[JoeF]

The geographic site of Dockweiler Beach has its history matters. Those matters are invited in this thread.
"On Jan. 27, 1955, the State Park Commission changed the name of the Venice-Hyperion Beach State Park to the Isidore B. Dockweiler Beach State Park in his honor."
[*] Early use of the site for hang gliding
[*] Maps old and recent
[*] James Hobson
[*] Richard Miller and friends
[*] Low & Slow and Out of Control interface
[*] Low & Slow interface
[*] Original USHGA (Glider) interface
[*] Second-stage USHGA (Gliding) interface
[*] Self-Soar Association interface
[*] USHPA interface
[*] The challenge of the automobile roadway and bikeway just behind the short HG launch pads.
[*] Volmer Jensen
[*] Bob Lovejoy
[*] Wing running
[*] Uncontrolled era
[*] Greblo Save
[*] HG Concession
[*] Wind Sports era
[*] Contracts, relation with California State, relation with Los Angeles County, relation with Los Angeles City, El Segundo matters, noteworthy experiments
[*] Interface with Torrey Hawks
[*] Open questions
[*] Airspace restrictions (being within 5 miles of an airport, especially busy LAX
[*] Relation with helicopter traffic
[*] HG reunions small and large
[*] Training
[*] Play
[*] Bus routes
[*] Bike routes
[*] Automobile parking and fee schedule.
[*] Relation with Dockweiler Youth Center.
[*] Changes historically in the dunes and earth structures.
[*] Relation with the water treatment.
[*] Potentials.
[*] Relations with model aircraft.
[*] Relations with long-tether kite systems.
[*] Care for the shape of the slopes.
[*] Picnic area.
[*] Wind Sports
[*] Safety matters.
[*] Large wheels.
[*] Sand skis.
[*] Sand gouging
[*] HG training.
[*] HG Instruction.
[*] Long-line tow launch of HG
[*] Open experimentation
[*] HG and the water there
[*] Injuries related to hang gliding occurring at the site
[*] Views
[*] Relation with the bike way. Historical changes.
[*] Plaque photos and wording
[*] History of the Dockweiler family
[*] Weather and forecasts. Wind. Humidity.
[*] Lifeguard relations.
[*] Flags and condition definitions.
[*] Respects, responsibilities, rules, guides,
[*] Who has self-soared in a hang glider off a Dockweiler launch?
[*] Stories?
[*] Social?
[*] Photos
[*] Records
[*] Suggestions for the HG Flight Training Park
[*] Speculations about the future of the site
[*] Traffic? Load? Timing? Site monitoring?
[*] ?????

Start:
Map is incomplete and not to scale:
http://file.lacounty.gov/dbh/cms1_150322.jpg

Start on some history of Isidore B. Dockweiler:
http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/20 ... ockweiler/

[Bob Kuczewski]

Great idea for a topic Joe!!


I'll leave the "ancient history" to those who lived it, but I can share some of my own "modern" history with Dockweiler Beach. In fact, it turns out that there probably wouldn't be a US Hawks Hang Gliding Association or even a Torrey Hawks Hang Gliding Club without Dockweiler Beach and Joe Greblo's efforts there. Here's the story...

I began flying hang gliders in 1978 up in Washington state and later Oregon. I had a few "ground-skimming" lessons around Olympia, and a few "high" flights from the cliffs above Cape Kiwanda. I really loved it and planned to continue on with the sport when I got more time and money (after college etc). In fact, I did look into hang gliding at Torrey Pines many years ago (mid 80's), but again, the investment of time was more than I had available with my new engineering career and a growing list of other responsibilities.

Fast forward 20 years ...

In 2003, I left San Diego to live in Florida with no plan to return. While teaching a friend how to sail a boat near Saint Augustine, she asked the question "Isn't sailing about the most wonderful thing in the world?". I almost replied with a knee-jerk "yes" when I remembered my earlier hang gliding experiences. So instead, I replied "It's pretty good, but there's this thing called hang gliding..." and I went on to tell her about my early training and how I regretted not flying at Torrey Pines in all the years that I lived in San Diego.

Well, she was a good friend, and she made me promise that if I ever returned to San Diego that I would fly Torrey Pines and send her a picture. At the time, I had no plans to return to San Diego, so it was an easy promise to make. We went on with the sailing lesson.

About a year later, I was contacted by my former customer in San Diego (where I had been a consultant). They had gotten a large follow-on contract, and they needed me back in San Diego. They ended up making me an offer that I couldn't refuse, and in December of 2003, I returned to San Diego expecting a temporary stay. During the Christmas break, my friend flew out to Los Angeles with a plan to visit Flagstaff Arizona with me. I picked her up at the LAX airport, and we drove straight to the beach for a quick look at the Pacific ocean before heading inland. Guess where we ended up? Yup. Dockweiler Beach.

As we were driving along the coastline, Paul Thornbury was just getting ready to break down the Condor 330 he used for training lessons while working for Joe Greblo. I hadn't thought about hang gliding in nearly a year, but when I saw that big kite, I immediately took a U turn and we went back to get a closer look. Paul was kind enough to give me a copy of the then USHGA magazine, and I told him I'd be back for lessons after our Christmas vacation to Flagstaff.

So early in 2004 I began making the regular 2-hour drives to Dockweiler, then to Sylmar, and eventually to Crestline that would give me the hours to get my P3 and H4 ratings which, in turn, allowed me to keep my promise of sending a photo of my first flight at Torrey to my friend in Florida.

I'm sorry I don't have a more important story about Dockweiler Beach and the history of hang gliding. But it is the true story about how we ended up with the US Hawks and the Torrey Hawks!!