Gold Distance, or Darwin award?

[Matt Herron Jr.]

Yet another lawn chair flight: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/10/tech/main3040131.shtml
Looks like he covered over 300km. Shall we petition to have Judy give
him an honorary gold distance award? He wasn't carrying O2, so he
probably didn't bust class A. Don't know about other airspace though.
Note that this is his 2nd attempt, and so maybe the Darwin Award is
more appropriate (although technically, you have to succeed at killing
yourself to get it...) I would love to get that GPS trace...

Matt Jr.

[Kloudy via AviationKB.com]

Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
>Yet another lawn chair flight: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/10/tech/main3040131.shtml
>Looks like he covered over 300km.
>Shall we petition to have Judy give honorary gold distance award? I would love to get that GPS trace...
>
>Matt Jr.

Apparently there is a community of 'em. I might like to try it sometime.
Hafta admit they're easier to see than an ASW-20 head-on. ; )

--
Message posted via AviationKB.com
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/soaring/200707/1

[Kloudy via AviationKB.com]

http://www.clusterballoon.org/

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Message posted via AviationKB.com
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[[email protected]]

On Jul 11, 3:38 pm, "Kloudy via AviationKB.com" <u33403@uwe> wrote:
> Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
> >Yet another lawn chair flight: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/10/tech/main3040131.shtml
> >Looks like he covered over 300km.
> >Shall we petition to have Judy give honorary gold distance award? I would love to get that GPS trace...
>
> >Matt Jr.
>
> Apparently there is a community of 'em. I might like to try it sometime.
> Hafta admit they're easier to see than an ASW-20 head-on. ; )
>
> --
> Message posted via AviationKB.comhttp://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/soaring/200707/1

Maybe I'm nuts, but way back when Larry What's-his-name did it, and
all my associates were ranting about what a lunatic he was (okay, not
smart or sane to do it in LA airspace) I was secretly thinking "Hmmm,
with a little better equipement set up, and away from major air
traffic, that doesn't sound all that crazy". How much crazier than
flying a hot air ballon is flying a cluster of helium balloons? Not
much, to my way of thinking. At least you're not carrying around a
furnace and enough fuel to blow you to kingdom come.

[stephanevdv]

On 12 jul, 19:08, wrote:
> On Jul 11, 3:38 pm, "Kloudy via AviationKB.com" <u33403@uwe> wrote:
>
> > Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
> > >Yet another lawn chair flight: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/10/tech/main3040131.shtml
> > >Looks like he covered over 300km.
> > >Shall we petition to have Judy give honorary gold distance award? I would love to get that GPS trace...
>
> > >Matt Jr.
>
> > Apparently there is a community of 'em. I might like to try it sometime.
> > Hafta admit they're easier to see than an ASW-20 head-on. ; )
>
> > --
> > Message posted via AviationKB.comhttp://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/soaring/200707/1
>
> Maybe I'm nuts, but way back when Larry What's-his-name did it, and
> all my associates were ranting about what a lunatic he was (okay, not
> smart or sane to do it in LA airspace) I was secretly thinking "Hmmm,
> with a little better equipement set up, and away from major air
> traffic, that doesn't sound all that crazy". How much crazier than
> flying a hot air ballon is flying a cluster of helium balloons? Not
> much, to my way of thinking. At least you're not carrying around a
> furnace and enough fuel to blow you to kingdom come.

Well, it has been done in 1959, by a French astronomer called Audouin
Dollfus (born 1924, still active). He went up to 14 000 meters, then a
world record, with a series of about 100 meteorological balloons, a
cluster 450 meters high. See pictures on this webpage (in French):
http://www.astrofiles.net/article52.html

[ContestID67]

On Jul 12, 12:08 pm, wrote:
> On Jul 11, 3:38 pm, "Kloudy via AviationKB.com" <u33403@uwe> wrote:
>
> > Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
> > >Yet another lawn chair flight: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/10/tech/main3040131.shtml
> > >Looks like he covered over 300km.
> > >Shall we petition to have Judy give honorary gold distance award? I would love to get that GPS trace...
>
> > >Matt Jr.
>
> > Apparently there is a community of 'em. I might like to try it sometime.
> > Hafta admit they're easier to see than an ASW-20 head-on. ; )
>
> > --
> > Message posted via AviationKB.comhttp://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/soaring/200707/1
>
> Maybe I'm nuts, but way back when Larry What's-his-name did it, and
> all my associates were ranting about what a lunatic he was (okay, not
> smart or sane to do it in LA airspace) I was secretly thinking "Hmmm,
> with a little better equipement set up, and away from major air
> traffic, that doesn't sound all that crazy". How much crazier than
> flying a hot air ballon is flying a cluster of helium balloons? Not
> much, to my way of thinking. At least you're not carrying around a
> furnace and enough fuel to blow you to kingdom come.

Larry Walters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Walters

[MickiMinner]

> Well, it has been done in 1959, by a French astronomer called Audouin
> Dollfus (born 1924, still active). He went up to 14 000 meters, then a
> world record, with a series of about 100 meteorological balloons, a
> cluster 450 meters high. See pictures on this webpage (in French):http://www.astrofiles.net/article52.html- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

When I went to the website (reading in my limited french) I noticed
something very familiar to many glider pilots who fly in contests.
Notice the picture of Mr Dollfus speaking with microphones? (obviously
a seminar or convention) His laptop was covered with NASA, Flying,
Ballooning decals. I can't tell you how many other sufferers of
Icarus-itis, that I have seen with similar displays on their
equipment!
Micki