[Bob Kuczewski]

Members of the Otto Site Marker Project addressed the Newport Beach City Council last night to ask about getting the marker installed at the site of the first hang gliding meet in 1971. Here are some photos from the Council meeting:

Newport Beach City Council (January 24th, 2012):

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Gordy Grundy of the Newport Beach Historical Society addressed the Council on the Marker:

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Frank Colver brings the National Geographic Article covering the First Otto Meet:

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Frank presents a slide show of historic photographs from the First Otto Meet:

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Frank Colver presents a photo of the marker stone from the 40th anniversary (May 23, 2011) of the meet:

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Frank shows suggested placement areas for the marker stone:

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Frank Colver gets an enthusiastic round of applause from the City Council audience:

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Bob Kuczewski offers words of support from the US Hawks Hang Gliding Association:

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Celebration of Success:

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Here's a link to watch the actual City Council video:

    http://newportbeach.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=44&clip_id=1516

Gordy's presentation starts around 45 minutes into the presentation.

[miguel]

Is that Frank Colver, maker of the Colver vario? I have two in pieces. (An old guy gave them to me )

[SamKellner]

Hawks,

Three cheers for Frank and BobK.

Great work.

Thanks,
Sam

[Bob Kuczewski]

Is that Frank Colver, maker of the Colver vario? I have two in pieces. (An old guy gave them to me )

That's the same Frank Colver ... USHGA number 7 !!

[SamKellner]

... USHGA number 7 !!

I like that ...USHGA


Thanks Frank, for being among the first!

[Neil Larson]

