I fly ( hang gliders ), and wind is my friend and foe. No one in their right mind would go up in a balloon in 40+ mph winds. Maybe it is true and he is exaggerating a bit, but there is no way that happened the way he said it did. Try putting your hand out of a car at 40 mph and let it hit something. No one walks away from that in a balloon. Maybe he has a really good reason for wanting that number, but be honest. It's just a game

Not that I care, but... The balloon came down near a freeway, as was stated earlier and there were signs that could be read from someone in a balloon at 40mph that said that there was an active bombing range in the area? Something smells here. Most bombing ranges in the US are not near highways as far as I know. I would also assume that balloon operation are not set up near bombing ranges in general since they have no real way of directing their path except up and down. I do like the story though.