The man who flew over Los Angeles with balloons and a lawn chair
The man who flew over Los Angeles with balloons and a lawn chair
Image source, Getty ImagesBy Ian YoungsEntertainment and arts journalist
In 1982, a truck driver made headlines when he attached 42 helium balloons to a lawn chair and flew over part of Los Angeles . A new musical reaffirms him as a hero, even if questions remain about the tragic end of his story.
In the aftermath of his unconventional journey, Larry Walters assured the American public that he wasn't really a weirdo who had risked his life with a crazy plan dreamed up on a whim.
No - take escape had been a lifelong ambition, he told interviewers afterward.
But he had been rejected by US Air Strength due to poor eyesight, so he carried out years of painstaking research for his dream to come true in his particularly artisanal way.
When he is returned to Earth - somehow unscathed after floating in his chair on approach to LAX airport and landing in power lines - Walters' escapade caused a small sensation.
In an interview on David Letterman's TV show, he tried to explain how serious his plan had been - but his references to his "job" and his “ground team” failed to stifle the laughter of the public.
Image source, Getty ImagesBy Ian YoungsEntertainment and arts journalist
In 1982, a truck driver made headlines when he attached 42 helium balloons to a lawn chair and flew over part of Los Angeles . A new musical reaffirms him as a hero, even if questions remain about the tragic end of his story.
In the aftermath of his unconventional journey, Larry Walters assured the American public that he wasn't really a weirdo who had risked his life with a crazy plan dreamed up on a whim.
No - take escape had been a lifelong ambition, he told interviewers afterward.
But he had been rejected by US Air Strength due to poor eyesight, so he carried out years of painstaking research for his dream to come true in his particularly artisanal way.
When he is returned to Earth - somehow unscathed after floating in his chair on approach to LAX airport and landing in power lines - Walters' escapade caused a small sensation.
In an interview on David Letterman's TV show, he tried to explain how serious his plan had been - but his references to his "job" and his “ground team” failed to stifle the laughter of the public.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
