Reader Feedback
Enjoys 4Play
I saw the contest this summer at Berkeley...I now own 5
Quads...excuse me 6.
Now I like to set up a dual and a Rev 10-15' apart and
split my day among them. Did it today as a matter of fact. I also now
fly power kites and have a PL Buggy. All because I saw that Rev move
with more precise control and thought than I was able to put into a
dual...Thanks Ron!
I am kind of a nut about kites now but put almost any
kite in front of me and I can make it do almost anything...make no
mistake though...when I see somebody with Ron's talent or Dan Whitney or
so many others who I only know by sight, I stop and watch...and learn...
You have a great e-mag and I stop read and learn when it
comes out...
Thanks...good work
Mike, Robyn, and Max
Yup, watching Ron fly a Rev makes you want to run out
and buy a bagful, doesn't it?
SUAFYC
Did I get all those letters right? Does it matter?
Enjoyed your article
in Kitelife. Sounds a lot like our local "club," the Wings
Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society (WACKOS). Anyone that flies with
us is a member if they want to think of themselves as a member. There
are no dues, and no meetings other than we meet to fly twice a month at
a local park with a, for around here, great field. We also
"meet" anywhere two or more of us want to go fly something. We
are perhaps a little less doctrinaire even then SUAFYKC, in that we are
very into dual liners, quads, singles, fighters, bols, what the heck
ever somebody wants to fly. If it flies on a string, it's good.
On the other hand, we do have officers -- everyone is
allowed to declare themselves an officer, with the title of their
choice, so long as they recognize that WACKOS officers have neither
powers nor duties: just titles. Titles are kinda fun -- how many other
kite clubs have an Air Marshall? We joined AKA as an affiliated club,
because three of us wanted to and were willing to pony up 1/3 of the
fee...
We have also done the T-shirt thing, available to
anybody that wants one at cost, whenever somebody wants to get up the
money to print them. (Wanna swap a WACKOS World Tour 1999 shirt for a
SUAFYKC? I have a L and a XL...)
We have a couple of banners -- well, we don't but one of
us wanted to make a banner, liked it, so made two, and as long as he was
making, thought why not incorporate a WACKOS logo.
We have a webpage
maintained by one of our guys who wanted to put one up. If somebody else
wants to do one, we'll have two, I guess.
The important thing, with the WACKOS or the SUAFYKC, is
to have fun and fly yer kite(s). If I wanna do meetings, I'll go to
work...
One critique of your article -- folks getting under your
kites are not stupid -- they are ignorant. There's a difference. First
time you saw a sport kite, it probably didn't instantly occur to you how
dangerous it would be to get hit by one, right? You thought,
"Cool!" then, if you're like me, stopped thinking and started
watching, and feeling strange, unnatural yearnings... Stupid people you
send out to play in the freeway -- ignorant people you enlighten. Thank
goodness the first sport kite flier I saw -- he was flying a Rev II at
the beach, and my jaw DROPPED TO THE SAND -- was interested in
friendlily (friendlily??) sharing his neat hobby/passion/obsession, so
that I could catch it too. If he had been one of the several rude fliers
I've met since (mostly quad fliers and fliers of huge mucking soft
lifters tied to a tree/bulldozer/house, for some reason) I would have
walked away and lost interest. Then who would have designed the WACKOS
logo, or have written you this fascinating e-mail?
Well, anyway, having been all harsh and judgemental, let
me say again my main point -- enjoyed the article, the concept of a band
of spiritual brothers at SUAFYKC and I will now shut up and go -- well,
it's night time here. I guess I'll shut up and go organize my kite bag
or something...
JIM MARTIN http://hometown.aol.com/jmartjr/page Public
Information Officer, WACKOS Member, AKA
Sounds like some serious fun. Just be careful, kids.
Mega Team Flying
I read with great interest the article
on mega team by Hans Jansen op de Haar. It pulled good remembrance
from Verdun 1995. On Saturday we succeeded, after many failed attempts
to get 21 kites in the air doing an infinity figure. We put ourselves in
trouble because the lines lengths where not the same. Some flyers had
100 feet while others had 150 feet. All the kites were the same though.
