‘That COULD be our balloon’: Bottlecap Balloon Brigade member says government contacted them

An Illinois amateur hot air balloon club said Friday it believes its $13 weather balloon could be the “unidentified object” shot down over the Canadian Yukon Territory a week ago, confirming the FBI has been in contact.

The Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade was formed by a group of 10 friends two years ago, named after the children’s movie “Up.”

About four months ago they launched their balloon and were following it as it floated over Alaska. On February 11, when an American F-22 was sent to shoot down an “unidentified object” flying over the Canadian wilderness, they lost contact.

‘When I heard that [it was a] silver object with a payload attached, which could be one of our balloons,’ said a member of the Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade, who wished to remain anonymous. POLITICAL.

‘Think about it. We know where the balloon was off the coast of Alaska. We know where he was, if everything was okay.

‘We know he didn’t wake up that morning. We know they shot something down, and what they described as shot down is not inconsistent with what we’re flying.

‘So, that’s it.’

The group lost contact with their balloon shortly before the Canadian and US governments announced the downing of an “unidentified object.”

On February 4, a much larger balloon, believed to be a Chinese spy balloon (pictured), was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

The group said an FBI officer went to talk to them. The FBI has not commented.

Joe Biden said Thursday that the balloon, one of three shot down over three days last weekend, did not appear to be hostile.

“The intelligence community’s current assessment is that these three objects were likely balloons linked to private companies, recreational or research institutions studying the weather or conducting other scientific research,” Biden said.

John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman, said Friday that the US government may never find the balloon’s remains or learn its true purpose.

“We haven’t got it back, so it’s very difficult until you can get your hands on something to say,” Kirby said.

“I mean we all have to accept the possibility that we may not get it back.”

Kirby said it was still the right call to shoot him down, even if he was using a $400,000 Sidewinder missile to shoot down a $13 balloon.

“Given the situation we were in, the information available, the recommendation of our military commanders, it was exactly the right thing to do at the right time,” the Pentagon spokesman said.

“And frankly, given the circumstances in light of what happened with the spy balloon, wouldn’t it be a better outcome if it turns out that they were, in fact, for civilian, recreational, or meteorological use and therefore benign than is what the intelligence community thinks.

‘Isn’t that a better outcome than having to think about the possibility of further threats to our national security?’

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby is seen February 13 briefing the press on the unidentified objects.

An F-22 is shown taking off. The jets have been busy for the past few weeks shooting balloons out of the sky.

Members of the Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade have said the balloon “might” be theirs, but have no way of confirming.

The balloon group said they did not blame the pilot or the Pentagon for the error, if at all.

“Unless you have Mickey Mouse ears and F-22 pilots have sharp eyes and can discern that, it’s not clear exactly what you’re looking at. But the point is, it’s not far-reaching at all,’ assuming it’s the group’s balloon, the member said.

I’m an American and I don’t want anything bad to happen to our country.

“If they don’t know, I’d rather they mess up $100 worth of balloons than have something bad happen in Canada or the United States.”

Other members of the group ‘are not angry at all’.