"'Balloonatic' gets $26.5K fine for 'unconscionably stupid' lawn chair flight over Calgary"
Via Reddit: "Why climb the highest mountain?" said Boria outside court. "Why 85 years ago fly the Atlantic? Why do the Oilers play the Flames? I chose to fly a chair; not because it is easy but because it is hard. Because that goal served to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills."
In handing down the sentence provincial court Judge Bruce Fraser called Boria's stunt "dumb and dangerous" and "unconscionably stupid."
"There was nothing fantastic, fun or exhilarating about it," said Fraser. "There is no precedent for so foolish an escapade."
During the time he was in the air, 24 airplanes took off and landed in Calgary.
He said the stunt was worthwhile and he has no regrets.
"[They] didn't charge the Wright brothers," said Boria.
"It's pretty hard to take it seriously when you guys are asking me these questions based on me flying a lawn chair."
8 comments:
I've been in a hot air balloon. When the gas is turned on, it is loud and the deer, horses, and cows below you freak out. Also, when they get ready to land, they look for a farmers hay field to set it down in. Then, the pickup vehicles will drive across that field to pick the basket, balloon, and riders up.
Take away the rhetoric about testing his best abilities, the guy was flying over a busy airfield! I'm with the judge on this one.
As to the amount of the fine...I guess the state pulls that out of a hat.
Darwin Award
A good quote from edutcher's link: "A man can't just sit around."
Not the first time for a stunt like this. I worked for Sears at the time. They seemed proud of the fact that a Sears chair was used.
I have been to Kitty Hawk, have walked the entire length of the first and second heavier-than-air, powered flight paths, and trust me, the Brothers Wright endangered no other air traffic that day.
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