Lawn Chair Larry, also known as Larry Walters, had always dreamed of flying. As a kid, he planned on becoming a pilot in the airforce. Unfortunately, he was turned by air force recruiters away due to his poor eyesight. In the wake of the death of his dream, Larry became a truck driver. Despite his inability to build a career in the airforce, his vision of flying never left him. One day this dream drove him to do something crazy. Larry strapped 43 balloons to his lawn chair and took flight over Long Beach, CA. The event made headlines. From that day forward, Larry Walters was known as Lawn Chair Larry.
Who Was Larry Walters
Larry Walters was born in 1949. From an early age, Larry dreamed of flying and had plans of becoming an air force pilot. He spent much of his free time at army surplus stores, and that’s where he first had an idea that would make him famous. While observing weather balloons dangling from the ceiling, Walters wondered if he could use them to fly. Years later, he tested that theory.
Larry become Lawns Chair Larry
After a failed attempt at joining the air force, Larry became a trucker. His hunger for flight, however, was more vital than ever. So, remembering his thoughts from the army surplus store as a child, Larry began planning his maiden voyage.
Larry Walters ordered 45 weather balloons at eight feet in diameter each. He proceeded to tether the balloons to his lawn chair, maxing out at 43 attached balloons. Finally, on July 2, 1982, Larry sat down in his flying chair with a pellet gun, a CB radio, his camera, and, of course, some beer and sandwiches. Moments later, he took to the skies.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Floating Long Beach Lawn Chair
Lawn Chair Larry expected the balloons to lift him a few dozen feet at most. His math was way off. When Larry’s girlfriend released the anchor, Walters quickly rose to a height of 16,000 feet. He floated across Long Beach and into the Long Beach Airport’s airspace. There he was spotted by at least two commercial jet pilots and air traffic control. Thankfully, Larry equipped his lawn chair with a CB radio so that he could communicate with air traffic control agents.
After a 45-minute flight, Lawn Chair Larry began carefully shooting balloons with his pellet gun. He was sure to be selective with his shots to keep the load balanced. Unfortunately, after shooting out only a couple of balloons, he dropped his pellet gun. He then slowly descended back to earth. Eventually, his balloons got caught in a power line, and he fell from his chair to solid ground. He was immediately arrested and fined $4,000. He was on Late Night with David Letterman, and Lawn Chair Larry became a household name ten days later.
Conclusion
Lawn Chair Larry took an extreme risk. Albeit a chance he did not fully understand, but still a severe threat. Speaking of extreme, Walters flight has since inspired an extreme sport known as cluster ballooning. Cluster Ballooners do exactly what Larry did, but they take it to even more risky limits. Some have even dared to plan trips around the world. Lawn Chair Larry ended up having his fine reduced to $1500 and went back to work as usual. For the rest of his life, he reminisced on the day he became a pilot.
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