
"I’m not stopping till I get out of state," Kent said as he prepared for launch on Saturday, July 5th at 6:00am. Kent met his goal at 4:12pm, when he landed safely in Cambridge, Idaho, to the open arms of his ground crew, the townspeople and the media. Couch covered about 235 miles in nine and a half hours (significantly beating his estimated 15 hrs.) Kent says he will not be going that way again now that he has met his goal, but did not mention giving up his passion for cluster ballooning.
With the help of SPOT (Satellite Personal Tracker) and Google Maps, we will be broadcasting Kent's position. So if you're local, come on down to the Stop & Go in Bend, OR. If you aren't able to see Kent in person, watch the live launch and track his flight online.
Kent and Susan Couch traveled to New York City on May 30th to be interviewed for the second time by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. Kent shared the excitement of recovering his lost cluster balloon chair and electronic equipment. Most notably, clips from the much anticipated in-flight footage were shown. Kent discussed his plans for his next cluster balloon flight, scheduled for July 5th, 2008. Susan said, "You can't let a good man stay down."
This morning, Kent announced on a Portland radio station that "Mission Control" a.k.a Susan Couch (Kent's lovely wife) has provided flight approval for Kent's next cluster balloon flight. He is currently scheduled to fly again on Saturday, July 5th, 2008. Kent is anxious to test some new ideas and techniques he believes will take him farther than he has ever been before. Stay tuned for the latest information on the upcoming cluster balloon flight.
After almost a year, Kent Couch's cluster balloon chair and electronic equipment were discovered in Eastern Oregon, just outside of Baker City. A ranching couple stumbled upon the chair while checking their property's fence line. Kent traveled to Baker City to recover the cluster balloon chair and present the $500 reward. The chair and equipment are in excellent condition and the in-flight footage is currently being recovered. Read more about the amazing discovery.
Kent Couch appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno to gab about his recent cluster balloon flight. Kent wasn't shy, sharing some of the most intimate details of his journey. The highlight of the show was when Jay experienced cluster ballooning in a tethered custom cluster balloon outside his studio. Jay looked a little leery as he left the ground to hoots and cheers from the crowd below. After all, cluster ballooning isn't for the faint of heart.
Kent Couch fulfilled his childhood dream of flying by cluster balloon Saturday, July 7, 2007. For Kent, the intrigue of flying by balloons never faded with adulthood. While watching a show on the Discovery Channel years ago about Larry Walter's lawn chair helium balloon ride, Kent became moved. Armed with his insatiable curiosity, Kent Couch began preparing to fly by cluster balloon. Read more about how Kent planned his flight.