3rd Time Is A Charm For Oregon Balloonist

Kent Couch has finally made his dream come true after 2 failed attempts in 2006 and 2007. Kent strapped 150 helium-filled party balloons to his lawn chair, packed his coffee, his BB gun, a parachute and 2 GPS devices and lifted off from Bend, OR.

After a 9-hour trip, Kent set down in Cambridge, Idaho to amazed onlookers. Kent was quoted as saying, "If I had the time and money and people, I'd do this every weekend."

Personally, I think that with the expense of 3 attempts to fly from Bend to Idaho, he could have obtained his Balloon or Sport Pilot Certificate with the money spent so far. But, to each his own.