My brother played that trick on me when I was about 7 years of age.
He was 8 years older.
So he points the flashlight into the night sky, and says to me, here, you hold the flashlight on while I climb the light beam going toward the night sky. I say ok --not knowing anything at 7 years of age-- and then he says, I dont trust that you will not turn off the light as Im climbing, so Im not going to do that.
Who knows where my brother got the idea from. Maybe a friend most likely