Lawn Chair Ballooning: Serene or Idiotic?

Perhaps it’s both. In the wake of Kent Couch’s latest stunt (video below), Thomas Vinciguerra looks at the phenomenon. Two things in his piece surprised me: The first lawn chair balloon flight may have taken place as early as 1937 over Minnesota and Iowa, and it’s estimated that about 10 of these flights take place each year.

So why do we hear so much about Couch, and not so much about the rest of the fliers? Perhaps not everyone has the need to promote themselves like Couch.

Related on World Hum:
* Talk About Leg Room: The 193-Mile Flight in a Lawn Chair

Photo by OiMax, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

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