Overview: On July 2, 1982, 33-year-old Lawrence “Larry” Walters, a California truck driver with a lifelong fascination for flight, strapped 42 helium weather balloons to a Sears lawn chair, clutched a pellet gun and a sandwich, and launched himself from San Pedro. Instead of floating a few feet, he rocketed to nearly 16,000 feet—drifting into … Continue reading Larry “Lawnchair” Walters: The Truck Driver Who Soared to 16,000 Feet in a Backyard Experiment