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  1. fossil Super Moderator

    joined: Sep 30, 2007
    9,135 posts
    Bend, Oregon
    There are two people in what are essentially lawn chairs fastened to a fairly elaborate tubular frame floating along right over the top of my property just a little while ago. The contraption is held aloft by helium ballons. The dudes on board have a bunch of water ballast in plastic tanks they can release to lose weight/gain altitude, and they have a daisy BB rifle (and blow guns & darts for backup) to deflate balloons to lose lift/descend. Solar panels, GPS, cell phone...yada yada yada.

    The guy in charge is named Ken Couch. I've met him, he owns a really nice Shell station w/minimart about 4 miles from my house, which I patronize regularly (always good prices on beer :cool:). Ken has done this stunt solo a number of times. Once he drifted clear over into Idaho. This is the maiden flight for the tandem craft. He just goes up, goes wherever the wind takes him and stays up there as long as he can. Of course there's a chase crew on the ground trying to follow the thing. I'm not standing in line for a ticket to ride with him. ;lol Rick

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    #1

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  2. Gary_602z Minister of Fire

    joined: Oct 30, 2009
    870 posts
    Lake Odessa,MI
    Have they tested the water over there yet?:) Must be something in it!

    Gary
  3. fossil Super Moderator

    joined: Sep 30, 2007
    9,135 posts
    Bend, Oregon
    Oh, I don't think we can blame it on either our water or our air out here.

    cascades1.jpg
  4. Defiant Minister of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2007
    1,864 posts
    Old Lyme CT
    I hope you get aboard soon!!! and post pics when it happens:cool:
  5. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    36,118 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Well, let's hope some other crazy bendite doesn't take out a bendetta on him and start popping balloons.
    Scotty Overkill likes this.
  6. fossil Super Moderator

    joined: Sep 30, 2007
    9,135 posts
    Bend, Oregon
    That's redundant. :p
  7. ironpony Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 22, 2010
    1,387 posts
    mid-ohio
    hope there is no pop up hail storm.................
  8. fossil Super Moderator

    joined: Sep 30, 2007
    9,135 posts
    Bend, Oregon
    They wanted to float overnight to Montana. They never made it out of Oregon...and it was, in fact, a thunderstorm that brought them down way before they reached their goal.
  9. ironpony Minister of Fire

    joined: Jan 22, 2010
    1,387 posts
    mid-ohio
    I was watching the news last nite and they actually had a piece on this flight, apparently it would of been some sort of record, only caught part of the report though.

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