Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 13:30:00 -1000 From: RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) Message-Id: <30215C88@DIS.WA.GOV> Organization: Harvard University Office of Information Technology Subject: How did you become involved in kiting? At the Westport Washington Kite Festival, a group of us were being roasted by the campfire and got to talking about how we became involved with kites as adults(using the term adult loosely ;) Some of us were given kites as gifts and some saw the neat kites on the beach and just had to have one(this led to a discussion on the first time you saw the prices of big kites, but I digress). This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper into kites? So What's your story? see you at WSIKF Rob Pratt robp@DIS.WA.GOV = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 15:06:22 -1000 From: djskites@aol.com (Djskites) Message-Id: <3vrrqe$g2j@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? I like to post, and this is my last chance before I leave for Colombia in the mourning. I saw this awesome sight as soon as pulled up to park our car for a day at the beach.! Little did I know after flying that strangers stack of Trlbys on the beach in Cape May NJ, that I would be doing what I am doing today! My wife thought it was kind of dumb at first. Flying this guys kites all day. And even dumber the next day when I was trying to get her to release $18 of our vacation money so I could spend hours and hours flying flying my own kite on the beach. But she did, and after about a 3 years, she was flying and competing with me. Cheers, Dodd Gross = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 23:41:30 -1000 From: ARR@das.harvard.edu Message-Id: <3vsq0a$o3a@nntp.crl.com> Organization: No Light Inc. - WHAT!!! Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? > RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) writes: > > At the Westport Washington Kite Festival, a group of us were being roasted > by the campfire and got to talking about how we became involved with kites > as adults(using the term adult loosely ;) Some of us were given kites as > gifts and some saw the neat kites on the beach and just had to have one(this > led to a discussion on the first time you saw the prices of big kites, but I > digress). This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper > into kites? So What's your story? > > see you at WSIKF > Rob Pratt > robp@DIS.WA.GOV > >>>> About '86 or so I was doing a 9 month job in Savannah, when I happenned upon a lone kite shop on River St. "Sails and Rails" it's called. Jeeeezzzz...didn't know they made Kites like these. So I bought a three pack of Trilbys, went to Tybee, and flew them all afternoon. I was hooked! Went back to Sails, bought a Hawwaiian Spin-off, and it's been all downhill ever since. regards; rick New Light Inc. - elctrically inclined. LIVE & in color newlight@a.crl.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 18:02:16 -1000 From: rodbuggy@aol.com (RODBUGGY) Message-Id: <3vs648$k22@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Let's see.... a little less than 3 years ago my wife and I were in Lincoln City celebrating our anniversary and bought a 6 foot delta in a gift shop. Took it for A walk on the beach and really enjoyed it. A couple of months later we discovered Catch The Wind. I bought a 3 pack of Trlbys and I was hooked on dual line flying. The rest as they say is history. The kite bag keeps getting bigger and the trips to the beach more frequent. The latest aquisition is a Stratascoop 4 limited edition Stars and Stripes. Flew it Tuesday on the beach at Gearhart for the first time. What a beautiful kite it is. Can't wait for Long Beach. See you there. Rodbuggy = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 18:49:42 -1000 From: Chuck.van.Eekelen@net-engine.nl (Chuck van Eekelen) Message-Id: Organization: NLnet Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) wrote: >At the Westport Washington Kite Festival, a group of us were being roasted >by the campfire and got to talking about how we became involved with kites >as adults(using the term adult loosely ;) By really never giving up on being a kid ? >Some of us were given kites as >gifts and some saw the neat kites on the beach and just had to have one(this >led to a discussion on the first time you saw the prices of big kites, but I >digress). This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper >into kites? So What's your story? A collegae bought a small SpeedWing and I just wnet out and got me a GNAT (a small stunter from a local kitestore). The thing had deteriorating flightcapacities and I no longer worked with this guy. Also they were building on my favorite sites. That put my kite in the back of my car were it pretty much stayed for 2 years or so. After that period I visited a former collegae who had also bought a small Speedwing at the same time bought the GNAT. He was now into building kites himself. According to him the book Stuntkites I - to build and fly was the best thing available (in retrospect I fully agree) and I asked for this book as a birthday gift last year April. I now have this book as well as book II, the accompanying kite 1.0 disk and the Kites book by Pelham. I have build 25 stuntkites and three small one-liners for my kid. I guess I am in way over my head, but I enjoy the building and flying of kites. Especially if you can take someone with you and get them really geared about kite flying. That's it in a nutshell. Be seeing ya ! Go Fly a Kite ! Chuck >see you at WSIKF >Rob Pratt >robp@DIS.WA.GOV = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 00:55:29 -1000 From: miel@knoware.nl (Emiel Stroeve) Message-Id: <3vsub3$7j1@news.euro.net> Organization: Euronet Internet Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) wrote: > This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper >into kites? So What's your story? Well, here's mine: At some point 8 to 9 years ago a friend talked about kiting with 2 foil like kites on the beach. Never saw them, but probably small Flexi's. The connections with that friend faded, but that kiting stuff stayed. A year later I was in Brighton (GB) at the beach and saw this guy flying kites, from that moment on I knew I wanted to do that as well. After that I started gathering info on kites, mainly from Vlieger-Op in Den Haag. My first kite was (off course) a Speedwing, built it myself. It needed about 6 Bft. to just lift the weight (used 10 mm very heavy fiber rods). After that it just went better, a number of Speedwings later they actually flew without noise and with a lot power. At some point in history I remembered making a Rev I type of kite (my first 4-liner), and used 45 m. of Skybound line (dacron with a kevlar, thick and heavy) to fly it. At that time I wondered why anyone would fly something like that !!! Now I know you should use 'some other type' of flying line. I still think the thrill of kiting includes also designing and making them yourself. My favorites are high aspect delta's and foil's, and of course buggying (yep also home-made). I now start to think about making the really big flowforms in al sorts of animal shapes. aoxomoxoa Emiel = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 10:41:01 -1000 From: yl2c+@andrew.cmu.edu (Yu-Liang Lin) Message-Id: Organization: Harvard University Office of Information Technology Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hello, this is mine, Being a foreign student without girlfriend in the States, sometimes could be quite lonely. It's boring to go to school everyday. :) I used to go cycling around the Pittsburgh area but not any more since I saw someone flying a stunt kite in a big field right next to my department bldg this March. I'd never seen anyone flown sport kites in my country, Taiwan, before. It's so much fun to watch. So, I'd decided to get one for myself and that's also how I started reading rec.kites. During that period I saw lots of positive reviews on MEFM. And then, I was hooked. Air F/X was purchased after the MEFM. A Symphony came after. Now, a Jordan Air Pro and a Maxi are also on the way to Pittsburgh. My kite bag is also filled with different kinds of single line kites as well, like a 55' Rainbow Dragon, Hata, Rakkaku .. etc. I guess that would be it. No more spending on Kites! :) This month I just got into a local kite club called "Fly Pittsburgh." I hope I can learn more skills and have more fun with Pittsburgh kiters. I don't regret putting those money on kites because I enjoy kite flying so much and most of the kiters I've met they're all so friendly especially El and Dave on Presque Isle, Erie. Please say hello for me if anybody sees them. Regards, Yu-liang Lin Carnegie Mellon University Mechanical Engineering = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 06:09:05 -1000 From: gilchgw@zoology.washington.edu (George W. Gilchrist) Message-Id: <3vtgn1$6la@nntp4.u.washington.edu> Organization: University of Washington Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? My interest in kites took a few years to build up steam. About 6 years ago I bought a parafoil-in-a-can at the toy/kite shop near the Pike Place Market in Seattle. It was fun, but I only flew it on occasional trips to the beach. Then, three years later we made our first trip to the Oregon coast. I had my parafoil with me, but I wanted something a bit more active. At Catch the Wind in Newport, I bought a Skynosaur Aerobat for myself (and a little delta for my 5 year old son). I spent a couple of hours on the beach augering the nose of that kite into the sand before I finally caught on. Then every afternoon, I would beg and plead for someone to come down to the beach and help me set the thing up and get it into flight. After that trip, I began final work on my doctoral dissertation, so nearly a year passed without taking the kite out of the bag. Then, one day I couldn't face another hour at the computer and took off for the local athletic field with my Aerobat. I managed to get the thing in the air without a helper and spend a couple of hours soaring and cloud-watching, and feeling like I myself had sprouted wings. Well, that afternoon spread to other afternoons as the final chapter of my dissertation neared completion. I made a couple of forays to local kite shops, scanning the walls and thinking about how much more I might do with a better kite. Finally, the writing was complete and the dissertation defense was over. My wife slipped me an envelope; in it was a gift certificate to Goodwinds Kites; the Prism Eclipse I had been eyeing was mine. That was nearly two years and at least eight kites ago... -- ============================== George W. Gilchrist gilchgw@zoology.washington.edu University of Washington Department of Zoology Box 351800 Seattle, WA 98l95-1800 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 07:56:58 -1000 From: kichiwa@eskimo.com (Mike Eason) Message-Id: Organization: Not Much! Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? In article <30215C88@DIS.WA.GOV>, RobP@DIS.WA.GOV says... >At the Westport Washington Kite Festival, a group of us were being roasted >by the campfire and got to talking about how we became involved with kites >as adults(using the term adult loosely ;)..... This led me to wondering >how you all became hip-deep or deeper >into kites? So What's your story? > >see you at WSIKF In 1985 my wife, Katie, two sons, and I were heading toward the Oregon beaches for a vacation. We just happened to pass through Long Beach, WA on the way, and fell right into the middle of WSIKF early in the week. I am a photographer, originally, and was in a hurry to get further south to the sand dunes area in Oregon to photograph. The boys wanted to get some kites to fly and, of course, wanted me to fly also. I'm often reminded by my family that, at the time, I said,"naw, kites are for kids". It also happened that Sonny Hamner, from the Oregon South Coast, was staying in the same campground as we were. Sonny gave the boys some glow sticks to play with and the conversation got around to kites fairly quickly. He showed us his Hawaiian Team kite (this was at the time when you could identify any stunt kite on the beach from quite a distance because there were so few) and explained how it flew and what you could do with it. Of course, Sonny is also quite a ladies man and flirt so he invited Katie (me and the boys too) to come to the beach to fly his kite the next morning before we left town. After a few last minute instructions on the beach the next morning, Sonny handed the Hawiian over to Katie. OOOOOPS! I'm told that she's the only person known to have broken the backbone of a kite in four places at once! It was probably because of the high rate of speed when the nose made contact with the sand. We all walked up to Long Beach Kites so I could get Sonny's kite repaired, got to know him better, and met a BUNCH of other really nice kitefliers on the way. While at the shop we were introduced to all kinds of kites displayed everywhere. We purchased a Skynasaur Aerobat, said our good-bys, and headed for Oregon. After a day of flying the Aerobat they couldn't get me off the beach with my new "kids toy". We decided that the Aerobat wasn't quite the same as the Hawaiian so ended up purchasing a Spinoff in Seaside. Sure didn't take long to get addicted! I still have that original Aerobat. It's taught several cub and boy scout troops to fly. Whenever we see Sonny at an event, the first thing he says is "Mike, I'm sorry!" I'm glad we met this generous man who allowed us to break his kite! Somewhere around 180+ kites later I now feel that I NEED a few more "kids toys". Watashiwa tako, pins, buggy, and kite people kichiwa! -- Mike Eason or Media Specialist: Everett Community College, Everett, WA President: Snohomish County Incredible Flying Individuals, SCI-FI voice:206-334-0362 H. :206-388-9117 W. fax:206-388-9144 3rd Annual Washington State Sport Kite Championships, Sept. 22-24, 1995 Whidbey Island Kite Festival, Ft. Casey Conf. Center, Sept. 22-24, 1995 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 13:46:49 -1000 From: gwynfor@xanzyra.hb.north.de (Andreas Doescher) Message-Id: <3vubh9$1hj@xanzyra.hb.north.de> Organization: Private site in Bremen/North Germany Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hi, it was last year in Denmark. The weather was very bad, high temperature and soft winds (and a surfboard waiting for action). The wind was to bad for surfing, but not to bad for kite flying. So we (my girlfriend and I) bought a small diamond shaped kite. Back at home we build our first delta, a SkyDart. The SkyDart is a little bit small, the next one is a Mirage (a delta with 2.8m span) and a BatKite (from the rest of the nylon :-) ). We are brainstorming which kite is next ;-) Ciao, Andreas PS: Oh, what is 'WSIKF' ? = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 4 Aug 1995 17:55:18 -1000 From: Zackmac1@aol.com Message-Id: <950804235516_130912491@aol.com> Organization: Harvard University Office of Information Technology Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? In a message dated 95-08-04 00:29:10 EDT, RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) writes: >This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper >into kites? So What's your story? in 1982 i was working in a body shop in oklahoma. in between coats of blue enamel on a 59' chev i kept hearing a loud "ripping" sound behind the shop. it was a guy with an old red&black c74. i purchased a green aerobat (with control rod) from him on the spot. a couple of years later i moved to oregon where i went the way of John Waters, Corey Jensen, Ken Tumminia, Rick Brown Doug Hagaman, Corey Roesler and others, to work for catch the wind. i've been here ever since, diggin it. oxo rob ps sticking those eyes on a gayla baby bat as a kid started me wading, but that c74 dragged me under :-} = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = From: Date: Sat, 5 Aug 1995 03:57:39 -1000 From: kitejag <@pa.mother.com> Message-Id: <3vvtcj$970@pa.mother.com> Organization: Mother.COM Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? miel@knoware.nl (Emiel Stroeve) wrote: > > This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper > >into kites? So What's your story? First let me say this is one of the bes threads I've seen in a long while I builtmy first kie out of parachute silk my mom bought when I was a kid (physical age...I'll grow up some day). Mom was not happy and some jerk beat me up because kites were for sissys...that's the kind of menality that was pervassive in Chicago suburbs back in those days. At any rate I didn't fly for years and years but when I came back from overseas my mom bought my