The Devil’s in the Details
By Hannah Sands
On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters explained “a man can’t just sit around.” He had just flown 16,000 feet above Los Angeles, California— in a lawn chair. What was the cause of such extraordinary restlessness? From childhood, Larry cultivated an obsession with flight, be it balloons at Disney World, in a military surplus store, or experimenting with helium for school science projects.
As an adult, this obsession formed into a plan to fly at approximately 7,000 feet above Los Angeles, on Inspiration 1—his homemade aircraft. And like all nail-biting feats, the devil (and delight) resides in the details…
Inspiration 1 took the form of a sturdy lawn chair, water jugs, an altimeter, and 42 weather balloons (or maybe 43*). Larry’s preparations also included equipping himself with a parachute, life jacket, radio, compass, camera, BB gun, two liters of Coca-Cola, a six pack of Miller Lite beer, sandwiches, and an extra pair of sunglasses. His intention was to fly north to the Mojave Desert, where he would descend by shooting a number of balloons with his BB gun.
Executing this plan was difficult. The collection of materials and equipment totaled $15,000 (roughly equivalent of $49,709 in 2025). Carol, Larry’s girlfriend of 10 years, had to find a way to cover these costs. During this flight itself, Larry not only took off earlier than planned due to a rope snapping, but he drifted south towards the Pacific Ocean, and more than doubled his intended height!
What makes a man want to fly in a lawn chair? What makes a woman buy 42 weather balloons?
And to top it all off, how the heck did Larry Walters get himself back down?!
*Larry often said he had 43 balloons in the rig, but most reports mentioned just 42
Actual archival photo from 1982 of Larry Walters pre-flight in his lawnchair tied to weather balloons.