”The Lawn Chair Larry” Flight of 1982 (Episode 7)

In Episode 7, we discuss the flight of Larry Walters, a California truck driver who decided, one pleasant Saturday in July 1982, to tie a few dozen weather balloons to a lawn chair and go for a quick float over the Mojave desert. The idea worked...but not quite as expected, sending Larry's airship, "Inspiration 1", into federally-controlled airspace over LAX before crashing into a quiet suburban neighborhood. We'll discuss cluster ballooning (both intentional and accidental), the design and current location of "Inspiration 1" , Larry's balloon obsession, and the amazing luck that led to his safe landing. It's our most uplifting episode yet! 

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Sources for this episode include:

“How the Balloon-Borne “Flying Lawn Chair” Got Into the Smithsonian” by R. Maksel, Air and Space Magazine, 2019

“The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair: Why did Larry Walters Decide to Soar to the Heavens in a Piece of Outdoor Furniture?” by G. Plimpton, The New Yorker, 1998

“Larry Walters; Soared to Fame on Lawn Chair”, by M. Oliver, Los Angeles Times, 1993

“The Strange, Sad Odyssey of “Lawn Chair Larry”” by D. M. Brumfield, Medium, 2019

“Great News Photos and the Stories Behind Them”, by J. Faber, 1978

“Interview with Larry Walters”, David Letterman Show, 1982

Wikipedia articles on:

Lawnchair Larry Flight

Weather balloons