Man Floats at 11,000 Feet With Balloons and Lawn Chair

Photo © Pete Erikson/The Bulletin

Kent Couch sailed with his 105 balloons (4 feet in diameter each) early Saturday morning. He was climbing at roughly 800 feet per minute to a cruising altitude that averaged 11,000 feet. He traveled 193 miles in eight hours and 45 minutes. The trip cost about $5,000. Helium alone cost $2,400 for 49 tanks.

And this is the second time he's tried such a stunt! He reached 15,000 feet during his first trip.

Mr. Couch was inspired to try this flight after watching the “MythBusters” episode about the infamous Larry Walters balloon and lawnchair flight - which ended up interrupting air traffic to LAX for several hours. Since "Mythbusters" proved it could be done, Mr. Couch figured, "why not me?"

It's a cool story, if you want to read it.