1. News & Issues

Discuss in my forum

David Emery

The Lawn Chair Balloonist

By , About.com GuideJuly 11, 2007

Follow me on:

I see by enthusiastic headlines posted in such far distant places as Hungary and South Africa that a Mr. Kent Couch of Bend, Oregon took flight last Saturday in a type of ultralight aircraft most commonly known as a lawn chair. Buoyed aloft by 105 rainbow-colored helium balloons (see slideshow), Couch says he covered about 193 miles of terrain at an average altitude of 12,000 feet.

He was, of course, following in the footsteps of certified urban legend and Darwin Awards honoree "Lawn Chair Larry" Walters, a southern California truck driver who performed the same stunt back in 1982, cruising over Long Beach at an altitude of three miles and eliciting stunned responses from airline pilots who radioed flight control to report seeing a man in a lawn chair at 16,000 feet.

More About Kent Couch:
Floating at 11,000 Feet - Bend Bulletin (Kent Couch's hometown newspaper)
Oregon Man Takes Flight in Lawn Chair Lifted by 105 Balloons - Associated Press
Man Flies Over Oregon in a Lawn Chair - ABC News

More About Larry Walters:
Lawn Chair Larry - DarwinAwards.com
Did Somebody Once Go Aloft in a Lawn Chair w/Balloons? - The Straight Dope
Larry Walters, the Lawn Chair Pilot - MarkBerry.com
Larry Walters, Lawn Chair Balloonist - Wikipedia

Update:
Lawn Chair Balloonist Rides Again - July 3, 2008

Comments

July 13, 2007 at 11:21 am
(1) Ro says:

A year or so ago I saw a movie titled “Danny Deckchair” made I believe in Australia – was it based on this story?? Seems to have alot of similarities – fun movie regardless.

July 14, 2007 at 1:18 pm
(2) Ron says:

Some people just have way to much time on their hands.

Leave a Comment


Line and paragraph breaks are automatic. Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title="">, <b>, <i>, <strike>
Top Related Searches lawn chair balloonist

©2013 About.com. All rights reserved.