Posted on 01/27/2022 9:41:01 AM PST by algore
Travelling into space is something that many people dream of, and it almost became a reality for one man - until he stepped on the scales.
Airline pilot Kyle Hippchen, 43, from Florida, was delighted to win a raffle ticket to be part of the Inspiration4 crew on SpaceX's first tourist flight last year.
But at 5ft10 and 330lbs he exceeded SpaceX's 250lb weight limit.
So his seat went to his college roommate, Chris Sembroski, 42, a data engineer in Everett, Washington while Hippchen watched from a VIP balcony.
The pain of missing out on the once-in-a-lifetime trip still hasn't worn off for Hippchen, who hasn't been able to bring himself to watch the Netflix series about the flight.
'It hurts too much,' he said. 'I'm insanely disappointed. But it is what it is.'
Hippchen - a Florida-based captain for Delta's regional carrier Endeavor Air - recently shared his story during his first visit to NASA's Kennedy Space Centre since his lost rocket ride.
He opened up about his out-of-the-blue, dream-come-true windfall, the letdown when he realized he topped SpaceX's weight restrictions of 250 pounds and his offer to the one person he knew would treasure the flight as much as himself.
Four months later, he figures probably fewer than 50 people know he was the actual winner.
'It was their show, and I didn't want to be distracting too much from what they were doing,' said Hippchen, who watched the launch from a VIP balcony.
Hippchen and Sembroski were college roommates while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the late 1990s.
They'd pile into cars with other student space geeks and make the hourlong drive south for NASA's shuttles launches. They also belonged to a space advocacy group, going to Washington to push commercial space travel.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Neither do I jump out of perfectly good airplanes, but i know lots of people do
If you can’t lose some weight to live a dream, you’re beyond hope.
Am 275 pounds and would give my ticket to someone else anyway. Flying on planes makes me nervous as it is, plus I get motion sick.
A shame he didn’t lose the weight to go on this trip.
Hope those cheeseburgers were worth it.
“Hope those cheeseburgers were worth it.”
Going to space would be a fun adventure, but cheeseburgers are pretty spectacular.
I know which I would choose.
A 330 5’ 10” pound airline pilot?
He has is own custom made flight seat?
With a custom 7-11 Big Gulp cup holder?
exactly
I knew a man who had to demonstrate he could egress from the airplane emergency exit before he was hired. Yes. A few pilots are large.
Nothing a visit to Dr. Now couldn’t resolve.
Just attach an extra stage to the rocket.
I would go in a heartbeat! It would be a stunning experience, I’m sure.
I guess they put a 250 lb weight limit on folks because they didn’t want to rocket to list over to the heavy side when launched.
May he always fly with a well-qualified 1st Officer.
A man’s got to know his limitations.
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