nathanm@hp-pcd.UUCP (nathanm) (08/16/84)
We all seem to agree that the flying lawnchair really happened. Can ANYONE definitively say where? Most accounts place it on the west coast, anywhere between San Diego and Washington state. Responses not believed without reference to newspaper/magazine articles. Any takers? ---------- Nathan Meyers hplabs!hp-pcd!nathanm
rick@uokvax.UUCP (08/31/84)
#R:hp-pcd:-940001100:uokvax:1200002:000:1691
uokvax!rick Aug 31 14:07:00 1984
After a week of searching through my aviation scrap book, I
found the article on "The flying lawn chair".
If you can believe UPI and the South China Morning Post,the
daily paper in Hong Kong, here are the facts;
Larry Walters, age 33 and a truck driver by trade, tied 45
helium filled ballons to his lawn chair,strapped on an emergency
parachute and "took off" to attempt to fly to the Mohave desert
and view the touchdown of the space shuttle Columbia. He also
took severial one gallon water jugs for ballast,a pellet gun to
shoot out balloons for coming down,and a cb radio.
After a rapid climb to 16,000 feet he became numb from the cold
and started shooting out balloons,as he neared the ground he
saw power lines and "got scared because those things can fry you".
The balloons draped across the power lines,knocking out local
power for about twenty minutes and leaving him only a few feet from
the ground dangling in the chair.
The FAA originally tried to fine him four thousand dollars for
four violations; failing to obtain an airworthiness certificate
for his lawn chair,not staying in radio communications with the
Lomg Beach airport,creating a collision dainger to other aircraft,
and failed to take care to prevent hazards to the life and property
of others. After an initial hearing the FAA decided his lawn chair
was not required to have an airworthiness certificate.
According to the report he actually threw a scare into a couple
of airline pilots who happened across his wierd flying contraption.
I have been unable to find what the FAA actually ended up
convicting (?) him on, any help??
R.C.
bam@sdchema.UUCP (09/03/84)
Actually his only real problem was the lawn chair`s transponder not having mode C while flying thru the LA TCA. |-> Bret Marquis ihnp4, sdcsvax !bang!bam -- Bang World Communication Center - San Diego.