Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1993 02:37:13 -1000 From: kites@tug.com (The Kite Traction Club) Message-Id: Organization: /usr/lib/news/organisation Subject: Edition Zero KITE TRACTION NEWLETTER Edition ZERO 14th August 1993 This is the Zeroth edition of the Kite Traction Newsletter. We don't have everything together yet but we want to get started. There is much information missing but we want to get something out so that you can see what's going on and help fill in the gaps. First edition will follow and will cover much the same ground but hopefully it will be more complete. You will see from the "Who's Who" file that most of the "Big Names" are already with us. We need to know much more about what is happening at grass-roots level. Please feel free to copy this and pass it on but if you are interested and you arn't on our list, please send us your: name Email address (if you've got one) postal address (kept secret if you are not a trader) phone number (kept secret if you are not a trader) some info about you, and what you fly and ride If we can reach several people at one address to save postage, let us know! If you havn't got a buggy but would *like* a buggy, you are just as welcome. The Kite Traction Group was formed on Wednesday 11th August 1193 The purpose of this group is to *serve* all those who fly kites for the purpose of locomotion, by helping information to flow between all those involved. The club has tried to include all the main personalities and manufacturers in the field. The response has been very good. Have a look at the "Who's Who" file. if you can find anyone who should be in but isn't, let us know! Membership is currently *FREE*. (Yes - Andrew is willing to pay postage costs for the moment) We aim to distribute information of interest to buggiers, including: Meetings and Festivals Buggying sites Product developments Local buggy groups Buggy activities within kite groups. Buggy activities within Land yachting groups A gateway of information between those with and without computer network access. We aim to develop relationships with all of the power kite and buggy manufacturers. So that the racers get to know about new products and so that the manufacturers get feedback from the users. If you see a product missing, point it out! One of the main reasons for forming the group is insurance. We aim to help members find third party insurance to fit their needs, whether this is through our own policy (if and when we get one) or by advising members to join a local kite group, buggy group or land-yachting group. If you have a buggy policy, send us the details! Note that most kite policies don't cover buggies if you look closely. We want to work in harmony with other kite and buggy groups. Andrew (writing this) is a member of Lodden Valley Kite Fliers, White Horse Kite Fliers, AKA, Kite Society of Great Britian, The Northern Kite Group, recieves Buggy News and is frequent contributor to the computer kite news group rec.kites. We do not wish to take members from kite and buggy groups, and would encourage members to support their local groups. Please tell us about your group so that we can tell more people about it. Rules. 1) Be friendly 2) Be safe 3) Be fast! Constitution. There isn't one. If we start to handle money (for insurance, perhaps), then we will have to open a bank account and write a constitution. Name. "The Kite Traction Group" will do for now, but if you have a better idea, please let us know. (Any good ideas Corrie?) Joining. Email kites@tug.com and I'll add you to a mailing list or leave a message on my answerphone: +44 256 464 912 (0256 464912 from the UK). You can fax me at work on +44 793 614 297 or send post to: PO Box 109, Basingstoke, England, RG24 7YB Copyright. There isn't any. You may take stuff from the Traction Group and include it in your own newletter etc. I would ask however that you help by feeding information back to us and by mentioning how to join the Traction group. Anything sent to the group may be distributed to everyone else. If you want to say something privately, please make this clear. Mistakes. There will be loads of these. Point it out and we'll put it right. If we invent a new spelling for your name, feel free to use it yourself for no extra charge :-). Computer Networks. Many of the buggiers are on the Internet. This is the fastest, cheapest way to keep up to date with