51st Anniversary of Otto Meet - May 23, 2022

[Bob Kuczewski]

Hello Sylmartians,

This year Otto Lilienthal's birthday falls on Monday, May 23rd, 2022. Several of us are planning to fly at Dockweiler that day to remember that pioneer of hang gliding and to commemorate the first "Otto Meet" which was held in 1971.

This year will be the first year that Otto's birthday falls on a Monday or Tuesday since July of 2017 when we got the site opened for flying with a waiver on days that Windsports is closed. So if Windsports follows their regular schedule, you will need to have an approved Dockweiler waiver to fly there on Otto's birthday.

The good news is that the waiver is free.
The bad news is that it can take weeks or months to get approved.

So if you'd like to fly at Dockweiler on Otto's birthday this year, it's a good idea to get your waiver signed and sent in as soon as possible.

I tried to post a blank waiver form here, but this forum doesn't seem to accept PDF files. You can find the waiver here on the Friends of Dockweiler forum:

https://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=2865

You can also find more discussion here:

https://ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=3845

I hope to see you all on Otto's birthday!

[stebbins]

So what time window are we presuming this will be? I live quite a distance away, and my kids might be in school, so it matters to me the hours of the event. Clearly, I can come and go as I please, but it would be nice to know when others will be there.

Thanks,

[Bob Kuczewski]

So what time window are we presuming this will be?

Ronald Reagan used to tell jokes about the poor economic conditions in the Soviet Union. This one is paraphrased from my memory, and I apologize if parts of it are incorrect.

A young man in the Soviet Union spent many years saving up to purchase his first car. After he had saved up the necessary money he spent several weeks filling out various government paperwork and sending it in for approval. At the end of this lengthy process he found himself sitting across from a government clerk who approved the final form.

The clerk said to the young man:

"Your paperwork has been approved and you will be getting your car on June 15th 10 years from now."

The young man responded:

"Will that be in the morning or the afternoon?"

The clerk responded with some frustration:

"For goodness sake, what difference does it matter 10 years from now?"

The young man replied:

"It makes a big difference. The plumber is coming in the morning."

We will firm up plans as the date arrives, but from past experience, we usually get there by around 10am and fly until sunset. We usually bring lots of food, water, soda, and snacks. I will probably bring my Condor 225, and I expect Frank Colver will bring his Condor 330. If the winds are predicted to be on the high side, then I might bring an Alpha 210 or Falcon 195. Frank may also choose his Alpha 235. It all depends on the conditions.

The most important thing is to be sure to get your waiver sent in and approved. The waiver is good for flying there any time the school is closed (usually Mondays and Tuesdays). So it's handy to have for more than just this particular date.

[Bob Kuczewski]

By the way, to show the range of potential conditions, these are two videos of my flying at Dockweiler from recent years. The first one is a nice soaring flight in my Alpha 210 on a windy day, and the second one is the more common "out and land" pattern with my Condor 225.

Here's a soaring flight from February 2019 in an Alpha 210:

Watch on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLptYRkGuHs

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Here are more typical flights from May 24, 2021 (the day after last year's Otto meet) in my Condor 225:

Watch on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/-YrZOTQlZKk

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FYI: I borrowed the audio track in that second video from a San Diego City Council meeting where I was called to come forward. It was a nice fit.

[seahawk190]

51 years ago: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=125332

[Bob Kuczewski]

51 years ago: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=125332

Thank you SeaHawk for posting that link. I didn't know that the marker had made it into the Historic Markers Database.

The idea for the marker is credited to Neil Larson (USHGA 24) who proposed it as early as 2008 - long before the 40th anniversary. The idea was also endorsed by Joe Faust (USHGA 5) and Frank Colver (USHGA 7). We ended up forming a marker committee in a private subforum within the U.S. Hawks where we could hammer out the details. That subforum became public after we gained sufficient confidence that the marker would be approved by the City of Newport Beach. You can find all of those discussions (including our debates on the wording of the marker) here:

https://ushawks.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=18

The City of Newport Beach ended up making a documentary:

https://youtu.be/eFrivp8sJzI

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[Bob Kuczewski]

Remember to send in your waivers. It can take Beaches and Harbors some time to get them approved and returned. You don't want to be stuck on the ground when everyone else is flying!! Trust me. I know.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Two weeks from this Monday!!!

[Bob Kuczewski]

Yesterday (May 9, 2022) was 2 weeks before the Otto Meet, and it was a great Soaring Day!

https://youtu.be/O_MMzuEVYQo

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