[HN Gopher] Balloon Buster
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Balloon Buster
Author : PaulHoule
Score : 32 points
Date : 2023-02-12 19:39 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (en.wikipedia.org)
(TXT) w3m dump (en.wikipedia.org)
| matzf wrote:
| From the article on the top balloon busting ace, Willy Coppens:
|
| > Later when on another attack run, he got shot at from a
| balloon. He parked his plane on top of the damaged balloon, shut
| down his engine in order to protect its propeller, and waited
| until the balloon descended to slide off the balloon and fly
| away.
|
| Rad!
| [deleted]
| metadat wrote:
| I struggled to find a reference to this in WP, but found this
| article covering it:
|
| https://aircrewremembered.com/coppens-willy.html
|
| What a story.
| aejnsn wrote:
| The callsign of the F-22 which downed the balloon off the US east
| coast was FRANK01, as a homage to Frank Luke, one of the American
| "balloon busting aces" mentioned in this article.
| pixl97 wrote:
| On this note I believe a 4th object has been shot down today.
| f5ve wrote:
| Am I the only one who's lately had the sudden urge to take a ride
| in a zeppelin?
|
| Paradoxically it feels like a relic and thing of the future.
| Floating across the Atlantic seems like it'd be so much fun.
|
| Maybe this whole thing is an ingenious marketing campaign by big-
| blimp.
| interstice wrote:
| On many a cramped flight I have fantasised about floating from
| country to country in comfort with cabins and a bar.
| LightDub wrote:
| No ticket.
| hummus_bae wrote:
| I had the same thought a few months ago. Unfortunately I cant
| imagine a ride costing much less than $1000.
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(page generated 2023-02-12 23:01 UTC)