1. Lawn Chair Larry - Patron Saint of Idaho RISE Larry’s Heart was in the right place (but perhaps not his brain….) Larry had always wanted to learn to fly. But his eyesight (and, as it turns out, his intellect) were not quite up to task. But no one could criticize his ambition or imagination….. In April, 1982, Larry attached 24 helium weather balloons to his lawn chair (Inspiration #1) and strapped himself in, and equipped himself with a pellet gun (Inspiration #2), and sandwiches and beer (Inspiration #3). Larry planned to hover about 30 feet over his house until he shot out some of the balloons to come down. When the lines holding the chair to his jeep were released (actually only one was released. The second one snapped!), he shot up at 1,000 feet per minute and….

2. Lawn Chair Larry didn’t fly to 30 feet. Or 100 feet. Or 1,000 feet. Or 10,000 feet! Ol’ Larry got a first hand view of air traffic control procedures at LAX from 16,000 feet! He was first spotted by a TWA pilot who radioed that he just flew past a guy in a lawn chair! Lessons Learned: 1. Shooting balloons to get down sounds like a much dumber idea at 16,000 feet than at 30 feet. 2. It is much (much!) colder at 16,000 feet than it is way down here. 3. Generally, it is very difficult to steer a balloon, especially if you are in a lawn chair hanging underneath it. 4. However, steering is a very good idea, especially if you plan to hover within the approach corridor to LAX. 5. Landing is important too. It is always a good idea to avoid power lines (which Larry also didn’t do). 6. The FAA is not known for its sense of humor…..

3. Moral to the Story: Before trying to fly balloons or lawn chairs to the moon - enroll in ENGR204 and become involved in Idaho RISE!!! Thanks to Walt Harris and ESS205 at Univ of Washington.