Two men have lifted-off in an attempt to break the world record for the longest "lawn chair" balloon flight.

American Kent Couch and Iraqi Fareed Lafta strapped themselves in to garden chairs, suspended on a platform beneath 300 helium balloons, and an emergency parachute, for the bizarre record attempt.

Over 1,000 people came to watch the pair depart a store car park in Bend, Oregon, in their unusual looking contraption, which quickly soared to over 15,000 feet.

The men were aiming to drift over 500 miles from Bend into Idaho, unfortunately their plans came down to earth with a bump after just 30 miles - as the wind changed and began to push them towards a thunderstorm.

The record attempt nevertheless raised valuable funds to help children orphaned in the second Iraq war.