what is going on. Some stuff will be posted on rec.kites and but some will be mailed to registered members, as appropriate. I hope that the newsletters will be archived at ftp.hawaii.edu for annonymous FTP. Hmmm... Let me translate for non-computer geeks: Within hours of publishing, kitefliers round the world will be able to read the newsletter. They will be able to get back issues by using the network to pick it up >From a machine in Hawaii. For the unlucky ones, this will cost them a short, local phone call. The layout is very simple, so that it can be transfered easily to any computer. If you don't have access to the net but want your copy on disk rather than paper, please ask. Can you help? Yes! information about any buggy groups, buggy locations, buggy meetings, buggy manufacturerers, buggy racers, buggy dealers or power kite manufacturers that we don't know about. Also send in reviews of any buggy equipment. We'd like to be able to include different views of the same kit, so still send your opinion even if it is already covered. If you are a manufacturer, please keep us up to date with your latest developments. If anyone wants to donate UK postage stamps, A4 paper, A4 envelopes, an HP Laserjet III Toner cartridge or anything else, it would be most welcome but note that we aren't a proper charity. If British Telecom would like to install an extra phone line and waive the bill, that would be nice too :-) EVENTS 14-15 August 93 Cuxhaven/Altenbruch, D. Buggies! +49 4721 51434 14-15 August 93 St Annes, UK International Sandyachting 28-29 August 93 Portsmouth, UK. International Festival. This is not a specific buggy event but there should be plenty of buggiers there. Expect to see Peter Lynn, Martin Lester, Ian Merideth and Andrew Beattie. 4-5 September 93 Bristol, UK International Festival. Not a buggy event but expect to see the same crowd as Portsmouth. 11-19 September 93, UK Gwithian week-long buggy festival +44 792 456 060 17-20 January 94 Nevada, USA Operation High Desert Swarm Buggy. This is the big USA buggy event, organised by Corrie. There is more going on in Europe but we are waiting for some translation >From Phaeton's calendar. INSURANCE The Insurance problem is not solved, but is being attacked from many fronts: USA: Dean Jordan is working hard to arrange power kiting cover through the AKA. If he is successful, we may have US third party cover and a framework for ensuring that buggy events are safely organised by October 93. Europe: Dominique at Vlieger Op reports that everyone in holland carries third party liability insurance. This is normally limited to small kites only but he has been successful in increasing his cover for larger kites. It may be possible for European buggiers to take out policies in Holland to cover all of Europe (the dutch insurers are scared of including the USA). More details to follow. UK: It may be possible for buggiers to join land-yacht clubs in the UK to get cover for racing at registered land yachting sites. Andrew has managed this for a private event on private land. REVIEWS We are trying put together information about every piece of traction equipment available. Letters are going out with this issue to all of the manufacturers asking for information so that we don't miss anything. I'm also trying to work out who can give an independant review of each item. Volinteers are welcome! In particular, would anyone like to cover large Quadrifoils or Parawings which arn't well represented in the UK. In the mean time, here is a short list of the stuff available: Flexifoil. The original power kite. The ram-filled aerofoil will be familiar to most fliers. Different sizes are available: 4' Too small for traction (unless you have *loads* of them) but it's a blast to fly on 't's own in a strong wind. 6' A popular kite. Many fliers buy a 6' as their first kite because it is quite reasonably priced and then buy several more to build a traction stack. The 6' comes in a choice of nice designs including the splitz (diagonaly split black/hot colour) and the Quatro (4 rectangles) and a couple of rainbow schemes as well as loads of different solid colours. 8' This is the first Flexifoil with a carbon centre spar. It was designed for team flying - most traction fliers bypass this size for the cheaper 6 or the more powerful 10. 10' The 3' solid carbon centre spar makes the 10 flatter, producing considerably more power. Reasonable progress can be made on a buggy with a single 10' in a strong wind. Stacks of up to 6 have been seen powering buggies. 12' This is the biggest standard Flexifoil. It has a massive 12mm centre spar, producing considerable pull. Stacks of more than 3 are rare. 16' This is not a standard production kite but it can sometimes be seen. The massive span leads to very slow turning and the massive strain on the solid 12mm carbon spar has been known to break it. I've never seen 16's stacked but I'm willing to try :-) Ultraflex Spars: The ultraflex spar available for the Flexifoil takes the wind range right down off the bottom of the scale. Flexifoil don't reccommend using them above 10mph wind but in a stack, the strain is distributed between the spars (you might be able bend one enough to break it, but can you break six?) allowing use in stronger winds. The extra flexing of the Ultraflex spar acts as a form of reefing, making the stack pull less in the power zone but opening up to catch more wind at the edge. Peel The Peel was designed from the ground up by Peter Lynn for kite traction. The design includes several (protected) innovations including: A whale-tail rib profile, to give better pull at the edge but which collapses in the centre of the power zone. A complex cross-bridle system to give good canopy shape even when turning tightly An automatic reefing system to make the canopy 30maller in the power zone. Distinctive "Orange peel" shape to give optimal power without sacrificing turning circle. Decorated with a distinctive "ying-yan" pattern. The design is totaly soft, making it safer and giving it a surprisingly small and convenient pack size. The Peel Is available in the following sizes: 3.5m A powerful kite for strong winds. This kite will take as much wind as you dare to give it. 5m A good all-round traction kite 6.4m The large size of this kite offers buggying in lower winds but the reefing brings it down to 5m as necessary to prevent overpowering. 9.3m This huge (15 square meters - 161 square feet!) kite is not in production but was built as a one-off for boat traction. As soon as you give it enough wind to fly (just a few mph), it delivers enough power for buggying. It's quite a handful in 20mph :-) Quadrifoil. This was the kite that brought 4-line flying to soft kites. It comes in a range of sizes from not-too-big to HUGE. They are particularly popular in the USA but less common in the UK buggy scene. They have the distinct advantage that you can easily and quickly recover from crashing them. Their party trick is to launch straight from the bag! We have written to Kite innovation for more info. Modulus. This kite looks similar to a Quadrifoil but consists of a set of separate sections that are zipped together. This allows the pilot to buy one kite and adjust it's size from 1 meter to 5.2 meters to suit the conditions on any given day. We've written to Spider for more info. Force 10. Steve Shapson has taken sparred kite technology to the limit! His high aspect 15' Force 10 and 20' Enforcer appear to be more closely related to hang-gliders than sports kites. He is now working with soft, 4-line technology as well. His kites are quite rare on the East of the Atlantic and we'd like to hear from buggiers that use them. We have written to Force 10 for more info. Buggy Engine. We know nothing about this kite other than that it is a Parafoil. We have written to BO's Kites for more info. Is your favorite kite missing? Please let us know! Can you offer an independant review of a traction kite? Drop us a line! There is more info on the kites that we know more about. Please help to redress the balance. BUGGIES. Peter Lynn. After much development, the Lynn buggy has carefuly balanced geometry and handling. The weight is pared to a minimum and a wide rance of accessories are available, including: Fat wheels for soft surfaces Skinny wheels for higher speeds on firmer surfaces. Conversion kit for buggy-boat. Blades for buggying on ice. Quick Release (dead-man) handles. [Strongly reccommended for all buggiers] Splash guard. [for wimps!] Tandem buggy conversion kit. Extended Quick release handles for buggy-boat. The stainless steel frame can be collapsed to fit in a surprisingly small bag. G-force. This buggy is built by an engineering company which usualy works within the motor racing industry. It follows the basic Lynn layout (small wheels, direct steering) but the wheel-base is longer and and the track wider. It and comes in different models: Enamelled steel or stainless steel and adjustable or made-to-measure according to your pocket. Sidewinder. This buggy has the same track and wheel base as the Lynn but significantly more bum-clearance. It has a heavy duty frame to survive the maximum of abuse. Pha'eton Trike. This buggy breaks the mold by using big knobbly rear tyres, thin front wheel and a long, wide, high clearance frame to create a buggy for cruising over rougher or softer terrain. BO's Buggy. All that we know about this is that you simply push a button to remove the wheels for easy packing (Don't they have spanners in Texas? :-)) and that Dick bell thinks that they will be successful. Australian Buggy? We have heard that someone is making buggies in Australia. Anyone know any more? German Buggy? Is the advert on page 54 of the August '93 Drachen another buggy manufacturer? Does anyone have their phone number? Have we missed any more buggies? Can you review any of the above? Anyone made their own out of bits of bike and wheelchair etc? GROUPS Buggy Pilots of America. This is held together by Corrie Jensen. Contact Corrie to subscribe to their news-sheet "Buggy News". Some stuff that Andrew writes ends up in Buggy News (particularly if it is silly). The important stuff from Buggy News should make it through the Kite Traction Group. BPoA organise "Operation High Desert Swarm Buggy" in Nevada. Corrie Reports that 200f Buggy news gets sent outside America. Kite'n Trike Association Europe Thomas Jekel runs this from Pha'eton in Germany. I hope that Thomas might help us by translating any important news from Drachen because Andrew's German stops at "Drachenfest". The Kite'n Trike Association have a well organised calendar of buggy and landyachting events in Europe. American Kite Association Dean Jordan is heading up the Powerflying Task Force at the AKA. He is working hard to endusure that Power Kiting goes forward within a safe and responsible framework at the AKA. The Kite Traction Group You know about us already! Our main job is to make sure that everyone knows about everything. It won't happen unless you tell us! Blame it all on Andrew Beattie. WHO'S WHO? For the moment, The details here are just in the order that I got hold of them. We have address and phone number for most people. Unless you tell us otherwise, we will keep those details secret and except for trade. If we screw up, let us know! Later, I'll write a cross reference between organisations and people. Andrew Beattie Comment: An enthusiastic kite flier and buggier, known for flying particularly large power kites. The guy to blame for everything that is wrong with the Kite Traction Group. Address: PO Box 109, Basingstoke, RG24 7YB, UK Phone: +44 256 464 912 Fax: +44 793 613 297 Email: Andrew@tug.com Ian Merideth Comment: A keen and experienced buggier Dominique Comment: Runs Peter Lynn International in Holland. Address: Scheepmakersstraat 5, 2515 VA Den Haag, Holland Phone: +31 70 382 04 23 Fax: +31 70 347 34 85 Martin Lester Comment: The guy with the legs. Also proud owner of one of the first Lynn buggies ever made. Address: ????? Phone: +44 272 232084 Mike Shaw Comment: Runs Off Beat Sportz. Supplier of protective gear. One of the most Dedicated buggiers in the UK. Address: Unit 3, Upper Wote Street, Basingstoke, UK Phone: +44 256 461 960 Nick Wheeler: Seen all over the UK, bugging with Mike Shaw. Andrew Jones: Comment: From Flexifoil UK. (I hope that Joost will also join us but he is on holiday as I write) Address: ????? Newmarket, UK. Phone: +44 638 668422 Fax: +44 638 668422 Richard Marsh: Comment: Well established Kite trader (Tradewind Kites) and buggy racer. Address: 6 Harris Arcade, Reading, UK Phone: +44 734 568 848 Mick Parsons & Micheal Johnson Comment: From Spider Kites (Modulus) and G-Force Buggies Address: The Welsh Sport Kite Centre, 15 Western Street, Swansea, UK, SA1 3YJ Phone: +44 792 456 060 Corrie Jensen: Comment: The Buggie Boogier from California. The Scribe behind Buggy News. The man behind the Buggy Pilots of America and Windbourne Kites. Adddress: 585 Cannery Row #105, Monterey, California 93940 USA Phone: +1 408 373 7422 (USA Toll free for orders: 800 234 1033) Fax: +1 408 647 8483 (Via Brooks Leffler) Dean Jordan Comment: Of Jordan Air kites. Head of the Powerflying Task Force in the