Third Time's a Charm for Balloon Man

48 year old gas station owner Kent Couch has finally succeeded in achieving his dream - after two prior failures, the adventurer has flown a lawn chair borne by helium balloons from his business in Bend, Oregon to Cambridge, Idaho. Traveling at an average speed of 20 mph and an altitude of 13,000 feet, Couch had "up and down" control of his contraption but lateral navigation was at the mercy of Mother Nature.

The Design


His last attempt

Couch took off Saturday morning, riding a green lawn chair supported by a rainbow array of more than 150 helium-filled party balloons.

He kissed his wife and kids goodbye, and patted their shivering Chihuahua, Isabella, before his ground crew gave him a push so he could clear surrounding light poles and a coffee cart.

Then, clutching a big mug of coffee, Couch rose out of the parking lot of his gas station into the bright blue morning sky, cheered by a crowd of spectators.

"If I had the time and money and people, I'd do this every weekend," Couch said before getting into the chair. "Things just look different from up there. You're moving so slowly. The best thing is the peace, the serenity.

"You can hear a dog bark at 15,000 feet."

I just have to know if that thing had a cupholder. Then again, at 13,000 feet and no facilities readily available, perhaps in-flight beverages aren't advisable after all. . ."golden showers" would take on an entirely new meaning!