IMHO the prerequisites for successful mega team are:
1 - All flyers shall have team or pair flying experience
2 - All flyers shall use the same kite with the same
bridle adjustment
3 - All lines sets shall have the same length
4 - The takeoff procedure shall be organized as is
described below.
It is possible to fly different kites but it takes very
good pilots to compensate for difference in speed and turning
characteristics.
It is possible for line length to be different but,
again, it takes good pilots to compensate.
Why not gives ourselves the best conditions to maximize
the result.
The takeoff we used in Verdun was as follow. We had team
High Performance with 5 persons, team Sundowners with 6 persons and team
S.T.A.F.F. with 4 persons. So, with a base of 16 persons knowing how to
do team stuff it was a good start.
Richard Gareau was leading the pack. We placed ourselves
in a row and Richard took off. He established the figure and the window
limits for all to see. Then he did an horizontal pass and four flyers
took off to follow. They did a full infinity and came back to pick
another four. And so on until all the 16 were airborne and following.
Then we added the other non team flyers two at a time until there were
21 kites airborne. The infinity figure did last for about two passes
until someone screwed up the figure.
But, like I wrote, the lines length differences didn't
helped us very much.
Jean (Johnny) Lemire
Great tips, Jean, we appreciate it.
Thanks for the great current issue of Kitelife. Great
job by all of the authors. I particularly enjoyed the article on Eddy -
extremely well done. I mailed the author as well.
Bob Wilkins
Need Help In Canada
I am a Special Events Co-ordinator and have been
thinking of starting up a small competition here in Wasaga Beach,
Ontario Canada. Is there any information you could send our office
pertaining to contact numbers in Ontario or possible sponsors involved
in the sport?
Our beach is the worlds longest freshwater beach and we
are known for our involvement with international beach volleyball,
Canada's largest Corvette Weekend, the best sunset in the world and much
more!
If you want to check us out, our web site is www.wasaga.com/chamber/
and the town site is www.wasaga.com
Thanks for your help and I look forward to hearing from
you in the future.
Trudie McCrea
Special Events Co-ordinator
Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce
Can any of our Ontario readers lend a hand?
What Kites Do Champs Fly?
I was at the AKA web site and looking at dual line sport
kite standings. The list only shows the name and score of the person.
However, I was wondering what type of kite does an intermediate or
expert competition flyer fly.
Do competitors buy off the shelf kites like the rest of
us or do they make their own? That is the basis of my question.
Any and all help will be appreciated.
David
Hi David, there is no clear answer here. Many fliers
use off-the-shelf kites, some make their own. Seems that it is the
flier, and not the tool, that makes the difference.
More Kite Club Feedback
Allen
Stroh's article hit home - bull's eye to be more precise. Excellent
article, good background on the limitations and merits of kite clubs.
What ultimately must be the focus of any kite flying club - get the
kites in the air - and the rest follows.
"Can't we all just get together and fly?" ----
Rodney "kiteflyer" King
Thanks for your perseverance in producing an excellent
web based magazine. Always a good informative read and a pleasure to
read. Keep up the good work and your kites.
Hugh McDowell Tempe AZ
Birth Of A Kitemaker
Enjoyed the great
story about friends getting together for the holidays. My
congratulations to Dan Brinnehl on making his first kite. Ah, another
sportkiter discovers wonderful world of kite making and the creativity
of single-line kites. We welcome Dan; let your imagination fly and we
will look skyward for all your new creations. Lots of fun in the future!
Adam Grow
AKA President
Yup Adam, looks like you have another convert!
Hong Kong Fest Help
I work for the Teachers of English Language Centre at
the University of Hong Kong. We aim to provide support to local English
teachers. One of the ways we do this is through a bank of teaching
materials which teachers can use in the classroom with their students. I
am part of a team which produces these materials.
