The Heenes: What Family Does Balloon Boy Falcon Heene Come From?

Falcon Heene, the balloon boy who was reported to have been blown away in a home-made hot air balloon, has been found alive. Earlier today, the police confirmed that the boy was not inside the balloon, and the search was started to find the child. It turned out Falcon was hiding in the attic, but his brothers claimed the boy climbed into the balloon that flew away.

But, who is Falcon Heene and what family does he come from?

Falcon Heene comes from a family that is somewhat known to the American public. His family was featured on ABC's show Wife Swap last year. Falcon was five years old at the time.

Falcon's father Richard Heene is a storm scientist who chases after storms and runs his own 'storm chasing' website. Heene used to be a television weatherman. Heene also has a MySpace page -- ScienceDetective. On his MySpace page, Heene says, "I host a documentary series and radio show to investigate the mysteries of science, The Science Detectives, and I chase storms. Last year I flew into Hurricane Wilma to take magnetic field measurements. This year I rode a motorcycle into a mesocyclone. See my site at www.thesciencedetective.com" He also says that he would like to meet real aliens from outer space and conduct full interviews with them. Heene is known in the science community for his daredevil excursions in storm zones as part of his research.

Falcon's mother is Mayumi Heene who helps her husband to do his research and runs the family. Falcon has 2 brothers -- Ryo and Bradford. It seems the three children in Heene's family were living the dream life that any kid would want. They were out of school, chasing storms with their parents. In the APC episode that features the Heenes, the family is portrayed as science "nerds" with little discipline and task-sharing. Ironically, the family that the Heenes were swapped with is obsessed with the safety of their children.