February 4th 2012 - Last night I received the super great news that Frank Colver had emailed out to many of us about his -on site meeting with the Parks & recreation Officers of Newport Beach...
My thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Otto Marker Project over the past 4 years ...since I began to have an idea to bring attention to the original Hang Glider Championship location.
-
This whole story of how the project unfolded reads like a movie script ! (anyone have contacts with Hollywood?)
-
Some of my favorite highlights of this project ...
(FIRST)
Bob Kuszewski at one point was worried how we would be able to locate someone nearby to Newport Beach to head up the effort to speak in person to the NB City people...at the time it was difficult to do any real negotiating with the city without a physical person to represent us. Several times during our email messages I reassured Bob & Joe Faust that I was sure the "LORD" would provide just the right person for this task! I knew He could do better than any or us mortals , , as fate would have it...The guy who we "located" to help us ...the man who came forward in the city of Newport Beach was not just a person who is interested in hang gliding & keeping track of history ...BUT He was actually also there on May 23 1971 ...We needed to have a point man in the city to be local rep-But never had the notion Jesus would supply Frank Colver as that man !
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(NEXT) - Frank's younger son Marty , was also present in 1971 as a very young boy !-
He is now employed as caretaker / gardener / maintenance for Parks & Rec in Newport Beach !
- Marty will probably mow the grass around the granite stone after it is placed !
-
(NEXT) - Back when we were all standing on the golden grassy slope that day , 41 years ago nobody really knew anybody else , that is with the exception of just a very short list of "sailplane" pilots who took interest in this "Low & Slow" sport But in general we had no clue that so many of the people attending would go on to lave their mark on the Hang Gliding sport- Anyone who looks at the actual list of attendees , well now 41 years later it reads now like a who's who of Hang Gliding-
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(NEXT) - This actually started when I planned my 2008 trip to Cali- Through some emails to Joe Faust I inquired about the old Otto Meet site, Joe told me to his knowledge "NO ONE" had really ever gone back there ...That sort of sparked a germ of an idea within me. As I drove to California from Florida in November of 2008 I was thinking of stopping by Newport Beach for a day of "recon" to try to re-establish where the launch hill was amidst the concrete & housing covering the landscape now. My interest in walking on the ground where all this started, & to make some video record of how the area looked after almost half a century! The Saturday after Thanksgiving2008 I managed to drive way up into Buffalo Hills subdivision. That was as close as i could triangulate without spending several days on the ground in Newport Beach. We continued to communicate ,Joe Faust then at a later point introduced me to Bob Kuczewski by email & we indeed discovered - that since "the 1971 Original Otto Meet" on May 23 1971 - the Hang Gliding Community had ever gone back to that location to fly, because of the immediate search for better HG Launch Sites. Typical human behavior & probably due to massive housing build all over Corona Del Mar & Newport Beach. That first location past into the fog of history without proper recognition-
-
-It occurred to me that this site was as unique & important to the world of Hang Gliding as Kitty Hawk , N.C. is to the history of general aviation. The idea of memorializing or bringing attention to the First Universal Hang Gliding Championships & Celebration of Otto Lilienthal's 123rd Birthday on May 23rd 1971 in Newport Beach- is now recognized as spring board location of modern Hang Gliding...With the love & effort of all those involved in every step of the Otto Hill Marker Project this Newport Beach Hang Glider Stone Memorial Marker would not be weighing heavy on the minds of so many individuals all over the world right now! it has been a really wonderful experience to be a part of such a grass roots effort.
-
What Frank says is so true , on a more heavenly level there seems to be a positive spiritual ethos by those who were there on that hill in 1971, those departed who have now entered the eternal plane, they seem to be lending a favorable persuasive hand in this effort.
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(NEXT) Because of his presentation before the City Council, Frank kept digging into his stored archives of stuff in his garage and 3 days before his presentation at the city council meeting last week he uncovered a small treasure of photos he actually took of the May 23 1971 Otto Meet- it was a virtual Indiana Jones moment of discovery for him & for all of us. Had there been no interest in celebrating the memory of that day...those photos would still be lost in a shoe box.
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(NOTE) The entire project was done without any "government" assistance of any kind ! The early email messages I had sent to the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, fell on numb dull deaf ears. The real movers & shakers in this work have a genuine love of flying & the dynamic freedom given to the soul in Hang Gliding. Those who were inspired to help have done something of historic proportions to bring attention to the original HG site & have lasting friendships as a reward. The Internet & email was the chief means by which we communicated through the 4 year project.
-
(NEXT) Joe Faust, who 41 years ago initiated the media blitz, by way of a small second hand printer...
was also the person who orchestrated the communication progress of the project to honor the site
that he originally solicited as a nice place to come & fly hand built individual human aircraft.
There may be no other person more responsible for the fellowship of the entire Hang Glider Community.
- Any further - or future - celebration of this HG location should INDEED include a focus on Joe Faust in recognition
of his life time of labor to lift human spirits. None of this would have been possible without the most honorable Mr. Joe Faust, without his personal guidance many of the advances of the sport of hang gliding would have not blossomed so rapidly. Joe's continuing diligence in sharing fact based scientific information & creative ideas over the past 41 years establishes a standard of excellence in Hang Gliding that will not soon be duplicated-

[Neil Larson]

Re: N.B. Jan 24- item - close up detail of - Frank Colver photographs from May 23rd 1971 used with permission*
shown during Frank's Presentation to the City Council of Newport Beach --
top photo- street lights are seen above glider, probably newly loacted on what is now San Miguel Drive.

--
First Two Images - clearly show the modified Lambie Hang Loose, with covered lower wing
& separate lower hang rigging below lower wing this gave more surface area to the wing.
Jack thought it would increase stability with the center of gravity set below the wings.
located at the lower "landing" area of the launch hillside.
Below- Karen LaFrenz is crouching in center making adjustment to the rigging wires.
----

-- below- Very top left corner the Northern tip of the Big Canyon Reservoir can be seen,
& man in hat is Bill Allen photographer.

--

--

--

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-- below- a young Matt Colver & friend display award winning model vintage aircraft

--below - possibly "Bean's Bird" a very methodologically "over" built wing ribs every 6 inches...

--

--
--

[Neil Larson]

California Points of Historical Interest are sites, buildings, features, or events that are of local (city or county) significance and have anthropological, cultural, military, political, architectural, economic, scientific or technical, religious, experimental, or other value.

Points of Historical Interest designated after December 1997 and recommended by the State Historical Resources Commission are also listed in the California Register.

