Back on February 19, 2026, students teamed up with their STEM teacher, J.T. Tremaine, and experts from the Englewood Amateur Radio Society (EARS), led by Bill Reed, to launch a weather balloon. The Englewood REVIEW crew was there, capturing the entire process, as students huddled on the field, prepping the balloon, chasing live data instead of just looking at charts in a classroom.
No one expected the balloon to circle the planet over and over. Bill Reed broke down just how much this little Pico balloon accomplished:
– N4EAR finished its journey, taken out by Tropical Storm Jangmi, a Category 1 system lurking off Japan’s east coast, on June 2.
– Total distance traveled: 246,893 kilometers, or about 153,468 miles.
– Time aloft: 103 days and 14 hours.
– Orbits of Earth: nearly 6.7.
– Data messages sent: 3,483.
– Last reported position: 44,025 feet up, about 1,200 miles south-southeast of Japan, heading toward Hawaii. Grid Square RM11PJ, Latitude 31.39567, Longitude 163.29167.
– Countries crossed: 53. States crossed: 34.
– Fastest ground speed: 201.6 knots in the jet stream.
– More than once, military forces blocked its GPS signal over Iran and Iraq, but the temperature data read below freezing, so we knew the balloon was still riding high.
Tracking N4EAR turned into the ultimate lesson, not just for the students, but for everyone involved. They learned about upper-level winds, air pressure, and even got a crash course in the politics of GPS signal jamming during wartime. It was all hands-on, all real, and all unforgettable. N4EAR taught us plenty before signing off.
Rest in peace, N4EAR.
But according to Bill, they’re not done yet; more school projects are in the works. Watch for another balloon launch with SKY Academy this fall, and stay tuned for details on other learning adventures.
What an amazing opportunity this was for SKY Academy students to team up with EARS and bring science to life in such a thrilling way. The community is excited to see what’s in store for the 2026-2027 school year.
To read the original Englewood REVIEW story, click here.
