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What an incredible story! Apparently this really happened.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry
There have been some urban legend-ish mutations of the story though, such as this:
http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/~acody/larry.html
Without a doubt my favorite part of the story, again from Wikipedia:
:rofl: Imagine piloting a commercial airplane and seeing a guy floating at 16,000 feet in a lawnchair!
Lawrence Richard Walters, nicknamed Lawnchair Larry or the Lawn Chair Pilot, (b. April 19, 1949, d. October 6, 1993) took flight on July 2, 1982 in a homemade aircraft, dubbed Inspiration I, that he had fashioned out of a Sears patio chair and 45 helium-filled weather balloons. He rose to an altitude of 16,000 feet — 3 miles — and floated from his point of origin in San Pedro, California into federal airspace near Long Beach airport. Although the account of his flight was widely reported in newspapers, it is often mistaken as an urban legend. Walters is one of the few Darwin Award contenders that lived to tell the tale.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry
There have been some urban legend-ish mutations of the story though, such as this:
He found himself drifting into the primary approach corridor of Los Angeles International Airport. A United pilot first spotted Larry. He radioed the tower and described passing a guy in a lawn chair with a gun. Radar confirmed the existence of an object floating 11,000 feet above the airport. LAX emergency procedures swung into full alert and a helicopter was dispatched to investigate. LAX is right on the ocean. Night was falling and the offshore breeze began to flow. It carried Larry out to sea with the helicopter in hot pursuit.Several miles out, the helicopter caught up with Larry. Once the crew determined that Larry was not dangerous, they attempted to close in for a rescue but the draft from the blades would push Larry away whenever they neared. Finally, the helicopter ascended to a position several hundred feet above Larry and lowered a rescue line. Larry snagged the line and was hauled back to shore. The difficult maneuver was flawlessly executed by the helicopter crew.
http://tlc.ousd.k12.ca.us/~acody/larry.html
Without a doubt my favorite part of the story, again from Wikipedia:
Larry [passed near] Long Beach airport, where TWA and Delta airlines pilots sighted him and reported him to the tower.
:rofl: Imagine piloting a commercial airplane and seeing a guy floating at 16,000 feet in a lawnchair!
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