No historical resource may be designated as both a Landmark and a Point. If a Point is subsequently granted status as a Landmark, the Point designation will be retired.

Criteria for Designation
To be eligible for designation as a Point of Historical Interest, a resource must meet at least one of the following criteria:
The first, last, only, or most significant of its type within the local geographic region (City or County).
Associated with an individual or group having a profound influence on the history of the local area.
A prototype of, or an outstanding example of, a period, style, architectural movement or construction or is one of the more notable works or the best surviving work in the local region of a pioneer architect, designer or master builder.
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Southeast corner of the San Miguel Park looking to the Northwest with San Miguel drive behind trees .

[Neil Larson]

Last Year --at San Miguel Park - May 23rd 2011 - at the 40th Anniversary of the First Universal Hang Glider Championships & Celebration of Otto Lilienthal's 163rd Birthday - A very rare gathering of Hang Gliding Celebrities

[Bob Kuczewski]

Here's the message from Frank in his own words:

From: Frank Colver
Subject: HG history marker is "go" for installation!
Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2012

Hi All, Break out what ever your celabatory beverage of choice is!

Five men from the NB Parks & Rec Department showed up for the meeting, they called, with me in the San Miguel park today. It was everybody from the department who could give official input. I gave them some of the same material I had at the council meeting and showed them the stone. They started disscussing placement methods, location etc.

At some point I asked; "do I go before the Parks Commission next"? The top boss said; "you don't need to do anything. It's a done deal". The city manager can sign off on a project like this and he has done that. They had already decided that the best place would be next to one of the sidwalk lighting ballards so he said to me; "pick out the one you want it next to". I picked one toward the south side of the park where you can look up at the surrounding hillsides and right next to the main sidewalk through the center of the park. The ballard will illuminate the marker all night.

I said; " do you think we could get this done before next May 23rd"? He said; "it will be in place in two weeks". They even discussed, among themselves, the process that will put it on a fast track.

Now, you can believe it was luck, or Providence, or R. Miller and others, on the other side helping out, whatever you wish to believe, but we had a couple of fortunate things happen last week that I think helped. One was the packed council meeting because of a controversial agenda item (not our item) and the other was my finally, after months of searching, finding my B&W negatives, from May 23, 1971, just two days before my date with the council.

Several people, and also these guys, have told me that the slide show had a big effect on the filled room. One of the guys today, who was at the council meeting, said; "it was like we were watching the Wright Brothers all over again". I told him that the event itself was like that for those of us who were there. It was like the "Woodstock" of hang glider people. The person in charge of Newport Beach TV said the reaction and emotion could be seen on many faces in the room, after seeing the photos.

Another interesting thing was that the top boss (was present today) is my son Marty's boss. I didn't realize that until he introduced me to the others as Marty's dad. Marty has worked as a grounds keeper for the NB Park Dept for many years. They said how much they enjoy working with Marty. I told them that Marty was at the Otto Meet that day but it was his brother, Matt, shown in the bamboo and plastic Rogollo. His mother had insisted that Marty not fly, because she didn't want to risk losing two sons.

They took possession of the marker stone and said they would keep me informed of the progress. Once it is in place I'll send out photos. Thanks Bob and Margie, for the marker monument stone. It's on its way.

One guy was taking photos today, so I'll send some of those when he e-mails them to me.

So now we need to plan a May 23, 2012, 41st anniversary of the sport of hang gliding, and HG History Marker dedication gathering at San Miguel Park, Newport Beach. Fortunately, if I do attend the vintage HG meet at Cape Kiwanda, Oregon on May 11, 12, 13, (celebrating 40 years of Oregon hang gliding), I'll have plenty of time to get back for the park gathering. Everything has fallen into place! I'll bet we will get some of the public at large out for this Otto Fest! Newport TV wants to do a story.

There would be no story here if Joe, Jack, and Richard hadn't had an idea 41 years ago - thanks guys.

So there you have it,

Frank C.

Thanks to Frank, Neil, and Joe for all the ... LIFT!!!