[BigBird]

OK, when I attended the 1974 Otto Leniathal meet as a 6-month 'veteran' of the Dacron and aluminum version of our sport I received the attached item. Does anyone have more information about what the numbers mean, who made these, etc.? BTW, my avatar is from the same event.

Thanks,

Phil

[wingspan33]

My guess is that the numbers have to do with a pilot's "competition(?) number". Not sure why the 38 has a circle around it or why the 4 doesn't. What is this artifact made out of? Was is it tee-shirt, a meet brochure, . . . ?

[BigBird]

wingspan33 -

It's a ribbon. More orange than it appears in the picture and about 1.75" wide and 7" long. No real competition that I recall just 300 pilots (more than I'd ever seen by about 295) having fun . As I recall, A LOT of fun.


Phil

[wingspan33]

BigBird,

I found this quote by Ken de Russy* in a Google search for "4th Lilienthal Meet May 1974 Sylmar CA" :

"Over 300 pilots registered and flew that weekend."

So, it could be that you were either pilot #4 or #34 to register. (? ? ?)


* Find quote here - http://skyvington.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-icarus.html

[BigBird]

BigBird,

I found this quote by Ken de Russy* in a Google search for "4th Lilienthal Meet May 1974 Sylmar CA" :

"Over 300 pilots registered and flew that weekend."

Thanks for this - time to ask Ken if he remembers anything about the ribbon. I followed your link and found this also, "the average age was 26" damn, I was amongst the elderly at only 19

[wingspan33]

BigBird,

You weren't really "elderly" at 19. If you take 26 yrs old and convert that to 80 (when most of us will stop flying. lol) then 58 yrs old would equal 19 yrs old (as it compares to 26 yrs old). At 58 we're only a bit past middle aged - not "elderly"!

BTW - I'm 58 and about to turn 59. By my figuring, at 19, you started flying a year before me. I started flying in 1975 (just short of forty years ago) and at that time I had also turned 19 yrs old. Back in 1975, I was the "young kid" among lots of pilots who were in their mid twenties and a few who were even in their mid 40s (way back then).

I am proud to say that I got into hang gliding fairly early. And being pretty young, I may also be able to have a longer than average flying "career". It's like learning to drive one of the first automobiles and living long enough to drive a Porsche 911.

Heck, think about the difference between your 1974 19 ft Eipper Standard (my first glider was an Eipper-Formance 17 ft "Flexi Flier") and the current Wills Wing T2C. The difference is almost unbelievable!

Imagine someone showing up in 1974 with a T2C! Our jaws wouldn't have dropped, they would have fallen off!

[SamKellner]

BigBird,

Congrats on the ribbon That is a great artifact. Treasure, like Joe said to me.

Richard Miller's glider was ahead of the times. I'm sure some jaws dropped.

I have Big Blue Sky. The 1st Otto meet must have been a blast.

I was still back in Tx. $aving up for my first glider.

This year's event will surely be fantastic at Dockweiler Beach.

[BigBird]

BigBird,

You weren't really "elderly" at 19. If you take 26 yrs old and convert that to 80 (when most of us will stop flying. lol) then 58 yrs old would equal 19 yrs old (as it compares to 26 yrs old). At 58 we're only a bit past middle aged - not "elderly"!

BTW - I'm 58 and about to turn 59. By my figuring, at 19, you started flying a year before me. I started flying in 1975 (just short of forty years ago) and at that time I had also turned 19 yrs old. Back in 1975, I was the "young kid" among lots of pilots who were in their mid twenties and a few who were even in their mid 40s (way back then).

I am proud to say that I got into hang gliding fairly early. And being pretty young, I may also be able to have a longer than average flying "career". It's like learning to drive one of the first automobiles and living long enough to drive a Porsche 911.

Heck, think about the difference between your 1974 19 ft Eipper Standard (my first glider was an Eipper-Formance 17 ft "Flexi Flier") and the current Wills Wing T2C. The difference is almost unbelievable!

Imagine someone showing up in 1974 with a T2C! Our jaws wouldn't have dropped, they would have fallen off!

Wingspan -
I was also glad I started young (18). I carried my gliders to distant vistas that would kill me now - not to mention the occasional pounding I took during the learning curve...

Showing up in '74 with a T2C would have probably resulted in being asked to take your experimental deathtrap off the mountain...

Don't know about others, but suspect there are many that had dreams about flying before HGing became a reality. It was the most reoccurring dream I had growing up. I would slip off of a roof and then soar over picturesque places. They became very comforting and anticipated dreams. The really strange thing is that after my very first HGing flights the dreams stopped. They've never returned. My only conclusion was that HGing was a dream come true for me

BigBird,

Congrats on the ribbon That is a great artifact. Treasure, like Joe said to me.

Richard Miller's glider was ahead of the times. I'm sure some jaws dropped.

I have Big Blue Sky. The 1st Otto meet must have been a blast.

I was still back in Tx. $aving up for my first glider.

This year's event will surely be fantastic at Dockweiler Beach.

Thanks Sam. Will you be at Dockweiler?

[SamKellner]

BigBird,

I'm hope to. Last year I promised my grandson, 21yr old now, a trip to California.

I think we will make it to Celebrate Otto at Dockweiler.

We will most likely fly out for the short visit.

Thanks for your volunteer effort.

[wingspan33]

BigBird,

. . . Heck, think about the difference between your 1974 19 ft Eipper Standard (my first glider was an Eipper-Formance 17 ft "Flexi Flier") and the current Wills Wing T2C. The difference is almost unbelievable!

Imagine someone showing up in 1974 with a T2C! Our jaws wouldn't have dropped, they would have fallen off!

Wingspan -
. . . Showing up in '74 with a T2C would have probably resulted in being asked to take your experimental deathtrap off the mountain...

I can't help but think that if I saw a WW T2C back in 1976 (let's say a year after I started flying - so that I would have gained some perspective) I surely would have recognized its very superior aerodynamic and construction qualities. And if the owner pilot had a modern pod harness, . . . I think I would seriously wonder if s/he was from the future.

Now, . . . if the pilot then launched and flew the glider? There wouldn't be a single pilot present who'd see it as a death trap.

Just a lot of eyes looking like this > . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .