![]() ![]() He was in contact with REACT, a citizens band radio monitoring organization, who recorded their conversation: He slowly drifted over Long Beach and crossed the primary approach corridor of Long Beach Airport. When the cord that tied his lawn chair to his Jeep broke prematurely, before a planned delay to notify authorities, Walters's lawn chair rose rapidly to a height of about 16,000 feet (4,900 m) and was spotted from two commercial airliners. ![]() He took his pellet gun, a CB radio, sandwiches, beer, and a camera. On July 2, 1982, Walters attached 43 of the balloons to his lawn chair, filled them with helium, put on a parachute, and strapped himself into the chair in the backyard of a home at 1633 West 7th Street in San Pedro. They used a forged requisition from his employer, FilmFair Studios, saying the balloons were for a television commercial. ![]() In mid-1982, Walters and his girlfriend at the time, Carol Van Deusen, purchased 45 eight-foot (2.4 m) weather balloons and obtained helium tanks from California Toy Time Balloons. His intention was to float over the Mojave Desert and then use a pellet gun to burst some of the balloons in order to land. In 1982, he decided to try his flying idea. He first thought of using weather balloons to fly at age 13, after seeing them hanging from the ceiling of a military surplus store. Lawrence Richard "Larry" Walters had often dreamed of flying, but was unable to become a pilot in the United States Air Force because of his poor eyesight. The flight attracted worldwide media attention and inspired a movie and numerous imitators. During the landing, the aircraft became entangled in power lines, but Walters was able to climb down safely. The aircraft rose to an altitude of about 16,000 feet (4,900 m), drifted from the point of liftoff in San Pedro, California, and entered controlled airspace near Long Beach Airport. On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters (Ap– October 6, 1993) made a 45-minute flight in a homemade aerostat made of an ordinary patio chair and 45 helium-filled weather balloons. For persons of a similar name, see Lawrence Walters (disambiguation).Ĭluster ballooning was inspired by Larry Walters's experience, although his was not the first. ![]()
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