Kent Couch also wants to use a leaf blower - and ditch the chair

By Amy Easley, KTVZ.COM

Ever since he was a little boy, Kent Couch has dreamed big.

"I remember as a kid laying on my back, looking up at the clouds and seeing a little puff cloud go by, and thinking' - 'That's mine! If I could get on that thing and ride it, life would be perfect.'"

Couch got his chance in July of 2007. With the help of family and volunteers, Couch tied 154 giant balloons to a lawn chair, and took the ride of his life, for 193 miles. He didn't make it to his Idaho goal that time, on actually his second flight - but a year later, he did, on a 235-mile flight, proving the third time was the charm.

With his victory came unexpected attention. He's made network TV appearances, even been the hot topic of late night.

"David Letterman and Jay Leno called us at the same time and said, 'Hey, we want you to be on our show?' And we said, 'Hey, Leno likes cars, I like cars - let's go with Leno."

That was after the 2007 flight. Since then, he's also been featured in magazines like Time and In Touch, and books like Ripley's Believe it or Not.

"Who would ever think all the times I've read Readers Digest I'd actually be in it?" he said recently, perusing his collection of mentions.

After making international headlines, Kent's story caught the attention of California businessman John Freis. He wanted to make a lawn-chair balloon of his own, with Kent's help.

But Couch and his team were cautious: This type of flying can be both dangerous and expensive. And this was not the first time they'd been approached by another "balloon enthusiast" wanting help.

Mark Knowles, Couch's team leader, say launch days can be intense.

"It's adrenaline for 12 hours," he said. "You're setting the thing up, you're launching the guy. There's this element of excitement, and then a little bit of fear."

But on Oct. 10, Freis took flight, east of San Diego. He covered 46 miles, just managing to avoid restricted airspace.

"At the landing, even scarier than the restricted airspace, is these power lines," Knowles recalled. "And he was popping balloons and coming down at an angle. And he missed them, no contact, but it was close."

The two lawn chairs Couch flew in, he sold to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, to help pay for future flights.

The gas station owner's next venture: adding a leaf blower to the mix, for some directional control. He says he wants to ditch the chair, and wear just the balloons and leaf blower, so he can steer himself around - as close to flying like a bird as you can get.

Couch plans another flight next spring, but a bit different - Freis plans to fly up to Bend, so the two can race their lawn-chair balloons.

To follow his exploits, visit http://www.couchballoons.com/