Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 14:58:52 -0400
From: Jan Aldrich <project1947@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Skyhook Visibility


Lists,

   I agree with Dick Hall's posting.

   The arguments surrounding balloon appearance and behavoir in recent
postings are becoming more and more ridiculous and silly.

   I have some sixteen years experience in meteorology that involves
thousands of balloon observations of all types.

    Two of the Army's mainstays were the 1000 gram high riser and the double
balloon  (balloon within a balloon), the fast riser.  Uninflated they
sometimes appear almost brown, however when inflated and nearby you can
still sometimes see the brown color, but they almost appear white as they
expand when they ascend they look completely white or sometimes metallic if
the sun is hitting them right.

   White or tanslucent balloons often appear metallic at a distance!

   In Sept 1954 a large research balloon was observed over eastern
Connectiuct.  Press accounted noted that some observers reported it as
metallic, while others said it was bright white.

    During the 1947 wave various balloon configurations were reported all
over the US.  Clusters, one large balloon and a number of smaller ones
ringing the outside, large skyhook like balloons, etc.  No doubt, there were
a number of military and scientific research project going on for which we
have no accounting as yet.  (A Vancouver newspaper said that radiosondes
were raining down on Vancouver Island.)  NYU was not the only ones
experimenting with large balloons.  Princeton also had various high altiude
work going on.  The Navy and AAF (McCoy was later involved here) were
working on another high altitude manned  balloon flight attempt.

   In Colorado private planes left a local air field and climbed to very
high altitudes (for private pilots) until they were able to identify an
unknown object as a very large balloon carrying an instrument package below
it.

   A large balloon partially deflated was also reported near descending near
Boulder, CO during the 1947 wave.

   There are also a large number of balloons reported within the Project
Blue Book files for these early days.  I suggest that some of these reports
be consulted before people begin make generalizing about balloon
appearances.


Jan Aldrich