two kids and me Trilbys which we flew at Acitique (Spelling is wrong, I'm sure) Beach in Virginia. By the time I left the farm I had a dragon kite, a French Military and several other creations (all of which I still have after nearly twenty years. After coming to California I hooked up with Clyde Potter who taught me how to fly sport kites and the rest is merely a matter of buying or building what I could afford when I could afford it. My two greatest thrills came literally weeks apart recently..Seeing a video tape I helped set up (You Can Fly A Kite, from Black Board Entertainment) and winning Individual Intermediate Ballet at Berkely this year (I got serious about competition about eight months ago) FLY KITES!!! Think Kindly Thoughts. John Gabby = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sat, 5 Aug 1995 08:12:06 -1000 From: rlhaas@eskimo.com (Robin Haas) Message-Id: Organization: Eskimo North (206) For-Ever Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? I too got sucked (blown?) in to kiting by chance. About 8 years ago my brother had received a free fishing trip for two as a result of doing a favor for the guy that owned the charter boat. It just happened that the boat was out of Ilwaco, Washington. For those not familiar with area, Ilwaco is just a few miles South of Long Beach on the Columbia River. He booked a weekend for us that turned out to be the final weekend of the kite festival. After fishing Saturday morning we went up to check out the kite festival we had heard was going on. At that time, Friday and Saturday were dedicated to sport kite competition. We sat there amazed at what we saw being done with kites. I couldn't believe the size, shape, and numbers of the kites that were flying. We went back on Sunday to see what it was like because we heard they were going to try to set a new record for the most kites in the air. We decided to become a part of the count and went to Long Beach Kites and bought one TRLBY. We figured we'd share. Back to the beach we went to learn to fly. Being ignorant of kite etiquette we set up right off to the side of where a bunch of big kites were flying. Well, to make a long story short, the kite ended up getting wrapped around the line of one of the large kites. The owner of the kite was very unhappy. He threw his gloves on the ground (anyone beginning to figure out who it was?) and said something about us flying stunt kites near his kite. He then helped get our kite off his line and away he went. Yes, it turned out to be Doug Hagaman and we had wrapped around one of his parafoils. Those that knew Doug will see the humor in all of this. Anyhow, I went back home. My brother was not as impressed apparrently because he let me keep the TRLBY and I found a local place to fly. At that time there were only about 4 of us that flew regularly at the boat launch in Everett, WA. Within a week I decided to "graduate" to something different. I found a bike shop that was dabbling in selling kites and bought an Aerobat. Well, I was cutting my teeth on learning to fly when one of the guys that I had met let me fly his Hawaiin Spin-off. That was it!! The next day I headed to Seattle and bought one for myself at Gasworks Park Kite Shop. My neck has never been the same since!! The guy with the short signature = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 6 Aug 1995 16:05:04 -1000 From: jervin@inmind.com (James Ervin) Message-Id: <403vte$4ha@mujibur.inmind.com> Organization: In Mind, Inc. Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) wrote: So What's your story? When I was in school at FSU in 1985 I ended up on a road trip to New Orleans, A kite store appeared out of nowhere (honest). I was looking at all the bright coolors and fantaxtic kites and was struck by a video showing stunt kites in action. I must have watched it through a couple of times and knew that it was for me. I bought a delta shaped kite make by Peter Powell, framed with solid fiberglass rods and made out of 1.5 oz ripstop. It must have weighed ten pounds. I also bought some sky bond lines and some real bad handles. I went out and attempted to fly it in about 2.5mph and was slightly encouraged. On the return trip to Tallahassee, I stoped in Panama City and had a blast on the beach. That was the real begining for me. I flew the same kite off and on while in school and after graduation. In 1989 I started to make kites for fun. The designs that I wanted were just not there and it was also more of a challange develope the design process and work to design kites with various flight characteristics. I must have made over a hundred different designs. This got to be a full time hobby and began to consume most of my spare time and income. I took some of my kites to the first ODSKC and was suprised to sell them all. during the drive home I decided that I would start a small company to make and sell kites. The rest is just fun fun and more fun. This is a great thread, it has caused me to stop and think about kiting and myself. I am in the middle of getting photos made for our 1996 cataloge, working with a collection of other people and trying to sew up kites. It is good to take a moment to look at the events that put you where you are. I still have the first kite, that big yellow and red PP Delta. Of course I still have it!! build like that it is basically indistructable!! I will fly it agian (when there is so much wind that the Speed Limit folds up on itself and all the trees blow over...that will be the sign to get it out of the bag, who knows, maby it axles really well:-) James Ervin Blue Ridge Kites jervin@inmind.com (703) 586-9590 ______________________________________________________________________ Can I go home now? My brain is full. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 02:41:25 -1000 From: DragonWind@megaweb.com (Paul Manning) Message-Id: <405j76$jp3@news-e1a.megaweb.com> Organization: Megaweb Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? In article <30215C88@DIS.WA.GOV> Rob Pratt wrote: >How did you become involved in kiting? Well back in the Good old days of single line kites and before AKA.... My Dad would cut pine sticks for his eight children twice a year (we were poor so we made kite and model planes) and we would build kites all year. When I became a teen the local parks dept decide that having kite contest would be a good idea. So I started flying in them evey year starting in 1964. Evey year I'ed win the the kite battles and then started tring to win the highest kite. The first time I tried didn't have the string. Next, year some kid's mom ran to the store and got more. So I planned very carefully for the next year. I came with two miles of fishing line and a large box kite which I had tested in all winds and saved just for the contest. When the judge came over to check he asked were my kite was and my dad haded him the telscope. All you could see was a yellow dot. (I had 1 1/2 miles of line out, after two years of tring I finially won). Then I heard of the AKA in my final year of high school and thought it was a joke at the time. (Had to join to fly in contest, who do they think they are? Note: I have finially joined the AKA this year.) Well, I went to sea for 8 years and never lost the kite flying bug. I have flown a lot of kites over the years from dragons in Japan to kites made out of banana leafs. I went in to computer contracting full time, got married, and after a long project in Washington DC when home to Oregon for sometime off. We when to Canon Beach and stopped in the kite stores. Window shopped everyone I think, got a small stunter, practice until I could keep it up for a time. Took my next contract in Iowa and lock the kite at the bottem of the trunk for the winter. Found a kite store in Ceder Falls, IW and started buy kites. I've been a fan of the dual line kites since.... At 30+ store kites will I stop buy. Nope... Just pause to master each one as I get them. (Note: I still have lots of home made kites, I think I may even have that box kite I won with.) Paul Manning = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 06:05:19 -1000 From: skrishnan@mmm.com (S.Krishnan) Message-Id: <405djv$sg9@dawn.mmm.com> Organization: mmm Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hi, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 06:05:19 -1000 From: skrishnan@mmm.com (S.Krishnan) Message-Id: <405djv$sga@dawn.mmm.com> Organization: mmm Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hi, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 06:05:19 -1000 From: skrishnan@mmm.com (S.Krishnan) Message-Id: <405djv$mto@dawn.mmm.com> Organization: mmm Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hi, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 06:05:19 -1000 From: skrishnan@mmm.com (S.Krishnan) Message-Id: <405djv$sg8@dawn.mmm.com> Organization: mmm Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hi, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 7 Aug 1995 06:53:05 -1000 From: skrishnan@mmm.com (S.Krishnan) Message-Id: <405gdh$2mq@dawn.mmm.com> Organization: mmm Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Hi I started very young helping older kids with making manja thread....one goes looking for those very friable soda glass bottles in garbage, grind it to a fine powder, mix with tree gum and then coat the fiber with it...then it hangs in the tropical sun to dry. The indian fighter kite fliers wear bandages in their fingers while flying. I still fly home-made monoline kites during the brief Minnesota summers. However my line is made of nylon and the kites are made out of polyester film and bamboo. The kites pull stronger but the thread is gentler on other kitelines in the sky. I am a reasonably good flier of monoline kites...could dive with some accuracy on other kitelines and rotate my kite to depress the other kite...a strategy used to cut the other line when one has an abrasive line. I prefer to sit on the lawn or in a lawn chair while flying....and I notice multi-line kite fliers work very hard and in low wind seem to walk/ or run backwards a lot and really work out. I have browsed in here for only a short time, with hardly any experience at posting. Pardon these other notes with nothing in them. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 09:51:37 -1000 From: VAXDRAGON@aol.com Message-Id: <950809155136_70225478@aol.com> Organization: Harvard University Office of Information Technology Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? You wrote: >Good one Paul. >aoxomoxoa > Yes, sometimes the truth is funny at times. My Dad flew kites during WWII as a kid and he was a great builder of single line kites. He had lots of design in his head. Just last week I was talking to my mother on the phone about kiting and she told me a wonderful story about two of my sisters and kites. (My two sisters have married two brothers and live in the same town.) It seems that their kids wanted to go kite flying so the both family's went to a near by field. The two brothers tried to show the kids how to fly their kites, but couldn't get them up. So my sisters took the kites in hand and flew them without any trouble. The brothers were amazed! The