Visual and radar emergency detection balloon

Claim 1

A balloon which may be tethered by a flexible cord to provide a visual and a radar target to signal an emergency situation at a site from which the balloon is tethered, in which said balloon is fitted with radar and light reflecting projecting cards that extend away from the balloon to increase the area of reflectivity of the balloon and sheets to light and radar rays, comprising a balloon inflated with a gas such as helium so as to cause it to rise in air, an elastic strap means fitted over the top of the balloon which expands so as to permit the circumference of the balloon to expand as the balloon expands in flight, said strap means formed of a plurality of leg section, each said leg section being joised to a common cross-piece above the top of the balloon, with each strap leg section extending from the cross-piece and about the top section of the balloon to join to individual cards of said projecting cards, the individual cards flat and extending below the lower section of the balloon, with each flat card fastened to an individual tie cord, with all said tie cords tied together below the balloon at a common point to the common tether cord so as to retain each said card abutting a lower quadrant of the balloon, with each said card extending in a substantially vertical plane below the balloon in a radial plane relative to the balloon, said cards aligned by the elastic strap and the tie cords so that at least two such cards extend in substantially mutually perpendicular vertical planes, in which the external surface of said balloon and each said card is coated with a layer of light and radar reflective material, and in which the cards serve to extend the plane of visual and radar reflection area of the balloon.