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Show Wednesday, June 14, 1978 Page 3 Gliding Not All Glory The thought of gliding powerless above the treetops creates an imagery uncommon to almost anything else. Feelings of freedom, peacefulness, and serenity are almost inherent watching an eagle soar high above a ridge or a sailplane touch lightly down to earth. . It is for this reason that it is hard to comprehend soaring into an area filled with machine-gun fire, exploding shells, and land mines. But for Burnis Watts of Park City this is what World War II was all about. Watts, a glider pilot with the 435th Troop Carrier Group took part in the invasions of Normandy, Holland, Belgium, and southern France. Watts and several other members of the 435th gathered here last week for a reunion. "You had to be a little numb in the head to get into it," Watts said, backing his statement up with some Magic High MarLynn and Mark of Magic. The Mad World of Magic is the name of the magical happening coming to Park City on Tuesday, June 27. The show will present one performance at the high school. Show time is 7:30 p.m. The Mad World of Magic features Mark Evans, magician and illusionist and MarLynn. Mr. Evans has appeared and presented his brand of magical entertainment coast to coast, both here and in Canada. Mark Evans presents mysteries of the masters in an updated modern version that will thrill, amaze and most of all, entertain you and your entire family. It will be one of the most fun-filled Design .4A raw jdj frightening statistics. During the invasion of Holland 21 of the glider pilots were killed and in Normandy 11 lost their lives. Watts recalled that in the Normandy invasion the pilots were told they had a field 6,000 feet long to land in but arrived to find the field was only half that size and covered with large trees. "I put my nose between two trees and caught the wings," he said. Although his copilot was killed by gunfire while on approach to the landing area the rest of the men on board, although probably shaken, made it safely. Landings such as this were not uncommon. According to Watts, the gliders crash landed, "most of the time." The planes were made of mixed wood and metal tubing covered by fabric. They were towed at the end of a 300 foot nylon rope by a C-47 which Watts called "the workhorse of World At The School Evans of The Mad World evenings you will ever spend. Living in a world of fantasy and illusion, Mark Evans and MarLynn invite you to spend an evening with them in the realms of enchantment, where girls are sawed in half, floated in the air, and where animals appearing and disappearing in the twinkle of an eye are all commonplace. All in all The Mad World of Magic promises to be the most outstanding show of the year. Laughter and entertainment are the keynotes to this fun-filled evening show as Mark Evans and MarLynn take you into the dream world of fantasy. Coalition- 8 Foot Sectional Sofa Reg. (4,224.50 O O ) M 2 V War II." Because of a shortage of planes, two gliders would often be towed by one C-47. The glider most often used in American operations was the CG-4A which could accommodate 15 equipped troops including the pilot and copilot. Or it could carry a jeep or quarter-ton truck with a four-man crew, or a 75-mm howitzer and crew. It had a gross weight of 7,500 to 9,000 pounds and a normal towing speed of 120 to 130 miles per hour. One feature Watts particularly liked about the plane was its ability to land at a slow rate of speed. "With a payload the CG-4A could land at 80 mph," he said, "or without a payload at 63 mph." According to Watts the gliders would be towed in after the paratroopers had secured an area and marked it with flares. They would come in on treetop level, get cut off from the towplane over the designated area, circle once and then land. He feels the gliders were "very effective because of the surprise element." Watts, who was a commercial pilot before the war, had originally hoped to be a power pilot, but when the opportunity to pilot a glider arose, he quickly accepted. Ridge Plans For 118 Lots Plans for a 118-lot subdivision south of Prospector Park were submitted to the Planning Commission June 7 by J.J. Johnson Associates for developer Keith Garner. Prospector !i Ridge, as described by Van Martin for "' Johnson Associates' is 'zoned to allow for 146 lots, but the engineering firm has designed the subdivision for 1 18 separate parcels of land. City Planner David Preece said he and fire district officials were concerned that only one ingress and egress was planned for the development. The developers have been asked to plan another road to the subdivision and to present the city a letter proving right of way for the roads over the Union Pacific railroad tracks that transect the area. A traffic and environmental impact analysis for the subdivision also has been requested by the city before consideration for final approval is given. "We need to walk off that area and familiarize ourselves with it," commission chairman Burnis Watts said. "We want to get started with lot sales as soon as possible," Martin said, adding that a soils study report would be available within the next two weeks. i ' in ii '. . . 'Hi u 1700 Park Avenue 9:00-5:30 Daily (Closed Sunday) According to an article in Airman Magazine entitled "On Whispering Wings," the American glider pilots were "men who would prove disciplined and dauntless in battle, but who quickly gained a white scarf-and-goggles reputation for recklessness (for who else, despite the circumstances, would knowingly and seriously stand an aircraft on a wing or cartwheel into a landing?)." Despite this somewhat heroic description of the American glider pilot, Watts feels most were probably more crazy than they were brave. When asked if he feels fortunate to have made it back alive, he replied without hesitation, "My friend, I know for sure that somebody up there was watching over me." Final Approval Sought For Park Meadows The Park Meadows Development Company requested final approval for the Park Meadows Hi and 6 subdivisions at the June 7 Planning Commission meeting. The proposed H subdivision is located northeast of 3 and would consist of 45 lots on 37.5 acres of land. Subdivision 6, said to be "probably" the largest development planned for that area, would consist of 109 lots on 152 acres northeast of Park Meadows 5. ' Of special concern to the commission was the construction of a road that would connect the subdivision with Highway 224 by means of an access road through the proposed Treasure Hills ' development Johnson and Associates, said an agreement had been reached which would allow right of way access from the Park Meadows development to the highway. Martin commented that although the right of way agreement has been secured, he felt the existing densities in the area did not necessitate road construction at this time. He suggested the city and Park Meadows developers agree on the access road timetable at the completion of the second development following subdivision 4, or the completion of the proposed golf course. "I'm not hung up on the timing," said commission chairman Burnis Watts, "but we want to know when the road will go in and where it will connect to 4." "We would be comfortable with that," Martin responded. The engineer told the commission that "there are some soil compaction problems in H and 6, but we can take care of that with proper foundations." ! I & MY ) n. . ' WWII glider pilot The city has asked that storm drainage, sewer and water problems be resolved before final approval consideration is given. Dr. D.A. Osgulthorpe, who owns property to the east and south of the Park Meadows plat, voiced concerns to the Planning Commission in March relating to road access, water drainage and traffic flow through the proposed developments. The doctor's property is not currently part of the city and he indicated in March that he would be "braced when the city wants to take me in," unless the "unbearable" traffic situation in the area and the flooding problems on his property caused by lack of storm sewers and increased asphalt ' roads were taken care of. liuniK W ;itts WEATHERBEATER Featuring: Inc. WOOD STOVES, PAINT, REDECORATING SUPPLIES AND GREENHOUSES NOW OPEN! WATCH FOR GRAND OPENING JUNE 24 l"i ITALIAN RESTAURANT Yi l xs J Vi C Enzosays: , I ( "Be there or K H? S be square.' y Jt tmmm- , , ' It- V I ' A,i i r l lb.? This Week's Special: T-Bone and Spaghetti Dinner OPEN 6 TO 10:30 P.M. MIDDLE OF MAIN STREET PLEASURE DECK AND FENCE CO. Custom Decks Call 649 Bob Marsh At WW Bennett's I coLonzer.paiNTS 5 and Fences - 8749 Ralph Lettau (3 lu X u. o V) O O X 3 X Ui X mm r |