We are currently working on the topic of festivals and
I'd like to look at kite festivals in Asia. I've managed to find lots of
information on gatherings of people to display and fly their kites but
nothing on the origins of kite festivals, stories behind them, their
religious/cultural significance etc. I'd be grateful for any information
you could provide on this.
Thanks very much
Rachel Wade
PS I enjoyed the report of the festival in Rajasthan!
Dear Ms. Wade,
Thank you for your letter to KiteLife. As you might
imagine, the material you request could fill several volumes. In fact,
it looks like you are writing a book yourself! Hopefully, I can help
point you to a few resources.
The American Kitefliers Association has a Kite Festival
Manual with information on how to organize kite events. (www.aka.kite.org)
The Kite Trade Association organizes National Kite
Month and has a collection of historical and how-to information online.
(www.kitetrade.org)
On my own web page, I have educational materials and
overviews of several large international festivals. (www.Gombergkites.com)
And finally, on my web page, I have the KiteLines
Bookstore which is probably the best collection of written material on
kite history and practice. You might also consult the overview of
KiteLines Magazine back-issues for articles that might help you.
Of course, we are here in the States so our information
is not necessarily focused on Asian festivals. There are a number of
kite festivals in China, Japan, Malaysia, Korea, and Viet Nam.
Hopefully, I have pointed you to some resources that will help you reach
these people.
Thanks again for your interest and good luck!
David Gomberg
More Shut Up And Fly Your Kite Club Members
I just wanted to tell you that I am proud to be a member
of your club, although I'm living in Luxembourg/Europe. Being also an
active member (and webmaster) in our local club (http://www.kites.bluesky.org
- click on the english flag), you have been talking from my heart in
your KiteLife article. I can't make any reproach in this sense to our
club, but I know from other sports (like soccer or ping-pong) that it is
impossible to practice them without competing in some way or other.
Doing it 'just for fun' seems to be impossible. There is always a rating
system. OK, competition can be fun (I suppose, never tried it), but
those who don't want to compete are left in the desert. Nobody (meaning
no club) wants them! So I wish all the best winds for your club and all
its members.
Carlo Didier Luxembourg carlo@didier.com kitecam@kitemail.com
Extra Edition
Hi, Just got through reading most of your "Extra
Issue." Another very fine job. Ray's "letters" were
fantastic and the feature on Miniature Kites was excellent. Keep up the
good work. Thanks for many hours of great reading.
Fannie
Mike, Wonderful job on the "extra …!" I
think it would be a very nice addition to Kitelife. And to think my
brother was the first "subject!" Thank you very much,
Virginia Brinnehl
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Based on the feedback and
traffic that we received, we will be expanding the number of issues that
we publish this year.
Photography Tips
Your photography articles ("Visual Eyes" in
each issue- ed) continue to be interesting and helpful. Just a comment
about editing the photos. Since it is often difficult to compose the
photo with moving kites, people and distance factors, simple graphic and
photo editors that are often included in the windows 98 package, or for
the more serious can be purchased or downloaded [ I use paintshop pro 6
[100 dollars] paintshop pro 5 - 70 dollars] for editing after scanning
the photo into my computer and converting it to a jpg file. I can center
, delete sections and change the size as needed. I am red- green color
blind , so I leave the color alone. Perhaps the above[ i leave the job
of explaining it in a form that would be useful -to you] [:)] will
encourage and help people with the gallery photos as well as
illustrative photos in articles.
All the best- Joe
Great mag, keep up the good work and all
One suggestion I'd like to make, could you add a pair of links on
each page to go forward and back issues while staying on the same
article. ie, I've just bought an indoor kite and when looking up all the
'doing it indoors' stuff, it would be nice to be able to have a link fom
the article in issue one to the article in issue two, etc.
otherwise, brilliant :)
cheers dave fyonn@irc
Member of Team Oblivion. Endoring Spirit of Air Kites, Climax lines
and Fashion Victom Shades
Thanks for writing Dave. That is a possibility for the future,
meanwhile, make use of the "Search All Issues" function, it
seems to do a decent job of finding articles pertinent to the keywords
entered.
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