Atlantic Balloon

[Mach Tuck]

24 June 10:00Z. Balloon at approx FL410 at N53.30 W14.30, presumably eastbound. What was all that about then?

[This message has been edited by Mach Tuck (edited 25 June 2001).]

[radar1]

Don't know, Mach, but we had various reports at Shannon ACC of sightings that morning, from around 0900z onwards. Did you see it?

Apparently, there was also a balloon sighting near posn. OMOKO a few days previous, may have been the same one.

[hotnhigh]

Sighted one further south around GUNSO on the 23rd. We weren't as close as the Air France 744 however.

[Algy]

Which would explain the daytime star directly over London on Sunday I suppose. Kids intrigued, wife in "really, dear - how fascinating" mode.

[Mach Tuck]

No, I didn't see it but heard chit-chat about it between Shannon ATC and an aircraft which did see it. And from the replies so far it would seem that there are more than one of these things. Whose are they and from where do they come?

Isn't it a tad alarming that these things are floating about in or around Atlantic airspace at levels not uncommonly used by traffic?

[Hot Rod]

It floated over Sweden at 15 000 m but is now over Finland at a lower altitude according to Swedish TV, still unidentified.