Saturday, February 4, 2023

Balloon popped

"US Fighter Jets Shoot Down Chinese Spy Balloon Off Carolinas".

In fact, it was in my neck of the woods. 

If you look at the point where it splashed down, just north are the southern barrier islands of North Carolina. Oak Island is about four miles from where I live.

It was supposedly shot down by "US fighter jets". I want to state, for the record, that I was at the shooting range when this thing went down. 'Nuff said.

Update  Oops! Looks like they didn't shoot it down in time: "Biden Announces U.S. Surrender To Chinese Balloon".

 

11 comments:

RebeccaH said...

YAY!!

I guess Xi and his compadres in Beijing are now scratching their heads and asking each other, "What does FAFO mean?"

rinardman said...

...I was at the shooting range when this thing went down. 'Nuff said.

Just for future reference, exactly how much lead do you need to apply for a moving target at 60,000 feet?

tom said...

good eye Paco!

Paco said...

R-man: I can't release that information. I mean, we can't have everybody taking pot shots at stuff floating around in the sky. For one thing, it could piss off the extraterrestrials who, so far, have been content simply to fly reconnaissance missions and conduct the odd abduction.

Tom: Ya just gotta draw down, partner!

rinardman said...

Sorry, Paco, I forgot you're an ex G-Man.

George said...

This whole episode is weird. "Spy balloons?" Really? Can't put a couple rounds through it even over the emptiness of Montana? Just weird.

George said...

Maybe I've seen too many Svengoolie movies. I expected to see b/w video of F9F Panthers countering the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.

bruce said...

I read that the pressure inside a stratosphere helium balloon is the same as outside, and also the inside may be made up of individual cells, so mere bullets would not bring it down.

Deborah said...

Why weren't the ships on site like they did in the days of Gemini and Apollo? I guess that new technology isn't as good. Too proud to get Jeff B on board.

Paco, you sure the Chinese aren't spying on the Command Center? They must know (as Rman pointed out) that you're a ex G-man. (Btw, is it ex or former?)

Does everyone get the nifty patch for the downing, or just the pilot? Also, does the pilot get to paint a balloon on the side of his plane?

Deborah said...

Paco, you might have been able to see the balloon from your backyard.

Paco said...

Deborah: If I had been looking up, I bet I might have.