"Pilot" Likens Flight to "Jumping on Clouds"
Following in the high-flying
footsteps of the infamous "Lawn Chair Larry," an Oregon
man took to the skies last weekend with 105 helium balloons and a
lawn chair.
Kent Couch was a little better prepared than Larry Walters
(shown at right), who achieved an altitude of about 16,000 feet in
a Sears lawn chair and 45 weather balloons in 1982. Walters' feat
earned him a $1,500 fine from the Federal Aviation Administration,
and an honorary Darwin Award.
Couch loaded his lawn chair with the requisite snacks, but also
instruments to monitor his altitude and speed, a global positioning
device, digital camcorder, cell phone and a parachute. He used five
gallon plastic bags filled with water for ballast -- complete with
a release spigot, according to the Associated Press.
"When you're a little kid and you're holding a helium balloon,
it has to cross your mind," he told the Bend (OR) Bulletin. "When
you're laying in the grass on a summer day, and you see the clouds,
you wish you could jump on them. This is as close as you can come
to jumping on them. It's just like that."
This flight is actually Couch's second. Last September, he
remained airborne for six hours in a similar contraption. He had to
use his parachute that time, when he put himself into a rapid
descent by firing one too many BBs at his balloons.
This time, he reconfigured his balloons and fixed it where he
had some control over his helium release rather than just cutting a
balloon loose.
His trip lasted nine hours and 193 miles, according to the AP.
He ended up in a farm field, short of his destination, but happy
with the result.
"It was beautiful -- beautiful," he told KTVZ-TV. He said the
flight, overall, was uneventful with a bit of turbulence, similar
to a real hot-air balloon setting down.
To prove he did actually make the flight, local pilot Brandon
Wilcox flew a plane nearby and took photos.
After achieving altitudes of 13,000 feet, according to ABC News,
Couch decided to land when he did because he was down to eight
pounds of ballast and was running low on water. He considered the
rugged terrain where he was, including Hells Canyon, and decided to
set down.
He decreased his altitude by popping balloons and ended up with
a few rope burns. When he reached the ground and stood up, the
chair, video camera and remaining balloons took off again - if
anyone finds them, he'd like to have them back, please.
The 47-year-old gas station owner's wife, Susan, followed her
husband on his trip to make sure he made out all right. She, their
Chihuahua, Isabella, and a few more family and friends formed a
chase caravan.
"I was terrified, but I was being supportive," she said. "I know
once something gets in his mind he's not going to forget it."
"I know he'd be thinking about it more and more, it would always
be on his mind," she said.
Couch said he could hear children and cattle during his trip and
described it as a serene experience, even passing through clouds.
Will he be going up again?
He said it's up to his wife but she isn't so sure she's up to
another trip and helium balloons can be very expensive.
"This way, at least he's fulfilled his dream," she said.
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