Popescu Andrei

Unit 3 Writing Task

Crazy but true: Larry Walters and the flying garden chair- Summary

On July the 2nd, 1982, Larry Walters decided to get some air, literally. He filled 42 weather balloons with helium, tied them to his garden chair and set for the blue skies. Mr. Walters intended to climb gently to an altitude of a few hundred feet, before drifting slowly out of town and across country. To lose altitude he brought an air gun to shoot the balloons and gradually lose lift.

When he released the ropes witch held the contraption tied to the bumper of his car, the self-assembly rocketed towards the sky. In the blur of things he forgot to reach for the gun and he managed to climb to 16 000 feet. Wind blew him over controlled airspace, adjacent to Long Beach Airport. Passengers aboard Delta Airlines and TWA were amazed to see the garden chair pilot hovering beside them.

After managing to shoot some balloons Mr Walters descended safely to earth despite an anchor rope getting tangled with a power line. After this endeavor he immediately got arrested by waiting police officers and was fined for breaking Federal aviation laws.

Solving the problems

Flying is one of the most thrilling experiences one can take part in. What Mr. Walters has shown us is a not so good way of taking to the skies.

Firstly I would like to point out that the chair is not a very safe way to fly in. I would build a sort of a cage of a very light yet strong material such as carbon fiber. Secondly I would address the “shooting the balloons” part of the equation. With the help of some silicon tubing that is connected to a helium tank thus making ascending and descending much more easy and safer. There should be a radio and maybe a small GPS.

All things considered, I think the best way to fly is with a proper airplane.