That’s the provocative headline on a blog post in Great Britain’s The Guardian newspaper about Bend’s own Kent Couch, the gas station proprietor who flew a lawn chair attached to 150 giant helium balloons from Bend to Idaho on Saturday.
“His lift-off, achieved by ditching some of the 45 gallons of the cherry Kool-Aid drink he was using as ballast, was almost as audacious as his landing,” blogger Paul Lewis writes. “When he’d had enough of sailing through the air, Couch took out a gun and started shooting balloons until he was headed earthward.
“Can you imagine? A clear blue sky, breathtaking Midwest [sic] scenery, and Couch, the floating man we all secretly want to be, casually taking aim with his ball-bearing pistol and, like a man without a care in the world, popping shots at his multicoloured balloons.”
“Breathtaking Midwest scenery”? In Eastern Oregon and Idaho? Better take a remedial US geography class, son. Your copy editor, too.
“Between bursts,” Lewis continues, Couch “would sip his coffee and nibble at boiled eggs, beef jerky and chocolate. What a guy.
“You might be thinking it’s stupidity that takes the like of Couch skywards. This weekend sailors off the coast of Brazil discovered the body of Catholic priest Father Adelir de Carli, 42, who was last seen strapped to 1,000 giant party balloons in April.
“I disagree. These men may be fools, but they’re enviable fools. In today’s risk-averse world, there’s something admirable about a guy from Oregon willing to gamble his life on a gust of wind, just because it feels good.”
So what do you think, Wandering Eye readers? Was Couch’s feat an act of heroism or balloonacy? Or something else entirely?
This article appears in Jul 3-9, 2008.
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Heroism? Nah! Balloonacy. Maybe. What I think that most people don’t look at here is that he is a business owner and in my opinion, this is merely a publicity stunt for business!
You folks don’t get it. It was a deep seeded desire inside of him that he was able to bring out and accomplish ‘that’ desire. He had seen it done as a child and it stuck with him all these years.
Yes, he is a business man in our community but have you seen, at any time or any news interview, any likeness, picture or mention of his business? No!
Again, he was just able to do what his heart desired and he had the time of his life in doing so and never harmed anything or anyone at any time.
He is neither a hero or ballonacy. Just a kid at heart having the time of his life. Don’t you see…. balloons, kool-aid and a bee-bee gun.
Meg cynical much? I agree with RRA. Growing up your taught breakfast, lunch, dinner then desert. When your out on your you eat the desert first just because you can!
He is nothing more than a fool…we are lucky search and rescue wasnt called out to look for his body….FOOLS NAMES AND FOOLS FACES OFTEN APPEAR IN PUBLIC PLACES
Kristian Foden-Vencil of OPB has an interview with Kent Couch in which the intrepid balloon man says he might not make another flight.
RRA– you are mistaken about Kent not using this platfor to promote his own business. If you go to his website, the Shell station is splashed everwhere. It’s the first thing you see! On his second flight, last year, he actuall had a huge banner under his chair to advertise his mini mart. When describing the launch, he even says how people waiting to launch could come inside and get a breakfast sandwhich and buy a T-Shirt. Seriously– look at the site. The FIRST SENTANCE describing the 2008 flight highlights his business, and provides a link to it on the map.
RRA– you are mistaken about Kent not using this platform to promote his own business. If you go to his website, the Shell station is splashed everywhere. It’s the first thing you see! On his second flight, last year, he actually had a huge banner under his chair to advertise his mini mart. When describing the launch, he even says how people waiting to launch could come inside and get a breakfast sandwich and buy a T-Shirt. Seriously– look at the site. The FIRST SENTANCE describing the 2008 flight highlights his business, and provides a link to it on the map.