The Real Life Cutter John

I used to really enjoy Bloom County. I discovered Berke Breathed’s excellent comic towards the end of its life, so I went back and bought all the books. Fans may recall a plotline in which Cutter John affixes many helium balloons to his wheelchair, and with Opus and Bill the Cat as co-pilots, takes flight. Eventually they bail out over the Pacific and are rescued by a Soviet submarine crew. But that’s another story.

Via Waxy, though, I discovered the true story of Larry Walters. He soared three miles above Los Angeles in an aluminum lawnchair tethered to helium weather balloons.