I want to present an idea - please do not think of it as being far-fetched

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actualneggdpgrowth

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"Float" an idea, if you will.

If I were not getting crushed from a certain big bad thing my government is doing to me, I'd spend the money and make a video of this idea. From seeing what occurred today in yet more upward manipulation of the stock market I feel I better let the idea out and someone else run with it.

From my investigation it may require about $200 to get enough helium balloons to lift a person of a non-huge size. More money, but maybe well worth it, would be required for long-term use in obtaining a special balloon or small number of balloons to carry this out. In adjusting the balloon lifting capacity to gross weight of a tree climber, and having a long rope securely attached for a grounds person to hold and help maneuver (also long enough to have the end of rope attached to the ground), and with plenty of rope to have the balloon/s above the tree tops, I believe cutting tall trees would be a breeze. The climber would still wear the regular gear but the rope around tree to waist could be swapped with strategic looping around branches in the process. I really wish to make a video showing this method, but as stated above, unable to do so.

The balloon loft could be adjusted so no fear of floating away. Imagine having the effective weight of 5-10 pounds - just how much easier it would be for climbing when there is something countering the effect of gravity. The loop around tree to waist could still be used in this partial lifting method.

What do you guys think of this?
 
"Float" an idea, if you will.

If I were not getting crushed from a certain big bad thing my government is doing to me, I'd spend the money and make a video of this idea. From seeing what occurred today in yet more upward manipulation of the stock market I feel I better let the idea out and someone else run with it.

From my investigation it may require about $200 to get enough helium balloons to lift a person of a non-huge size. More money, but maybe well worth it, would be required for long-term use in obtaining a special balloon or small number of balloons to carry this out. In adjusting the balloon lifting capacity to gross weight of a tree climber, and having a long rope securely attached for a grounds person to hold and help maneuver (also long enough to have the end of rope attached to the ground), and with plenty of rope to have the balloon/s above the tree tops, I believe cutting tall trees would be a breeze. The climber would still wear the regular gear but the rope around tree to waist could be swapped with strategic looping around branches in the process. I really wish to make a video showing this method, but as stated above, unable to do so.

The balloon loft could be adjusted so no fear of floating away. Imagine having the effective weight of 5-10 pounds - just how much easier it would be for climbing when there is something countering the effect of gravity. The loop around tree to waist could still be used in this partial lifting method.

What do you guys think of this?
I love it... But I do stupid sh!t all the time. Can't wait for video. Hell, send me two guys, a bunch of balloons and a full helium tank and we'll see what happens.
 
I love it... But I do stupid sh!t all the time. Can't wait for video. Hell, send me two guys, a bunch of balloons and a full helium tank and we'll see what happens.
Think of all the possibilities... Window washing tall buildings...
 
Think of all the possibilities... Window washing tall buildings...
Yes and for roofers too. Window washing sounds so scary to me. I use to do roofing and comparatively for the risk of life roofers should be getting paid more than cops (I have a site that goes into attributing salaries based on fatality rate, education and such...to me the fatality rate should weigh more than anything else). I have a different idea to keep roofers from falling off roofs but in having balloons to make the effective weight quite small, the danger would be greatly minimized.

There could be the added safety feature of having three sets of strings going up to the balloons - one attached to 90% of them and two attached to 5% each of them. In case of floating away, a person could detach one or both of the smaller loft strings to slowly get back on the ground.
 
GOOD LUCK. Helium is getting to be ridiculously expensive. I use it for welding aluminum sometimes. I have to basically double my rate on work that requires it to cover the gas.
 
I remember a guy that did close to what you are describing. He had a fairly large balloon with a 200 plus HP radial aircraft engine being suspended from the balloon. He made some kind of cage around the prop and was suspended below the engine. He had small hydro operated adjusting from his perch. When he needed to lift a log he opened throttle and away he went. It was a poor mans helicopter being stabilized by the balloon. I do not think it was practical or FAA approved but was interesting. Thanks
 
Why not just make chainsaw, hammer and lamp drones. Helium is in limited supply.


You beat me to it. Helium is a rare gas and can not be manufactured or extracted from other substances.
It's a non renewable gas that should be limited. They need to ban Helium party balloons because people are unknowingly wasting a non renewable gas.
 
Your balloon doesn’t have to be Helium. Hot air would work. Fix the balloon over whatever you want to work on, select size to hold your payload. Balloon crane.
 
Your balloon doesn’t have to be Helium. Hot air would work. Fix the balloon over whatever you want to work on, select size to hold your payload. Balloon crane.

The concept is possible, but do the math never going to happen. I worked with a couple of contractors about fifteen years ago who did quite a bit of helicopter logging. At that time most contractors wanted a $20,000 non refundable deposit for setup and $7,000 an hour to operate. Which was very reasonable. We could bring several thousand tons of wood out of a canyon an hour. The problem was to have all the logs ready with chokers the day before operations start. Every thing needed to be spot on perfect for there to be no delays. Thanks
 
The concept is possible, but do the math never going to happen. I worked with a couple of contractors about fifteen years ago who did quite a bit of helicopter logging. At that time most contractors wanted a $20,000 non refundable deposit for setup and $7,000 an hour to operate. Which was very reasonable. We could bring several thousand tons of wood out of a canyon an hour. The problem was to have all the logs ready with chokers the day before operations start. Every thing needed to be spot on perfect for there to be no delays. Thanks

I think the original application was intended as single tree pruning and removal, not industrial logging. Even for that, the difficulty and cost of setup and the realities of wind make it seem very far fetched.
 
Really? That sounds 'far-fetched'!

But not unique.

Lots of stories, and a few videos of some guy in a lawn chair with weather balloons (and often a .22 to bring himself down afterwards). Alcohol is usually involved. Search YouTube; this is just a sample.



Also a few of a guy using a large drone to self-elevate.



Laugh and roll your eyes, but people have thought of this stuff long before the James Bond jet packs: commercial versions are just around the corner.

Philbert
 
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