Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site uiucuxc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!paul From: paul@uiucuxc.UUCP Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Re: True story or whopper? - (nf) Message-ID: <10800005@uiucuxc.UUCP> Date: Sat, 11-Aug-84 14:57:00 EDT Article-I.D.: uiucuxc.10800005 Posted: Sat Aug 11 14:57:00 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 12-Aug-84 06:54:12 EDT References: <557@bnl.UUCP> Lines: 21 Nf-ID: #R:bnl:-55700:uiucuxc:10800005:000:950 Nf-From: uiucuxc!paul Aug 11 13:57:00 1984 #R:bnl:-55700:uiucuxc:10800005:000:950 uiucuxc!paul Aug 11 13:57:00 1984 I was in Santa Monica, CA when the ballon & lawnchair pilot made his ascent. He tied ~40 helium weather ballons to a chair and carried a CO2 pellet pistol to pop the ballons. He was over 12,000 feet and possibly above the TCA. The ascent was so rapid he lost his eyeglasses. He started popping balloons when he felt it was too cold. He would have died from the landing impact (no parachute) if his balloon tethers hadn't wrapped around some power lines. Some folks just have a charmed life. The FAA was in a bit of a quandry deciding what to charge him with. They wanted to discourage other folks from this sort of entertainment. I believe they settled on flying an aircraft with no airworthiness certificate, some fine, plus reimbursing the power company for the line repairs. Paul Pomes uucp: {ihnp4,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!uiucuxc!paul harpo!uiucuxc!paul US Mail: University of Illinois, CSO, 1304 W Springfield, Urbana, IL 61801