Article content

Calgary “balloon-atic” Daniel Boria rode a lawn chair hooked to helium balloons at a height in excess of 13,000 feet as part of a stunt which was supposed to see him parachute into the Calgary Stampede rodeo, court heard Thursday.

Crown prosecutor Matt Dalidowicz, reading from a statement of agreed facts, said Boria risked the lives of passengers on incoming and departing flights by taking his homemade aircraft above Calgary’s skies during the July 5, 2015, incident.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Balloon man who flew over Calgary strapped to lawn chair pleads guilty Back to video

“In a scenario where an aircraft travelling at 300 km/h makes contact with an uncontrollable object weighing 150-200 pounds, the results would be catastrophic damage to the airframe, engine and/or control surfaces,” Dalidowicz told provincial court Judge Bruce Fraser.

“Of greatest concern would be that the cockpit windshields may be compromised and one or both flight crew members become incapacitated,” he said.

“This scenario could result in the loss of the aircraft and the lives of those on board.”