Before "Baloon Boy", There Was Lawn Chair Larry

Larry Walters took flight on July 2, 1982 in a homemade aircraft. Dubbed Inspiration I, the quot;flying machinequot; consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. Walters rose to an altitude of 11,000 feet (3,400 m) and floated from his point of origin in San Pedro, California into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport.