Inventor of Hovercraft Lives In Oak Harbor

Tim Crowley at the Whidbey News Times just wrote an entertaining piece called "Floating on Air". It's about Walter Crowley, a 90 year old inventor who lives in a double-wide converted to look like a medieval fortress. He has worked for many decades as an engineer and inventor. He's still at it, perfecting designs in his immaculate workshop / laboratory that is complete with a homemade wind tunnel and tools of all kinds.

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It was during his missile project engineer days Crowley began inventing things — a habit that continues to this day.

“We had some of the Germans working there with us at the time, von Braun and those guys,” Crowley said.

“I started working on the idea a hovercraft that I originally designed to move heavy pieces of equipment around inside the plants without having to use an overhead crane,” he said. “From there, I built a hovercraft that the military was interested in.”

“The project I’m working on now is a boat that will float about two feet above the surface of the water on a cushion of air,” he said. “This will reduce friction, use less fuel and the boat can travel at a high rate of speed.”

“Every time I come up with an idea people tell me it will never work, and every time I prove them wrong,” he said with a smile.

Crowley has some advice for today’s young people.

“Always tell the truth and if you tell someone you are going to do something important, do it. Also, stay away from crooks.”

Langley resident Kirk Francis wins an Oscar

Kirk Francis of Langley won an Oscar for best sound mixing on the movie "The Bourne Ultimatum". It was his second Oscar nomination. He has worked on 60 films, including “Bull Durham,” “Sleepless in Seattle” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”

Congratulations, Kirk!

Torey Massey fills in for Hannah Montana

Cynthia Woolbright of The Whidbey News Times recently interviewed Oak Harbor's budding starlet Torey Massey. Torey lives in L.A. now and has been doing work as an extra on some of TV's top rated shows: Desperate Housewives, CSI, ER, Gilmore Girls, and The OC. Her new gig is being the stand-in for Miley Cyrus, aka the teen sensation Hannah Montana.

Some favorite quotes from the story:

“When I got to Los Angeles I told everyone I was an actress and they said, ‘Oh, you’re a waitress,’ even though I told them I wasn’t,” Massey said. But pretty soon she was. “I had to waitress to afford living there,” she said. “And everyone I worked with was an actor, practicing their lines on their breaks.”

She continues to love coming back to Whidbey and visiting friends and family. Torey’s mom Tina Melum and 14-year-old sister, Taylor Melum, are still here in town, as are her grandparents, Majken and Fred Warns. “It’s fun coming back and running into people I know,” she said. “This is always going to be my home because it’s so comfortable.” Massey said the bustle and barren nature of the City of Angels will keep her longing for home. “I miss the nature of the Northwest when I’m back in California,” she said. “And the music in Seattle is the best thing in the world.”