younger sister said, "You beable to fly anything too, if you had our dad. You should have see some of the things he had us fly." My dad is to make the kids some of the old pine spars so the girls can teach the kids how to make some of Grand Dad's kites... chuckle, chuckle... Now just who do you think took most of the other awards at the contests. Yes, you guess it and I do have two brothers and five sisters younger than me and they all know how to fly kites. Paul Manning VAXDragon/DragonWind = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 03:31:58 -1000 From: oakden@vo1.ph.liv.ac.uk (M.N.Oakden) Message-Id: Organization: nil Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? In article <30215C88@DIS.WA.GOV> RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) writes: [snip] This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper into kites? So What's your story? see you at WSIKF Rob Pratt robp@DIS.WA.GOV No real story as such... A friend at univ. was bored and so got a book out of the library on kites. He built a "fighter" kite from one of the descriptions given there. Unfortunately, the book gave no hints on the spars other than theat they ought to be split bamboo. Hence the kite he built was, shall we say, slightly stiff :) ... it had to be manually bent back and secured in this dihedral position with string before it would even start to fly. Nevertheless, we got hooked. I acquired a copy of Gallot's excellent fighter kites book shortly afterwards and we both started learning to split and shave bamboo and built some more succesful fighters. I then started acquiring more kite books (Pelham's penguin book of kites, Eden's Kiteworks nad Lloyd&Moulton's book), and sorta progressed from there. I got hooked on the idea of getting some flexis, and after seeing a couple of guys flying 10 footers in strong winds just had to have some. I asked advice from the good folks at rec.kites and eventually plumped for a couple of sixes (now this has grown to a four stack, and virtually all I can think about now is getting more kites to add to the stack). I'm sure that one day I'll be buggying :) Cheers, Mark Oakden (who can't buy *anything* expensive these days without mentally dividing the price by the price of a six foot flexifoil) -- oakden@dice2.desy.de oakden@hep.ph.liv.ac.uk | Man's end - I'm not politically incorrect, | a bamboo shoot, I'm just differently articulate. | or less. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 09:40:39 -1000 From: johnsona@novell2.chnt.gtegsc.com (Al Johnson) Message-Id: <40dn5a$pju@news.chnt.gtegsc.com> Organization: GTE Government Systems Corporation Information Systems Division Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? I started like many people: with Trlbys and an Aerobat. We used to go to Chincoteague and Assateague Island in Virginia every year. The Kite Coop was a kite / book store in Chincoteague and they always had the beach full of kites. I watched them until I couldn't resist and bought a 3 pack of Trlbys. The next year I decided they were nice, but too tame. I splurged and got an Aerobat. I still get it out if kids are around and the wind is blowing hard enough. Since then I have picked up several nicer kites and enjoy flying more each year. Al Johnson = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 10 Aug 1995 20:42:47 -1000 From: rmaxwell@Direct.CA (Ray Maxwell) Message-Id: Organization: Internet Direct Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? In article <30215C88@DIS.WA.GOV>, RobP@DIS.WA.GOV (Rob Pratt) wrote: > > So What's your story? > > see you at WSIKF > Rob Pratt > robp@DIS.WA.GOV I am an aviation buff. I fly gliders, airplanes multiengine, land and floats, hotair balloons. I have been watching stunt kites out of the corner of my eye for some time. My wife and I went for a few days at Cannon Beach Oregon. I walked into Once Upon a Breeze. Ask alot of questions of the nice people that run the shop and left after about an hour with a Ground Zero "JESTER" under my arm. Went to the beach, had a great time flying the "JESTER". I now have a MEFM, "STRANGER" and a "SPEED LIMIT". I love the sport!!! I can try alot of things with the kites that I would not dream of in a aircraft. If I blow-it I can walk away!!! Ray Maxwell = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 17:34:56 -1000 From: david.chapman@ptinfo.com (David Chapman) Message-Id: <950810215433115@ptinfo.com> Organization: HCS/PTInfoSys, Kansas City Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? ->...first time you saw the prices of big kites -> This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or dee -> into kites? So What's your story? -> Big kites, big prices. It took me some time to justify the cost/value thing but that's long past. You know when you think about it; let's take golf for instance. Clubs, 4 to 600.00 for an ok set of clubs, 30K for a membership to a nice country club and then you still pay for cart fees, and balls, and drinks, and, and,and....Kiting now becomes quite easy to justify. My story probably like many, is one of our ever present desire to control flight or defeat gravity (to a degree, I'm a SCUBA fan as well). With that aside, kites and their history I find interesting, and when It comes down to it they're (kites) just fun to watch in flight as well. Short yet simple Dave ----------------------------------------------------------- * Dave Chapman e-mail:drc@ptinfo.com * * HCS/PTInfoSys voice:816-471-6362 * * Kansas City MO,USA "So little done, so much to do." * ----------------------------------------------------------- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 09:06:26 -1000 From: Ben Hammock Message-Id: <40g9ni$cnc@news.onramp.net> Organization: Ben's Kites Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? When I was about 6 or 7 years old my mother hired a music teacher to teach me how to play the trumpet. Many times he would bring me a kite that he had made. Soon I wanted to go fly a kite rather than pratice scales (uck). I made kites throughtout my childhood but gave it up in my teen years because it was CHILDISH. After I married my sweet wife Donna I made a few kites ( I remember one that was so top heavy I had to tie a lawn chair on to stablize it ). When my son Chris was 7 he got a Trlby for his birthday and It wasn't long after I started makeing my on stunt kites. I met Bill Lockheart and he tought me to sew better and signed me up for the Junction Kite Retreat. I haven't missed a year since. Singlelines are my passion but I do fly Stunters some. Never did learn to play the trumpet but do envy thoes who are musical Ben Hammock --- When FIRE breaks out call a professional --- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 14:22:25 -1000 From: wrweir@aol.com (WR Weir) Message-Id: <40gs81$459@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? You posed this question Aug 3, 1995 " This led me to wondering how you all became hip-deep or deeper into kites? So What's your story?" My story is..... I saw Team Shread (Mike Simmons, Dawn Simmons, John McLaughlin & someone else) flying on the beach near Ft. Lauderdale. I knew right then that I had to have a sport kite! There is nothing like seeing a sport kite for the first time with a great team doing manuevers that seem unbelievable! Carolyn Weir = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 13 Aug 1995 17:50:21 -1000 From: lthrall@netcom.com (Jo and Lee) Message-Id: Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Sometimes you can point to a specific moment in time & know that moment changed the course of your life. That moment for me came on the Sunday, Sept 6 1987. I had moved from Massachusetts to Berkeley, California for a postdoctoral position. I didn't know anyone there when I arrived, except for my landlord who asked me if I wanted to go to the beach that weekend. So the Sunday of Labor Day weekend my landlord & I drove out to Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco. Much to my consternation, this beach was "clothing optional". Needless to say, 27 years of uptight Northeast (ex-)Catholic upbringing did not prepare me for such a scenario. Plus, the place was freezing, not that I had any intention of taking anything off... My landlord was a good sport & suggested we drive up the coast to The City (I soon learned that was the "in" name for San Francisco). We came upon a park along the waterfront called Marina Green. There was a kite festival going on at the time, so we stopped to check it out. I was amazed at what I saw. I didn't know kites could do that! Come to find out, this was the very first 'West Coast Stunt Kite Championships' put on by Kitemakers of SF (aka the McFaddens). My landlord had to practically drag me away after a couple of hours (I would have stayed all day!), but the next day I returned on my own & spent the whole day there. By the end of the day, I was hooked. I bought a Trlby 3-pack that day, & found out there was a really great place to fly in my new home town, at the Berkeley Marina. Soon thereafter I met Tom McAlister at Berkeley, who taught me how to fly my Trlbys & then let me try a Spinoff, whereupon the Trlbys were immediately demoted to "teaching kites". I spent a lot of time flying at the marina (it was a great place to escape from the lab), & I made a lot of friends there. At the marina Tom introduced me to a guy named Lee who became my very best friend. So thanks to my landlord & to the McFaddens, my life changed in a single day. Good thing the beach was cold :-) - Jo. -- Joanne Petithory & Lee Thrall lthrall@netcom.com = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 12:54:40 -1000 From: adam777@aol.com (Adam777) Message-Id: <40r8jg$1o2@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? A friend wrote a story for the Albuquerque Journal on a Albuquerque and it Japanese sister city Kite Festival and suggested a group of us go. I was elected to build a kite. The library, dowel, tissue paper and 'The Penguin Book of Kites' later and I took first place. Since I love positive reinforcement I have been building kites for the last 12 years. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 16:23:58 -1000 From: fsiegel@linet02.li.net (Frank Siegel) Message-Id: <40rkru$nks@linet02.li.net> Organization: LI Net (Long Island Network) Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? : line kites as well, like a 55' Rainbow Dragon, Hata, Rakkaku .. etc. I : guess that would be it. No more spending on Kites! :) : Yu-liang Lin : Carnegie Mellon University : Mechanical Engineering Sounds like all the times where I said- that's it, no more buying cigarettes. Sorry, Yu-liang- I've read your list, and I'd bet that by this time next year, your bag will be different (probably even bigger) 8-) Frank (the other one, not nasty at all) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 07:08:18 -1000 From: daveb@sapphire.wv.tek.com (Dave Butler) Message-Id: <40t8m2INN7pe@sapphire.wv.tek.com> Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, OR. Subject: Re: How did you become involved in kiting? Let's see. About 12 years ago, a friend got a Trilby, and we drove 80 miles to the beach, to fly it. The wind was