May 16, 2008

Inventor flies into his 70s

Aerobie creator celebrates his birthday with flying ring giveaway

By Jason Green / Daily News Staff Writer

Alan Adler didn't set out to break a world record when he invented his "astonishing flying ring" - the Aerobie - nearly a quarter of a century ago.

The way the lifelong tinkerer from Los Altos explains it, he merely wanted to build a better Frisbee.

"Whenever I got an idea, I'd pursue it - sometimes 16 hours a day," Adler said Thursday in an interview at Aerobie Inc.'s headquarters in South Palo Alto.

Pursue, indeed. For eight years, he made and tested prototype after prototype while working as an engineering consultant and lecturing at Stanford University.

It took that long to produce the flying ring that would soar more than once into the Guinness World Records as the farthest thrown object.

On Saturday, Adler aims to celebrate his 70th birthday and the success of his popular toy - 15 million sold to date - by giving away 1,000 Aerobie Sprint Rings, the lightweight version of the record-setter, at Stanford's Manzanita Field. The giveaway will begin at 11 a.m., he said.

"I thought it would be fun. Aerobie has given me a lot over the past 24 years, so I thought it would be nice to give something back," the soft-spoken inventor said.

"The older you get, the nicer it is to give something away. This is a good excuse to give Aerobies away."

It's also an appropriate venue, since much of the flight testing took place on the campus.

Adler's aerodynamic revolution was built upon a simple, yet elegant design, said Ilan Kroo, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University.

It's the Aerobie's patented spoiler rim that allows it to sail straight and true for dozens of yards - or the world record 1,333 feet set July 14, 2003.

"It's very clever," said Kroo, who met Adler in 1983 while working as an aerodynamicist for NASA Ames. A similar design has been used successfully on ultra-high-speed aircraft, Kroo noted.

Initial efforts to create a low-drag Frisbee resulted in thin discs that veered in one direction or another, depending on how they were thrown, Adler said.

The lip, which balances lift for a more stable flight, paired with the ring shape was the solution.

"I could hardly sleep for days I was so excited," said Adler, recalling the heady days following his breakthrough.

Soon, athletes were hurling Aerobies out of football stadiums to the amazement of reporters, and Adler was in the business of hocking his orange-colored flying rings.

Aerobie Inc. today boasts a catalog of more than a dozen products, ranging from golf discs to boomerangs. And he has more coming, including a top as revolutionary as his first offering.

But the Aerobie is more than just a far-flying toy, as far as Adler is concerned.


He uses the principle behind it to teach children aerodynamics at science camps in Los Altos and Palo Alto. Professor Kroo also gets some mileage out of the Aerobie.

"I sometimes use (one) to ask questions at Ph.D. qualifying exams," Kroo said. "It works for both Ph.D. candidates and kids in science camps."

They don't make bad gifts, either. And Saturday won't be the first time Adler has given away Aerobies. When Kroo was married, Adler manufactured personalized versions for all the guests.

"They're still treasured mementos," Kroo said with a laugh.

E-mail Jason Green at jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com.


IF YOU GO
To reach Manzanita Field, enter Stanford University on Serra Street from El Camino Real and proceed a half-mile.

Turn right into the parking lot about a block past the gas station. Walk across Serra Street to the field, which is on the corner of Serra Street and Campus Drive East.

For more information, contact Alan Adler or Alex Tennant at 650-493-3050.