The journey with the Glider Wing continued through this past fall. After taking the glider down from the gallery at the Yale School of Architecture I stored it in my shop for the summer. While it was there we prepared it to spend the fall months at above the entry to Cooper Union in Manhattan. The task of obtaining permits to install the wing was greater than the preparation or installation. I worked closely with Steven Hilyer at Cooper Union to try and obtain the necessary permit to install the unit. I want so far as applying for my New York City contractor's permit. This is no easy task. My application was shot down because I did not have NYC worker's comp, which you can not obtain until you do work in NYC. Steven eventually got the crane company to take out the building permit.
The installation was set for a Friday morning, start time in NYC was 8:00. Start time for me was 4:30 am. It was pouring when I left Milford. As I traveled south the rain let up and the sun was out, things were looking good. By the time the crew gathered at the front of the Cooper Union the rain caught up to me. When the crane company arrived at 8:30 the rain was coming down in sheets. In Ct that would stop the job, in NYC that just makes the job more interesting. With a crew of about 10, myself, a crane operator, a rigor on the ground a helper and the owner of the crane company, there were an additional 5 or so folks from the Cooper Union helping out. We managed to pull the base and wing out of the truck, fly it into position and put it all together by 10:30. Just in time for a little sunshine and an espresso.
This image was taken by Steven Hilyer and sent to me just recently.