If you were one of the many who wondered whether you could emulate the movie ‘Up’ and take to the air through the use of balloons, you now have your answer – it’s a resounding yes.

A man in Calgary, Canada strapped around 120 helium-filled balloons to a humble garden chair and took off over the city although it could prove to be a costly voyage. 26-year-old Daniel Boria has been charged with mischief causing danger to life, telling police he planned to land at the rodeo event the Calgary Stampede to promote his company. Below from the BBC:

Mr Boria said he “somersaulted out the chair” and parachuted down to safety after the balloons took him too high…

[He] injured his ankle after landing in a field just outside the city on Sunday but no one else was hurt. He was detained after receiving medical attention.

“I was sitting in a lawn chair looking down through the clouds at 747 airplanes and looking up to a cluster of helium balloons…I rose to a certain altitude and the winds got pretty intense. I was somersaulting out the chair and it felt like minus 30. I watched below as the stampede and my dream drifted away.”

The helium alone is believed to have cost around R116 000 with the possibility that Boria will face further charges. Perhaps he best stick to more conventional ways of advertising if he wants his cleaning product company to get off the ground.

Below you can see his descent.

[source:bbc]