The Mysterious Genius Who Patented the UFO

This is the story of a forgotten

genius

, a talented sculptor, artist and modern-day Leonardo da Vinci, whose UFO-like invention was the realm of pure science fiction. But it's also a story about this man, his fixation with the past and the life borrowed from it. A couple of years ago I received this email from a guy named Randy Hunter, who promised me the best nonfiction story ever told. It was about this inventor, who lived here, on the outskirts of Silicon Valley. He had done all kinds of amazing things, but history had forgotten him, and for one reason or another, I bit into this email, and for the last two years, I've been going to this guy, Randy Hunter, place, where he's built a temple to his obsession, which is this inventor.

What are you doing here, man? I received another great batch of photos. Do you have a few minutes to watch this? Yes. Meet Randy, a successful art dealer and fine art collector. And this is the guy he wants everyone to know, Alexander Weygers. Weygers was born in 1901, in the Dutch East Indies. When he was a teenager, he moved to Europe to study engineering and then to the United States to study sculpture. Near the end of World War II, Weygers settled in Carmel, California, and it was here that he made a most unusual life for himself. He built a house made entirely of recycled materials and handmade objects in his blacksmith shop.

Weygers's ability to live off objects that other people threw away made him a cult figure. Young people traveled from all over the world to take his tool-making and sculpture classes. They also came to marvel at his art. This is probably the most photographed Weygers so far. Randy discovered Weygers in 2008, when his sculptures first went up for sale. Randy kept everything. As an art dealer, he had dreamed of making it big by finding an unknown artist and making him famous, and he thought Weygers was his man. This sculpture is my favorite. But what started as a business became a passion that changed his life.

Over the next 10 years, Randy spent countless hours and millions of dollars tracking down Weygers' sketches, personal belongings, and all the finished works of art he could get his hands on. He produced a film about Weygers, wrote a book about him and became convinced he had discovered a hidden

genius

. What attracts you, what fascinates you about this man? I immediately fell in love with it, because it was like my style. I could see the depth of his work immediately and it needed to be shared with the public. The version of Randy you're seeing is calmer than the smooth, talkative salesman I first met.

In late 2017, he began losing a years-long battle with cancer, and painkillers made it difficult for him to move and think clearly. Do you want a hand? Sure. A few months ago, his cancer came back and, as you'll see, he's not at his best, he's not the same guy he used to be, and it's a difficult part of the story. His entire mission has been to make this Weygers man as famous as possible, and Randy may never see the end of that story. These are his drawings, plans of him. Well, how do you find all this? Look at this man.

That is, all these letters. Digging, man. During his search for Weygers' life, Randy discovered something extraordinary: hand-drawn designs for an exotic aircraft, dating back to the 1920s. Alex appeared to have invented the first flying saucer. That was a surprising finding, in itself. When I saw the plans, it was undeniable that he was the creator. Weygers called his futuristic flying machine Discopter, designed to take off vertically and float on a cushion of air. It was a unique concept and one he thought the cities of the future would take full advantage of. Weygers

patented

the Discopter in 1944 and then tried to sell it.

He started sending all these letters to all kinds of companies, telling them about his invention. When he started spreading the word about the Discopter, Alex felt like the US military had stolen his idea. It was an accusation they denied, but for Weygers, the evidence of the theft was there for all to see, as images of his flying saucer seeped into popular culture, influencing everything from architecture to cars to movies. . A two-seater, which will be ready soon, may be the car or helicopter of the future. There's this whole avalanche of stories. Weygers first with "Saucer", a Dutchman says he designed a flying saucer 23 years ago.

The man who invented the flying disc. He didn't really seem to be looking for compensation so much as recognition that he had done something important and he wanted some credit for it. Spoiler alert, the Discopter never came to fruition. But the flying saucers he inspired live on in Randy's collection of UFO memorabilia. This is the room that I consider Randy's best room. This is the tribute to the Discopter. You have books, you have toys, everything you can imagine about UFOs. To me, this room has always represented Randy's heart. He's this guy with a passion that I think we would all envy, and hope to have, for something, but also that part of his character, where he can go too far and become obsessed, to the point that some people, I think. , I'd think he's a little crazy.

How have his family and friends reacted to this over the years, as you've gotten into it? Do they think you're crazy or? I think how crazy you are depends on how much money you spend on your project. A couple of years ago, Randy and his partner, Cathy, shelled out $1.6 million for the land where Weygers used to live. Although the original house is gone, Randy has been busy turning his new home into a temple to all things Weygers. This is Randy's workshop, and this is the room that I think brings him and Alex together. There's a mix of Randy and Alex's tools, and molds from Weygers' sculptures, all scattered around the room.

Outside, work has begun on rebuilding Weygers' artist studio and blacksmith shop, and there are plans for a new Weygers museum, and a UFO fire pit is also in the works. It will be shaped like a Discopter, and when you are lighting a fire, it will be obvious, from thirty meters up, that there is a flying saucer on this property. You'd think Randy has more money than sense, and let's face it, he hasn't made Alexander Weygers and Discopter household names. At least not yet. But in Weygers, Randy discovered a kindred spirit, a man who chose to live by his own rules and created a legacy with his own hands.

What would you say to Alex if you saw him now? He asked me if you had dreamed about that moment or something. I dreamed of meeting him. Yeah? I thought it was the spirit of Weygers, basically telling me that he was doing the right thing and that he should continue my mission.