Subject: FW: 45 Weather balloons and a six pack o beer
This is allegedly true...
Dave Sweeney (sweeney@cs.colostate.edu) wrote: "Let's have a moment of
reverent silence for Larry Walters, the truck driver from Los Angeles who
tied 45
(count 'em, 45) weather balloons to his aluminum lawn chair and floated up
11,000
feet above his back yard. Mind you, he wasn't unprepared. He had a parachute, a
CB radio, a six-pack, a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a BB
gun to shoot a couple of balloons when he decided it was time to return to
Earth.
Of course, he didn't set up his flight plan very well -- he floated right
through the approach corridor to Los Angeles International Airport, one of the
busiest pieces of airspace in the world. Kinda like riding your tricycle
across the
freeway...
His comments to the press after landing were priceless. When he was asked
why he did it, he responded, 'You can't just sit there.'
Was he glad that he did it? 'Oh, yes.'
Would he do it again? 'Nope.'
My kinda guy!"