Kent Couch, the amazing balloon-and-lawn-chair pilot (July 2008)


	Kent Couch, the amazing balloon-and-lawn-chair pilot (July 2008)

enbar

10-18-2009 5:51 PM

108 views

tags:

aviation, cool, news, random_sh!t

enbar says:

I'm clipping this because until today I thought this was an urban legend. Apparently a guy pulled it off in 1982 too. Years on the Internet has made me doubt everything.

2 Comments |

Add a Comment

10-19-2009 10:03 AM

couchballoons

enbar,

It's the real deal allright. We have video and tracking statistics available for the curious at http://www.couchballoons.com. There are some site updates coming as we just returned from Southern California where another flight took place on Saturday, October, 10th, 2009.

10-19-2009 11:25 AM

enbar

wow. learn something new every day.

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/a55705b5-0d80-4ac7-b641-a397487dc127/68E2F761-B321-4779-927E-F49936BC6C79/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho" href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho" style="font-size: 11px;">news.sky.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><div align="center"><img src="http://content7.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/news.sky.com/img/E89E3C59-CC41-4135-97FF-64117C19ED98" alt="Sky News Logo" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><H1> 
						US Man Flies By Party Balloons
					</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><H2>An American has flown 235 miles on a garden chair using 150 helium-filled party balloons to lift him.</H2></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><div align="center"><img src="http://content8.clipmarks.com/blog_cache/news.sky.com/img/C632307D-9B91-4D2E-B960-8E33C12CC4A6" alt="Balloon Flight" /></div></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><P>Kent Couch rose into the sky from his home in Oregon, clutching a mug of coffee,</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><P>He travelled around 20mph and nine hours later ended his journey in Idaho after shooting some of the balloons with a ball-bearing gun.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><P>Mr Couch, who navigated with a GPS satellite-guided tracking device, said: "If I had the time and money and people, I'd do this every weekend."</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><P>"Things just look different from up there. You've moving so slowly. The best thing is the peace, the serenity.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><P>"You can hear a dog bark at 15,000 feet.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Balloon-Flight-Kent-Couch-Flies-On-Chair-Using-150-Party-Balloons-From-Oregon-To-Idaho/Article/200807115026344?lpos=World_News_Article_Related_Content_Region_6&lid=ARTICLE_15026344_Balloon_Flight%3A_Kent_Couch_Flies_On_Chair_Using_150_Party_Balloons_From_Oregon_To_Idaho"><P>Couch was inspired by a TV show about the 1982 garden chair flight over Los Angeles by truck driver Larry Walters, who gained folk hero fame but was fined £750 for violating air traffic rules.</P></blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/68E2F761-B321-4779-927E-F49936BC6C79/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

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