The story behind that plane on a roof off 101
If you’ve been traveling on Highway 101, you’ve no doubt passed the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos and probably saw the little white plane perched on its roof. It’s a Rutan Long-ez aircraft, the kind you build at home, and it’s got a wonderful origin story. The experimental plane designed by aviation star Burt Rutan was built by hand more than two decades ago by Edwin “Skip” Morton and his son, Kyle, in their Campbell garage. Skip Morton died last month at age 80 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Morton grew up in Palo Alto and was an engineer and executive at several startups in the early days of what became Silicon Valley before settling down at Hewlett-packard, from where he eventually retired. An Air Force veteran who served in Korea, he loved planes, which led him to build the Rutan.
Once the plane was completed and ready to fly, however, Morton discovered that his vision wasn’t good enough to renew his
pilot’s license. The new, unflown aircraft was donated to the Hiller, which opened to the public in 1998 and gave the Rutan the perfect home on the museum’s roof.
Morton and his wife of 57 years, Carolyn, moved to Lincoln after his retirement, and his family planned to scatter his ashes this weekend in Monterey Bay.
The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, and the airplane lives on as Morton’s legacy.
DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE COMEBACK>> Original Joe’s reopened for business Thursday for the first time since March, a tiny step forward as we try to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
After the venerable downtown San Jose restaurant opened its doors at 4 p.m., a steady stream of diners and takeout orders kept the staff busy.
Since indoor dining isn’t allowed right now, Original Joe’s set up tables in a parklet on South First Street and on the Market Street sidewalk.
Co-owner Brad Rocca, whose family opened the restaurant in 1956, told me they had resisted opening only for takeout during the early months of the pandemic because they wanted people to have the full Original Joe’s experience — instead of a menu that would need to be significantly trimmed to save on food costs for rarely ordered items.
Abdi and Senayit Ahmed, who own the Sainte Claire News Stand next to Original Joe’s, were among the first diners Thursday night. They also recently reopened their business with social distancing rules in place and hope that Original Joe’s return will bring life back to South First Street.
INNOVATIVE PROBLEM
SOLVER >> San Jose resident Adarsh Ambati may be only 15, but he’s already making a name for himself. The rising junior at Archbishop Mitty High School is one of five finalists — and the only one from the United States — for the WIN-WIN Gothenburg Sustainability Youth Award.
The Sweden-based WINWIN Youth Award aims to reward young people ages 13 to 29 who play an active role in creating a more sustainable future. This year’s theme was biodiversity, and Adarsh’s Amphibian Biodiversity Protection Project seems to fit the bill. He designed a new non-invasive technique to detect the presence of a fungus that’s harmful to various species of amphibians, including endangered frog species.
“The California drought was instrumental in developing my awareness of climate change,” Adarsh said in an email. “I found that changes in migratory patterns, habitat shifts, disruptions in food-web, the prevalence of pathogens, parasites and diseases, wildfires, and floods, are directly or indirectly a result of climate change.”
Adarsh worked on the project using his own research as well as help from mentors at Biocurious, a community lab in Santa Clara.
The winner will be announced Aug. 12, which also happens to be International Youth Day.
REALLY BIG SCREEN PREMIERE >> We’re used to seeing movies get their premieres at glamorous theaters, but a drive-in? That’s the new normal, and that’s why Teton Gravity Research will debut its mountain biking film “Accomplice” at San Jose’s West Wind Capitol Drivein on Wednesday night.
The 45-minute feature, directed by Jeremy Grant, is a celebration of the mountain bike and follows the sport around the world. The “doors” open at 8 p.m., and the movie will screen 30 minutes after sunset, which is about 9 p.m.
Tickets are available for $40 per vehicle at tetongravity.com/films/accomplice. You’ve got to wonder if they’ll paint a red carpet on the asphalt.
FACE-TO-FACE WITH FAUCI >> Stanford Medicine Dean Lloyd Minor will host
Dr. Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease superstar if there ever was one, for a virtual chat Monday morning about the resurgence of the coronavirus and our path to one day overcoming the pandemic. The 30-minute livestream, which begins at 10:30 a.m., is free to watch, and you can get more information at med.stanford.edu/ about/events.html.
IS IT CHRISTMAS YET? >> We’re a ways off from the holidays, but Christmas in the Park would be happy to get you into the spirit at its midsummer fundraiser Saturday. This year’s virtual Christmas in July includes dinner and a box of holiday-themed goodies, as well as an auction, which opened Saturday.
The big present is a live event that will be shown from 6 to 8 p.m. on Comcast Ch. 30 and online at youtube.com/xmasinthepark, featuring entertainment from Northern California dance band the Country Cougars, awardwinning magician Robert Strong and Star 101.3 morning host Sandy Stec.
Go to christmasinthepark.com for details and tickets.