Buzz
In 1937, Jean Piccard, a pioneer in ballooning, experimented with clusters of balloons for flight by connecting 98 latex weather balloons to a traditional balloon basket. This concept evolved, with one key modification: replacing baskets with lawn chairs.
Explore the stories of the bold and adventurous who dared to attach balloons to lawn chairs and soar into the skies for the ultimate relaxation experience.
1. Larry Walters, Known as “Lawnchair Larry” (1982)
Larry Walters, a truck driver from North Hollywood, was unable to fulfill his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot due to poor eyesight. Determined to fly, he purchased 45 weather balloons from an Army-Navy surplus store and secured them to his “exceptionally comfortable” aluminum Sears lawn chair—a venture costing around $4000. Equipped with a pellet gun, a few sandwiches, and a bottle of Miller Lite, Lawnchair Larry released his anchor, anticipating a leisurely float just 30 feet above his backyard.
However, Walters soared unexpectedly to 16,000 feet, causing alarm among airline pilots. After popping several balloons, he descended and became entangled in power lines, causing a 20-minute blackout in Long Beach. Upon landing, he was immediately arrested by the LAPD. Later, he gifted the lawn chair to local kids. When questioned by a reporter about his motives, the handcuffed adventurer simply replied, “A man can’t just sit around.”
2. Mike Howard and Steve Davis (2001)
Often overlooked in the annals of lawnchair ballooning, British adventurer Mike Howard and American Steve Davis secured a mention in the 2008 Guinness Book of World Records for achieving the Highest Altitude Using Helium-Filled Party Balloons—a surprisingly niche world record.
On August 4, 2001, the pair ascended to 18,300 feet above Albuquerque, New Mexico, using 1400 helium-filled toy balloons. Howard had attempted to break this record in 1998 during a taping for the Guinness Book of World Records TV show but halted his ascent at 3000 feet for safety reasons.
3. Kent Couch (2007)
Kent Couch’s initial attempt at lawn chair ballooning ended in chaos: In September 2006, the Oregon gas station owner found himself stuck in the air for 6 hours, eventually using a BB gun to pop some balloons and parachuting to safety. Nearly a year later, Couch tried again, taking his lawn chair, snacks, and another parachute on a journey he hoped would take him to Idaho.
He didn’t make it. After saying goodbye to his wife and pet Chihuahua, Couch drifted 193 miles from his starting point, landing safely in a farmer’s field just shy of Idaho. In 2010, Couch participated in (and lost) the inaugural lawn chair cluster balloon race, securing his place in the Guinness Book of World Records on the losing side.
4. Jonathan Trappe (2010)
An American adventurer, Trappe took a wicker chair (equipped with oxygen masks, satellite navigation, and an emergency beacon) across the English Channel using 54 large helium balloons. Departing from the Kent Gliding Club in Ashford, Trappe—a licensed pilot—touched down in a French cabbage field after a 22-mile, four-hour journey.
Trappe, who also holds a U.S. record for the longest free-floating cluster balloon flight (109 miles across his home state of North Carolina in 14 hours), has set his sights on a more ambitious challenge. This summer, he plans to cross the Atlantic Ocean by balloon, launching from Caribou, Maine.
5. Joe Barbera (2013)
A 60-year-old semi-retired engineer, Barbera aimed to float his lawn chair approximately 200 miles from Washington to “somewhere in Oregon.” However, his journey ended abruptly when he crashed into a 40-foot tree in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Rescuers had to intervene after his 80-balloon setup soared to over 21,000 feet—far higher than Barbera had planned.
Barbera and his team of self-proclaimed “redneck engineers” spent a month preparing for the project. However, many of the gadgets they attached to the lawn chair (including a camera, an oxygen tank, and Barbera’s shoes) were discarded to lighten the load. “We were figuring things out as we went,” Jay Elder, one of Barbera’s crewmembers, told a local newspaper.
Primary image courtesy Flickr user HeartLover1717.