a bit high (I figure it was blowing somewhere above 30+ miles/hour, as we actually had to lean into the wind to remain standing) so we sort of hid in the shadow of a huge dune, to cut the wind back a bit. Of course we didn't understand the impact of wind speed (don't kites need strong wind?), or turbulance, or line stretch, or even the real necessity for keeping the lines exactly the same length ("hell, I'm a coordinated adult, I can compensate ;-). Not surprizingly we couldn't get the thing in the air for more than a split second (I doubt that it went more than 10 ft on any single flight). This was all for the best I suppose, because if we had succeeded in getting the kite above the dune's wind-shadow, it would likely have shredded in mid-air or snapped the lines, or both (In retrospect I am really impressed that the kite held together at all). Thus convinced that kite flying was incredibly difficult, and only for the superhuman, we drowned our sorrows in a micro-brewery beer and and gave up everything but the wish to fly a kite. I went without for a few years, before going into a small kite store in Lincoln City ("Flying Things"), and after a lot of encouragement from my wife, I bought a small delta stunt that they make at the store (I had to think about it a long time, after all $25 is a lot of money ;-). Then with some coaching from the shop owner, I was flying. It was great; I could fly a kite after all (The feeling of triumph was similar to the first time I rode a bike, or successfully juggled 3 balls. I still get that feeling today when I learn a new kite trick). Each of the following 2 years, I would stop at the shop and buy another kite to add to my stack, and with 3 kites in my stack, I naively felt like hot stuff (heck I was an "expert;" I could do figure eights, and do a big circle, and make smooth horizontal passes over the sand, even take off without help, and I even flew as much as three or four days each year). Then one day, I saw a guy with with a delta "Jet Kite" rigged for quad. It was pretty, and I was a bit envious, but I figured it basically did the same things my kites did. Then it stopped in mid-air, and went backwards, and slid sideways, and did all sorts of impossible things. Suddenly the world expanded!! I had an epiphany!! I saw god!! I had mental sex with a kite!! I drooled!! I WANTED ONE!! NOW!!! Now, I noticed that the guy watched me on occasion, so in my naivety I thought I had an interesting set of kites and I offered the guy my stack to fly. I hoped (nay, verily prayed) that he would reciprocate with his kite. He kindly took my kites and flew them for a while, and told me about four line flying. And then he let me fly "IT." I was terrified I would crash and thus flew very conservatively and stayed higher in the window. I started slowly, and then I did things I had never done before; I didn't even crash. I stopped in mid-air and hovered in the middle of the window, I went sorta sideways, and even went reverse. When I finished, my hands were shaking, I babbled at my wife, and I went on a holy pilgrimage for a kite that would fly in all directions. After some sticker shock (remember, I had originally thought $25 was an expensive kite), my passion overrode my miserly nature, and I bought a Revolution, and attained ecstasy. I was hooked/addicted; I was a cross between a Moonie and a junkie, "Sure man, just try my kite. You like it; *you'll* see. This times for free; yeah that's the ticket". One of my favorite shirts is still my teeshirt from "Paint the Sky Kites" in Portland, that says "Wind Junkie." And of course I had to get kites that would do different things: "You mean that this Prism Eclipse will let me learn the "Axel" (drool, slobber), and the Rev II will fly faster and quicker, and will even stack with my Rev I (hands clutch spastically), and XTC is capable of a "double axel" and will fly in 20 mph (tick forms under left eye), and that Jordan X-1 will fly in less than 1 mph (minor head twitch and body convulsions), and a Stranger will what!?! (loss of ability to speak coherently, and vocalizations limited to grunts and small animal noises.)". (And yes, that is a small subset of my kites, and yes I also know those who've had the bug even worse. One friend bought 16 expensive stunters in his first year.) And I owe it all to one generous soul who, in spite of the fact that I was obviously a newbie flyer, let me fly his quad rigged delta (a person whom my loving and gentle wife would no doubt put out a contract on, if we only knew who he was). I owe him a lot who ever he is (him and the local kite stores), and thus even when a person is a newbie I will generally, with a small unobtrusive talk, allow her/him to try the kite I'm flying. If I can tell he/she has no experience at all, I'll still likely rig up a kite for him/her. So if you're at WSIKF this year, and see some guy going glassy eyed over some kite on the beach, it might just be me, or it could be one of the many other poor slobs who've developed the same addiction (which, from kiters at WSIKF, seems number in the thousands). Later, Dave Butler Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: What more could you ask of life? Aviation combined all the elements I loved... I began to feel that I lived on a higher plane than the skeptics of the ground; one that was richer because of its very association with the elements of danger they dreaded, because it was freer of the earth to which they were bound. In flying I tasted the wine of the gods of which they could know nothing... Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =