The Lawn Chair Balloonist
Wednesday July 11, 2007
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
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
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.
Some people just have way to much time on their hands.