Elder Statesman/Most Senior Glider Pilot? - Otto Zauner

One of our club members has been approached by a local newspaper
reporter wanting to do story on him. It seems the reporter was tipped
off that he may be the oldest glider pilot in southern New Jersey. The
subject of the story would be Otto Zauner, a name that may be familiar
to many of you who have been around for a while. At 83 or 84 (I'm not
sure which at the time I'm writing this) Otto safely flys every
weekend the weather cooperates and assembles his Discus by himself. He
flew the tow plane and his RV up until few years ago when the
aggravation of jumping through hoops to get his medical (which he
always passed)became to much. This remarkable fellow still does most
of the work on our L-13 and Pawnee. While no longer competing, he
crews for club members who do. (For you PGC guys - Otto built that
winch I've heard you been using of late). Anyway, this idea of "oldest
glider pilot" got me wondering about how much further than South
Jersey Otto can extend his title. Now, I'm not talking about the
oldest person alive with a glider rating but active pilots. Any
challengers?

BTW, I'd like to hear from anyone who might be able to share any Otto
stories they may have. If you know the man you also know he is very
humble and getting him to talk about his accomplishments is no easy
task.

Mike Fadden
ASW 15