Latest / Wicked and Grim: A True Crime Podcast
Lawnchair Larry Walters
On July 2, 1982, a 33 year old truck driver named Larry Walters launched himself into the skies above Los Angeles using a lawn chair and 45 helium filled weather balloons. Within minutes, he had ascended to 16,000 feet, drifting directly into controlled airspace near LAX, confusing commercial pilots and triggering a response from federal authorities. He carried no license, no flight plan, and no training, just a pellet gun, a parachute, and a lifelong dream of flying. What began as a backyard experiment quickly became a national spectacle, a safety incident, and eventually, one of the most…
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