"Larry Walters, 33, from San Pedro, had dreamed of flying his whole life. He bought 42 eight-foot helium weather balloons, tied them to a regular Sears lawn chair, strapped on a parachute, packed a BB gun to pop balloons to descend, a CB radio, sandwiches, and a six-pack of beer.
He expected to float a few hundred feet above his backyard.
Instead, he cut the rope and shot up like a rocket. To 16,000 feet! He eventually drifted directly into the main approach path for LAX. 2 airline pilots radioed the tower: they had just passed a man in a lawn chair holding a gun at 16,000 feet.
For 45 minutes, he floated over Los Angeles, freezing cold, too scared to shoot balloons because he might fall. Finally, he started popping balloons one by one and slowly descended.
He landed tangled in power lines in Long Beach, California, causing a blackout. When police arrested him, they asked why he did it. He said, "A man can't just sit around."
C CAug 24, 2026 04:35 PM (This post was last modified: Aug 24, 2026 04:46 PM by C C.)
(Aug 24, 2026 05:12 AM)Magical Realist Wrote: He made a fantastic memory for himself and for all of us.
I imagine those beers kicked in at some point. Look out below! lol
He supposedly did put on a parachute as backup (must have been a deep lawn chair). The cord tying it to his Jeep accidentally broke before he could alert authorities of the venture. Had a citizen's band radio (some conversations with the ground). Never used the camera he brought along. Actually lost the pellet gun after puncturing several balloons with it. Amazing he didn't suffer full-blown hypoxia at that height (less than hour, though, and eventually below that). Chair and tethers on exhibit at the Smithsonian. He died of suicide at age 44, in a forest, circa 11 years after the flight.
Aug 24, 2026 01:05 AM
![[Image: HQcagEtawAAky0b?format=jpg&name=small]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQcagEtawAAky0b?format=jpg&name=small)
