Boy Missing on ‘Flying Saucer’—Dispatcher Not Stumped

When an hysterical woman dialed 911 in Fort Collins (Colo.) to report that her son had taken off on a “flying saucer,” a Larimer County sheriff’s dispatcher simply started gathering information, including whether there was a tracking device on-board. The bizarre call kicked off a six-hour ordeal for the parents and the nation, as TV station helicopters, police and fire departments along a 50-mile stretch followed what turned out to be a home-built balloon filled with helium, though to contain 8 year-old Falcon Heene. The unnamed dispatcher was unflappable during the call, and never sounded skeptical of the situation. About four minutes into the telephone call Richard Heene came onto the line to finally describe the craft as a “balloon,” and to confirm that it had taken off 20 minutes before. Heene apparently called the FAA and others before dialing 911, officials later said. As the nation watched live on TV, the balloon drifted southeast for 50 miles, and then settled into a field undamaged. Meanwhile, Falcon had been hiding in a box in the attic of the family’s’ garage after a scolding from his father. Falcon took a nap at one point, woke up, became “bored,” he later said, and then emerged from his hiding place hours after the craft came down. Listen to the 12-minute 911 call. here