rwb@vi.ri.cmu.edu (Bob Berger) (07/24/90)
I ordered one of these plans when I was a kid. The device was a mylar balloon shaped like a flying saucer and filled with helium to achieve neutral bouyancy. Foil was placed on the top and bottom surfaces, like a big capacitor. A 10 KV voltage applied to this device could supposedly make it rise by interacting with the earth/sky 100 V/meter electric field (see the recent messages about lightning rods for more on this field. I never tried this. I suspect the forces generated would be very small; everything would have to be perfectly balanced.