47th Anniversary Otto Lilienthal Reunion and Vintage Gliders

[Frank Colver]

Here is a copy of an e-mail I sent to my HG list:

Hi hang glider folks,

The 47th anniversary of the first “Otto Lilienthal meet” pilot reunion and vintage hang glider gathering will be held on Sunday, May 27 at Dockweiler Beach CA from 9 AM to Sunset. This will be officially known as: “The 47th Otto Meet”. All hang glider interested folks are welcome and if you have a vintage glider to display, or fly, bring it out.

Windsports flight school will be open for business that day and we will have purchased some first flight lessons for guests of pilots in attendance. Pilots wishing to fly their own gliders or one of Windsports Condors will need to sign in and pay a $5 site use fee. If you are not current a USHPA member you will need to purchase a 30 day membership (it’s only a few bucks) to fly for insurance purposes. Windsports can do that for you. There is also a parking fee for the county’s lot.

This is on the middle day of the 3 day Memorial Day weekend this year so it should be more convenient for those coming from far away. This will be the fourth time Friends if Dockweiler Gliding Society and US Hawks together have hosted these hang gliding anniversary events and it has become an annual affair anticipated by many.

It should be very good weather with spring time sea breezes, hope to see you there.

Frank Colver
President: Friends of Dockweiler Gliding Society.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks for making this event happen again this year!!

Bob

[Bob Kuczewski]

I just sent an email message to the Torrey Hawks ...

Otto Meet - Sunday May 27th!!

Hello Fellow Torrey Hawks,

Tomorrow (May 27th, 2018) will be the 47th anniversary of the original 1971 Otto Lilienthal meet that sparked the remarkable growth in the sport of hang gliding.

Frank Colver (USHGA #7 and inventor of the "Colver Variometer" and the "Colver SkySail") is the current President of the Friends of Dockweiler Gliding Society, and I've included his announcement below. As in past years, the event is sponsored by the US Hawks Hang Gliding Association and the Friends of Dockweiler Gliding Society. It's been lots of fun in previous years, and the forecast looks especially good for tomorrow. Here's a video from a past event:

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNWtzzvwtac

Best wishes, and fly safe!!

Bob Kuczewski

==== Email Message from Frank Colver ====

Hi hang glider folks,

The 47th anniversary of the first “Otto Lilienthal meet” pilot reunion and vintage hang glider gathering will be held on Sunday, May 27 at Dockweiler Beach CA from 9 AM to Sunset. This will be officially known as: “The 47th Otto Meet”. All hang glider interested folks are welcome and if you have a vintage glider to display, or fly, bring it out.

Windsports flight school will be open for business that day and we will have purchased some first flight lessons for guests of pilots in attendance. Pilots wishing to fly their own gliders or one of Windsports Condors will need to sign in and pay a $5 site use fee. If you are not current a USHPA member you will need to purchase a 30 day membership (it’s only a few bucks) to fly for insurance purposes. Windsports can do that for you. There is also a parking fee for the county’s lot.

This is on the middle day of the 3 day Memorial Day weekend this year so it should be more convenient for those coming from far away. This will be the fourth time Friends if Dockweiler Gliding Society and US Hawks together have hosted these hang gliding anniversary events and it has become an annual affair anticipated by many.

It should be very good weather with spring time sea breezes, hope to see you there. : )

Frank Colver
President: Friends of Dockweiler Gliding Society.

[JoeF]

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[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks Joe!!!

That's a nice looking forecast. I'm at the beach looking foreward to seeing you today!

Frank just pulled in!

[wingspan33]

I sure wish I could be there! The wind predictions (now hopefully coming true) look great.

At the least I can fondly remember my visits in 2015 and 2016. I hope everyone attending has a great time!

[magentabluesky]

Thank you Frank, Joe, and Bob for hosting the 47th Anniversary Otto Lilienthal. The event was a demonstration in sharing the LOVE of Hang Gliding by all those involved.

Thank you. You are appreciated.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks Mike, and thanks to everyone who attended and made it a memorable event.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Otto Celebration Morning

The day started off with a quiet and mostly empty beach around 9:30am.

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Joe Faust brought his playful "umbrella wing":

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How could anyone resist sharing in Joe's joyful play?

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Joe's play is a good reminder of the freedom that hang gliding once represented.

I hope we can bring that back some day.   

[Bob Kuczewski]

The good folks from Beaches and Harbors showed up, and it's always great to see them:

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Joe and I did a little tidying up of the site before the event:

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Frank was also there early, and I suspect he thought we were going batty:

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