Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit login
Hunting Hydrogen Balloons with Fireworks (rcexplorer.se)
126 points by solipsist on Jan 29, 2011 | hide | past | favorite | 6 comments



My friend was at a school gathering in India and didn't realize that the balloons had been filled with hydrogen instead of helium (save on costs?). He went to pop one with a lighter and the whole bunch of 70 went up in flames and burned the hell out of his body.

Moral of the story... be careful with hydrogen balloons.


Try acetylene. More fun/scary.


Good to see someone channelling their inner child and really enjoying themselves!

The footage reminded me of this article: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/12/how-a-rc-airplane...

I really want to get a setup like this. Looks like the closest thing to being able to fly!

p.s: Love the 8bit arcade music.


So were they human-controlled or autonomous?


The end of the video shows "Pilot: David Windestal". The video from the sentry with its target rectangle makes it appear that it could have been autonomous, though that could have been added after.


holy crap that's cool, the nes music at the end makes it the awesomest thing ever.




Consider applying for YC's Summer 2025 batch! Applications are open till May 13

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: