Page 10 - Aerotech News and Review, December 18, 2020

LAWN CHAIR, from 9
the Jeep and all hell broke loose, when Larry corridor to Long Beach Airport and, off in the took place. A plan was hatched to have a helicop-
missed his target altitude of 30 feet and shot up distance, LAX. Would he survive, or would the ter drop Larry a line and tow him back to safety.
to about 16,000 feet like he was a missile! We offshore winds have him drifting out over the I’m sure there was an opportunity for a Distin-
can only imagine what all his friends and neigh- Pacific Ocean, probably never to be heard from guished Flying Cross to be awarded to some pilot
bors were thinking as he kept getting smaller and again? for his heroics, but what it might have said about
smaller, they were probably wondering who was When local airport radar stations started pick- the rescue would be questioned at every gathering
going to inherit his Jeep! ing up this strange unidentified craft floating of old bold pilots and probably better left alone!
As Larry settled into his flight routine (Yeah- around the L.A. basin, a call was finally put out to The real ending was not quite as dramatic, but
Right!) he discover he was so petrified that the any aircraft that could confirm the craft’s identity. still made for a good story — after biting the bul-
idea of shooting the balloons was now out of the Sure enough, an inbound flight reported a man in let (or maybe biting the pellet), Larry worked up
question. The reality was that he was now firmly a lawn chair with a gun was hanging below some the nerve to shoot out a couple of his balloons.
He eventually lost altitude and ended up break-
in the control of Mother Nature and had no idea balloons at around 16,000 feet! I’m sure that West ing a power line in Long Beach on his way to a
what to do next except sit there in his lawn chair Coast air command was thinking long and hard safe landing.
at 16,000 feet and hope that his last confession about whether they wanted to scramble jets to With lawn chair sores on his rear end, a cold
would be enough to get him into heaven. intercept an armed man in a lawn chair! and very tired Larry the Lawn Chair Pilot was
Cold, frightened and drifting for countless Finally communication with the control tower finally lowered to good old Mother Earth and
hours, Larry the Lawn Chair Pilot was getting at Long Beach was achieved, and I’m sure a very found, as he stepped on good old terra firma,
really concerned. He was drifting into the flight interesting and colorful back and forth dialog that he had cemented himself as an urban leg-
end. There was no shortage of TV new crews and Courtesy photographs
Larry and his
chair, he gave newspaper men waiting to capture the story of the Ground control to Major Larry and may God’s
it away to some wayward pilot. There were also some other fine speed be with you! Can I have your stuff if you
neighborhood kids folks there to greet Larry, as the waiting members don’t make it back says his friends!
and he regretted of the Long Beach Police Department arrested
it, as years later Larry for violating controlled airspace into and
the Smithsonian out of the local commercial airports! seems so improbable that most of you would say,
came calling! Believe it or not, this is a true story and Larry ‘Come on Bob, stop pulling our leg. That could
Eventually it Walters the Lawn Chair Pilot really happened. have never happened.’ But it did, and even though
ended up in a After Larry’s incredible adventure, he became a the story gets a bit fuzzy around the edges with
museum!
novelty and a wanted speaker at community and time, the core is solid. As every boy or man can
social events — and really, who would not want tell you, Larry the Lawn Chair Pilot was more
to hear this story from the guy who lived it! After than likely the very first guy who could out-grunt
Larry’s fame died down, he spent some time as a Tim Allen while being able to come up with the
volunteer with the U.S. Forest Service, working
in the Angeles National Forest where he would best excuse ever as to why he was late for dinner!
care for and maintain hiking trails for the public. Until next time, Bob Out …
Gee, I wonder how he came to desire such down-
to-earth profession! Editor’s note: This article was first published
Well there you have it, one of those stories that Nov. 1, 2019.

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