Larry Walters, better known as Lawnchair Larry, made headlines in 1982 when he tied 42 helium balloons to a garden chair and flew over part of Los Angeles. After his flight, he explained that taking flight had been a lifelong ambition. Having been rejected by the US Air Force because of his bad eyesight, he carried out years of careful research to make his dream come true in his own peculiarly homespun way. He calculated how many balloons he needed, attached 13 plastic jugs of water to his chair as ballast, and took an air pistol to burst the balloons to control his descent.
He ended up soaring much higher than expected and lost a pair of glasses overboard as he shot up to 16,000ft (4,880m). Two commercial aircraft reported sightings to air traffic control. After shooting out seven balloons, he accidentally dropped the gun before the remaining balloons started to deflate and he landed unharmed after about 45 minutes. Even though the escapade was absurd, he said he knew what he was doing and that everything was organised and carefully arranged. “He was a pilot, not just a guy sitting in a chair. He was actually a pilot – in his head.”
Walters’ story has continued to hold an unlikely fascination for four decades and has inspired numerous copycats and even a 2003 film. He has now made it across the Atlantic thanks to a new stage musical titled 42 Balloons, which has reclaimed him as a hero. The writer and composer of the musical explains that seeing someone achieve an apparently far-fetched life goal is inspiring. By writing about Larry’s dream, the writer has gone some way to achieving his own, and is now a rising star of musical theatre.
However, Larry’s death at the age of 44 in 1993, 11 years after his flight, was initially reported as a suicide, but his mother later told a different story to the New Yorker, claiming there were suspicious circumstances. His sister, however, dismissed this suggestion. Mark Barry, who started investigating the story, has claimed to have uncovered evidence that Larry’s death was not suicide. Walters remains a heroic maverick of everyday American life whatever the truth of his tragic ending may be.
42 Balloons is at The Lowry in Salford until 19 May.
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