BALLOON TROOPERS! SKY FACTS!
Our Balloon Troopers probably do not get quite that high since they weigh more than balloons with no extra weight. However, we have personally watched Balloon Troopers rise so high that they could not be seen with the naked eye anymore and we had to use binoculars to follow them until even the binoculars could not see them anymore. That’s pretty darn high! So it is possible that our Balloon Troopers ride their balloons until the balloons explode high in the sky, then the Troopers might freefall all the way back to earth, where hopefully someone will find them on the ground with their Mission Paper still taped to them (don’t worry, all Balloon Troopers are Airborne Qualified, Master Skydivers!).
If they do not go high enough to explode for some reason, helium balloons will eventually leak helium after a few hours and will start descending on their own. This is because the helium seeps out through very tiny holes in the latex balloon material.
We did two tests to find out how long a fully equipped Balloon Trooper would keep trying to rise before his balloon started to float back down to the ground due to normal helium leakage. We filled up two Balloon Troopers and let them float inside my house, hovering at my ceiling, until they lost enough helium to float down to the floor.
The first Balloon Trooper's balloon was filled with helium to only about 3/4 it's full size. This Balloon Trooper touched down in less than seven hours (We fell asleep at night so we're not sure exactly when he landed on the floor, but he was on the floor when we woke up seven hours later). The second Balloon Trooper's balloon was filled all the way up to full size - about 16" tall when full - and he touched down after about nine and a half hours (we were awake for this one the whole time!)
So based on these tests, it seems that the average Balloon Trooper’s ride could not possibly last more than nine hours or so no matter where he flew unless he had an unusually huge balloon. Up in the sky on a real mission, it is not likely that the Balloon Troopers float as long as nine hours. They probably float for much less time due to the harsh effect of sunlight, wind and weather exposure on the balloon material which causes more helium to leak out during their missions and may make the balloons explode even easier.
Also, studies indicate that a normal 11" diameter balloon, with no extra weight to carry, might reach the 5 mile explosion height in only about an hour and a half. So since our Balloon Troopers are heavier than normal balloons, and therefore probably rise slower, it is possible that our Balloon Troopers might only fly for a couple of hours before either exploding at high altitude or losing enough helium to start floating back down.
But the fact is, nobody really knows for sure yet how long or how high a Balloon Trooper will fly. We’ll have to wait for the first SITREP to be sent in so we can ask whoever finds a Balloon Trooper what the condition of the balloon was when the Trooper was found. If the balloon remnants tied to the trooper's string seem shredded when found, we’ll know the balloon probably exploded somewhere very high in the sky. If the balloon is intact and only deflated, we’ll know it simply leaked out all its helium and floated or fell back to earth, never rising high enough to explode.
By the way, Balloon Troopers are not dangerous to airplanes. One pilot said he didn't believe any balloon could make it past his spinning prop and into the airplane engine without disintegrating harmlessly; and he didn't feel a balloon would cause a big jet engine much trouble either if it were somehow sucked into the engine.
So, all in all, from all the research we have done, it seems Balloon Troopers are safe in our skies, wherever they may float. For those who would prefer to make sure their Balloon Trooper won't explode during a mission, I suppose there is really only one way to do it. That is to inflate your Balloon Trooper with only enough helium to just barely allow him enough lift to rise very slowly. This way, he probably will not have enough lift power to get very high in the sky before his helium starts to leak out naturally. This might allow him a shorter range, lower altitude mission, but he will probably have a better chance of landing gently as his balloon slowly deflates in the sky, maybe bringing him down in such a way that he is easier to see and maybe he will be located by friends on the ground easier this way too. And being located by friends on the ground is a key factor in continuing his mission and getting a SITREP sent back to you from the people who find him!
On the other hand, it is said that helium expands inside the balloons as they rise in the sky. Therefore, if a BT flies to altitude with only minimal helium in his balloon, the helium may simply expand as he rises, thus filling his balloon anyway - perhaps even sending him on a longer flight than those that start with a full balloon! We just don't know yet.
You should experiment with filling your Balloon Troopers' balloons to various sizes to see which type of flight you like best. The more helium you use, the fuller and larger the balloons, the faster and higher your Balloon Troopers will rise. Filling them with less helium, will make your Balloon Troopers rise slower and probably not as high initially (but later they may climb!).
We personally like our Balloon Troopers to do both types of launches now and then. Sometimes we're in the mood for a fast, high launch, sometimes we're in the mood for a slower, lower launch. Either way, it is lots of fun to watch!
email: BalloonTrooperHQ@att.net