Ok so this is a story I heard seen on URBAN LEGENDS.

So a guy decides to make a lawn chair into a flying machine using helium baloons and water bottles (Ankers). He releases the ankers with bebie gun in hand and hes off but he flies to high at altitudes as high as planes so he decides to start shooting the baloons. As a stroke of luck he shoots the exact amount to lower the chair safely. As he is lowering he just misses a set of power lines as his friends grab the chair and pulls it down. If they didnt he would have hit the power lines.

Now is this story true or one of the fakes out of the three you be the judge unless you want me to tell you???? or would that ruin the fun..

This did infact happen in San Diego. When he got on the ground he was fined quite a sum of money. Mythbusters did this in an episode aswell.




Sol

I saw photos of this guy and thought to myself, "That looks like fun"


edited for typo

It's one of those rare things : a true story that became an urban legend. The story can be read here.

One of the urban legends I heard about this case was repeated by Alan Davies on the TV show QI in the UK. It goes : a man has the idea that it would be rather cool to attach some helium balloons to his deckchair and float about the sky while downing a few beers. Unfortunately he miscalculates the amount of helium required and rises several miles into the upper atmosphere where he freezes to death.

There's also an Australian comedy film, "Danny Deckchair" starring Rhys Ifans, inspired by the case.

Well then, that's one lucky guy.

I find this highly unbelievable... You're telling me he went up as high as planes do and didn't get blown off by any form of wind/jet stream? He just came right back down... nearly a mile below to the same spot where his friends were???


Ridiculous....

-C

This really did happen? Does anyone have a link or something of the real story?

Check mysticfog's link in post #4. It's true, it happened. From the Wiki link:

Walters then attached the balloons to his lawn chair, filled them with helium, donned a parachute, and strapped himself to the chair. He took with him a pellet gun (with which he intended to shoot the balloons to lower himself), a CB radio, sandwiches, beverages, and a camera. After that, things did not work out as he had planned. When his friends cut the cord that had tied his lawn chair to his Jeep, Walters' lawn chair, which was planned to rise 100 feet (30 m) above the ground, quickly rose to a height of about 3 miles (4.8 km); he did not dare shoot any balloons, fearing that he might unbalance the load. He drifted over Long Beach and crossed the primary approach corridor of Long Beach Airport.

He was in contact with REACT, a CB monitoring organization, who recorded their conversation:

REACT: What information do you wish me to tell [the airport] at this time as to your location and your difficulty?
Larry: Ah, the difficulty is, ah, this was an unauthorized balloon launch, and, uh, I know I'm in a federal airspace, and, uh, I'm sure my ground crew has alerted the proper authority. But, uh, just call them and tell them I'm okay.

After spending about 45 minutes in the sky, he figured he would have to shoot a few balloons after all; doing so caused him to descend slowly again, until the balloons' dangling cables got caught in a power line, causing a blackout in a Long Beach neighborhood for 20 minutes, but also allowing Walters to climb down to the ground again.
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You might find this site also interesting:

http://www.clusterballoon.org

Oh ok, the original poster just made it sound like he went straight up and straight down again. Now I believe it lol... Kinda wish I was that guy

-C

Yup this is true

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19694083/?gt1=10150

and this to

http://volunteerecotravel.suite101.com/art...iest_disappears

A response to someones earlier comment he went as high up as planes but wasnt near them they had found this out because a Pilot saw him.