Modified deckchair carries man in 200-mile helium balloon adventure

[chri'stina 190]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1811

A man from the US state of Oregan has taken his deckchair where few have gone before - about 13-thousand feet up and almost 200 miles towards the state of Idaho.

Kent Couch says it took 105 large helium balloons to lift him that high.

With him on his chair, Couch had instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a global positioning system device in his pocket, and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as ballast.

As he made about 25 miles an hour, a three-car caravan filled with friends, family and his dog followed him from below.

As he soared above the countryside Couch said he could hear cattle and children and even passed through clouds.

Nearly nine hours later, the 47-year-old came back to earth in a farmer's field, just short of Idaho but about 193 miles from home.

Couch said his friends tried to talk him out of it and his wife wasn't too thrilled either.

"When he gets something in his mind, you can't get it out," said his wife, Susan Couch.

He's the latest American to try to repeat the 1982 stunt by Larry Walters, who flew his balloon-powered seat three miles over Los Angeles.

The petrol-station owner describes his flight as the closest he could get to the clouds on a beautiful summer day.

"Anybody would want to do it," said Couch after he landed.

"You look up at the sky on a nice summer day laying on your back in the grass and you look up and see the clouds and you say, "What would it be like to sit on that cloud and just drift away?""

Couch says the ride wasn't a total success.

He decided to stop when he was down to a gallon of water and just eight pounds of ballast.

But after he jumped out, the wind grabbed his chair, with his video recorder and the remaining balloons, and swept it away.

[Emancipation 2]

I LOVEEEE The movie "Danny Deckchair"... good times good times!!!

http://imdb.com/title/tt0337960/

[trueimage 0]

Crazy!!!! I'd be afraid to try something like that. I hope he can somehow recover his camera though. I bet the view was awesome.

Edited July 11, 2007 by vismaster

[one...two...tree 2,762]

That's AWESOME!

The world needs more dreamers like this guy.

[almaty 19]

That's AWESOME!

The world needs more dreamers like this guy.

amen brother..i agree