Father And Son Team Try To Send Helium Balloon To 107,000-Feet

A dad and his son have decided to take up high altitude ballooning with a helium filled balloon and an attempt to carry a GoPro camera and a smartphone to 107,000 feet in the air and snap some photos. The duo sent their balloon into the air with the plan of having a two-hour flight that would take photos of the sun coming up in California. The balloon was made from parts that were purchased on the web.

The payload the balloon carried was an old camera digital camera that snapped pics every 15 seconds, an iPhone with a GPS tracking app, a SPOT GPS device, and GoPro HD camera. The payload also had a warmer to keep the gear inside from freezing up. The total payload was about three pounds. The team ran into a few issues on this flight attempt.

They under filled the balloon with helium thanks to a bad digital scale. The balloon being under filled made for a slow climb and changed flight path. The balloon flew out over the pacific ocean, but eventually made its way back to land and came down in el Cajon California more than 100 miles from where it started. Check out the video below of the flight.