Larry Walters: IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO, IT’S LARRY WALTERS – THE LAWN CHAIR PILOT

LARRY WALTERS courtesy of chadtheultimate.comLarry Walters: IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE – NO, IT’S LARRY WALTERS – THE LAWN CHAIR PILOT 

On July 2, 1982, 33-year-old Vietnam veteran Larry Walters flew three miles above Los Angeles in an aluminum lawn chair tied to 45 helium weather balloons.  He took along a large bottle of soda, a pellet gun, a portable CB radio, a parachute, and a camera.  He spent two hours up in the air, startling airline pilots and causing one to radio the Federal Aviation Administration.  He was later convicted of several violations of the Federal Aviation Act, resulting in a $4,000 fine.  Walters appealed the violations and the fine was later reduced to $1,500. 

Although his flight brought him instant fame, it wasn’t very lucrative.  The biggest profit came in 1992 when Walters was paid $1,000 to appear in print advertisements for Timex featuring adventurous individuals wearing Timex watches. Still, he never made back the estimated $4,000 it cost him to make the lawn chair aircraft.  On October 6, 1993, Walters went for a hike in Angeles National Forest and shot himself in the heart. His suicide was a shock to everyone with no apparent motive. He was 44-years-old.  Photo courtesy of chadtheultimate.com

ADDITIONAL FACTS:

  • Walters wanted to enlist in the United States Air Force, but was rejected due to his poor eyesight.
  • He worked as a North Hollywood truck driver before becoming “the lawn chair pilot.”  
  • Walters tried landing his lawn chair aircraft in a large grassy area, but instead ended up entangled in a set of power lines.  Police officers had to shut down power in Long Beach for 20 minutes in order to get him down safely.    
  • After landing, he gave the aluminum lawn chair away to admiring neighborhood children, a decision he later regretted.
  • Walters appeared as a guest on both The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Show with David Letterman.