Couch Went Lawn Chair Ballooning

Just because earlier attempts of lawnchair ballooning went so well (the first one by Larry Walters, ended up with an arrest, fame, lost of fame, and then suicide; the second one by Brazilian priest Adelir Antonio de Carli ended up with him missing and presumed dead), Kent Couch decided to try it himself.

Couch (I know, I know) rode a green lawnchair with 150 helium-filled party balloons from central Oregon all the way to Idaho:

Couch kissed his wife and kids goodbye, and patted their shivering Chihuahua, Isabella, before his ground crew gave him a push so he could clear surrounding light poles and a coffee cart.

Then, clutching a big mug of coffee, Couch rose out of the parking lot of his gas station into the bright blue morning sky, cheered by a crowd of spectators. [...]

Said his wife, Susan: "He’s crazy. It’s never been a dull moment since I married him."

Link – Thanks Geekazoid!

Photo: Jeff Barnard/AP