Americana: High Chair

On July 2, Larry Walters, 33, a TV production company driver, donned a parachute and strapped himself into an aluminum lawn chair to which he had attached 45 helium-filled weather balloons. From a San Pedro, Calif., backyard, he drifted three miles skyward, where he was spotted by two passenger jetliners. Walters shot out ten of the balloons with a BB pistol and floated down to earth after accumulating 90 minutes of flying time. Said he: "It was something I had to do to achieve inner peace."

Federal Aviation Administration officials did not share his peace. Last week they cited Walters for...

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