Brilliant
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/8177107.stm
(never-right -getting it wrong since '78, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 13:47, 11 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

That's two days running that helium balloons have made the news
Yesterday it was cheese. Today it's knickers.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 13:51, Reply)

Yay
For the Helium Balloon renaissance...

I've taken order of those Chinese Wishing Lanterns...There good fun. There is a proper danger factor when it first lifts off, oh the potential for disaster.....
(never-right -getting it wrong since '78, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:01, Reply)

I've always fancied
getting a balloon and filling it with a stoichiometric ratio of hydrogen and oxygen, then tying a fuse onto it, lighting the fuse and letting it go.

But I've always chickened out as I'd probably blow myself up or cause an aeroplane crash or be arrested or something.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:18, Reply)

Sounds
Like a great plan... I live opposite a petrol station and 2 years ago had the manager banging on the front door during a rather rowdy bonfire night party. Due to unfortunate wind conditions alot of the 'Monkey Missiles' were landing on and around the forecourt. 200 shot repeater of fear that was!
(never-right -getting it wrong since '78, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:23, Reply)

Bindun by Legless, apparently.
Filling rubbish bags with hyrdrogen, sending them off up with a lit fuse, into the flight path of the local airport...
( jim_bob can herd cats., Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:32, Reply)

Has it really?
And he wasn't caught?

Heh!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:46, Reply)

Yeah
I think I remember reading that one. Put the plan into effect. You know you want to.
(never-right -getting it wrong since '78, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:49, Reply)

Now then....
There used to be a cylinder of hydrogen here, but no longer. We only have hydrogen as a small percentage in an inert gas now, which is deliberately non combustible. But there might be some somewhere.

Thing is, if I was going to do this, I'd want to make a show of it. So I'd have to hunt round the lab for suitable chemicals to colour the flame.

I'm sure I had some strontium compounds somewhere...
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:53, Reply)

Here is the post in which he talks about it...
And it wasn't a local airport.

It was Manchester airport.

http://b3ta.com/questions/fire/post42882
( jim_bob can herd cats., Fri 31 Jul 2009, 15:22, Reply)

Fantastic!
Manchester airport's a local airport if you live near it...

But facetiousness aside, that's quite something.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 15:40, Reply)

At my sisters wedding last week
There were lots of helium balloons tied to a big heavy weight to stop them flying off. My brother wondered how many it would take to lift the weight. He gathered every balloon in the place, tied them to the weight and took it outside. He let go and it disappeared. I'm wondering where it landed. Any reports of someone dying from blunt impact trauma or finding a huge dent in their car?
( Peej, Fri 31 Jul 2009, 14:35, Reply)