Dec

6

Hang gliding, circa January 1978.

December 6, 2007 | Subscribe to this post
Posted by Stephen Fletcher in Uncategorized

7 Comments so far

1. Elizabeth Hull on December 12, 2007 2:54 pm Edit This

   I found some black-and-white 35mm negatives in the collection dated 1978 and labeled “Hawaii Hang Gliding.” This looks like Hawaii to me!

2. Richard Frisbie on March 13, 2008 5:28 pm Edit This

   The location of that picture is on the island of Oahu, “Windward Side”. The area they are launching from is called “The Box” and is almost directly over Sea Life Park in an area called Makapu’u Point. The cliff is over 1,300′ of almost sheer vertical.
   There was a short HBO movie about hang gliding shot there back in the late 70’s early 80’s. In fact one of the stars of that movie was killed doing aerobatics on that spot shortly after the movie wrapped. His glider drifted back into the cliff as he was doing loops and ‘wing overs’.
   (I lived there during that time and flew that spot. It was, and hopefully still is, controlled by the Hawaii Hang Gliding Association. The only access was through a locked gate and long enough drive to dissuade hikers)

3. Stephen Fletcher on March 17, 2008 1:37 pm Edit This

   Thanks, Richard . . . that’s terrifically specific!

4. Catherine Morton on March 23, 2008 9:25 pm Edit This

   Boy, sorry I did not notice this post back in December! I was there and probably took this picture.

   The Tar Heels played in a basketball tournament in Hawaii over Christmas 1978. I was a student at Chapel Hill and told my folks what a I wanted for Christmas was a plane ticket to Hawaii. Daddy had tickets for me, my brother Jim, my Mom and himself within five minutes.

   A hang glider pilot named Barry Gordon (who had competed in Grandfather Mountain’s Masters of Hang Gliding) and his lady, Linda, met us at the airport with beautiful leas they had made themselves. We spent a good part of our trip at Makapu’u Point watching them fly (along with one memorable evening dining at their tree house in a papaya orchard tucked under the “green wall.”)

   I can not remember the name of the tandem pilot…but Barry said he was the best in the islands. On our last day there, about two hours before we needed to leave for the airport, Barry and Linda pulled me to the side and started suiting me up for a tandem flight off Makapu’u Point.

   Now, to be honest, I don’t particularly enjoy the sensation of flight. I was hot for hang glider pilots…not for the hang gliding itself.

   But Barry and Linda could think of no greater gift to give me, and at the time they were just trying to keep my parents from figuring out what they were doing until I was already off the cliff. However, Daddy did notice and starting asking lots of questions about whether it was safe, etc., etc.

   When I heard the words, “is it safe enough for me,” I started taking off the harness and helmet and handed them over to him.

   Daddy flew for about an hour. We were very concerned that we were going to miss our plane because we could not get them to land.

   This was his first flight in a hang glider but, of course, not his only flight. He flew tandem off Grandfather with Burke Ewing a summer or two later … and he flew solo at Kitty Hawk under the tutelage of John Harris.

   Anyway, a very memorable vacation and I hope you find the rest of the negatives.

5. Elizabeth Hull on March 25, 2008 9:22 am Edit This

   Catherine, one of the people flying in this shot is your dad? And this was his first flight? What a great story!

6. Crista Miller on July 4, 2008 4:26 am Edit This

   Catherine, the pilot giving your dad his first flight is my dad, Mike Miller, who was very good friends Barry and Linda. What a trip!!

7. Cari Ahlquist on September 11, 2008 8:51 pm Edit This

   Did any of you know a Tom Rohen, 22 years old,originally from Michigan, who was killed on Wednesday, April 28, 1976 hang gliding near Makapuu? He was a good friend and I am trying to locate where he was buried in Michigan. Thank you for any help. -Cari Ahlquist