Object Details
- Physical Description
- Lawn chair with 13 plastic gallon water jugs and four ropes attached to frame
- Summary
- Forty-two helium-filled weather balloons lifted Larry Walters in this aluminum lawn chair from San Pedro, California, on July 2, 1982. Walters reached 16,000 feet (4,880 meters), drifting into the controlled airspace surrounding Los Angeles International Airport. Commercial pilots reported sighting him to the tower.
- Facing freezing temperatures and lower oxygen levels, Walters popped balloons with a BB gun to establish a controlled descent. The Federal Aviation Aministration charged him with violating controlled airspace, flying without a balloon license, and operating a non-airworthy craft.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Jerry Fleck, the "neighborhood kid" Larry Walters gave his lawnchair to after landing.
- Inventory Number
- A20181388000
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- CRAFT-Balloon Parts
- Materials
- Plastic
- Paint
- Non-Magnetic Metal
- Adhesive Tape
- Copper Alloy
- Nylon
- Paper
- Ink
- Dimensions
- 3-D (with water jugs): 90.2 × 69.8 × 79.4cm, 7.7kg (2 ft. 11 1/2 in. wide × 2 ft. 3 1/2 in. deep × 2 ft. 7 1/4 in. tall, 17lb.)
- See more items in
- National Air and Space Museum Collection
- Location
- National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC
- Exhibition
- Thomas W. Haas We All Fly
- National Air and Space Museum
- Record ID
- nasm_A20181388000
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nv9539e8ed8-3e79-45a8-b810-d8e464e85395
