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Lawnchair Larry’s Flight At 16,000 Foot Altitude With Nothing But Balloons And Patio Furniture
In 1982, a man names Larry Walter, who had always dreamed of being a pilot but had poor eyesight, finally had the flight of his dreams — in a lawn chair lifted by a bunch of balloons
Flight is one of the greatest achievements ever reached by humanity. The ability to travel great distances through the air in relatively very short amounts of time has truly transformed the world and how we live in it. Although airplanes and helicopters with vast horsepower are the norm for air travel, there are other ways to get altitude. One of the most unusual occurred more than 40 years ago when “Lawnchair” Larry Walters made a 45 minute flight at heights as much as 16,000 feet using nothing more than a patio chair and balloons.
Walters was born in 1949 and grew up with a dream of one day becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, poor eyesight ended that goal and nixed his efforts to join the U.S. Airforce. Nevertheless, he often thought of alternate ways he might be able to take to the skies. At the age of 13, he began speculating about using weather balloons to help him get airborne after he once saw them in a military surplus store.
