Forty-two helium-filled weather balloons lifted Larry Walters in this aluminum lawn chair from San Pedro, California, on July 2, 1982. Walters reached 16,000 feet (4,880 meters), drifting into the controlled airspace surrounding Los Angeles International Airport. Commercial pilots reported sighting him to the tower.

Are hot air balloons safe? The short answer is: yes, far more often than not. Accidents are increasingly rare, but they do happen. Data from 2022 provided by the National Transportation Safety Board shows 775 hot air balloon accidents on record in the United States since 1964, total.

To lift a person, 5,535 helium balloons are required. A helium balloon can use the lifting force of 1 gram per liter, so the amount of helium gas determines the lifting force. If a balloon contains 10 liters of helium, then it can lift 10 grams of weight. A normal helium balloon can lift 14 grams of weight.