Timcast IRL · February 17, 2023 · 2h 0m

Timcast IRL #717 Biden May Have ACCIDENTALLY Shot Down Hobbyist Balloon With F22 w/Sara Higdon

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Episode Recap

In this Timcast IRL episode from February 17, 2023, Tim Pool and his co-hosts discussed the controversy surrounding the Biden administration's decision to shoot down various objects in U.S. airspace. The episode title suggested that the administration may have accidentally shot down a hobbyist balloon from the Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade using expensive F-22 fighter jets. The show opened with Tim Pool discussing the story from Aviation Week Network about the missing hobbyist balloon that was projected to be over the Yukon Territory on February 11th, the same day an F-22 shot down an unidentified object in the same area. Tim criticized the government's overreaction, noting that the estimated cost of each missile fired was between $400,000 and $500,000. The panel discussed how Biden was initially criticized for not shooting down the Chinese surveillance balloon quickly enough, which may have caused panic leading to the subsequent overreaction. The conversation included guest Sara Higdon, who introduced herself as a content creator and contributor to various conservative outlets, and Libby Emmons from The Postmillennial. The hosts joked about the absurdity of using military resources to shoot down hobbyist balloons and compared the situation to comedy movie scenes. The episode also referenced Biden's press conference where he stated he had no regrets about the balloon shootdowns, despite the mounting evidence that innocent hobbyist equipment may have been destroyed.

TL;DR

  • →Tim Pool and co-hosts discussed the possibility that the Biden administration accidentally shot down a hobbyist balloon from the Northern Illinois Bottle Cap Balloon Brigade using F-22 fighter jets
  • →The show analyzed the cost of the military response, with each missile estimated to cost $400,000-$500,000 of taxpayer money
  • →The panel theorized that Biden's delayed response to the Chinese surveillance balloon caused panic, leading to overreactive shootdowns of subsequent objects
  • →Guest Sara Higdon appeared to discuss her work as a content creator and conservative commentator, including her involvement with Gays Against Groomers
  • →Tim criticized media coverage of unidentified objects, noting that when officials said objects had 'no observable propulsion system,' this is normal for balloons
  • →The episode referenced Biden's press conference statement that he had no regrets about shooting down the balloons despite the controversy

Key Moments

  • 0:00
    Opening and Sponsor Message
    Tim welcomes viewers and mentions TimCast.com membership, then introduces co-hosts
  • 1:58
    Guest Introductions
    Sara Higdon introduces herself as a content creator, Gays Against Groomers contributor, and assistant editor for Reality's Last Stand
  • 3:15
    Main Story Begins
    Tim begins discussing the Aviation Week story about the missing hobbyist balloon shot down over the Yukon Territory
  • 4:45
    Analysis of Government Response
    Panel discusses Biden's panic response and the cost of using F-22s and missiles to shoot down hobbyist balloons
  • 7:04
    Hobbyist Balloon Discussion
    Co-hosts joke about the absurdity of shooting down hobbyist balloons and compare the situation to comedy movie scenes

Notable Quotes

“They're shooting down unidentified flying objects. And here's my favorite part. The pilot said it had no observable propulsion system. Because balloons don't.”

— Tim Pool · opening segment introducing the main story

“China's laughing at us right now. I think it's cool, though, that there's hobby balloon clubs. This balloon apparently was on its seventh trip around the world. So that's kind of cool for the balloon. It's a shame that it's not there.”

— Tim Pool · main discussion about the hobbyist balloon incident

“It is absurd, though, that we used our highest Air Force tools to shoot down a balloon. Well, I mean, look, everybody was ragging on Biden over the Chinese balloon. So they started panicking.”

— Tim Pool · critique of government overreaction

“Spending $400,000 on a hobby balloon. It doesn't make any sense. Is that how much the missiles cost? I think that's what I read is, whatever, half a million dollars because they panicked over this balloon.”

— Tim Pool · discussion of taxpayer costs

“I could see them trying to lie because usually the lie is better than the truth. They were doing something over DC the other day, I guess, everybody was freaking out about that.”

— Ian Crossland · speculation about government transparency

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