About
History
How did I invent the Woblong Double-Wing Flyer?
It was a Saturday in 1991, and I was craving a bowl of steamed rice. It was before lunchtime, and I was determined to have a bowl. It was a strong craving. Now, you might be asking, why was he craving steamed rice? And what does that have to do with how the Woblong was invented?
Well, let me explain. I used to live in Hawaii and ate out a lot. In Hawaii, steamed rice is a very popular side dish. Even McDonald’s Restaurants served steamed rice. I was so determined, I decided to get into my car, go to the department store, and bring home a rice cooker and make some. At the department store I settled on the “Rival® Brand” steamed rice cooker. An oval one.
I brought the rice cooker home and took the box to my kitchen counter to open it. It had a glass lid and in between the glass lid and the appliance was an oval cardboard ring used to protect the glass lid probably do it wouldn’t break during shipping. Well, I wasn’t thinking too much when I picked up the oval cardboard ring and so I flung it towards my living room.
When I flung it, it fluttered through the air while it sailed, and when it lost momentum it took a sharp left turn. I thought it looked kinda cool when I threw it. It amused me enough to go over to it, pick it up, and fling it again. Knowing It was as not balanced as well as a disc, I decided to find out what it would fly like if I mounted a second oval on top- crisscrossing it. It would sort of be like a cross between a Helicopter and a biplane. What’s funny is the name Woblong® popped into my head almost immediately! My reasoning for the name was because adding a “W” in front of the word oblong (the shape of a ring) would sound more fun.
I dismissed cooking rice that afternoon and headed to the nearest craft store to buy foam board, kite sticks, thumb tacks, and a box cutter. I made my first prototype, and you know what? It flew much better! It was more balanced, sailed further than before, but it took a sharp left. I knew I had to work on that and that I probably needed help. Nonetheless, I knew I had something worth pursuing, and when Monday rolled, I called a patent attorney to patent it.
Not long after it was in patent pending, I knew I needed help. I picked up the yellow pages and called several aerospace companies. Northrup Industries, Hughs Aircraft, North American Rockwell, etc. I had one person start laughing at me. But there was one that referred me to General Jerry Carpenter, in south Los Angeles. He was a three-star Airforce General and held a PHD in aerospace engineering! He even had worked at NASA! General Carpenter’s team worked on this project for nine months as a side project. About nine months later, we had a final design! It had more air lift than a disc, provided a good deal of glide, and flew straight enough for me. But most importantly, it’s a lot of fun!
