When Lawnchair Larry Took Flight

A lot of people dream of flying. They can achieve that dream in various ways including getting their pilot license, being flown in an airplane, bungee jumping, or even skydiving. Have any of them considered attaching helium balloons to a lawn chair? One man considered exactly that. How did a truck driver from California soar 16,000 feet in the air in just a lawn chair?

Larry Walters with Inspiration I

Ever since he was eight years old, Larry Walters, or Lawnchair Larry, dreamt of flying. At thirteen years old, he spotted weather balloons in a military surplus store and began using those balloons to achieve his dream. Larry had tried the safest most sane way to fly, which was trying to enlist for the United States Air Force, but due to his poor eyesight, he was turned down. Instead becoming a cook in the Vietnam War. Despite his dream seeming harder to achieve, he never gave up.

In 1982, at 33 years old, Lawnchair Larry finally achieved his dream. After some careful planning, Larry along with the two people who funded this endeavor, Carol Van Deusen, Larry's girlfriend at the time, and Ron Richlin bought about 43 weather balloons to tie to his Sears lawn chair. They also attached several gallons of water to stabilize the chair. The craft was called Inspiration I and one was all they needed. According to Larry, the entire project cost about $1,500 at the time which is almost $5,000 today. The original plan was for Inspiration I to soar to just 100 feet above and maybe fly over the Mojave Desert then Larry would shoot himself down with a BB gun until he was back on the ground.

That did not happen. After the tether tied to keep him ground snapped, Lawnchair Larry quickly picked up speed and height. He stated that he traveled about 1,000 feet a minute and ended up at around 16,000 feet in the air. It is reported that he was seen by at least two commercial flights after Inspiration I unintentionally flew over LAX. Being so high, Larry began shooting a few balloons to begin his descent, but he ended up dropping his BB gun.

Eventually, he descended enough for the weather balloons to entangle in some power wires, causing a twenty-minute power outage in Long Beach. Lawnchair Larry was finally lowered back to Earth and he was unharmed. On the ground waiting for him were his friends, girlfriend and police. Unfortunately, he was arrested and fined thousands of dollars for violating Federal Aviation Regulations. As he was being arrested, a reporter asked him why he did it, and he responded, "a man can't just sit around".

The flight earned him a Guiness World Record for the highest altitude reached by a chair attached to ballons. He would also go on to win the title of "At-Risk Survivor" and get an honorable mention at the 1993 Darwin Awards. After the flight, Lawnchair Larry appeared on David Letterman, who he shared a short clip of his initial ascent. He briefly became a motivational speaker, but he made it clear that he never made money off his fame.

Inspiration I lawn chair on display at the National Air and Space Museum

Sadly, Larry took his own life in 1993 at just 44 years old. He will forever be remembered as a brave soul who achieved his dream even after it seemed impossible. The lawn chair that was once Inspiration I is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

If you found this as interesting as I did, let me know! If you would like me to research and write about anything in history, feel free to comment.