07/07/2023
I can see the Balloon Man wanting to do something like this. 🎈🎈🎈
On this day in aviation history; July 2nd, 1982; Larry Walters (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993) whom had often dreamed of flying, but was unable to become a pilot in the United States Air Force because of his poor eyesight, fashioned a makeshift lighter than air craft, by attaching 43 balloons to a simple lawn chair, filled them with helium, strapped on a parachute, then strapped himself into the lawnchair in the backyard of a home at 1633 West 7th Street in San Pedro. Taking his pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches, beer, water jugs for ballast, and a camera…
When his friends cut the cord that tied his lawn chair to his Jeep, Lawnchair Larry climbed like a homesick angel to an altitude of approximately 16,000 feet where he was sighted by two separate but equally surprised commercial airliner crews.
Larry slowly drifted over Long Beach and subsequently entered controlled airspace as he crossed the primary approach for Long Beach Airport.
Citizens Band Monitoring Station(REACT): What information do you wish me to tell [the airport] at this time as to your location and your difficulty?
Lawnchair Larry: Ah, the difficulty is, ah, this was an unauthorized balloon launch, and, uh, I know I'm in a federal airspace, and, uh, I'm sure my ground crew has alerted the proper authority. But, uh, just call them and tell them I'm okay.
After 45 minutes of flinging himself through the footless halls of air in his lawn chair, in preparation for his descent, Larry shot several balloons, then accidentally dropped his pellet gun overboard. Non the less, Lawnchair Larry descended slowly, until the balloons' got caught in a power line at 423 E 44th Way in Long Beach. The power line broke, causing a blackout for the local community . Thankfully, Lawnchair Larry was returned to Earth unharmed
Just after landing, Walters spoke to the press, saying: "It was something I had to do. I had this dream for twenty years, and if I hadn't done it, I think I would have ended up in the funny farm.”
"I couldn’t just sit around"
"Lawnchair Larry” Walters
www.Sierrahotel.net
You can laugh at Larry, but he completed his mission, and his lawn chair attached to some of the original tethers and water jugs now sits proudly on display amongst aviation greats at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC.