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Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair

 
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cdewey6969(at)yahoo.com
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 10:05 am    Post subject: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair Reply with quote

BEND, Ore. - Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in
his lawn chair with some snacks � and a parachute.
Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium
balloons.


Destination: Idaho.

With instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a
global positioning system device in his pocket, and
about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water
each to act as ballast � he could turn a spigot,
release water and rise � Couch headed into the Oregon
sky.

Nearly nine hours later, the 47-year-old gas station
owner came back to earth in a farmer's field near
Union, short of Idaho but about 193 miles from home.

"When you're a little kid and you're holding a helium
balloon, it has to cross your mind," Couch told the
Bend Bulletin.

"When you're laying in the grass on a summer day, and
you see the clouds, you wish you could jump on them,"
he said. "This is as close as you can come to jumping
on them. It's just like that."

Couch is the latest American to emulate Larry Walters
� who in 1982 rose three miles above Los Angeles in a
lawn chair lifted by balloons. Walters had surprised
an airline pilot, who radioed the control tower that
he had just passed a guy in a lawn chair. Walters paid
a $1,500 penalty for violating air traffic rules.

It was Couch's second flight.

In September, he got off the ground for six hours.
Like Walters, he used a BB gun to pop the balloons,
but he went into a rapid descent and eventually
parachuted to safety.

This time, he was better prepared. The balloons had a
new configuration, so it was easier to reach up and
release a bit of helium instead of simply cutting off
a balloon.

He took off at 6:06 a.m. Saturday after kissing his
wife, Susan, goodbye and petting his Chihuahua,
Isabella. As he made about 25 miles an hour, a
three-car caravan filled with friends, family and the
dog followed him from below.

Couch said he could hear cattle and children, and he
said he even passed through clouds.

"It was beautiful � beautiful," he told KTVZ-TV. He
described the flight as mostly peaceful and serene,
with occasional turbulence, like a hot-air balloon
ride sitting down.

Couch decided to stop when he was down to a gallon of
water and just eight pounds of ballast. Concerned
about the rugged terrain outside La Grande, including
Hells Canyon, he decided it was time to land.

He popped enough balloons to set the craft down,
although he suffered rope burns. But after he jumped
out, the wind grabbed his chair, with his video
recorder, and the remaining balloons and swept them
away. He's hoping to get them back some day.

Brandon Wilcox, owner of Professional Air, which
charters and maintains planes at the Bend airport,
said Thursday that Couch definitely did it. Wilcox
said he flew a plane nearby while Couch traveled, and
a passenger videotaped the flying lawn chair.

Whether Couch will take a third trip is up to his
wife, and Susan Couch said she's thinking about saying
no. But she said she was willing to go along with last
weekend's trip.

"I know he'd be thinking about it more and more, it
would always be on his mind," she said. "This way, at
least he's fulfilled his dream."
--- N1BZRich(at)aol.com wrote:

Quote:
Hello Lightning listers,
I flew N31BZ, my Esqual LS (lots of Lightning
Stuff), back to "home
plate" (Shelbyville, TN) today. The purpose of
this trip is three fold: first,
I am going to once again attend the Jabiru engine
seminar this weekend (I
attended once before and it was great, but I
thought a refresher might be good
for me), second, I need a small paint flaw
corrected by the one and only
master Lightning painter, "Chad the Amazing", and
third, I am finally going to get
a chance to fly and evaluate the new demonstrator
Lightning (N323AL). I
flew the Lightning prototype about a year ago (my
write up is probably still in
the Lightning list archives) and now I will write a
flight report based on my
experience with the prototype. Since it is a
production kit and is built by
the same folks (Nick, Mark and Mike) that help
customers with the builders
assist program here in Shelbyville, it represents
exactly what a builder can
expect his Lightning to be. I look forward to the
evaluation flight and will
fly about the same test profile that I used when I
flew the prototype. I
actually flew a short flight this afternoon in the
demo Lightning, just to get
used to the airplane, but the weather was not really
"ideal" for a full
evaluation.
As a bit of additional information on what you
can expect from your
Lightning, I had a nice flight from Virginia this
morning in 31BZ although I did
have about 10 to 12 mph of effective headwinds until
I got just north of
Knoxville, then mostly a cross wind on in to SYI.
Total flying time from brake
release at Williamsburg to turning off the runway at
Shelbyville airport was 3
hours and 32 minutes - so even with the headwinds my
average ground speed
for the 550 miles was 156 mph. Fuel burn averaged
5.9 gph. I initially started
the trip at 6,500' but soon had to climb to 8,500
and then on up to 10,500
to stay VFR. The remainder of the flight was "on
top" with the auto pilot on.
I am currently using a wooden 64ZK55 Sensenich,
but this prop is still not
the optimum for the most efficient cruise as it
still allows my engine to
over speed when at 5000' and full throttle. Nick
will have more to say on the
best prop for the Lightning when he completes
testing with a new blade
profile on a slightly shorter diameter prop with
several more inches of pitch.
Don't bug him with questions just yet, let him
complete the testing and he will
publish the results.
Blue Skies,
Buz





************************************** See what's
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N1BZRich(at)aol.com
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 11:25 am    Post subject: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair Reply with quote

Now, just think about a lawn chair with helium balloons and a Jabiru 2200 engine.
Buz

See what's free at AOL.com.
[quote][b]


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lozhoffman(at)yahoo.com
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PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:38 pm    Post subject: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair Reply with quote

The lawn chair with the helium ballons has been done
before. Funny aussie movie called "Danny Deckchair"
about one fellow's local experience with the concept.
Not so sure about the 2200 though Buzz. Images of a
largely horizontal format with the 2200 followed by
the deckchair followed by the helium balloons!
Laurie

--- N1BZRich(at)aol.com wrote:

Quote:
Now, just think about a lawn chair with helium
balloons and a Jabiru 2200
engine.
Buz



************************************** See what's
free at http://www.aol.com.



Laurie
02 46531233
0425 703226


Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out.
http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433


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vettin74(at)yahoo.com
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:33 am    Post subject: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair Reply with quote

I believe a pusher configuration would be best considering the thrust line and resulting moment with the ballons on top.......of course i am not sure if accepted aerodynamic theroy applies here!

nick

N1BZRich(at)aol.com wrote:
[quote] Now, just think about a lawn chair with helium balloons and a Jabiru 2200 engine.
Buz

See what's free at AOL.com.
[quote][b] [url=http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48250/*http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v9.php?o=US2226&cmp=Yahoo&ctv=AprNI&s=Y&s2=EM&b=50]Pinpoint customers [/url]who are looking for what you sell. [quote][b]


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N1BZRich(at)aol.com
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:54 am    Post subject: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair Reply with quote

In a message dated 7/10/2007 8:39:38 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, lozhoffman(at)yahoo.com writes:
Quote:
Images of a
largely horizontal format with the 2200 followed by
the deckchair followed by the helium balloons!


Laurie,
Based on your comment above and Nick's suggestion for a pusher configuration lawn chair, I have come up with the following design. First, Nick's pusher lawn chair is hung under the balloons with rigid attachments, and then the balloons are encased in a light weight frame and net affair that forces the balloons into the shape of a blimp. An elevator and rudder behind the pusher prop would also be used. That should work, but I am not too sure how you determine gross weight of an "airship" that has neutral buoyancy. Also, how about stall speed, demonstrated cross wind capability, etc., etc. Inquiring minds want to know. Thoughts?
Blue Skies,
Buz

PS: Damn, it's hot outside. That's why I'm inside working on these super secret designs to add to the Lightning skunk works list of future projects.

See what's free at AOL.com.
[quote][b]


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dashvii(at)hotmail.com
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:35 pm    Post subject: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair Reply with quote

Yes, I think this is beyond textbook aerodynamics here. Wonder if they have
a world record for (lighter than air?) chairs and ballons longest flight?

I have done a lot of research on early Navy rigid airships. I am
particularly interested in writing a book on the disaster of the Shenandoah.
They never landed crosswind, they come in to a mooring mast that had a
pivot head on it. That way it swung around like a wind sock. Or in the
case of the Shenandoah, gets ripped off the mast in a major storm and limps
around the sky. Pretty cool though. Plans for a 1,000' lighter than air
aircraft carrier was planned when the program cancelled. I've got an artist
pic of corsairs flying off the thing. Very interesting. Brian W.
From: N1BZRich(at)aol.com
Reply-To: lightning-list(at)matronics.com
To: lightning-list(at)matronics.com
Subject: Re: Article: 105 Helium Balloons and a Lawn Chair
Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:54:08 EDT
In a message dated 7/10/2007 8:39:38 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
lozhoffman(at)yahoo.com writes:

Images of a
largely horizontal format with the 2200 followed by
the deckchair followed by the helium balloons!

Laurie,
Based on your comment above and Nick's suggestion for a pusher
configuration lawn chair, I have come up with the following design. First,
Nick's
pusher lawn chair is hung under the balloons with rigid attachments, and
then
the balloons are encased in a light weight frame and net affair that forces
the
balloons into the shape of a blimp. An elevator and rudder behind the
pusher prop would also be used. That should work, but I am not too sure
how you
determine gross weight of an "airship" that has neutral buoyancy. Also,
how
about stall speed, demonstrated cross wind capability, etc., etc.
Inquiring
minds want to know. Thoughts?
Blue Skies,
Buz

PS: Damn, it's hot outside. That's why I'm inside working on these super
secret designs to add to the Lightning skunk works list of future projects.

************************************** See what's free at
http://www.aol.com.

_________________________________________________________________
Don't get caught with egg on your face. Play Chicktionary!�
http://club.live.com/chicktionary.aspx?icid=chick_hotmailtextlink2


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