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Lawn-chair balloonist plans flight over Iraq
In 2008, he flew from Oregon to Idaho. Next week, gas-station owner Kent Couch will fly again, this time over Iraq -- in his balloon-powered lawn chair.

On November 15th, Couch and Iraqi extreme sport enthusiast Fareed Lafta will board lawn chairs, fitted with 300 balloons instead of Couch's usual 150.

"We're going to have two guys on one platform," Couch said. "So we'll have two lawn chairs connected, and we'll launch with twice as many balloons."

Equipped with oxygen masks, they'll lift off in Baghdad's Green Zone, soaring to 25,000 feet for more than 24 hours, in an effort to benefit a charity for Iraqi children.

First, they'll make sure both the US and Iraqi militaries are aware of the flight.
That does seem like a prudent precaution, all things considered.
The 400-mile "cluster-balloon adventure" will end with Couch and Lafta arriving at the Talent for Youth Conference...
they hope. Either that or they get to be guests of the mullahs.
...Couch admits that his only fear is that the wind might push them in the wrong direction.
Remind me, the winds blow from, um, west, to um, um, um ... east, right?
"The fear is if we drift to Iran, which is only about 85 miles from Baghdad -- and if we were to get a wind blowing west, we would just have to go up and come back down, because I'm not going to gamble being in Iran for very long," Couch said.
Yes, one imagines your stay might be extended if you were to reach their territory. And hospitality has declined quite sadly since the days of the Shahs.

Posted by: American Delight 2011-11-15
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=333456