-shaped balloon would crash with the young child inside. Rescue crews surrounded the balloon after it landed having been afloat for two hours. Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff's Department told reporters the balloon was owned by the boy's parents and tethered behind the family's home. She said two sons were playing outside when the older boy saw the younger one go into a compartment at the bottom of the balloon and fly away.                                                                                                                                                                             

Maybe it was Elliot !!!!!                                                                                                                                                                              

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8309818.stm                                                                                                                                                                             

Hmmmm... My theory... Small child will be found hiding in a cupboard somewhere... Not so small child will have thought it would be a scream to pretend his kid brother had gone up in the balloon, then got too scared of all the kerfuffle to admit to it being a joke cos he'll be in trouble with a capital TR.

Either that or small child has plummeted to a nasty, untimely death. Cue hysterical outpourings of sympathy a-go-go for the "poor" parents, who left a flippin "flying saucer" shaped balloon filled with flippin helium tethered in their back yard, accessible by their idiot unsupervised sprogs.

Cynical, moi ?
                                                                                                                                                                             

Oh my !!!   My heart goes out to the parents, they must be going through hell!                                                                                                                                                                                 

Hmm... did I just hear that the family was once on an American Wife swap programme thingy?                                                                                                                                                                             

"Either that or small child has plummeted to a nasty, untimely death"   It wouldn't be that nasty really would it?  Those balloons climb to terrific heights and as such I am sure the kid would simply explode on impact from the fall.   As such, he'd have the excitement of "flying just like Superman" before instant death with little if not no pain.   However, I too suspect he's probably sat in front of the tv.                                                                                                                                                                             

Looking at the size of that envelope do you think it would have enough lift to float a 6 year old boy?                                                                                                                                                                             

*envelope*

Get you TeeCee getting all technically correct

Think we need the prof to get involved to answer that one mate
                                                                                                                                                                             

Well... we could do RK.... or we could get some foil and a midget and experiment....   If only we knew a midget catcher.....                                                                                                                                                                              

Ask RK his mates son nabbed a dwarf lol                                                                                                                                                                              

Well it's funny you should say that TC, I know just the person 

*rustling the foil out of the man draw*
                                                                                                                                                                             

Think we should go with the midget - worried a dwarf's ears might pierce the foil.   Am so impressed that RK has a 'man drawer'!!   *Wonders what else would be in there... scalextric car?.... catapult?... Old Spice?*                                                                                                                                                                             

Brylcream and an old C & A catalogue me thinks                                                                                                                                                                               

F**k off BJ 

You been in my draw TC? You forgot the dead batteries, old phone chargers, cheap sh*t screwdrivers, superglue and a ripped bin bag just in case
                                                                                                                                                                             

F**k off BJ 

Sorry RK ' i dont do requests'