Vast 'Cloud 9' sky-wedding balloon destroyed in Vegas prang

An eleven-story-high helium balloon used for aerial parties and sightseeing has crashed to the ground and been destroyed by a storm in Las Vegas, fortunately with no-one on board. The owners intend to offer visitors a petting zoo while a replacement balloon is constructed. The Cloud Nine balloon, described as "the largest …

[jeffrey 1]

Lord/Sir/Dr/Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Delete as applicable

It's a bit harsh to only offer a free child place to children who's parents were born on 29th February and aged between 6574 and 7304 days old. Still, I guess they won't give away many free places at that rate.

[Steve X]

one child per adult under five

I know that Vegas doesn't always attract the most mature of visitors, but they consider some under-fives as adults? Wow. And are the other 4 out of 5 simply indifferent, or actually insulting?

[Anonymous Coward]

"one child per adult under five is complimentary"

I don't think I even knew what my "little man" was for when I was five, let alone trying to start a family with it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Den of iniquity

"one child per adult under five is complimentary".

Free children? I told you the lax pr*st*t*t**n laws were the thin end of the wedge!!!!!!!!

(Need a fire and brimstone icon... or lightning....)

[deshepherd]

High winds in Vegas

Only been to Vegas once and just before we left went up the "half scale version" of the Eiffel Tower at Paris hotel (amazingly, something in Vegas that is smaller than the real thing - though on the way up they pointed out the accomodation block which they proudly announced was "an exact copy of the Hotel de Ville in Paris ... except in Paris it is only 3 storeys high while ours has 20"!).

When we got the top it was pretty windy ... someone commented to the attendant there that the wind was a bit unnerving but that they must be used to it and got the reassuring reply of "we only opened 2 weeks ago and this is the first time the wind has been this strong"!

[Disco-Legend-Zeke]

Take One Giant...

...gasbag. Add 50 MPH wind gusts. POP!

Because Las Vegas is a giant bowl surrounded by mountains, winds twist and turn unpredictably. On that particular day, several airliners aborted landings at LAS, where the balloon is stationed.

Lacking a hangar, a $10 Million (DPFA*) upsell to the balloon, the operators need a method of deflating it and storing the expensive helium when wind is forecast.

I'll just have another 211, please.

*Data Pulled From Arse.

[Steve Evans]

"I don’t think you can expect something like this"

Sorry? You can't expect a huge gas bag floating in the great outdoors to get caught by the wind and blown about?

Me thinks you needed to get out more!

[OffBeatMammal]

sad now

I was in Vegas last week (for the MIX conference) and didn't go on said balloon ride... thought... Oh, I'll be back in a month or so and make some time then.

now... I can't :(

I blame global warming. If it happened in Cardiff I could have blamed the rift but I didn't see a TARDIS either

[Eddie Edwards]

Left unsaid

It is not reported whether or not the citizens of Las Vegas were all talking in squeaky voices for the rest of the day ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Make it better

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Aerial petting zoo!

[Oninoshiko]

you, sir, are a genius!

If I could only thumbs up you more then once, I would. That is the best idea I have heard all day!

[MajorTom]

@Oninoshiko

Great, now everyone who posted before you thinks they're a genius.

[Marvin the Martian]

It's not really the same.

"We're gonna fly over Vegas with the whole party!"

(crash!)

"Change of plans, we'll pet baby zebras!"

Don't expect much rejoicing.

[Number6]

With a Bang

Given that Vegas makes a spectacle of demolishing old buildings with controlled explosions, perhaps they could fill the next balloon with hydrogen so that when it expires it'll do it in a more dramatic way.

[while noting that Hindenburg more burned than exploded]

[skeptical i]

Petting zoo seems a bit ... un-bling for Vegas, no?

Doesn't every little piss-ant county fair have a petting zoo? True, the balloon folks needed to fill their empty lot with something quick to move in and quick to move out when their airship is rebuilt, but this was the best they could come up with?

[Emilio Desalvo]

Un-Petting zoo...

A few years ago in my town was one of those small fry circuses travelling all over Europe.

I met their advertising van, with the usual loud-horn at full blast: "... an in our zoo you will be able to see lions, elephants, rhinos, zebras and llamas, from both Peru and Tibet".

For the first time a zoo could be a religious experience...

Sidenote: in Italian Llama and Lama are written the same way, with a single L...