In 1982, Larry Walters floated in the sky for 45 minutes in his lawn chair tied to 42 balloons; 11 years later, he shot himself to death

Larry Walters could not take any photo as his flight turned chaotic but this photo was taken by his girlfriend before the flight. The Internet still can't believe that a Los Angeles man in 1982 tied a few balloons to a lawn chair and flew in the sky for 45 minutes. Larry Walters became a myth in this century, while his adventure remains a lore that's quite unbeaten. Larry had dreamed of flying but could not become a pilot because of his poor eyesight. He served as a cook in the Vietnam War and then worked as a truck driver.Flying high just on balloonsOn July 2, 1982, Walters made a 45-minute flight in his lawn chair powered by 42 helium-filled weather balloons. His chair went as high as 16,000 feet and entered the controlled airspace near Long Beach Airport. He shot pellets to burst the balloons and landed unharmed but not without incident, and was immediately arrested. He was initially fined $4,000, which was later reduced to $1500."It was something I had to do. I had this dream for twenty years, and if I hadn't done it, I think I would have ended up in the funny farm. Since I was 13 years old, I've dreamed of going up into the clear blue sky in a weather balloon. By the grace of ...