Sorry, Larry (InOBU, that is). I wasn't taking a shot at you, and I was hardly taking things all that seriously—although I'm sure that to back in 1982, to Larry Walters things got pretty serious very quickly.

Although the Lawn Chair Larry incident has all the earmarks of an urban legend, it actually did happen, but not necessarily the way some people tell it. It's such a good story that it got told a lot, and the "folk process" tended to take over. The guy got himself in hot water with the FAA and earned himself an Honorable Mention in the Darwin Awards (given to those who do something incredible stupid and kill themselves in the process, thereby ridding the human gene pool of another packet of "stoopid genes."). Larry didn't kill himself in the process (although, sadly, he managed that later, but intentionally), but if he had, they probably would have named him winner instead of just giving him an honorable mention.

Here's the story the Darwin Awards page has on the incident: OY.

And here's what Snopes says about it: VEY!

Don Firth

P.S: Sorry for the thread drift, but in a weird way, it seem to relate.