AKA. Address: 836 nw 20th Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32603, USA Phone: +1 904 373 7018 Fax: +1 904 373 0744 Ted Comment: From Kite Innovation. Makers of the Quadrifoil. Address: 1850 B Holzwarth, Spring, TX 77388, USA Phone: +1 713 288 5451 Fax: +1 713 288 0841 Peter Lynn Comment: If someone must be held responsible for the development of Kite Traction, then we should blame Peter Lynn. Address: 105 Alford Forest Road, Ashburton, New Zealand Phone: +64 3 308 4538 Fax: +64 3 308 1905 Thomas Jeckel Comment: Runs The Kite & Trike Asscoiation. Makes Phaeton Trikes. Address: Phaeton, Sophienstr 16, 52070 Aachen, Germany Phone: +49 241 507 157 Fax: +49 241 513 232 Steinvh@aux.hdata.no Comment: A kite Skiier from Norway Email: Steinvh@aux.hdata.no Full name: Dunno yet! Dan Rubesh Comment: Runs Wind Wizard. Dan puts Buggy News onto Usenet for Corrie. Email: danr@crash.cts.com or crash!danr@nosc.mil Address: PO Box 5747, Ventura, CA 93005, USA Phone: +1 805 659 5654 Chris Lamb, Jayne Suckling, Richard Liddicott Comment: Chris has a rainbow set of 6' flexies, a 5m Peel and short hair. Chris and Jane are SO's. Jayne and Richard own half each of a buggy. Email: clamb@delluk.dell.co.uk Dick Bell Comment: Dick has access to a 150 mile long buggy site! Email: dbell@lobby.ti.com Alan Sparling Comment: A wannabe buggier. Alan lives opposite a golf course but thinks that they would shoot to kill if he tried a buggy there. Willing to relay mail to USA. Email: ajs@stairs.att.com Jim Zorger Comment: 3 power kites but no buggy (yet!) Email: jim_bernard_zorger@cup.portal.com Graham Benson, Graham Blance Comment: Run "Wind Things" in Glasgow. The first traders with buggies in Scotland. Address: 3-5 Gibson Street, Glasgow, G12 8NU, UK Phone: +44 41 334 3336 Paul Carline Comment: Runs "Wind Things" in Edinburgh. Address: 11 Cowgate Head, Edinburgh, EH1 1JY, UK Phone: +44 31 220 6336 Steve Cseplo Comment: The Mad Hata (from Georgia) Email: sc5@facilities.gatech.edu Peter Ulfheden Comment: About to build a Parawing. Email: era_pul@ki.ericsson.se or petulf@saaf.se Address: Amorinav. 3, S-191 44 Sollentuna, Sweden Phone: +46 8 751 02 15 Fax: +46 8 35 04 29 =============================================================================== Right now, we've not contacted these people yet (gotta get some sleep!) but we'll list them on the assumption that we can count them in anyway. =============================================================================== Steve Shapson Comment: From Force 886210. Steve makes the biggest deltas and then stacks them! Address: 10920 N Port Washington Road, Mequon, Wisconsin 53092, USA. Phone: +1 414 241 8862 Fax: +1 414 241 5483 American Kite Magazine Address: 480 Clementina St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. Phone: +1 415 896 0830 Fax: +1 415 896 0485 Drachen Magazin Comment: German kite magazine. Strongly technical. Good plans. Address: Fruchtallee 13, D-20259, Hamburg, Germany. Phone: +49 40 439 56 67 Fax: +49 40 439 53 77 Kiteslines Magzine. Address: PO Box 466, Randallstown, MD 21133-0466 USA Phone: +1 410 922 1212 Fax: +1 410 922 4262 Mr Potter Comment: From Cannock Kites (Sidewinder buggies) Address: 6-6A Church Street, Bridgetown, Cannock. Phone: +44 543 573 177 Mike Hampton Comment: Charman of The British Federation of Landyachting Adrian Guage Comment: From the Breen Landyacht club (UK) Dominique Comment: A keen modulus flier and buggier. Nop Comment: The Flying Dutchman. Address: Vlieger-Op bv, Weteringkade 5a, 2515 AK Den Haag Phone: +31 70 385 8586 Fax: +31 70 383 8541 The people behind the Parawing. Ken Knight. Comment: Ken in the red van. He started the buggy scene in the UK. Address: Kite n Buggy, Dimmer, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7NR Phone: +44 963 51482 If you look at the list and think "Why have they missed XXX?" Please let us know! =============================================================================== That's it for now, we should have much more news, views, comment, "how-to's", events and members by the next issue. Close Isobars! Andrew -- The Kite Traction Group. Email: kites@tug.com Phone: +44 256 464 912 Fax: +44 793 614 297 Post: PO Box 109, Basingstoke, UK, RG24 7YB The Kite Traction Group exists to serve kite buggiers etc. Membership is free. Don't just lurk, mail us if you are interested. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =