Kite Lines - Vol.1 No. 2 - KiteLife

The American Kitefliers Association is a worldwideorganization devoted to the advancementof kiteflying . Its quarterly magazine, Kite Lines,is published by Verve Enterprises, Inc ., for AKA,with editorial and business office at 7106 CampfieldRoad, Baltimore, Maryland 21207, USA,telephone : (301) 484-6287 ° Verve Enterprises,Inc . 1977 . Reproduction in any form, in wholeor in part, is strictly prohibited without priorwritten consent of the publisher . This journalis on file in the libraries of the National Air andSpace Museum, Smithsonian ; the NationalGeographic ; and the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Sciences Administration .Founder : Robert M . IngrahamPublisher-Editor: Valerie GovigAdvertising and Promotion Director : Melvin GovigConsultants : Design, Kelly Matthews ; Publishing,Douglas Boynton and Michael StanleyTypography : Head CompositionPrinting : Collins Lithographing and Printing Co .Editorial Advisory PanelWilliam R . Bigge A . Pete lanuzziLt . Col . Bevan Brown Robert M . IngrahamWyatt Brummitt Domina C . JalbertPaul Edward Garber Nat KobitzMelvin GovigArthur KurleEdwin L . Grauel Curtis Marshall, M .D .Gary HinzeRobert S . PriceRay Holland, Jr . John F . Van GilderChapters of AKA are active in Baltimore, Seattle,Long Beach . Rochester, NY, Utica, NY, Ohio,Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand . Ties aremaintained with other groups also, national aswell as international .Correspondence and inquiries regarding membership/subscriptionsor contributions should besent to AKA at the address of the publisher .Membership/subscription dues : One year (4 issues),$6 ; two years (8 issues), $11 ; three years (12 issues),$15 . Single copies @ $1.50 are available from thepublisher or fine kite shops throughout the U .S .Postage outside U .S ., $1 per year additional .Special air mail rate for foreign mailings, $5 peryear additional . Subscriptions always begin withthe next issue, unless current issue is specified .Back issues are available for $1 .50 ($1 .75 outsideU .S) . (Back issues of Kite Tales, predecessor ofKiteLines, are available from Robert M . Ingraham ;see Classifieds for ordering information .Change of Address : Attach or copy mailing labelin letter, giving new address . If mailing label iswrong, please correct it .Advertising rate sheet and information is availableon request .Contributions are invited from kite enthusiasts .Articles, captioned photographs (preferablyblack-and-white, 5'X7 "or larger), reports,clippings (see Classifieds), letters and othermaterial relevant to kite interests should besent to AKA at the address of the publisher .Contributions used become the property of KiteLines. Return of unsolicited material cannot beguaranteed unless accompanied by ample stampsand envelope, self-addressed . Accuracy of contentsof Kite Lines is the responsibility of individualcontributors . Diverse views presented inKite Lines are not necessarily those of the editoror of the American Kitefliers Association .Closing Dates for advertising, articles and newsare Jan . I for Spring, Apr . 1 for Summer, July 1for Fall and Oct . 1 for Winter .Postmaster : Application to mail at second-classpostage rates is pending at Baltimore, Maryland .If undeliverable, please send address changeForm 3579 to Kite Lines, 7106 Campfield Road,Baltimore. M1191907Volume 1, Number 2, Summer 1977SPECIAL SECTION : TRAINS-The End Is Not In Sight/ 17The Multikite Phenomenon/ 18By Valerie Govig . A history of the world record to date .Profiles : The Kiternaut of Maple Heights/ 20Mike Weletyk's system, the vision that started it and the communitypride that brought it back .How to Conduct Them/ 21Story and Photographs by John F . Van Gilder. Seattle's FlyingDutchman owns to low motives for high doings, andshares some of his trade secrets .The Van Sant Trampoline/ 24By Tom Van Sant . A rare kite, multiplied, for a trulyheightened experience .Design Workshop : Two Kite Designs/ 26Construction of the Van Sant Trampoline andthe Bill Lee Special One-Sheet Tissue Paper Delta .SurveyYour chance to participate in AKA .martsLetter from the Editor/ 7Letters/ 8New Department : Innovations/ 11Ultimate Questions/ 13In Coming Issues/ 13Kites Past/ 14What's New : Kites, Books, Sundries/ 28Including reviews of the stunters, and a -Postscript : Getting a Grip on the Controllables/ 29By Bruce Pfund . An experienced hand offers guidance and theory.News from Here & There/ 35Flying with the Old Pro/ 54By Bob Ingraham .Kid's Corner/ 58The Dutch Kite, by Margaret Greger .Classifieds/ 59Kite Calendar/ 60CoverThe scene is last November's flight in Japan of 1585 kites from oneline, a new world record (see special section beginning on page 17) .An historic moment is combined with a technical feat . Note detailsof the method, using doubled line threaded on either side of the kites'spines, undoubtedly for balance . We assume weight of line was not critical .Photographs on cover and page 17 courtesy Takeshi Nishibayashi .

Letter from the EditorIt isn't the way I like to do it, but here is oneof those blanket thank you letters .Thank you to those who sent letters ofencouragement and congratulations on thenew Kite Lines. Thank you to everyone whowrote us interesting news . Thanks to thoseof you who simply picked up the phoneand called - from California, Massachusetts,Florida-to express your enthusiasmand your special interests in kiting .Thank you, advertisers, for enduring despitethe trials that come with change . Andthanks to all of you who renewed yourmemberships, so often for three-yearterms, and sometimes with warm wordswritten in the margins .In our first issue we asked that everyonerenew as a way of assisting in our closemarginstarting operation . The response tothat appeal was heartening, and suppliedthe critical edge to enable us to embarkon an expansion program . Simultaneouslywith preparation of this issue, we arewriting to all the former members of AKAwe can reach to encourage them to joinagain . Although we sort of like being alimited-interest group, in which the individualcan really make a difference, thecliche that there's strength in numbershas some validity . Besides, we want to giveevery kiteflier a chance to join others ofthis rare breed, and AKA should be theavenue for that .I knew when I undertook this journalthat I was not going into a venture thatwould tidily fit all the publishing industrynorms . People don't go into publishing(any more than the kite business) for rationalreasons . What they are looking for,and sometimes finding, is a living thatwill also be a life . The first year of anymagazine is seldom profitable . There willbe no salaries to begin with . In the longrun, though, in order to survive, thejournal must pay for itself, including itsstaff . Doing a magazine, issue by issue, isone kind of challenge, but the ultimatechallenge is the old one : economic .Meantime we are undergoing assortedgrowing pains . One of them was lack ofmembership cards . They are now printed,so we are playing catch-up ball gettingthose and the promised AKA AnnotatedKite Bibliography out .We have a pair of favors to ask of you .First, we beg your continued patience withwhat may seem neglect of correspondencesometimes (we expect to catch up by year'send) . Second, please fill out and returnthe survey in the center of this issue . Rightnow we cannot mail a separate questionnaire,which is recommended for getting atrue picture because it usually producesmore response . I decided the value of asurvey done in the magazine pages wouldstill be helpful for us, and I banked thatopinion on my faith in our readers asmembers, not just subscribers . If you want toparticipate in Association affairs, this isyour chance . A committee composed ofAdvisory Panel members located locallywill tabulate the results, and a summary ofthem will appear in Kite Lines. I cannotstress enough how important this surveywill be to the future of the American KitefliersAssociation . Please be sure you donot put aside the magazine without sendingus your completed questionnaire .Perhaps with your help I will often usethis space for blanket thank you letters .(I still don't like blanket thank you letters!)( Windily yours,

LettersUPS AND DOWNSFascinating face-lift . Bold undertaking .ao looToronto, Ontario, CanadaKite Lines No . 1 is Number One!Encore!Guy AydlettCharlottesville, VAI have been a subscriber/member of AKAfor about four years now . I am very pleasedwith the new magazine format. The latestissue I received, I had a hard time gettingit back from interested persons . Keep upthe new format .Alejandro O . Martinez, SSgt .APO San Francisco, CAI am anxious to see the Association prosperas well as our superb new magazine . In thisregard I will try to recruit some newmembers . I have also mail ordered for kitesand supplies from ads in Kite Lines .Bruce BowdenSeattle, WAYour first issue of Kite Lines is excellent .Many thanks and best wishes to the incredibleand hardworking Bob and HazelIngraham .Ralph Harris, Jr.Atherton, CAI wish you the very best on taking over thenew Kite Lines . I started with Bob Ingrahamwhen he published the first issue ofKite Tales . Your first issue was excellent inevery way ; - knew whoever Bob asked totake over would be the best .Edward ChavezSan Antonio, TXThe Spring 1977 issue of Kite Lines issimply outstanding and it warms my heartfor two good reasons :1 . Bob Ingraham can rest easy. That finegentleman knows now that what he haslabored so long for - and so well - is ingood hands and, in my opinion, due forprosperous years ahead .2 . The cover photos and story on Paul E .Garber told an old admirer-who has yetto meet him-a lot of information aboutthat remarkable man .Back in the mid-20's when I was flyingrubber-powered duration model airplanesat Lambert Field in St . Louis, I asked thatlate model genius, Christy C . Magrath,about a "flying fool" of a twin pusher hetook out of his model-carrying box, and hesaid it was called "War-Peg" after twoestimable model builders and designerswho had dreamed it up : Walter A . Rothand Paul E . Garber. ("Slim" Lindberghused to park his World War I DH4 after aSt . Louis-Chicago mail run and come overto talk aerodynamics with us, members ofthe St . Louis Model Aviation Club . He washandsome, brilliant and mature beyond hisyears.) My press-fresh copy of Garber's1931 Kites and Kite Flying got me going onkites, and I've been hooked ever since thenon that aspect of heavier-than-air flight . Ijust hope I get to meet Paul E . Garberbefore time runs out .Best wishes!Elliott N . CoudenWashington Kitefliers AssociationSeattle, WAPlease renew my subscription to your magazine. How you could give up an excellent,altogether delightful name like Kite Tales,for a humdrum, plodding name like KiteLines, is beyond my comprehension . Youmust have been insane, or asleep, or hoodwinkedby some lawyer. I hope you canmake it go, anyway .Thomas E . MillerWilmington, DEYou are going great! Our congratulations!Better title .Prof . Raymond D . ReelVienna, AustriaPlease cancel my membership . Just receivedyour piece of crap in the mailfound no article worth reading . I am verydisappointed that Bob Ingram [ sic .]would do this to us . As a supporter of AKAall these years I feel as if my support hasnot been warranted .Darrell DavisDuarte, CAKiting, Kite Tales and especially AKA andthe wonderful friendships that I have madethrough the organization have meant agreat deal to me in my later years of lifeand I was hesitant to see a change . Now,after looking over the new Kite Lines, I dothink it was well that the change was made .I think that we all owe Bob a lot forbringing Kite Tales and the organizationup to the level that it was when he retired .You did a wonderful job on the firstissue and we all wish you the best in theyears to come .H .L . (Hod) TaylorAustin, MNI just finished reading Kite Lines fromcover to cover and really enjoyed it . I don'thave any criticisms, but after listening toPresident Carter's talk about energy lastnight I think we can recommend kiteflyingNEW LIFE MEMBERSAnonymousJoseph ArenaCharles BernsteinDr. Myron Bernstein,William R . BiggeLt . Col . and Mrs .Bevan H . BrownWyatt BrummittDr. Floyd Cornelison, Jr.Elliott N . CoudenThomas E . CowlsWood and Virginia EllisDale FleenerPat York GilgallonPaul Scot GilgallonPat HammondEdward HanrahanHugh A . HarrisonAl and Betty HartigJohn HastingsRobert HieronimusGary HinzeA . Pete IanuzziRobert and Hazel IngrahamBill JonesNat KobitzTheodore T. KuklinskiTed ManekinManistee AviationCurtis Marshall, M .D .Robert S . PriceRogallo FlexikitesWilliam A . RutiserDr. John H . SeipelCharles A . SotichBernard A. SpaldingTal StreeterJohn F. Van GilderCleveland J . WallBruce WulfsbergLIFE MEMBERSGregory A . ApkarianJohn C . ArmaninoGuy D . AydlettClifford BantelWilliam R . BiggeWyatt BrummittKenneth BryanJ . H . BuggJohn F. CarrollLincoln ChangThomas W . DietzSr. Mary Ann Lenore EifertDouglas FalesJohn D . ForbesPaul Edward GarberAylene D . GoddardEdwin L . GrauelHugh A . HarrisonEugene HesterHenry H . HowardDomina JalbertTony JohnstonMrs . David JueBen KimTheodore KuklinskiOswald S . MarkhamCarol MasterLt . Col . Joseph O'BrienLt . Raymond ReelFrancis M . RogalloGordon ShuteCharles SipleRobert SmithH . J . (Hod) TaylorWilliam E . TempleDr. Alfred ThelinThomas TroyerArthur VashMike WrightHarold WriterWill YolenAnthony Ziegler

Letters/Continued)and all other related uses of the wind asactivities fully in keeping with his goals .These activities are healthy, educational,non-polluting, low energy consumers, andif we try we might even find a way togenerate power with kites . Certainly somesails and wind mills are basically kites .Francis M . RogalloKitty Hawk, NCMARCONI KITE FOLLOW-UPHere is an addendum to the plans in my"Making It with Marconi" story (Spring1977 Kite Lines) . Two 3/16-inch screw eyesare needed to facilitate construction andoperation . One is screwed into the midpointat the bottom of the balsa block,where right angle end of keel attaches . Theother is centered 5/16-inch above spine,and a hook (I used a swivel hook) on theline bisecting the sail goes through thescrew eye and then hooks above the notchon the fabric at this point . A grommet setin fabric tape or sewn-on Tyvek` willaccept the hook without strain on the fabricabove the notch .I have an article coming out in theJuly issue of Popular Mechanics about theMarconi and a simplified Indian fighterkite that works remarkably well . The articleis enhanced with "how-to" picturesand a magnificant picture of the Marconiin flight .Maxwell EdenPassaic, NJI enclose a photo of a six-foot Marconi Imade a couple of years ago, from the planin Clive Hart's Your Book of Kites :It was the first kite I ever made, andI used a fairly porous curtain materialfor the cover. However, it flies wellwhen properly trimmed (which can betricky) [ Pelham ] states that trimming ofthe kite for different wind strengths canbe achieved by the twin jibs alone, whereasfrom my own experience the angle of attack(i.e., bridling) must be altered also .I have not seen other variations on theMarconi principle (except the multi-wingdesign in Kite Craft), but would think theprinciple worth developing . What about aPrinceton sail wing for the mainsail, andbattens in the jibs to reduce trailing-edgeflutter?Michael JacobNewton Stewart, WigtownshireScotlandTALKING BACK ON TAILSDifferent kinds of drag? Yes . Drag of astreamer depends on size, probably weight,maybe stiffness, also roughness . Drag ofa drogue increases more with increasingwind than does drag of a streamer .Perhaps a streamer has more resistanceto being disturbed than does a bow-tie tailof the same drag . The drag coefficient isnormally rather low for a streamer .The "lifting" part of the cobra kite extendswell behind the head . Not so muchwhen the kite is bounding around . Also thetail has much to do with the kite flyingflatter to the wind at a higher speed, hencenot pulling excessively .William R . BiggeWashington, DCI'm an MFA in fabric design (it's a terminaldegree) ; I make odd postcards ; and I lovekites . At this point I've only been braveenough to make some sleds . The biggest isa six-footer that is almost too frisky but isbatiked and purty .Well-the business of this note is thetail controversy. Gee whiz-I gotta makea male chauvinistic comment (my wifeteaches women's studies)-all this talkabout tales (sp?)! Well, I've found a veryfun and functional tail : I make a "donkey"or "horse" tail from 20 each 4 -to 6-footstrips of one-inch video tape . I tie a 12-inchpiece of string with a fishing snap . Easy offand on . The video tape rustles nicely inthe wind, too, and it rolls up very compactly.The empty reels (small plastic)make nice reels -from TV 30-second commercials. TV stations thow away old commercials. So up with Pringles potato chips- recycle and away .George H . Brett, IIAthens, GAVideo tape comes in various widths (half-inchand up) and lengths ; the larger sizes may be tooheavy and unwieldy . We've seen it used forflying line, too -very strong, but flat (windresisting),heavy and conductive (not recommended).It can be bought, but not cheaply, atelectronic surplus houses. How about computertape? Cassette tape? Other tapes? Write and tell!CALL FOR HELPCan you help us? I saw an article aboutkites and it started a train of thought .Your suggestions will be appreciated .We are a group of old people, yet withtalent, but handicapped . We are peoplewho have been at Burke Day Hospital andare meeting once a month to learn how tofunction in the community . Perhaps the oldand young could plan workable ideas . Isthere a kitefliers group here, in WhitePlains? If we could make kites and theyoung fly them -now for further thoughts .Vera-Belle Abele45 Nethermont Ave .White Plains, NY 10603ANY KITEFLYING "HAMS"?Are there any radio "hams" interested inkiteflying? I am interested in the type ofkite-launched antennas that they use forcommunication purposes .R .E . (Ted) Padman8 Hartland Ave .Black Forest 5035, South AustraliaKITES ARE FOR THE BIRDSI hope to use kites to elicit aggressive (defensive)behavior in peregrine falcons in orderto determine relative territory size and therelative distance that the birds will respond todisturbance at different times in their reproductivecycle. I also intend to attach radiotransmitters (which we usually put on thebirds) to kites to determine the accuracy of ourradiotelemetry tracking system at differentaltitudes and distances from our receivingtowers . (We're using radiotelemetry todetermine home ranges and hunting habitatof the birds .)In addition, a friend of mine with anenvironmental consulting outfit is interested inusing kites to study birds in a different aspect .Basically, he wants to do something to deterwaterfowl from landing in oil tailing pondswhile specialized bird scaring devices are beingset up. He may also be interested in usingLee's Snow and Canada Goose kites (with landdecoys) to draw birds away to alternate areas .This summer I'll try a simplified fighterkite, a delta-winged older eagle (printed only)kite, Lee's National Eagle kite and CalebCrowell's "bat falcon" kite out on the peregrines. This may or may not work . At anyrate, I'll let you know the results .Jim WindsorSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, CanadaSUCH STUFFING AS DREAMSARE MADE ONI recently managed to get a copy of WillYolen's wonderful book The Complete Bookof Kites and Kiteflying and was convulsedby the chapter on "dropniks." Indeed, Iwas moved to produce a tailor-made parachuteto fit my daughter's old teddy bear,who up to then had never fallen furtherthan off the bed . The pack design was basedon rather hazy memories of parachutesfrom my own skydiving days (20 years ago!)but nevertheless seems to work quite well .The unfortunate creature has now madeseveral drops from 200 to 300 feet, launchedby a clockwork timer from my double

Conyne kite . So far we have had a 99%success rate ; the only accident occurredwhen I forgot to remove the elastic bands(used in packing) from the canopy, and hebounced two feet . Still, as he said, whenyou're stuffed with sawdust you don't worrytoo much about that sort of thing!I also discovered that the free-fall periodcan be increased by varying the degree towhich the shroud lines are pulled throughthe pack loops . This led to an incidentwhen Bear free-fell for 250 feet and thenhad a perfect deployment 20 feet from theground .He now wears a permanently bemusedlook and feels ill when he hears a fineweather forecast .Peter ReardonTonbridge, Kent, EnglandLATEST KITE FASHIONWe've been involved in kites and kitingfor approximately three years now . Gotstarted in Hawaii by just walking into Pauland Dierdre Acheson's kite shop . Almostimmediately I started making kites andcontinued on their praise for my ability .Perhaps one of our greatest experienceswas to meet and be friends with and correspondwith Lincoln Chang . We tried tofly with him as much as we could . Uponour leaving Hawaii he not only gave usone of his kites, he made one just for us,a distinct honor in our book .We are leaving for Florida very soon andwill probably be there by summer. Hope toInnovationsmeet AKA members in the Mayport area .Enclosed is a picture of my wife in heroveralls . I sewed a kite on with the AKAlogo . People always comment on them .Milton H . Heger, USN,Leila K . and Milton M .A . HegerFallon, NVCLUB STARTS IN FRANCEI have been a kiteflier for a number ofyears, and I am interested in your kitemagazine, which I find very good . A newclub was announced in France, and I amgiving you its address : Cerf-Volant Clubde France, 17 rue Lacharriere, 75011 Paris,France . Please accept my best regards .Michel BerardVincennes, FranceENDURANCE YES ; DURATION NOHere's a claim to kiteflying in the harshestweather. Jan . 16, 1977, Indianapolis was hitby a full blizzard, with winds exceeding 35miles per hour and wind chill factor of-65 ° F . For nearly 30 minutes, I flew aNantucket Kiteman delta in the teeth ofthe storm . The wind was so strong it nearlygrounded the big delta several times butwe managed to keep the kite up . I'll tellyou, I've never been so glad to haul a kitein and head for a warm place!David Cokes McCartyIndianapolis, INTHE CRUCIAL REQUIREMENTI have been making kites for about twoyears now without ever having seen a copyof the kite magazine, and I can't understandhow I ever did it . I now can see thatthe dearth of information on low-speedaerodynamics is suffered by many brothers .I thirst to get what I can .I will say that I believe the most crucialpart of flying a kite is speaking to it ineven, soothing tones .Phil LiloiaPhiladelphia, PAHave you ever thought of makingParafoils out of heat-sealed polyethylene, black on the base and transparent on top, closed at the leadingedge, and with air ports in the base :They are very good for flying orwindless but sunny days, as they actthrough the greenhouse effect, as solarpowered balloons . In good conditionsI have calculated that a 6 ft . x 6 ft . kit(can lift half its weight by solar poweralone, and so will fly in half the windspeed . One about 10 foot square wouldact with no wind at all, and wouldstill fly perfectly if the wind did starto blow .Nick P . Dar105 Leckhampton RoadCheltenham, Glos . GL53 ODDEnglandDATE OF POSTMARK :APRIL 18, 1977

Ultimate Questions:Studies, Theories, TestsIN COMINGISSUES*The Many Facets of theTetrahedralsWHICH IS THEPERFECT KITE?By Mel GovigIn kite building, as in foreign affairs,labor relations, marriage, child raising,energy planning and auto design,compromise is at the heart of everydecision . Discussions of "perfect" kitesare usually nothing more than personaldefinitions of the set of compromisesmost pleasing to the kite maker .Flying QualityFor myself, I would like a kite thatwill fly well in winds from 2 to 50 milesper hour. It should be able to lift alarge object, such as a camera ; but itshould never have more than a poundor so pull on the line . It should soardirectly overhead without slippinginto a glide ; but it should settle at acomfortable 60'-degree angle so l canwatch it without getting a kink in myneck. It should fly steadily and respondquickly to wind changes without myattention ; but I would like to have itdo spins, dives and figure-eights atmy command .Versatility and CharismaMy perfect kite would be made ofcheap, easily obtainable materials ; butit would last for years and survivecrashes and dips in the ocean . I wouldlike a team kite that gives boys andgirls the thrill of participating in agrand adventure ; but I should be ableto fly it alone from a small downtownpark . Of course, such a kite will takepatience and skill to produce and giveme the craftsman's pleasure in a difficulttask well done ; but it shouldn'ttake more than 15 minutes to make .I like museums and history, so mykite will have the flavor and mystery ofan ancient masterpiece ; but it shouldcapture the spirit of the space age . Fornostalgic spectators, my kite shouldhave the familiar look of a favoritefrom childhood ; but it should be abrand new design, excitingly noveleverytime .I love the playful stream of longcolorful tails, so my kite should havesuch tails ; but it should be able to shedits tails and fly with motionless grace .Line and Reel to MatchSuch a perfect kite will need a perfectline to fly from . The flying line willbe strong, several hundred poundsbreaking strength ; but light, not morethan a few ounces per thousand feet .And it will be soft and cool on thebare hands ; but smooth and frictionfreein the air . A string that resiststangles is nice ; but it must tie easilyinto firm, no-slip knots .The reel will hold a mile of string ;be strong enough to pull the kite in andfast enough to keep the kite aloft in acalm ; be heavy enough to ballast thekite for unattended flying and smallenough to fit in your pocket .As we all know, in the real world ofkites and kitefliers, there is no perfectkite, line or reel . You make a choice,as in marriage . When your spouse hascold feet, you should remind yourselfthat you didn't marry him or her forfoot temperature . If you are flying anIndian fighter kite, don't feel sorrythat it doesn't have 200 feet of colorfultail like the big Bermuda kite next toyou ; the guy flying the Bermuda is probablywishing that he could "dancelike a butterfly and string like a bee ."The ultimate question, every timeyou make or select a kite, is : whatcompromises are you willing to acceptto get the performance you want? 0*Kite-Fighting Comes to the U .S .*Live Ones on the Line :Successful Kite FishingWe are now exploring certain aspects ofkiteflying for development in futurearticles and would like readers to contributeideas and experiences related tothe following :• Traveling with kites : where have youflown them?• Favorite places to fly : the best of bothreal and fantasied locations .• "Professionalism" in kiteflying : isthere such a thing?• The collecting of kites : which are yourmost prized models?• Why kites fly : a still-undefined question. Also send us photographs to illustrate!We will return them and credityou, of course .

Kites Past :Historic NotesPerson-Lifting KitesBy Valerie Govigand Robert M . IngrahamPhotographs by Arthur Johnsoncourtesy of Domina C . JalbertThe privilege of being the daughterof Domina Jalbert might not be desiredby everyone, even by ardent feminists .For Jalbert's daughter Dorothy itmeant taking not one but two sky rideslifted by her father's kites, and in sodoing joining a select circle of womenin air history .The group of females who havebeen lifted by tethered kites appearsto be small, but of surprising importance. According to Clive Hart, ¹ thefirst account of a genuine, humanascension accomplished by kite toldof a "lady" in the seat of honor . Thisachievement was performed and documentedby George Pocock, the Englishschoolteacher whose famous char-volantDorothy Jalbert and her father Dominapreparing for her kite ride in 1942 .makes such an interesting chapter inkite history .At some time about 1825, Pocockraised "a lady, whose courage wouldnot be denied," using the power ofhis "buoyant sails ." Hart determinedthat the lady was Pocock's daughter,Martha, who was at least 13 .(There is a story by J . Lecornu, whowas once President of the FrenchLeague of the Kite, telling of an earlierflight in the late 18th century, but thereference is apparently insubstantial ;it is doubted by Hart . If it were true,however, it would not deprive femalesof the honor of the first kite lift, forLecornu's legend was of a flight byan English woman .(Even further back in time and mythis Ishikawa Goyamen of Nagoya,Japan, who attempted to steal thegolden dolphins from a castle rooftop,reached by kite . Still further removedis the Greek legend of Icarus, whichhardly deserves mention here .)Pocock tells of his daughter's historicfirst ascent in this manner :"An arm chair was brought on theground ; then, lowering the cordage ofthe Kite, by slackening the lower brace,the chair was firmly lashed to the mainline, and the lady took her seat . Themain-brace being hauled taut, thehuge Buoyant Sail rose aloft with itsfair burden, continuing to ascend tothe height of one hundred yards . Ondescending, she expressed herselfmuch pleased at the easy motion ofthe Kite, and the delightful prospectshe had enjoyed ."In the intervening years, there havebeen several males lifted by kite . Firstin line was Jean-Marie LeBris, in 1857,whose famous attempt was not quitesuccessful . LeBris rode on his birdshapedglider behind a carriage,planning to be released, but the cordcaught in the carriage and broke, entanglingthe coachman and carryingboth men aloft for a time . Both Hart ²and Pelham ³ describe this as a kitelift, but from the descriptions it seemsclear that the glider was a kite onlyThe girl on the flying trapeze .

5while it was towed, and the time forthat was accidentally the full durationof the flight .In 1860, an Irish priest, Father E . J .Cordner, patented, built and tested amultiple hexagon kite system for shipto-shorerescue . It apparently wasnever put to real practical use .Then, in 1894, Capt . B .F .S . Baden-Powell devised his Levitor kite systemfor lifting soldiers into observationpositions . This system was later utilizedduring the Boer War .In the same year, Lawrence Hargraveraised himself by a train of four of hisbox kites.In 1896, Lt . H . D . Wise of the U . S .Army used four Hargrave kites for hisyouthful experiments, includinglifting himself .Soon after, designs and tests of manlifterswere conducted by S .F . Cody,Alexander Graham Bell and, of course,the Wright Brothers .It was to be some 75 years afterMartha Pocock's flight that anotherwoman would rise skyward by kite .The performer was Almenia Rice, whowas indeed already a high trapezeartist at the circus, and had alreadylearned to suppress acrophobia . InHarry Edward Neal's charming bookThe Story of the Kite, 4 we read ofAlmenia's rising from the rooftops ofBoston in 1901 . She stood inside theframe at the bottom of a large wingedbox kite and flew over the streets for"several minutes ."At about that time designers wereworking with kites in the hope of applyingtheir learnings to poweredflight . One of these men was Dr .Charles Zimmerman of Frederick, MD .He made a huge kite of bamboo polesand canvas cover, "perhaps as big astwo bed sheets fastened together ."One windy day he was trying to tie itdown to stakes in the ground, and hiswife, Ida, was helping . She was holdinga horizontal pole with both hands whena gust picked up the kite and her withit and flew her about 10 feet high . Theflight was by chance, of course, andnot really in the same league as thoseby others, taken deliberately .The deeds of Martha Pocock, AlmeniaRice and Ida Zimmerman hadnot been matched for some 40 yearswhen Domina Jalbert involved hisdaughter with his kites .The place was Woonsocket, RI,which was the Jalbert home in 1942 .Jalbert's entire life has been preoccupiedwith low-speed aeronautics .He has designed kites, balloons, parachutesand sails of brilliant originality,as all kite enthusiasts know well . TheJalbert Parafoil is still the sticklesswonder of our age .At the time of Dorothy's adventures,her father had been perfecting designsfor large, elegant, multicell triangularwinged box kites . As had othersbefore him, Jalbert used more thanone of these kites for lifting his precioushuman cargo . Any one of thekites could carry Dorothy alone or lether down safely if the others brokefree . These winged boxes were 15-foot and up wingspan, representingenormous pull . One 17-footer hadpulled a car by its bumper until thebrakes were applied .The kites were not made of the slick,tough, lightweight, rip-stop nylon thatwe kitemakers today have become sodependent upon . This was World WarII : nylon was reserved for parachutesand other war gear. So Dom Jalbert'skite covers were Egyptian linen lenthim by a rubber company .Dorothy Jalbert was only 12 yearsold and weighed 90 pounds at thetime, but she appeared to be completelyfearless . Dom Jalbert's thoroughknowledge of physics in its everyapplication to kites justified Dorothy'sconfidence . In any case, she cheerfullyassisted her father in setting up thekites, lines, knots, winch -and trapeze .She climbed aboard and was soon upabout 100 feet . One time she took alonga Speed Graphic camera to photographthose on the ground, who were in turntaking pictures of her for a doublepagespread in the rotogravure sectionAerial photography with a human assist .of the local newspaper .The ventures were successful interms of Jalbert's purposes . He hadwanted to show that aerial photographycould be accomplished by kite and totest the capabilities of various wingedbox designs . Such experiments becamepart of Jalbert's long experience thatculminated in his design of the Parafoilin 1965 .The liftings included banner-raising,too. A large sign reading "BUY WARBONDS" was flown for patriotic promotion. Fun and enthusiasm were asmuch a part of these activities as scientificstudy, and Dorothy reallyseemed to enjoy her rides .Dorothy today is the wife of MauriceOldre and the mother of two children .She probably doesn't weigh 90 poundsanymore and perhaps it's an advantagein case she's asked to go for a kite rideagain -unless she has a feminist itchto make another mark in kite history . 0

the end is notin sightMillions of people fly kites casually, and thousandsfly them enthusiastically, but only a handful flythem obsessively. Perhaps the most manic arethose who fly kites in train .Their motives vary. Some are challenged by adesire to explore what the limits are . Others areinspired by the spectacular effect of many kites inthe sky on a colorful conga line . And some areafter the glory - either in the immediate rewardof a crowd drawn to the scene, or in the longrangegratification of media coverage . A morepermanent distinction is that of being listed inthe Guinness Book, of World Records .Linked intimately with fame is that virtue/vice,competition . As soon as a significant feat isaccomplished and made known, hearts stir andbrains hum and the notion that "I could do betterthan that" becomes an irrepressible urge .Among those most infected are the Japanese .Last November, a group led by Takeshi Nishibayashiflew 1585 kites from a single line (shownhere), the latest (but probably not the last)triumph in this kite genre .In the following special section, Kite Lines looksat trains from several points of view .

The Multikite PhenomenonAND A HISTORY OFTHE WORLD RECORDBy Valerie GovigThe number of kites flown from oneline has been little documented untilthe last three years or so . Before that,there were no records kept of howmany disks had ever been flown in acentipede-which is, of course, a train .Centipede kites, though of a prescribedappearance and rigging, are essentiallya series of round kites flown in train,and they have been made and flownin Japan and China for an unknownnumber of decades .Multi-kite attempts, or at leastaccounts of them, have been few in theWest . One such appears in Jane Yolen'sbook, World on a String, telling ofCharles Lohsen of New Jersey, who in1949 lofted 108 kites on one line .Trains certainly had been done beforeWill Yolen came along in 1972and made multikiteflying freshlypopular . Yolen at the time was hungryfor new laurels to replace the verybrown ones he had worn so long fromhis kite fighting exploits in UttarPradesh, India . Those capers hadgiven him the cachet required forlaunching his then-new book, TheYoung Sportsman's Guide to Kite Flying.The book was out of print by 1972,and Yolen was ready to write a newone . He needed credentials, so in hisusual flamboyant style he set out tocreate them . He flew 50 kites and anempty champagne bottle from oneline at the Sarasota, FL, kite conteston January 15 . He claimed this brokehis own previous record of 30 kitesflown from one line at Adamant, VT,in 1962 . This claim not only wentundisputed, it was dressed up in someof the niftiest prose the papers hadseen in some time .Whether Yolen had intended it ornot, his feat inevitably attracted rivalry .William R . Bigge, of Washington, DC,decided to try a train of sleds . On June3, 1972, in Harpers Ferry, WV, he flew70 kites from a single, hand-held line .In contrast to Yolen's train of large,Hustler brand two-stickers, Bigge'ssleds were 9 in . x 12 in . and made ofclear polyethylene drop cloth, withstruts of plastic window blind slatting .Total pull was 8 to 10 lbs . The sledshad no vents . ("I claim a vent meansyour kite is too heavy," Bigge was wontto say.) All had been neatly stackedin a box in advance and were re-packedon retrieval . The operation wasengineered to be an economical, onemanjob from start to finish .The following January, Yolen triedagain . This time, 57 kites ; again, muchpublicity .Then on June 2, 1973, in HarpersFerry, Bigge doubled his ammunitionand flew 151 kites . For this occasionhe improved his method, massproducinghis sleds in a smaller size,only 3 .3 in . x 4 .4 in . each . Logically,to increase the number of kites youfly, you must reduce the size of thekites . Yolen's stock models ("real kites,"as he lamely protested) were a limitingBill Bigge's hands pull out pre-numbered kites like Jacks from a box .factor for him . Since Bigge made hisown craft, his only limits were practicalityof manufacture and balancein flight of his cobwebby little sleds .This time Bigge's story appeared inthe Baltimore Sun, and as reporter forthe Maryland Kite Society at the time,I followed up with a petition to Guinnessto include Bigge's record in thebook. Initial response was negativebecause no such category existed ; onlyaltitude and duration were recognized .Before long it was time for anotherJanuary fly in Sarasota, and Yolen wasat it again, this time to fly 178 kiteson one line, a distinct achievement .As usual, Yolen had oiled his publicitymachinery well beforehand, and thestory was everywhere-withoutreference to Bigge .Now in a fighting mood, Bigge cameback to Harpers Ferry in June, 1974,this time to fly 188 kites . It was a newrecord, achieved in unfavorably strongwind, but Bigge wanted to make a more

Countdown of the Bigge trainof sleds, Burtonsville, MD, 1974 .definitive advance in quantity anddemonstrate the real potentialities ofhis system . He believed he could easilyhandle 500 kites, maybe 1000 . At aboutthat time, word was received that Gore,Kudo, in Japan, had flown 204 kiteson one line . So Bigge made more kitesand waited for the first good opportunityto try again . The day came onOctober 5, 1974, in Burtonsville, MD .Despite limited time and somedamage to line from a standard kitethat strayed into the area, the countdownof the sparkling little kites,verified by seven witnesses, was 261 .It was a new world record, and thistime my correspondence with Guinnesspaid off for Bigge . I argued for a newcategory in kiteflying records, on thebasis that altitude and duration wereno more and probably less a technicalchallenge than flying many kites onone line . Further, Yolen's claim to thetitle of "International Kite FlyingChampion" was based in part on hisefforts in this area .The 1976 Guinness and Yolen's newvolume, The Complete Book of Kites andKiteliving came out soon after, in thesame year, with their contradictoryinformation .In January, 1976, Yolen made yetanother effort to attain legitimate renownthrough multikiteflying, butfailed to better even his old count of178 . His coverage again was superlative,including the national radio showMonitor, but in his desire to be equalto the occasion he did not name hisreal competition, Bill Bigge .Meantime, in Japan a reprint of thestory in the Windy Notice (newsletterof the Maryland Kite Society) appearedin the Japan Kite Association magazine. The noted competitiveness ofthat country was thus baited . The followingJuly, Mitsuo Tanaka flew 283kites from one line . Then in November,1975, a wire service reported thatTanaka had gone to 343 kites in a neweffort when the string snapped . Thoughthis invalidated the attempt as a record,reporters wrote it up anyway, and itthus became a new standard . It was anapparent incentive for Jean Goineau,in Angers, France, to fly 358 kites onone line, according to a wire serviceaccount which appeared in the UnitedStates in late February, 1976 . None ofthese efforts were nearly so impressive,however, as the 1050 kites flown byKazuhiko Asaba, in Kamakura, Japan,on April 4, 1976 . He was the next tobe officially recognized by Guinness forthat category .There's no question that Japan dominatesthe skies where kite trains areconcerned . Larry Hoffman, our correspondentin Toyko, reports that kitetrain flying is not unusual in Japan .He says that Matsuo Isobe "always hasone with him and usually has about 300to 500 kites up at a minimum . The wifeof another Creative Kites Club memberalmost always has her train diamondsup, several hundred of them ."Lest we forget, in September of 1976,Henry H . Boutwell and crew in NewOrleans laid out 1251 sleds on theground, following a completely newmethod, in an abortive attempt torecapture the record for the UnitedStates . Boutwell employed three branchlines from one main line, a system thatproved to be unworkable . His effortwas well-publicized in his area andhas to rank as one of the most spectacularfailures in the limited historyof this kiteflying specialty .Since then, in Japan there has beenmore than one new multikite attempt .The latest of these was an incrediblesweep of 1585 kites on November 19,1976 . Plastic and bamboo Eddy-typekites about a foot long were run up andthen retrieved in about 4 1/2 hours, asreported in somewhat more detail inthe Spring issue of Kite Lines . As Iwrite this article, I am willing to saythat the end is not in sight . 0PROPOSED STANDARDS FORMULTIKITEFLYING, WORLD RECORD CLASS• All the kites must fly . To meet this standard,it must be clear that no kite pulls another . Socalled"sky anchors," or large kites launchedfirst, are not recommended nor proper procedure. The first kites out should be attachedto the lightest line, which can then increasein strength as the pull increases .• All kites should be approximately the samesize, again on the principle that no kitepulls another .• All kites must be retrieved . Kites lost orimpaired in flight do not count .• Any number of kitefliers may participate andshare the glory as they choose, though asa matter of convenience in reference it isgood to use a leader's name or chapter orclub name .*An increase of fewer than 10 kites over aprevious record may not be recognized .• Persons making such efforts in the U .S .A.must notify and receive clearance from theFAA in advance .• At least two disinterested parties must witnessthe count and sign a paper giving numberof kites flown, date of effort, and name ornames of kiteflier or kitefliers involved . Optionalinformation may be added about sizeand type of kites used, methods and timeemployed, etc . A copy of the signed papershould be sent to both AKA and Guinnessfor vertification .Note : The above standards are not carvedn granite. They are presented here as astarting point, and correspondence on thistopic is encouraged .

The Kiternaut of Maple Heights 9THE ANGELS ARE SINGINGAGAIN FOR MIKE WELETYKIf you were to visit the neighborhoodof Mike Weletyk in Maple Heights,OH, at the right time, you would seehow he got the name by which he isknown throughout the state : Kiternaut .Mike flies 20, 30 or up to 50 kites atonce, on one line, sometimes as high asthree miles in the sky (with clearancefrom the FAA) .The number of kites he flies wouldn'tbe exceptional if the models were tinyand lightweight, but Mike has no inclinationsto make his own kites . So heflies full-size store-bought modelsandthe pull is tremendous .It all started about 1961 when he flewa kite for the youngest of the threeWeletyk children . Something aboutkiteflying intrigued him, and he keptadding more kites . He heard theirhigh-pitched hum, "like angels singing,"he says . But they were more likesirens, luring him on . He found heneeded stronger and stronger line forthe kites, and then tougher andtougher winders . Your average Sundaykiteflier would have called it quitson reaching these limits, but Mikemade the effort to master the increasingmechanical demands . Helearned it all on his own, withoutcracking a book .His first heavy spindle was soonreplaced with a large wheel, and thena larger one, his pride and joy . Allwere constructed from scraps at hisplace of work and with the help offellow employees on their lunch hours .The exterior drum of his largest reelis five-in . gauge aluminum . The reelhas a 36-in . drive shaft runningthrough it, and eight steel braces supportit . It is wound with 25,000 feetof 550-lb .-test braided nylon line . Thefirst kites are released on monofilamentfishing line and following kiteson stronger line, in four differentstages, with the extra-tough nylontaking over last. Around the wheelis printed : "THE WORLD'S MOSTOur Profiles department for this issueintroduces a man of many trains .GREATEST AND ADVANCED SYSTEMOF KITEFLYING . . . INVENTED BYMike Weletyk . . . PATENTED PRO-CESSED . . ." Not perfect English, butMike is from the Ukraine . He cameto this country in 1950 with his wifeMagadalena after a period of forcedlabor in German coal mines duringWorld War II .Mike achieved local fame in 1965when the Cleveland Plain Dealer Sundaymagazine made him the coverstory. He has received invitations tofly his kites from places as distant asVienna, Hong Kong and Montreal,but he has never been offered anymoney to do what he loves best . Hislocal following grows every time hiskites appear, sometimes visible formiles . After flying most of his kitesfar out, at 100-foot intervals, he sometimesattaches an auxiliary line with 10or 15 more kites already on it, to reallyfill the sky . Mike says the only thingthat keeps him from lofting 150 at onceis manpower and time . He has flownup to eight hours straight . For specialoccasions he flies banners, too . Hiskites have lifted announcements forChristmas, election time and the marriageof one of his daughters .The Kiternaut has had some failures .Once he planned to fly a Christmasdisplay of Santa and his reindeer . Headded kite after kite and when it wasready, turned around to get the display-andthe line snapped . Twentyeightkites were off and sailing overLake Erie . Mike said he cried thenfrom disappointment over a year'swork and his family's anticipation gonewith the wind . (A later attempt succeeded.)"I've had lots of troubles," he sayswith a laugh . He tells another story ofa man who traveled miles just to seeMike and his kites ."There was no breeze at all," moanedMike . "I mean even the smoke stayedwith you," he motioned with his cigar .The man finally left, and then the windstarted to blow . So Mike went to work-10-20-30-nearly 50 kites in theFrom a rooftop, Weletyk operateshis reel on its rotating base .air, while Magdalena tried desperatelyto contact the man ."I covered up the whole East Side,"said Mike, "and I was in such a hurryto get them up I did not tie the kitestight enough . They began falling likesnowflakes,. He never showed ."One of Weletyk's biggest problemscame two years ago when, after severalyears of friendly relations with theFAA, Mike was grounded . Changingadministrations, red tape and a complainingpilot combined to keep thekites out of the sky .The Bicentennial was the occasionfor a lifting of the ban . Mike's kiteswere wanted for a local Ben FranklinKite Day. The Maple Heights Presscontacted the local Bicentennial Committeeto act on Weletyk's behalf andcut the red tape . They were successfulin obtaining a waiver for Mikefor a one-mile clearance . He usuallyoperates within a four-mile radius,but a little sky is better than none .The Kiternaut's reasons for kiteflyingare not just the challenges ."Isn't it beautiful?" Mike asks whenlooking up at a string of his kites . "It'sa fairy tale . And I created it ." As hetalks to them, they hum in reply, andMike says, "Ah - the angels are singingagain ." V .G .

How to Conduct ThemTHE FLYING DUTCHMANTALKS SYSTEMSStory and PhotographsBy John F. Van GilderJACK VAN GILDER, Seattle, WA, hasgathered a stack of press clippings inrecent months with his multicolortrains of delta wing kites . One reporterdubbed him the Flying Dutchman .Jack and his colleague John Dusenberryfind that as more kites go upfrom their neatly arranged boxes,more cars screech to a halt, and morepeople gather and start to help . "Manyhands make light work, "Jack quips .My motives for wanting to own a kitetrain were not pure . I'm afraid thatenvy was up near the head of the listsomewhere .While I was visiting Long Beach,CA, in 1974, Bill Everett, of Lancaster,CA, gave me a picture of a 64-kitetrain of Eddys . How in the world heand Ted Norton had kept the 10-foottails of that perfectly aligned trainfrom tangling on the main line, I'llnever know .* I now know how difficultit is after experimenting with six smallEddys with , six-foot streamer tails .It ended in the most Bawd-awfultangle you ever saw .Thinking that Bill Bigge had theanswer in his use of sled kites for histrains, I promoted a kite making bee inour basement, conning several fellow*Since Jack was in Long Beach, Bill andhis assistant, Eva Creek, have increased thenumber to 102 kites which fly to an overalllength of 310 feet. Each kite is a 19-in. x17-in. Eddy type using 1/8-in . diam . dowelsand Madras tissue paper, for a stunningvariegated color effect. The pair use onepointbridles, nine foot hemmed cloth tails,and graduated weights of line, ending with250-lb. test at the base . The Everett-Creektrain is often flown at the Let's Fly a KiteFestivals in Marina del Rey, CA . Theirrelatively easy system could be copiedand is quite similar to the method usedby Nishibayashi's team for breaking theworld record in Japan .Jack Van Gilder and his delta train, with fringe to add to the sparkle-and also to the stability .The first kite in the train is about 25 feet from the second . This increases stability. The rest ofthe kites are 10 feet apart, though they look like a solid column from below.

How to Conduct Them(Continued)Washington Kitefliers Associationkiters into taking part . We put togethera train with a main line about1200 feet long, from which we flew 7214-in . sleds on 10-foot tethers . Thiscreated quite a stir at the Bellevue,WA, Arts and Crafts Fair in 1975 .We had rolled our individual 10-and20-kite contributions onto cardboardtubes and tied the sections end to endas they rolled off the tubes into thesky. One virtue of this system is theinteresting action of the small sledsas they dart about the main line . ButThe snap-on system with rubber band andsnap swivel, works well for spur-of - themomentassembly of assorted kites into atrain, though it takes time to launch .the 10-foot tethers off the main linewere a constant irritation because oftheir tangles . Every flight brought ona session of straightening and repairing. This method does have theadvantages of being very compact andeasy to launch . It also gives a teachera chance to make an object lesson tokids on the virtues of cooperation .Another system I call snap-on trains,which uses the tether-to-a-main-linemethod . The handiest attachment techniqueI've found uses rubber band andsnap swivel . It's slow to let out becauseyou must stop at every kite towrap a rubber band around the mainline and hook a snap swivel into bothends of the band . The rubber bandkeeps the tethers from slipping on upthe main line . The system is easy toassemble and flexibly arranged .The advantage of this method is thatmany different types of kites may beused to make up the train as long asthey don't have tails to tangle in themain line . It turned out that I needlesslyworried about the placement ofthe various types of kites on one string ;mix `em or match 'em-sleds, boxes,Conynes, deltas and cobras - as long asyou have one cobra kite with its longtail at the top of the line only. I havegradually replaced all lines in thistype of train with non-twist line, eitherVAN GILDER'S FANCIER KNOTSSlip Knot with toothpick insertThai Slip Knot -the slipknottied without toothpick insert,with double loop pulled down .

aided or monofilament nylon .Here in Seattle last summer, TakeshiNishibayashi showed us a movie of his400-kite train . He used Eddys withIndia fighter-type stabilizers . Hisbook illustrates his bridling method,a modified tiller hitch .NISHIBAYASHI'S HITCHThe advantage of Nishibayashi'smethod is that the main line is unbroken. But I noticed in the movie thatseveral of the kites were flying sideways. They didn't seem to swivel on themain line . I worried about having tofind the exact center of lift for eachkite .Another . envy admitted : my colleagueDave Checkley has a beautiful60-disk Chinese centipede, which haslots of gold mylar to sparkle, a gooddragon face, and a flight angle that isoutrageous-some 70 degrees . Aftertwo attempts at constructing my owncentipede, I gave up and use the creaturesnow for wall decorations . Buteven Dave complains about repairsand tangled lines-and I've noticedthat he always has to have a groundcrew to help launch it .What I was really looking for, whenI thought about it, was a kite trainthat would be satisfying, that wouldgive a sense of accomplishment, thatwould, if you will, draw a crowd . Todo this, it would have to be huge, looksensational, sparkle with color, andundulate' provocatively. All this, andbe cheap to build, extremely easy totransport, launch and retrieve - popout of the car, spring into the air, flystably at a high angle and then retractquickly and easily - with a crew of one!Nothing in this world is perfect . Butfrom my experienced experimentation,I'd say the kite train that comes nearestTHE VAN GILDER CONNECTIONShort, 12-in . 12-lb .-test braided nylon tether is used toattach the kite to the main line . This allows for swivelingand twisting of line . The tether is tied to a 1/2-inch toothpickstick and run through the hole in the keel like abutton hole . Note that the main line pierces the kitecover through a slot for flexibility of flying angle . Justabove the kite cover is the tiller hitch, attaching to themain line of the kite above . This allows one kite to beremoved from the train . Note that the keel is oversize forstability. The lower kites could be bridled farther forwardto lessen pull on the main line .tiller hitchto perfection in meeting the criteriaabove is the pre-tied, through-the-kite,container-transported delta train .John Dusenberry and I each haveone . We both use dime-store tissuepaper covering, curtain shade bamboospars and 1/8-in . diam . dowel spreaderbars . So the kites are cheap, about14¢ each . Even adding the cost of 110-lb-test braided nylon seine twine, it'sonly about a $20 investment . And thekites look like a million . 0Above, Jack flies 72 of his 101 kitesin train for all of Seattle to seeon KOMO-TV .Left, Bob McCort defends himself againstkite attack while assisting Van Gilder .When the top kite loops, starting a chainreaction, it means the wind is tooheavy and it's time to haul in .

By Tom Van SantTOM VAN SANT is a sculptor, painterand muralist with a list of commissions,exhibits, consultant appointments andawards that could fill two pages of thisjournal if we thought such airing wereneeded . We prefer to air his kites .Van Sant has spent all of his time overthe past four years creating `flyingsculptures. "These have been exhibitedin London, Paris, Los Angeles, Australiaand Honolulu, and are now inHolland, accompanied by a film ofthe kites in flight . Van Sant's craft aremade of fiberglass tube and nylonspinnaker cloth decorated with speciallyformulated, colorful dyes whichpenetrate the nylon and sizing . Hislargest kite is a centipede type of 50segments, totalling 300 feet in airbornelength . Typically, each kite folds downto a size that may be carried by oneperson . Also, a design requirement ofthe artist is that each kite must springeasily into the air with only asoft breeze .I offer the Van Sant Trampoline as aunique prototype among kite categories .I stumbled upon this kite design insearch of the maximum lift, minimumweight form . On a six-foot-span model,there are 18 1/2 square feet of surface ata total kite weight of 9 1 /2 ounces . In1975, I recorded by line scale a 37-pound lift in a high wind . Stability isexcellent. The kite climbs and operateseasily in light or heavy wind, singly orin tandem . Aerodynamically, the flexibilityof structure and lashing is thekey. The kite functions in a manner

unlike any other style or variant Iknow (with superficial resemblance inpattern only to French pear-top variantin Pelham .*) . Description follows :Flexible peripheral structure : Thebasic structure is composed of fourtapered flexible fiberglass tubes (flyrod) connected in the shape of an oval .Nylon fabric is stretched within theoval, unencumbered by any compressionmember. This allows the oval tochange shape under variable flightstress . Collapse of this shape is restrainedfrom outside the oval .Flexible lashing : The fabric is attachedby continuous loose-lashing, aswith a stretched tarp or trampoline .This allows the necessary self-adjustmentand equalization of pressure asthe flight stresses change and the kiteconfiguration alters .Independent dihedrals : The liftingpower is not restricted or diminishedas it would be if the wing had a builtinpositive or negative dihedral forstabilization . The two dihedrals operatefrom the independent verticalmember. Also, each dihedral serves adual function, the upper as bridle,the lower as the force restraining thecollapse of the oval . These forces inturn keep each dihedral taut .Paraboloidal flight configuration : Infull breeze, the kite flies horizontallyon the wind, the line nearly vertical .The drogue becomes operative in restrainingoverflight . The foil is fulland bulged upward . The dihedralsplane and become lift surfaces . Avacuum forms on the top side . Thewing tips are forced up and back (thestructural members being more flexibletoward the tips) . The kite assumesa partial paraboloidal configuration(saddle-like) . Though it seems contradictory,the lifting shape becomes aconcave, positive dihedral .About my approach to kites, I simplymake and fly them for my pleasureand the pleasure of my friends . We gocamping on the more isolated beachesof California and fly the large onesas a kind of art-happening natureconnectioncelebration . Then we builda big fire, cook dinner over it, drink alittle wine, sleep under the stars, andstart over the next day.

Two Kite DesignsOur Design Workshop department forthis issue brings you, appropriately, plansfor kites that can be flown in train .The Van SantTrampolineThe Bill Lee SpecialOne-Sheet Tissue Paper Deltaplan followed by Jack Van Gilder

What's New :Kites, books, SundriesKitesBy Mel GovigTWO NEW KITESAfter 10 years of kiteflying, I enjoyedthe surprise of trying out two truly newkites . The Flair from Kites Kites Kitesand the Firebird from Ultra Kite aresimilar to one another in plan andassembled appearance . Both arefinned, winged kites . The Flair is adouble-keeled, flat kite of very lightrip-stop nylon . The Firebird is awinged sled of Tyvek ®, printed in afiery design . But the kites' similaritiesend with appearance ; they don't flyalike at all .The Flair is a soaring kite . Withoutits drogue it would probably overfly .With the drogue, it climbs to straightoverhead in a five mile-per-hourwind . It flies very light on the line,spilling gusts and never developingexcessive pull . It can be pumped upto several hundred feet with no morebreeze than it takes to keep itdownwind .The Firebird looks and flies like aConyne . In a sense, that's what it is :a Conyne with inverted dihedral . Thiskite develops tremendous lift . Theprinted warning to wear gloves shouldbe observed . The Firebird flew verystably and at a decent angle in a lightwind, about five miles per hour .Both the Flare and the Firebird areeasy to assemble, and both roll upfor carrying convenience . I'd say thetwo were comparable in durability andgeneral satisfaction -as well as inprice : about $10 for the Flare and about$9 for the Firebird .SOME STUNTERS REVIEWEDAssistants : Paul Ritchey, PeteIanuzzi and Rick KinnairdThe two-line control kite has beenpointing directions for the kite industryfor two summers since the PeterPowell Stunter started it all . Thestunters can't be ignored, whateverway you look at them . So we spentnearly four hours testing modelstestingsome of them to destructionatthe Great Delaware Kite Festival,after the contest was over and the fieldwas cleared .As I see it, we have about one yearto enjoy the stunter kites . It's only amatter of time before some carelesskiter hurts a bystander with his kiteand spoils it for all of us . If we are allespecially careful, we might be able tostretch our term to two years . I can'tmake the point strongly enough : Theonly way to avoid danger is to avoidpeople .That caveat aside, what do these kiteshave to offer? Lots of fun! It is truethat almost any kite can be outfittedto fly maneuverably on two lines, butnot many fliers will trouble with that .They will see a stunter in action andsuddenly be infected with a yen to trythe sport . The ready-to-dance kiteis what they will want .We tested eight stunter models outof about a dozen on the market . Mostwere adaptations of the Peter Powell :the Sky-ro-gyro ($19 to $22) ; the SkyCat ($14 to $16) ; the Aerobat (about$12 .50) ; and the Windjammer ($10 to$11) . We also tested two modifiedEddys : the Sky Tiger (about $8 .50) ;and Hi-Flier's Super Stunter (about$4) ; as well as one very sexy-lookingConyne-influenced design, the DunfordFlying Machine (about $23 to $25) .In general, all the kites tested workon the same principle : two lines ofequal length are attached to the kiteon the left and right sides . A kitepulled on the right side moves to theright and pulled on the left side movesto the left . All the stunts and maneuvers(and there are many) are derivedfrom combinations of right or leftline pulls .When you see the beach boys flyingtheir stunters, you may be put off,thinking the sport is too athletic orrequires too much drill . It isn't and itdoesn't . In a few minutes, anyone canlearn to fly and enjoy these kites . True,it takes practice to really master allthe stunts and especially to skim thekite in for a graceful, gentle landing .But to do controlled loops, dives,sweeps and figure eights really is aseasy as it looks .If you haven't flown one of thesekites, a few general comments apply .First, stunters move very fastthrough the air, and, as I said, are veryanti social kites . They are not welcomeat kite festivals or crowded beaches andshould not be flown in any place wherethey could endanger others . Most controllablesrequire about 200 feet ofclear space in front of the flier, oneach side, and overhead .Second, all these kites are stoutpullers, so be equipped with glovesor calluses . (If you don't have theformer, you'll get the latter.)Third, take the kite on a few tentativeloops and short dives at high altitudebefore you venture maneuvers

near the ground, so that you learn topredict the kite's responses .Finally, come equipped with extratape, covers, sticks (or kites) if youplan to fly for a long period .We were flying in very strong winds,about 25 miles per hour-good conditionsfor stunting . We found thatperformance differences, for theaverage flier, were slight from kite tokite . In general, the smaller the kite,the faster it responded and the quickerand shorter were the maneuvers . Themore flexible the struts (fiberglass wasthe most flexible), the more sluggishthe kite and the slower the turns .Kites with the three-prong nosedesign (such as the Peter Powell)seemed to bounce and glide off theground and land gently except in ahead-on dive at the earth . This resilienceis important, since bouncingseems to be inevitable . The Sky Tigerand the Super Stunter tipped on theirnoses, resulting in a torn cover on oneand a broken stick on the other. TheDunford suffered a broken stick in aground collision . Durability becomesthe standard for selection since performanceof all these kites is adequate .Most of the kites were covered in5-mil polyethylene . This seemed to bea worry-free choice . Two had lighterpoly covers which were not strongenough for our winds, although theymight have been better in lighter windsbecause of their lesser weight .Spectacle is a big part of stunterflying . Tails add a lot to this withoutaffecting the flight performance much .The tubular tail of the Peter Powell isespecially dramatic . It follows the pathof the kite in long casual loops . Eventhe long flat polyethylene tails areTriple Powells at Old Warden field, England .attractive . Tails tend to make the loopsand rolls look planned, whereas a flightwithout them might look to a bystanderlike an operation out of control,no matter how masterfully you fly .All the controllables are quite easyto assemble and transport, except theDunford, which takes about 15 minutesto assemble . Also the Windjammerhas a drawback. Its cross bar was largerin diameter than the tubes receivingit . Some fancy whittling was requiredto make it fit .As a lover of fighter kites, I ampleased to add the two-line stuntersto my kite bag . In general, when afighter kite flies well (four to eightmile-per-hour breeze), a stunter won't .And when a stunter flies well (over 10mile-per-hour wind), the fighterseither have become unmaneuverablystable or have been destroyed . So, ifyou like kinetic kites, the fighters andthe stunters complement one anothernicely.Some of this issue's test models were suppliedby The Kite Site, Georgetown, DC .The Dunford model was lent by MarvinTyrrell of Delmar, DE .POSTSCRIPT : GETTING A GRIPON THE CONTROLLABLESBy Bruce PfundSeven years ago I purchased aninexpensive two-line maneuverablekite, which was demolished by the timeI had gained an inkling of how to flythe darn thing .Since then I've logged over 2500hours flying two-stringers, testingalmost 30 kites of my own design, andtrying for increased maneuverability,speed and durability .The dynamics of two-line control areessentially the same for all maneuverablekites, but performance of modelsvaries . Here are some definitions,principles and rules of thumb I'velearned for the maneuverables .DynamicsWhen launched with both lines exactlythe same length, the stunter kite willbehave just like any other kite . It willzoom up to maximum elevation andstay there, an equilibrium-seeking kite .When the line lengths are changed,the kite will be turned, because thekite has been tilted to the wind alongthe backbone axis, and the two halvesof the kite skin generate unequal lift .The pull on each line is a functionof its length relative to the kite . Theshorter line will have the greater pull,and the kite will turn to this side .Pull on both lines is equal and minimumwith the wind at your back andthe kite at maximum elevation . Pullis maximum when the kite is closest tothe ground and will decrease as thekite gains altitude or approaches theright or left hand limits of the wind .One-line kites fly at a fixed angleof attack, whereas two-line kites undergochanges in the angle of attack asthey traverse the wind .Both the speed and the rate of turnincrease as the angle of attack increases .The kite never travels at a fixed speedbut actually is always accelerating ordecelerating . What starts out as a largediameterturn from a high altitude willrapidly become a faster, tighter turn

What's New(Continued)as the kite approaches the ground andgains speed . Remember, given the sameamount of control input, downturngives decreasing diameter turn, andupturn gives increasing diameter turn .Control movements should be largewhen the kite has low power, or is overheador at the right or left wind limit .They should be small when the kite isbeing launched or is close to theground, when the angle of attack ishigh . As long as the pull on thestrings is unequal, the kite will continueto turn .Understanding neutral is the key toflying a two-line kite . When the pullon both strings is eased, the kite willtravel in a straight line whichever waythe nose points (up, down, or sideways,the kite doesn't care), until the nextmaneuver is initiated or a crash occurs .To gain altitude, put the controls inneutral when the nose of the kite isaimed up . The knack to a smooth,quick climb is to pull on the oppositeline (the one with less pull) at theexact instant the nose of the kite pointsup, pulling in only enough to put thecontrols in neutral, not enough tostart the kite spinning in the oppositedirection . Control of spins and veeringcan be accomplished by pulling in onthe line on the side opposite the onetoward which the kite is turning . Forexample, a clockwise spin (with rightline shorter) can be stopped by pullingin on the left line . This will initiatecounter-clockwise spins .EquipmentFor two-line controllable kites, alwaysuse braided line, such as the varietysold for squidding or bait-casting .Ordinary twisted kite string willrapidly fail from line abrasion . Mostmaneuverable kites can still be flownand controlled with 10 or more twistsin the lines, but as the kite traversesfrom right to left, the lines willsaw against one another . Swivelsat the end of the flying lines mayreduce line twist . The lightest andsmallest-diameter flying line ofappropriate strength will deliver thebest performance .The penalty for two-line controlkiting is doubled cord weight and drag .The weight factor is relatively unimportant,affecting the kite mostlyin overhead stall . But line drag isa limiting factor on the speed ofyour maneuverable . Line drag is proportionalto the cube of the line's crosssectionalarea, so a small reduction inline diameter can have a big effect onthe kite's behavior .Control systems and bridling fortwo-line kites can vary greatly butfall into two types : bare-handed, directmanipulation of the two lines in eachhand ; and use of a device or handleto feed or limit the flow of line betweenflier and kite .Although almost any kite can berigged for two-line maneuvers, ingeneral the stiffer, smaller and higheraspect-ratiokites will move faster andrespond to finer controls ; while themore flexible, larger and lower-aspectratiokites will move more slowly andrequire grosser controls .An accomplished pilot of maneuverablekites will practice regularly, keephis equipment in top shape, and flyonly in safe situations .[looksBy Valerie GovigIn buying a kite book, I am alwayslooking for something new added tothe literature-new in approach if notin content . It seems to me that thisshould be the impetus and the justificationfor publishing . Why are booksthat fail to meet this simple standardmarketed? Perhaps a publisher is determinedto fill a "hobby quota," regardless.Maybe such products dopay, even if they muscle other kitebooks off the bookstore shelves . Thethree books reviewed here vary onthis scale of worth, but they all havethe same price tag, $5 .95 . Have publishersgot it figured that $5 .95 is whatthe kite book market will bear?A LOW FLIERThe Complete Beginner's Guide to Makingand Flying Kites, by Edward F . Dolan,Jr., illustrated by John Lane (New York :Doubleday, 1977), 152 pages .Every typical shortcoming of a kitebook seems to have found its way intothis one .The book perpetuates March as the"season" for kiteflying . It repeatssmatterings of kite history, includingthe obligatory visits to Ben Franklinand Bernoulli . It "classifies" kite typesallthree of them . It suggests materials,mentioning silk and not mentioningnylon or any other synthetics . It explainsnotching, lashing and binding,but slights knots, taping and sewing .The two-sticker is dubbed "the easiestof all kites to build ." Safety pointsare poorly presented, and flying in therain is not prohibited . Finally, theFlying Wedge design, formerly confinedto one kite book, is now perpetuatedhere . A classic non-flier to startwith, this "kite" appears with incorrectinstructions and a compounding of theerror in the drawing, where it iscovered on all sides -a sure contenderfor the concrete kite award .The style is wordy, but not meaty .The author is fond of introductionsand summaries for each chapter, whilein between are descriptions of 45 unfortunatekites that are often cryptic anddependent on the reader's imaginationand experience to fill in the gaps .The impression is conveyed that thewriter hasn't been there himself. Hehas plagiarized brazenly from DavidJue, Wyatt Brummitt, Leslie L . Hunt,and others, without giving credit, updatingmaterials, adding new points, oreven doing an accurate, thorough jobof plagiarizing . Diagrams have keyletters without reference to the lettersin the text . An altitude range chartis lifted bodily from Brummitt withoutso much as resetting the type . Onecould go on, detail by detail, buildinga negative, hateful tone .So what can we say that's positive?The book is well-organized . It is neatlythough unimaginatively printed andbound . It has a nice color cover photoof an imported Chinese kite (but nocolor inside, no directions for thekite inside) .Does book titling come under truthin-advertisingregulations? The CompleteBeginner's Guide to Making andFlying Kites is not complete, not forbeginners, and not a guide . Then whatis it? Beats me .GRAY HORIZONSKites : How to Fly Them, How to BuildThem, by Ambrose Lloyd, CharlesMitchell and Nicolette Thomas (NewYork : Holt, 1975), 95 pages .This is a rather pleasant, unassumingbook that doesn't try to do and beeverything for everybody. Unfortunately,the virtues associated withlimited scope, such as intensity ornovelty of concept or specialized information,fail to emerge . The bookis simply a workmanlike compendiumof 14 kites plus some general background. The layout and illustrationsare better than average and help theinstructions a good deal . ThoughEddy's name is spelled Eddie through-

out, there are no other specific flaws .I found a few little bonuses : a goodsection on noisemakers ; a somewhatinteresting Umbrella kite (a bowedhexagon-only the name is new) ;good directions for making a clothbox kite ; and an innovative four-celltetrahedral kite with hinges .Some petty shortcomings : no bibliography,no index, no credits or leadsto the real-world kite community .Still, it may be a volume that kite bookcollectors will "have to have ." Butmost kiters will have other ways tospend $5 .95-as for braided nylonline, any one of several fine kites, agift subscription to Kite Lines, or perhapsthree Brummitt books, one forhome, one for office and one for car .These alternatives are more a commenton prices of books these days than acriticism of the Lloyd book .At one point the authors suggestthat, for kites to show up in the sky,they should not be gray. The same istrue of books .PRESS-AGENTRY FOR KITESThe Mature Person's Guide to Kites, Yo-Yos, Frisbees and Other Childlike Diversions,by Paul Dickson (New York : NewAmerican Library, 1977), 196 pages,If you can get over the off-puttingtitle of this book and its generally selfconsciousair, you'll find here a welcomerecognition of the people whomake kiteflying a lifestyle .Our sport's image as an amusementfor lone eccentrics is giving way to aconcept of kiting as an engagement ofa community of enthusiasts . WillYolen's recent work, The Complete Bookof Kites and Kiteflying despite its fumblesand inaccuracies, broke newground in this respect . Yolen broughtfrom obscurity some of the people whohave contributed to kiting as an art/sport/science .Paul Dickson does this, too, in thethree chapters out of nine, plus appendices,devoted to kites . He is moreselective, though, and approaches thesubject like a press agent, looking for"good copy." If this leads to popularsales, perhaps we should not complain .Anytime material is selected, therewill be quibblers who would choosedifferently .A more serious fault is that the informationis curiously out-of-date . Anycontemporary book runs the risk ofbeing old the day it is born . Butthis volume appears to have beenresearched almost entirely from previousbooks and old Kite Tales maga .

What's New(Continued)zines . These are good and necessarysources, but they fail to inspire thefresh insights available from mixingwith real kiters .Is a chapter of kite history reallynecessary? Dickson's job on it wasbetter than some, but I found myselfdozing over it as usual .The chapter "The Joy of Flying,"containing kite "types" (a strangearray of them), is very brief on actualflying techniques, though mostly correct. But some of the drawings thatappear in this section are egregiouslyflawed ; the "Delta Winged Kite" wasan unparalleled oddity .But let's look at the assets of thisbook, which are several . One is thethorough coverage of the 1970 confrontationin Washington, DC, betweenkitefliers, representing freedom andpersonal rights, and the police, representingarchaic laws, bureaucracy andrepression . The kites eventually wonout . Dickson gives us a needed andcomplete documentation of it . Alsothe book has a nice collection of kitequotations .But by far the best feature is Dickson'sprofile of our own Bob Ingraham .The founder of AKA is well and sympatheticallyportrayed, and his productionof Kite Tales (predecessor ofKite Lines) is at last appreciated in apermanent way.The appendices include three plansfor kites to make (taken from KiteTales), and lists of kite books and shops .I've probably developed standardsfor kite books that make it hard forme to enjoy them . I had a lot morefun reading the chapter on yo-yos .

News From Here & ThereALABAMAGood weather but a smaller-thanusualturnout marked the ninth annualMARS (Marshall Space Flight Center)Kite Derby on March 26 . Richard Loveis a longtime organizer of this affair,which does very well with a limitedpopulation base . A free kite and a ballof string are given to each child throughfourth grade . Highest fliers were children,Sherry and David Nowakowski,both of whom flew to 3810 feetdefinitelyupstairs .CALIFORNIAA three-day Kite Retailers' Seminarwas conducted in San Francisco inJanuary by Kiteworld, Inc . About 10shops from all points of the compasswere represented, a small samplingbut an indication of the growth of thekite industry .Seminar sessions covered businesspractices, public relations and kiteflyinginformation both learned andshared by the participants . Pat Gilgallonof The Unique Place, a shopin Birmingham, MI, presented herpersonnel training methods and chicflight suits . The concept of pro shopsfor kiting was promoted, stressingrepairability of kites . Manufacturersand festival organizers spoke abouttheir specialties . Further unificationof kite retailers may be explored inthe future .Left to right : seminar participants DaveCheckley, manufacturer ; Stan Menker, distributor; and Pat Gilgallon, retailer, studyingdisplay in the Come Fly a Kite store,San Francisco .Hugh Harrison of Montreal writes abouthis kite travels in California :The first festival I attended was atPalm Springs, although it would havebeen enjoyable to see those at OceanBeach and Mission Bay on previousweekends .Palm Springs was small and strictlynon-competitive . Ed Grauel and hisnext-door neighbor came up fromtheir winter homes in Borrego Springs,CA, and Tom Joe and Vic Heredia(to mention a few familiar faces), withkite-fighting cohorts, all helped tomake it a happy group - and it was gloriouslyhot . The day ended pleasantlywith a drive up the mountain road witha stop for a cooling libation whilewatching the lights of the town cometwinkling through the creeping dushk- excuse me -dusk .On to Venice, CA, for Gloria Lugo'sLet's Fly a Kite Festival on March 26 .This fly is an absolute must for anyonevisiting the area . Gloria works herfingers to the bone preparing for it(and for her three other later festivals),and the unfailing result is hundredsof kites in the air over the beach andthousands of devotees and viewers,all enjoying the sight of some of thebest kites you could ever expect to see .This festival is non-competitive andprovides the opportunity to fly unrestrictedor just look and meet andtalk .Talk there was plenty of, with (toname a few) Bill Everett and Eva Creekwith their train of 102 kites and theirbeautiful centipede ; Bob Bulkley, whois never happy unless he has somethingup almost out of sight ; Bennett Arnsteinwith one of his excellent deltas wayup there ; Craig Stratton with a Squadronor two and a couple of Clippers ;Ken Bourgeois with somethingethereal, beautiful and innovative ;Ted Norton, Don and Skull Merchantand others whom I'll remember duringthe winter months and look forwardto seeing again .On the way down to Long Beach thefollowing day, I had the opportunityto drop in on one of Tom Joe's workshopsfor youngsters . This was a relativelysmall group, and those who hadarrived early were flying their creationswhile others were still at work . Tomhas his workshop process down pat bynow, and under his direction parentsand teachers are supervising the manufactureof snakes and owls by the kids .Half an hour after completion, whenthe glue has dried, white paper kitesdecorated as desired by the makersand tailed with colorful crepe paperare darting through the surroundingair. (Note : If you aren't prepared towork, stay away . Tom will find somethingfor you to help with, for sure .)The following Saturday, April 2,the city of Torrance held its Super KiteSaturday. This started in the morningwith an instructional session for thesupervisors who started the youngsterson construction . As the children arrivedin droves, it was necessary to keepthem occupied while they waited tojoin the line-up . Tom Joe's movie,12 minutes long, took up part of theslack, but there were plenty of impatientchildren waiting to move fromtracing to cutting to sticks, etc . About300 youngsters went through the mill,and that meant a lot of judging at theend of it all . It also meant a lot of kitesin the air and a lot of tangles .At this meet, the thrill you get onlofting your first kite was seen in afather obviously just getting startedin kiting . His brown paper box kiteand his Happy Man were straight outof Harold Ridgway's book and easilyrecognizable . After a couple of falsestarts and a bit of re-taping, he foundthe right point for the line attachmentand the box took off for the skies . Hisworkmanship was perfect, and so wasthe look on his face at the astonishmentof his wife and the admiration of hisyoung son . Wonderful feelingrememberyour first?Sunday, April 3, was the date of theRedondo Beach Pier Kite Festival .It was sponsored by the Sunshine KiteCo . and run by Randi Joe, whose shopis on the pier itself . Kite fighting wasprominent at this meet, an informalone with no competition . Again it wasa gathering of the faithful with a goodattendance and many interestedspectators .I arrived back at Long Beach onMonday, April 18, and headed for themotel beside Bixby Park that seemsto have become the headquarters forout-of-town kiters at this time of year .It would be hard to find a more suit-

News From Here & There(Continued)able location, with the park on top ofthe bluff above the beach, and thebeach itself wide and long and withample parking . These help make theLong Beach Kite Festival one of thebest you could find anywhere .This year was the 51st for the festival,so they have had plenty of practice,but Maria Sharpe is still not satisfiedand is always looking for ways to makeeach successive event more memorable. She has her work cut out for her,because this year something extra wasadded in the attendance of 19 kitefliersfrom the Tokyo area, who broughtsome remarkable kites with them .Once again, more familiar facesappeared on the scene : Bob and HazelIngraham, Founder and past ExecutiveSecretary, respectively, of AKA ; BobFarquhar, now of Phoenix ; Ace Hallof Napa, surely one of the oldest activekiters ; and among the Japanese, IchiroHike and Takeshi Nishibayashi, whomI'd met in Japan last year. The festivalopened on Friday, April 22, with adinner for Bob and Hazel, at whichthe Japanese visitors were introducedand two films were shown .The flying started on the beachnext morning and continued untilthe late afternoon . This event is sponsoredby the Long Beach RecreationDepartment and the Long BeachRotary Club . It is primarily designedfor the pleasure of the youngstersbut now attracts adults up and downthe coast, from San Francisco to SanDiego .There is an immense amount ofpreparatory work carried out in theschools . Winning entries from eacharea are judged during the day, and ittakes much planning to keep the flyingareas separate . The prize-giving itselftakes up quite a bit of time, and thereis somewhat of an air of regimentation,which is probably unavoidable for anaffair of this magnitude and type .Nevertheless, there is plenty of spacefor the adult fliers, who had kites upall day and who had two contests oftheir own . The Highest Flier and Best-All-Around classes were won by twoJapanese visitors, Messrs . Yoshida andNishibayashi .At the end of the afternoon, therewere kite-fighting contests, which area growing interest in this area largelybecause of the efforts of Tom Joeand Vic Heredia . This, to my way

of thinking, is not a spectator sportbut one strictly for the participants .The preliminary bouts took place onSaturday, with the finals the followingday.A bonus was provided on Sundaywhen a local TV station decided totelevise live for an afternoon program .This took place at Venice Beach andwas attended by most of the fliers fromthe previous day. As the beach waspacked with the usual crowd of sunbathers,and all the kiters wanted toget on the screen, the area near thecameras somewhat resembled TimesSquare on New Years Eve, and therewere many aerial entanglements . Itwas a good day and a fine ending tomy California visit, made so pleasantby the friendly kite flying fraternity .COLORADOA report from Jane Parker Ambrose ofSky Scrapers kites, in Denver :U . S . Congresswoman PatriciaSchroeder recently sponsored her ownkite festival in conjunction with SkyScrapers kite store in Denver .The event was held on the RegisCollege campus and included demonstrationsof India kite fighting, thenew two-stringer kites, Coloradodeltas, and other kites . Picnickingand live music added to the finespring afternoon .Colorado Representative Pat Schroederwith her children and kites .Ms . Schroeder, a graduate of HarvardLaw School, earned her pilot'slicense and worked her way throughcollege as an airplane crash inspectorfor the FAA . She and her attorneyhusband Jim, and her son, Scott, 11,and daughter, Jame, 7, find kiteflyingthe perfect family activity ."We have a Japanese housekeeperwho got the children interested in kitemaking and flying . It's become a greatfamily sport . . . The one resourcewe have a lot of is wind in Colorado . . .Kiteflying is cheap, quiet, graceful,challenging and calming . It's a way tovicariously fly -soar! We all need tosoar occasionally, for the world's humdrumcan get us down otherwise ."Frances A . Weaver sent us the newsthat the Beulah Valley Associationfor Tethered Flight is scheduled forexposure in the National Observer atsome indefinite future date .This is a group of seven womenwhose "high-sounding name waschosen after great deliberation to givean air of sophistication to our tonguein-cheekapproach to kiting ." Fourmembers chartered the group becausethey all had kites . Then, "we addedthree more members because they hadpastures!"They find that flying in highmountain meadows is a challenge becauseof "shifting wind currents," and

½-fo coolNews From Here &There(Continued)they prefer them for the "solitude andpeace to be found there ."The group's alfresco luncheons wouldsatisfy Julia Child . Ms . Weaver says,"There is always a suitable wine,naturally. Fruits and cheese usuallyend the bucolic feast, served mid-fieldwith lady-like aplomb and disdain forthe ever-watchful livestock ."Their most notable effort wasbringing Dinesh Bahadur from SanFrancisco to Pueblo, CO, for a fly anddemonstration . Hundreds of peoplecame . "We wore our BVATF T-shirtsand our members really outdid themselvesin preparing an elegant picnicfor 50 or more special guests . Weemerged with our unorganized statusbarely intact ."DELAWARESunny skies and stiff breezes onGood Friday contributed to a successfulsixth annual Great Delaware KiteFestival at Cape Henlopen State Park,Lewes, DE . The event, inspired byBermuda's tradition, brought outHarold Madeiros of Dover to flyhis big Bermudas . Lee Braswell, ofManassas, VA, took top prize with herhuge, much-honored beautifully sewnBicentennial Conyne .A kite-fighting rematch of MelGovig and former Lt . Gov . EugeneBookhammer resulted in Govig'srecapture of the "mid-Atlantic championship,"which is annually contestedat Cape Henlopen .Delaware's kite interest was extendedthe following week with a fly at Broadmeadow,near Centerville .Bill KocherBarrage kite before lift at BroadmeadowKite Fly April 16 in Delaware .DISTRICT OF COLUMBIAIn our nation's capital, the decorousyet exciting Smithsonian Kite Carnivalwas held on March 26 in perfectweather, directed by Paul and IreneGarber. One of the largest turnoutsyet took part in the eleventh annualaffair.Bill KocherThe Wrong Bros . doing cut-ups at theSmithsonian . Paul Garber is part ofthe audience, at microphone .Highest-scoring kite in the eventwas Graham (Gray) Marshall's 17ot delta-Conyne, handled within limited space . However, Gray couldnot collect the Secretary's trophybecause it is for the adult class andGray is still 16 . He won in his ownclass, of course . Fayed Ali Husfainiand Carol Rogallo (with a Corner Kite)

(Continued)were first and second, respectively, inthe adult class .FLORIDAHugh Harrison, again on vacation fromMontreal, reports :Will Yolen's ninth annual InternationalKite Flyoff at Sarasota wasrained out on Saturday, January 15, buttook place successfully and enjoyablythe next day .Will conducts an informal contestthat includes a minimum ofregimentation . You register and that'sit . Then you fly to your heart's contentuntil prize-giving, because Will doesthe judging on the quiet without interferingwith the fliers .An excerpt from the diary of W. BruwerVan Graan of South Africa, visiting Floridaby way of England :February 22: Went to West Palm Beachand to Briny Breezes to visit HodTaylor and his wife . We have beencorresponding for the last four years,and it was indeed a big moment to meethim . He is known for his large kites,the bird kite being his specialty . Lateron Mrs . Jane Scott, wife of the lateWalter "Scotty" Scott, joined us . Wejust couldn't stop talking!February 23 : Got down to some seriousflying with Hod Taylor, nextto the beach, and the wind was justright . Hod's kites are all collapsible,each one is different, and they fly verywell indeed . Had a fight with the sandburrs and lost! Afternoon : we went toBoca Raton to see Dom Jalbert . HisLaboratory is a kiteflier's dream : stacksof multicolored rip-stop, miles offlying line, woodworking machinery,large work tables-could anyone wantmore? I fully expected to find windtunnels and complex electronic gearto test and evaluate . However, Mr .Jalbert has none of these . Instead heuses his keen sense of observation andintuition which can only come throughlong experience .February 25 : Flew the large kites ofHod Taylor. As far as I know he isthe only person who makes these bigbird kites . Assembly is quite a task butthe launching is easy. Three birdsflown in a train were most impressiveand a real crowd collector. The birdswere flown on 500-lb .-test line from aheavy-duty hand-cranked winch . Thewinch has a brake which is adjustable .Bringing the birds back to earth wasalso easy, as they do not fight, testifyingto the engineering and knowhowinvested in these kites .February 26 : A good Saturday morning'sflying at Dom Jalbert's Lab .The large open terrain behind the Labis a good flying spot . Tried my Flexifoilfrom England again and really gotit going . Maneuvered it all over theplace and succeeded in skimming justabove the ground, sharp right anglebends and vertical climbs . Super!Mr. Jalbert flew some of his Parafoilsand Parasleds . The Parasledsresembled a reverse delta . One Parafoilwas a combination Parafoil/triangularbox . He even had a blacksky-diving parachute flying . Pulls likea horse!In the evening attended a grand gettogetherat Jane Scott's place togetherwith the Taylors and the Jalberts .February 28 : More flying with HodTaylor. This time a 12-foot Scott sledin a gusty 20 mile-per-hour wind . Iwas pulled around dragging heelsthrough the sand . Both of us had to

News From Here & There(Continued)hang on for dear life . Despite its size,the sled flew at more than 60 degrees .HAWAIITwo big events were reported to KiteLines by Beverly Chang .March 12 was the date of the secondannual Ben Franklin Kite Contest,which was started as a Bicentennialevent, in Waipahu, HI . It included fourheats and was sponsored by the Departmentof Parks and Recreation andMcDonald's of Waipahu .Then on March 19 was the tenthannual Oahu Kite Flying Contest ."Over 1000 people came to view andparticipate," Beverly said . "The daywas warm and sunny, with 20 to 30mile-per-hour winds in the morningand 25 to 40-mile-per-hour afternoonwinds ." Besides the usual help of theDepartment of Parks and Recreationof Honolulu and the Lions Club ofMoanalua, three new sponsors werepersuaded to participate by ChairmanDon Fujii . There were four categoriesfor the two age divisions plus kitefighting for the seniors, won by WayneBaldwin and Alfred Chang . "This yearTop : Patricio Gongot's beauty.Above : Winners all -Wayne Baldwin,Patricio Gongot, Alfred and Vincent Chang .the Most Beautiful Kite event brought87 competitors, mostly University ofHawaii students and Hawaii AKA'ers ."Winners were Patricio Gongot, first,and Wayne Baldwin, second .ILLINOISBill Temple, reporting from Chicago,said the seventh annual Amelia EarhartMemorial Kite Fly was calledoff because of postponement and lackof participants .When he wrote, Bill was lookingforward to the "big one," WINDRadio's Kite Fly, on April 24 . Meantimehe is looking for a fight-a kitefight, that is-and seeking interestedfliers in his area . If you live in or nearChicago, call Bill at 334-6968 office or631-6926 home .INDIANAThe First Indianapolis Open KiteFestival was held on April 16, sponsoredby WIFE Radio and merchantsof the Keytone at the Crossing shoppingcenter. Ideal weather and dozensof enthusiasts contributed to the day.A giant kite with the seal of the Cityof Indianapolis was presented toDeputy Mayor Bruce Melchert by thesponsors, which included WindianaKite Works . A 25-foot delta made byAnsel Toney was demonstrated beforethe competition . Toney, 89, has beencelebrated recently in an AP wireservice story and on the "Who's Who"television show . (A profile of him willappear in the next issue of Kite Lines .)LOUISIANAThe fifth annual New Orleans KiteFestival took place on March 20 atAudubon Park, with thousands ofpeople there . Henry H . Boutwellreports that "The wind was blowingout over the river until it was timefor the contest to start . Then the winddied out' to one of those light breezesthat move the leaves on a tree sometimes." Boutwell's own "Little Hazel,"a 15 x 30 foot plastic delta, won handsdown in the Largest Kite event becauseit flew-pulled up on 450 feet of 425-lb-test nylon line . Smallest Kite waswon by Connie Thompson flyinganother Boutwell kite, which was oneof the few kites to fly in the light breeze .MARYLANDFebruary 13 was the date of the MarylandKite Society's well-attendedannual meeting, held at the MarylandScience Center in Baltimore's InnerHarbor. Members were pleased to bevisited there by W. Bruwer Van Graanof South Africa, touring America byway of England, where he had purchaseda Flexifoil . The unusual kiteattracted much interest during the flybefore the meeting . Blustery weathercreated mishaps, though, as Bruwer'sdiary described later in his entry forFebruary 13 :"Bill Bigge's Wright Flyer wrappeditself around a tree within seconds,kites broke lines, kites fell in the harborand a large Parafoil [ Curtis Marshall's]tangled on a yacht mast . Chaos! Everybodythen went off to the Center forthe meeting and buffet . A kite auctionfollowed where Pete lanuzzi boughteverything that remotely resembleda kite ."The main business of the meetingwas accomplished : election of officers .Ted Manekin is the new ExecutiveSecretary, while Pete lanuzzi andCynthia Kobitz continue as Treasurerand Secretary respectively, and MarlandKite Festival Co-Chairmen areRick Kinnaird and Mel Govig . Aneditor for the newsletter is beingsought to succeed Valerie Govig, whonow edits Kite Lines for AKA . Planswere discussed for the Maryland KiteFestival on April 30 . Cooperation of theCity's Bureau of Recreation and theMaryland Science Center was assured,and funding was earned through theSociety's promotion work for a largelocal department store . Ann Kurtz, ofthe center's exhibits department,enlisted Society help for an importantkite show running from mid-Aprilthrough July .On April 2 in Cambridge, MD, about125 youngsters bundled up in threateningweather to fly at a kite contest .Chun King kites (modified cobras)were provided by RJR Foods, Inc . Eachyoungster was given 400 feet of line,and winners were those who let outtheir line fastest . Cambridge Mayor AlAtkinson presented trophies in threeage groups .High spirits in Cambridge, MD .MONTANASteve Smith reports :"Kites, eh? I haven't flown one sinceI was a kid ." That pretty well sums up

News From Here & There(Continued)where most Montanans' heads arewhen it comes to kites . But we're workingon that situation .Here in Missoula, interest in seriouskite building and flying seems to beincreasing . Helping along those linesare two teachers in the city's gradeschool system, Marvin Enderlin andJim Greene, who are teaching theirpupils some of the fundamentals. CubScouts are getting into the act with kitesas a spring project .Missoula is scheduled to get, in mid-April, its second whack at a kite festival. One was held a few years ago, butits organizers didn't follow through .Missoula kiteflier Wally Norby mayhave come up with a new wrinkle onreels . Wally, an ingenious custodianand mechanic at the local technicalcenter, rigged up an old electric sewingmachine with a large spool . He's a"deep sky" kiteflier who likes to gethis rigs up several thousand feet onhigh-test line . He may be the only manin the country who brings them backwhile sitting at a Singer in the middleof his pasture, with an extension cordconnecting the whole shebang to apower source .A series of kiteflying rallies, open toall ages, was scheduled for late Marchin Kalispell by the Flathead CountyPark Department . Montana has a lotgoing for it when it comes to kiteflying .They don't call it the Big Sky countryfor nothing-there's a lot of wideopen space and ample good breezes,especially east of the ContinentalDivide . West of the Divide, includingMissoula, is in the heart of the northernRockies, which makes for spectacularscenery over which to dangle a kite .NEW YORKThrough most of April, "FlightFancies," an exhibition of kites andflight fantasy art was held in theNational Art Museum of Sport atMadison Square Garden . Kites as artand technology were displayed in apark among trees, benches and softsculpture clouds . The Go Fly a Kitestore provided advice and kites tosupplement the works of many artistsrepresented .Utica, NY, is on its way to gaining aspot on the kiting map . Betty Devinsand a group of friends there are full ofenthusiasm and activity. Their mainand maiden event is a festival plannedfor August . See their ad on page 55for further details .NORTH CAROLINAThe annual Outta Sight Kite Flightwas held April 2 in Charlotte . Thecompetition for Largest Kite had beenon Jim Chamberlin's mind since theprevious year, when he took third inthe category. For 1977 he and a team offour other engineering mates haddetermined to create the largest kitenot only in Charlotte but in the world .They studied sleds for weeks inadvance of the event, and a 20 ft . x 25ft . prototype had flown well . Awareof the Edmonds, WA, attempt in themaking at about the same time (seefollowing), the team was feeling confidentbecause their kite was 50 ft . x60 ft . i n size and contained 2300 squarefeet of effective surface area . They hadplanned to support their Grauelvented3-mil polyethylene sled on tubespars filled with expanded rigid foam .Unfortunately, they never carriedout this clever idea, and the tube sparswere floppy .The big day came and the 40-oddground crew showed up in Team KiteT-shirts . The flight was a disaster .Jim was reluctant even to talk aboutit . The effort, however, probablyranks high in the annals of spectacularkite fiascos-second only to the effortin Edmonds .OHIONews report from Bill Jones :AKA's newest chapter got off to aroaring start in February when morethan 20 people formed the OhioSociety for the Elevation of Kites .Based in Cleveland, this new groupis out to encourage kiting in Ohio andsurrounding states . OSEK, for short,has scheduled a series of kite flysthroughout Ohio that will give kitepeople in the area a chance to gettogether for their favorite pastime .OSEK members also often travel tomajor kiting events around the country .OSEK publishes a monthly newsletterof events and kite-related comment. To receive the newsletter, titled"Shoot the Breeze," to join the Societyor to support it, send $2 .50 for a year'ssubscription/membership to OSEKTreasurer Judy Neuger, 4500 ChagrinRiver Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 .TENNESSEEThe third annual Nashville Kite Flightwas held on April 2, with Lee ScottNewman, kite author, one of thejudges . George P. Turner was prominentin advance promotion and on theday itself . He reported that threateningweather did not dampen enthusiasmand that attendance was good .His protege, Linda Mattos, 11, wonmost of the prizes . In the contest forthe kite that was the highest flying inthree minutes, she outwitted the othercontestants by backing up an extra 30feet for a much higher start . She flewLinda Mattos, 11, flies a Bullet kite at a highangle in Nashville .a Bullet with drogue, which she haddiscovered by advance testing wasbetter for the conditions that day .George also remarked :"This year there was a prize for theoldest kiteflier present . Not only didI win this prize but it appears I am acinch to win it every year in the future .All I have to do to qualify is to justkeep on living!"TEXASFebruary 17 saw the Houston areacome alive for the Deer Park KiteFestival, a non-competitive day oflearning, kite making and showing off .John N . (Jack) Jordan was on hand toteach and demonstrate . Jordan hasbeen fascinated with kites since hischildren were young and he found theGalveston beach winds too strong formost kites . On retirement he becameimmersed in kiting and has built manyunusual models .

News From Here & There(Continued)Kite Tournament was held March 20 atZilker Park with over 200 entrants .Richard Robertson took a first place forthe Most Unusual Kite with his 100-foot centipede . My "Chinese" Armadillobrought a respectable second .In anticipation of our 50th event nextyear, I am compiling photographic andhistorical documents of kite activitiesin Austin . I hope it will develop into acommemorative booklet .Another measure of kite interest inAustin has been the numerous requestsfrom school teachers, scout and othergroups for information and demonstrations. I know Dick has been respondingto many of these also . I have had adisplay of kites in our public libraryand am currently teaching a class inkite building and flying in the AustinCommunity Schools .WASHINGTONDouglas Underwood writes to us fromWhitman College in Walla Walla, WA,where he persuaded Rev . Joseph Leeand his wife Alice to come and showthe students how to make Snow Goosekites . Interest in kites had previouslybeen aroused on the campus by a visitfrom the Lees in 1972 . In one Januaryafternoon and following morning,about 10 Snow Goose kites were constructed. After making the intricatefabric kites, the participants, Dougsaid, "came to appreciate the time andskill which go into their construction,to say nothing of their design in thefirst place ."usual question of "How much?" wasasked . The stock answer came back atthem : "Oh, probably $1 .50 worth ofmaterial -Tyvek,' Sears plastic dropcloth,tape, glue and dowels . Figureyour time at seven bucks an hour andit would be $100, heh, heh, heh ."A quiet voice from the rear : "I'llgive you a hundred bucks for that ."A quick swivel of the head reveals askid-row pan-handler type - meat-axeface, missing teeth .Then the banter begins : "Well, youknow, I'm kinda attached to this kite,winner of the 1973 Most Beautifulevent in the Seafair contest, picturedin March, 1974, Sunset magazine, andall that ."Comes the unmistakable sound ofcrisp currency. Another neck-crackingswivel of the head reveals two fiftybuckbills aimed straight at the flier .A loud, "Take it, yuh dummy!" fromJohn Dusenberry sews up the deal withan exchange of kite and reel for twopictures of General Grant .March 26 and 27 were a big weekendfor the Washington Kitefliers Associationat the Pacific Science Center inSeattle . Their third annual exhibitionand workshop drew 4360 visitors . Theycame to view over 200 kites on displayand to pick up kite "kits" (materialand directions for garbage-bag sleds)at 25¢ each . Six hundred of these weresold . The Center added more than $900extra for the favorable draw theycreated for the Center (based on halfthe admission receipts that wereover the average for a weekend thesame month the previous year) . Theexecutive committee of W .K .A . apportionedsome of this to the librarysystem for books on kiting . The outstandingsuccess of the occasion wasattributed to several factors : goodpublicity, appropriate weather andtiming, growing kite interest generally,Imitation snow geese (kites) in real snow .The Washington Kitefliers Associationmet on January 18 and elected newofficers : Bill Lee, President, and KenConrad, Secretary. The group is planning- to incorporate .At a club fly on January 30 at GoldenGardens Park in Seattle, Jack Van Gilderwas flying one of his favorite Thunderbirdkites, and, as Jack tells it :There was the usual exchangebetween flier and onlookers and theWashington Kitefliers Association Kite Show in March at the Pacific Science Center, Seattle,WA . A few of the kites : center top, John Dusenberry's 30-delta train ; swooping diagonally leftto right, Mr. J .C . Young's Chinese centipede ; just left of center and above centipede, JimCarnwath's 20-foot airplane kite . Slides and movies were shown in an adjacent room .

News From Here & There(Continued)a rejuvenated local kite shop andcarryover benefits from the previousyear's publicity .Preparations are now underway forthe Seafair International Kite Fly,sponsored by Seafair (Seattle's summerfestival) and the Washington KitefliersAssociation . It will be held July16 and 17 at the new Elliott BayPark, on the waterfront overlookingPuget Sound .The park was dedicated last Julywith the assistance of W .K .A . at a kiteflyattended by Takeshi Nishibayashifrom Tokyo . This year W .K .A . expectsto host a number of kitefliers fromJapan and other countries, includinga large group from Vancouver, B .C .,Canada .The two-day festival will includekite fighting contests and a kite-boatrace on the bay, the winner being thekiteflier-pilot team that is able to covera two-mile course in the shortest timewhile keeping a kite continuously inthe air. Another unusual event, wonby Nishibayashi last year, will be theLeft: Elliott Bay Park Kitefly, Seattle, site ofthe Seafair International Kitefly, July 16-17,1977 . This picture was taken at last year'sdedication event, with Takeshi Nishibayashi'sHappy Bicentennial kite .Long Line Flight, to let out as muchline as possible within two minutes,at the lowest possible angle . Variousadditional prizes will be awarded .The Seafair International Kiteflywill coincide with the InternationalExhibition of Flags, Banners and Kitesat Seattle Center, July 10 to 24 . Theexhibition is co-sponsored by AlliedArts of Seattle, the City, County andState Arts Commissions, and by theNational Endowment for the Arts .Representation is expected fromNorth and South America, Europe,Australia and the Orient . This displayof flags, banners and kites is believedto be the first time the three art formshave been so combined .One of the highlights of the exhibitionwill be a visit from Peter Travisof Australia, a potter and kitemaker,who will conduct three or four exoticdesignworkshops and show his movie,one of the few on kites (and some saythe best) .(Continued)

News From Here & Therel Washington continued)A GRAND FOLLY.Among heroic failures on record, none hasbeen more heroic-or more a failurethanthe Edmonds Community Collegeeffort to build the world's largest kite .Dave Checkley writes :March went out like a lion at OceanShores on Washington's Pacific coastOn March 30, a 30-knot gale frustratedefforts to launch what was billed as the"World's Largest Kite ."A team of 14 students from theNeedle Trades Technology Center alEdmonds Community College, justnorth of Seattle, had been workingsince early February to build themonster box kite, including seven daysof around-the-clock final assemblyat Ocean Shores .The Edmonds CC team, headedby Coordinator/Instructor HarryOsborne, was out to break the Guinness record, a project conceived byOsborne and Seattle disk jockey BobHardwicke, kite enthusiast and formerstudent in Osborne's professional sewingclass . I served as a part-time consultantand suggested the Cubic-Kite(multiple-cell box kite pioneered byTsutomu Hiroi in Japan) for this projectbecause donated materials wereavailable for it .The frame was made of 6000 feet of3/s -in . aluminum tubing provided byReynolds Metals, connected largelywith filament strapping tape . It wasprefabricated in nine modules two cellsdeep, about 9 x 15 ½ feet . These sectionswere then joined in groups ofthree, which were finally assembledat the launching site . The 288 cellswere sewn from 1 .9-oz . rip-stop nylon .The launch was originally scheduledfor Sunday, March 26 . High windsgusting up to 105 miles per hour preventedthe Sunday launch and alsoforced down an earlier attempt for theGuinness endurance record ; a sevencellversion of the same design waskept in the air for 33 hours by studentGail Schultz .When the wind subsided on Wednesday,the sections were carried to thebeach from the Ocean Shores firestation where they had been preassembled. The final assembly andbridling (done with assistance fromJohn Dusenberry and me) took longerthan expected, so the launch was delayeduntil late afternoon . By that timehundreds of onlookers and mediapeople had arrived, many having beenthere the entire day in biting winds .As the sun descended, the wind pickedup, and at launch time a 25-knot windwas blowing .Because of the size and depth of theframe, it had been necessary to bridlethe kite on the top as it lay flat onthe beach ; there were 36 bridle linesup to 70 feet long . Therefore the teamhad to tip the kite up from the backto bring it into vertical launch position,and during lifting, the wind caught thecenter. The bottom cells collapsed,apparently catching some of the bridlelines in the broken framework . Thekite lifted about four feet off the beach,appearing, for an instant, to be rising .Then it dived to the left into the sand .The volunteer team on the s/8 -inchflying line kept running, and the combinationof the gale wind and draggingon the beach completely destroyedthe kite, which ended as a tangled massof aluminum tubing and nylon .Although disappointed, the EdmondsCC group is now analyzingthe problems and is re-engineeringan even larger kite for another attemptnext spring . The new kite will be rectangularrather than diamond-shaped,will be pre-assembled in larger unitsto minimize field assembly time, andwill be bridled in advance in a windfreeenvironment .Anyone interested in offering advicemay write Harry Osborne, EdmondsCommunity College, 20000 68th AvenueWest, Lynnwood, WA 98036 .News from Here & There continues)Total weight of the would-be kite was 270pounds. Total projected area of the cells was1326 square feet (flown on an angle) .

News From Her &There(Continued)AUSTRALIAR .E. Ted Padman writes :Just recently the schools here had"Come Out 77 Festival" Kite Fly in theParklands, part of a festival for theperforming, creative and visual artfor young people . Unfortunately, thewind was rather poor, but some of thelightweight kites such as garbage-batsleds did fly . I saw Thai serpent kitethat were very colorful . A della Port,kite was flying quite well .CANADAEvery spring, after wintering inFlorida, Ken Lewis comes back hometo kites in Canada . His name issynonymous with kiting in his areain fact, he is known as Mr. Kite ofCanada . He is a chief organizer behindKen Lewis with kite and other incentive .the Glad Kite Festival on June 11 andthe Canadian National Exhibition KiteFestival on August 28, both in Toronto .Ken is retired and works on kite promotionfull time during the warmermonths . He supplies information onkite making used in publicity for theGlad contest, where large cash prizesare awarded for kites made from plasticbags . It's likely Ken has had a hand,too, in the re-introduction of the Innon the Park Kite Festival in Toronto onJune 18, which will include a "CelebrityFly Off" for benefit of local charities .ENGLANDThe development of the BritishKite Flyers Association, led by RonMoulton, has become big news inEngland. The squeakiest wheel inEurope, however, may be the EssexKite Group, a tiny but enthusiasticband, founded by Clive C .O . Rawlinson. Their newsletter accounts fortheir minor fame .Clive C .O . Rawlinson poses with Red Arrow .JAPANThe Yajima ship kites which appearedpreviously in Kite Tales (predecessor ofKite Lines) were the inspiration forLarry Hoffman's son Kenji in makingmodels of his own . They all fly!Kenji Hoffman's ship kites :foreground, smallest, 32mm long x 24mmhigh ; background, largest, 120mm long x66mm high .New ZEALANDLogan Fow writes us his "Kiwi Ramblings" :The Waikato Chapter in New Zealandis alive and well . If not big, it isat least enthusiastic. In the last fewmonths it has :1 . Given three exhibitions in differentmuseums . One was supposed tobe for two weeks but was so popularthat it lasted three months . These led tothe display's being televised nationally,to radio interviews and to at least fivenewspaper articles .2 . Given two demonstrations of kiteflying. A wide range of kites, from anAllison to a traditional centipede, wason show . Clarence Croft's six-footAllison is a beautiful kite and fliesbetter than the average sled .In February, David Thompson and Iacted as judges at the Napier fifthannual Hawkes Bay Chinese KiteFestival . It was estimated that between7000 and 8000 people were there, andentries were double the previous year's .There was just enough wind to fly on .Top prize for the prettiest kite went toa 14-year-old girl with a beautifulChinese fertility kite . She had decoratedit really well and copied thecharacters so accurately that theChinese translated them for her. Themost pleased kiteflier was a 12-yearoldgirl who stole the show and won$50 for her school with a large minisledwhich flew like a charm .The Hauraki Kite Day held inMarch was almost windless up toheights of about 400 feet . However,I got another first with my 30-metercentipede . About 5000 people turnedup, but there were fewer home-builtkites than in previous years . Organizationwas poor, and I felt that therewas excessive commercialism . Largenumbers of two-line deltas were soldwith only 50-foot lines ; it was almostimpossible to fly them properly, so theywere a menace to all and sundry .In the local group, Clarence Croftstood down this year and DavidThompson was elected president .David is an engineer and flies a trustyblue delta as well as a Loy-type deltaand a Conyne . Clarence started thechapter four years ago and has donea lot to foster kiting, especially in theareas of fighter kites and folded paperkites . He has done much experimentalwork with the latter and also withsprung bridles . Sprung bridles havebeen applied to a couple of Eddys, anddo they fly! They go like charms!I've started another set of experimentswith sleds, first to compare asled with a ratio 1 :1 .333 to a normaltwo-stick ventless sled ; and second tosee if the Allison is superior or inferiorto the normal Scott sled and the twostickventless sled . The Allison seemsmore stable than the Scott .

Flying withThe Old ProBy Bob IngrahamFounder, American Kitefliers AssociationI got a big kick out of the conversationconcerning kite tails which appearedin the new Kite Lines published inMarch .When I was younger, less diplomaticand very new to the game of publishing,I made some scathing remarksabout kites which required tails, andthe wrath of several of my old-timerkiteflying colleagues fell upon me .I was forced to retract my statementsand modified them considerably inlater writings, but my feelings remainthe same as before . This time I willsum up in a conversation which tookplace between the former AKA ExecutiveSecretary (Hazel Ingraham)and me over a Sunday morningbreakfast :HI : What do you have against kitetails? I think they're pretty .RI : I don't have anything against them .I just don't like them on my kites . Iam an aerodynamicist and want mykites to fly by themselves for purelyaerodynamic reasons and not becausethey are supported and stabilized byadded influences, like an outriggercanoe .HI : Does it bother you when you seekites with tails?RI : Not at all . I have become verytolerant of the preferences of others,realizing that there are very greatdifferences in individual intellectualcapacities . I don't give a hoot if theyput tin can tails on their kites if itpleases the poor misguided souls .HI : Just exactly what are the reasonsyou are so vehement about the use ofkite tails?RI : I'm glad you asked that questionbut not very. But, first of all, there isa well-known fact that almost anythingwill fly . If its configuration leanseven slightly toward the accepted airfoilcontour and it is firmly tethered,it will fly. You may have to have an800 mile-per-hour wind, but it willfly. So, I contend that it isn't a questionof whether a kite will fly but how wellit flies and compliments the aerodynamicunderstanding of the builder .A flag flapping in the wind because itcan do nothing else isn't a tribute to theaerodynamic art .HI : Aren't there some kites which don'tactually need tails but have themnevertheless?RI : Yes . Any kite that flies well withouta tail can handle one very nicely,but with some sacrifice of its designcapability. I have often put tails orstreamers on some fine kites whichwere actually embarrassed by them, justto impress those with weaker intellectswho can't recognize a kite unless ithas a tail .HI : I have always thought that all thekite tails on kites at the kite fiestasmade everything much prettier .RI : I must admit they do . But it's likethe May poles we used to wind on MayDay before the Russians took over thecelebration . (I never wound one becauseI played in the high school orchestraand performed Mendelssohn's "SpringSong" about 8000 times during thewinding .) The winding was very prettybut when it was over all you had was apole all wound up in ribbons thatcaused the school janitor to labor forhours getting it unwound .HI : That is one of the worst comparisonsI ever heard .RI : Well, maybe . But what would youthink of an airline that had the crewout attaching a 600-foot tail to a Boeing747 before you boarded it? Wouldn'tit shake your confidence in the aircraft?HI : I don't think so . It would makethem a lot prettier to watch . As a matterof fact, I think they do use tails on someof them . The ones that go over heresometimes have long tails, don't they?RI : Those are contrails, dummy . Nottails . They are vapor caused by thewarm moisture expelled by the jetengines .HI : But, do you really hate kite tails?RI : Not really. It's sort of a pose . Ilike to stir up controversy about kites .There's nothing that brings a kiteflierout fighting faster than when he readssomething attacking his own preferences.HI : It seems to me that you have flownlots of kites with tails - not only shortones but some very long ones . Am Iright?RI : True . And I probably will again . Istill have that 300 feet of coloredbanners I used to fly off the big Parafoil .HI : Why do you do it if you pretend tohate kite tails?RI : Just to show off . A lot of peopledon't recognize a kite when it has notail . Without one they'll say, "Whatis that?" With one they'll say, "Whatare you doing, flying a kite?"(Note : It is doubtful if this conversationever took place . HI and RI,married for 40 years, both talk at thesame time and one never hears or paysany attention to what the otheris saying .)

Kid's CornerThe Dutch KiteBy Margaret GregerDrawings byJoan Slattery NewcombWhen I first show people this all-paperkite, they nudge each other and whisper,"It'll never fly, Wilbur!" But I have mymoment when I demonstrate that it flieswell, is remarkably durable and makesa fine target kite .I was vacationing in Nebraska onesummer and was overcome by a desireto make use of the Midwestern wind . Imade a Dutch kite from a grocery bag,attached a strip of newspaper for a tail,and flew it on my brother-in-law's fishingline . When he suggested trying to shootit down, I agreed to the test .He and my nephews used all theirammunition on it, filled it' with holes,clipped its tail, and finally, with a luckyshot, cut the lower end of the bridlestring . Dutch was still floating at 15 feetwhen they decided to pull it down andpresent it to me . This gallant survivortraveled to classes with me for a numberof years .The Dutch kite flies easily in light tomedium winds and can be towed by abicycle or walked around the park by atwo-year-old . It is a tolerant kite ; thatis, the less-than-perfect model will still fly .Making this kite calls upon manyskills-measuring, folding, cutting,gluing, and taping-and I have come toregard the design as relatively difficultand not one to be attempted by the veryyoung . But a teacher friend introducedit to his first grade class with considerablesuccess . He said, "We make it theproject of the week . The first day we dothe folding . Next day we glue . Then weput the bridles on . By the end of theweek, we're ready to fly." When I visitedthe class, the children were competentkite craftsmen, able to make kites, flykites and repair kites, and brimful ofachievement besides . It was this teacher,Lee Wilbur, who introduced bambooreed as reinforcement, improving ruggedness.MATERIALS for one Dutch Kite• Stiff paper, such as butcher paper orlight construction paper, 12x 16"• Paper scraps for bridle grips• Light string, 24" for bridle• Matchstick bamboo reed, or use anystick 1/16 " diam .• Crepe paper for tail, 1 "x4'• GlueTOOLSPencil, scissors, ruler and paper cutter(optional)INSTRUCTIONS1 . Fold and crease paper in the middlethe long way Fold and crease again3/4" from center fold . Open flat, thefolded section forming a vertical ridgeup the middle . This will be the front sideof the kite.

THE DUTCH KITE2. Open paper flat . Fold and crease ona line 3" from the top (short way) . Foldand crease 3/4" from this fold . This willform a horizontal ridge .3 . Unfold the 3/4" -wide crease and cuton heavily marked lines .4 . Open paper flat, ridge side down .Brush glue on top and bottom sections ofthe long vertical fold (between the foldlines) but not on the horizontal fold sectionwhere the H-shaped slit is . Laybamboo reed, cut to size, on the centercrease, a short piece above the crossfold and a long length below . Fold incenter, spreading sides out flat, thusgluing the spine of the kite .5 . The cut flaps on the intersection overtical and horizontal ridges (crossfold) should slide over each other, onEcoming out on front of the kite, the otheron the back . Glue these flaps down orfront and back of kite .6 . On the back, brush glue on the crossfold and horizontal ridge area . Lay bambooreed in the crease . Bring together toform the horizontal ridge . Trim off topcorners .Now for the bridle :7 . Take two scraps of paper, each piece2x2 ½ ", and fold in half, across the 2"dimension . Fold in half the other way andsnip a small corner off the center fold,making a hole in the center of the paper .On one scrap, cut about 3/4" up themiddle fold below the corner cut .8. Open pieces up . Tie each end of the24" string to the center of a 2" bambooreed . Thread the sticks through the holesin the small papers, so that the sticks ridein the creases and the papers are linkedby the string .9 . Over the intersection of the ridges(parallel to the vertical ridge), glue thepaper with the slit, which separates tofit over the horizontal ridge . The otherend of the bridle is glued over the verticalridge at the bottom of the kite . Last,glue on the tail, a 4' strip of 1"-widecrepe paper to the bottom center backof the kite .A simple way to set the bridle angleon a light kite : Slip a finger through thebridle string, so it forms a right angle withthe kite at the juncture of the uprightand cross ridges . With the other hand,pinch off a loop in the string, bringingthe part of the string nearest the top ofthe kite up to meet the other portion .Pick a m de open place, fly and enjoy!FURTHER EXPERIMENTSKeeping the same proportions, you canscale the Dutch Kite down to as smallas 3x4" (before folding) . For tiny versions,use crisp, lightweight paper,broom straw for reinforcements, andmake the folds and the scraps for thebridle assembly as narrow as possibleto save weight . Fine strips of crepepaper will serve for tail . Fly on "crystal"thread, a very fine monofilament, soldin sewing centers . (Anything heavierwould mean a flying line heavier thanthe kite .) These pocket-sized kites flywell, but they need a fairly strong windand considerable skill .Dutch Kites scaledlarger than standard aregiraffes, subject to slippeddiscs and other backailments .The Dutch Kite is excellentfor flying in train. Use15-lb .-test line for the masterline, to which all the kiteswill be tied . Tie the first kiteto this line and let it outabout 50 feet. Using crochetthread, or other light flyingline, put up a second kite tcabout 25 feet. Tie a loop inthe master line, break off thesecond line and tie it throughthe loop . You now have twokites on one line, and cancontinue adding others in thesame manner. The addedkites help take the drag fromthe line, and the limit you canfly in this way is unknown . 0

ClassifiedsServices and products are listed as a service and listingdoes not imply endorsement by the American KitefliersAssociation . Publisher reserves the right to reject any adnot in keeping with publication's standards, and toabbreviate to save space . Rates : 20C per word, $2minimum . Post office box numbers and telephone numberscount as two words, abbreviations and zip codes asone word . Check or money order, made payable toAmerican Kitefliers Association, must accompany copyand be received prior to closing date (as given onmasthead, page 5) . Send to Kite Lines Classifieds, 7106Campfield Road, Baltimore, MD 21207 .WANTEDCLIPPINGS : News and articles of kite interest are activelysolicited by AKA . First person to send an original withname and date of source will receive a small reward .Later duplicates received will be returned if sender suppliesstamped, self-addressed envelope . Send clippingsto American Kitefliers Association, 7106 Campfield Road,Baltimore, MD 21207 .INFORMATION on rare kite materials sought for exchangeby AKA . Reliable suppliers of bamboo, aluminumtubing, fiberglass rods, Tyvek", Mylar", nylon rip-stop,plastics, rice paper, glues, tapes, line, fixtures, etc ., areencouraged to write and/or send samples to AKA, givinglull details of sizes, grades, colors, prices, etc . Send toAmerican Kitefliers Association, 7106 Campfield Road,Baltimore, MD 21207 .OLD KITES : Lewis fishing kite, WWII box kites (emergencyequipment), etc ., old books, articles, about kites . Willpay. Pat Hammond, 215 Argyle, San Antonio, TX 78209 .FOR SALE -KITESNEW MODELS : The New England Kitecrafting Co .announces the availability of 3 new kites all made from1 .5-oz . rip-stop nylon : (1) a giant delta with 9' wingspanand fiberglass spars, $30 ; (2) a 40" French military withkeel, $20; (3) a 36" French military with bridle, $18 . Seeour full-page ad on page 12 for construction details andfor information on ordering :FOR SALE-MISCELLANEOUSNO WIND? FLY HOT AIR-Build and fly a 9' hot airbaIIoon. Complete kit with pre-cut gores, inflating instructions,and hot air history. $4 ppd . SNOOLLABBALLOONS, 2908 Harvey #2, Madison, WI 53705 . Wholesaleinquiries welcome .FILM : "How to Fly a Kite," 3-min . black/white 16mmsound movie in "silent" style . Lightly educational, definitelydelightful . Prints $25 . TLM Productions, 8 CharlesPlaza, #1807, Baltimore, MD 21201, (301) 685-2370 .SLIDE SHOWS : Two educational 80-slide shows, "AllManner of Kites" (about 14 min . on history and varieties)and "How to Go Fly a Kite" (about 9 min . on flyingtechniques, contests), to show separately or in successon, with synchronized tape cassettes . Rentals are $15ea . or $25 for both for 3 days, including ship . one way .Rentals may apply to purchase prices of $45 per show or$75 for both in trays with tapes . (Also available withscripts instead of tapes at $40 ea . or $70 for both .)Write for order form to Maryland Kite Society, P .O. Box10467, Baltimore, MD 21209, or call (301) 484-4861or 655-9320 .Super Kites, book by Neil Thorburn, $2 .50, 4738 ElmhurstDr., San Jose, CA 95129 .LIMITED NUMBER of kite books : World on a String, JaneYolen, $5 .95 ; Kite Craft, J . & L . Newman, $4 .95 ; CompleteBook of Kites and Kiteflying, Will Yolen, $9 .95 . Pricesinclude mailing at book rate . Send check or money orderto : Bob Ingraham, P. 0 . Box 1511, Silver City, 188061 .BACK ISSUES of Kite Tales magazine beginning withVol . 8, #4 and extending through Vol . 10, #3 only. $2 ea .including mailing. Order from : Robert M . Ingraham, P. 0 .Box 1511, Silver City, NM 88061 .AKA EMBLEM PATCHES now available direct from AKA .Washable, red-white-and-blue, 2%x2/", $1 .75 ea . (2for $3 .25, 3 or more $1 .25 ea, all postpaid . (Foreignorders add estimated postage .) Send check or moneyorder to American Kitefliers Association, 7106 CampfieldRoad, Baltimore, MD 21207 .RETAILERS LISTINGThe Kite Kompany, Inc ., 33 W . Orange, Chagrin Falls,OH 44022, (216) 247-4223 .The Kite Shop, Jackson Square, 542 St. Peter St ., NewOrleans, LA 70116, (504) 524-0028 ..The Kite Site, 1075 Wisconsin Ave., N .W., Georgetown,DC 20007, (202) 965-4230Now we're at the beach! THE KITE SITE of Georgetown,DC, has a new store at 904 Boardwalk, Ocean City,NJ, open mid-May to mid-Oct . Drop by and see ourbeautiful kites!The Kite Store, 848-A Yonge St ., Toronto, Ontario, CanadaM4W 2H1, (416) 964-0434 . Retail, mail order.The Kite Store, Carol Hamilton, 973 Grand Ave ., PacificBeach, CA 92109 .Whimsicalli Kites, 4113 Padre Blvd ., P.O . Drawer 488,Pt . Isabel, TX 78878 .Sky Scrapers (at the Platte), 2563 15th St ., Denver, CO80211, (303) 433-9518 . For that Rocky Mountain flavor,wholesale-retail .Wayward Wind Kite Co ., 7103 Siesta Dr., Missoula, MT59801 . Montana's first shop devoted exclusively to thefine art of flying kites .Whimsicalli Kites, 4113 Padre Blvd ., P. 0 . Drawer 488,Pt . Isabel, TX 78878 .Windy City Kiteworks, Ltd ., 2828 N . Clark St ., Chicago,IL 60657, (312) 348-1630 .WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS ANDMAIL ORDER BUSINESSESAirplane Kite Co ., 1705 W . Alameda, Roswell, NM 88201,(505)622-7529 .Bennett Arnstein, Super Plastic Deltas-Plans, 3049 W .8th St ., Los Angeles, CA 90005, (213) 388-3517 (evesand weekends) .Explorers, 21 W. Micheltorena St ., Santa Barbara, CA .93101, imported kites, reels ; wholesale only.Flying Tiger Associates, P.O . Box 48634, Los Angeles,CA 90048 .High as a Kite, 691 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA, 94965,(415) 332-6355 .High Roller Kite Spool, P. 0, Box 73, Sausalito, CA94965, (415) 332-2150 .Kite Plans Co ., Box 417, Somonauk, IL 60552 .Rogallo Original Flexikites, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949 .Shanti Kite Spools, 210 Chattanooga St ., San Francisco,CA 94114,(415)648-2621 .Sky Scrapers (at the Platte), 2563 15th St ., Denver, CO80211, (303) 433-9518 . For that Rocky Mountain flavor,wholesale-retail .Touch the Sky, Importers-Wholesale, 848-A Yonge St .,Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 2H1, (416) 964-0434 .Ultra-Kite, 904 Century Bldg ., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 ."HOW-TO-DO-IT" BOOK of 14 kites . Delta, snake, militaryand sled kites in fabric, with simple instructions anddiagrams . Tested designs for various kites in plastic andpaper. Kite-making with classes and groups . By MargaretGreger, i ll . by Joan Slattery Newcomb, $5 by mail .BLOWN SKY-HIGH, 1425 Marshall, Richland, WA 99352 .Marblehead Kite Co ., P .O . Box 961 A, Marblehead, MA01945, (617) 631-7166 .Quicksilver Kites, 701 Shrader St ., San Francisco, CA94117,(415)386-4820 .

June6Thomas Ansboro files first rotor-kite patent1891 .Shirone 0-dako Festival(giant kites), June6-11, Shirone, Japan .113rd Annual Ghirardelli Square Kite Festival,June 11-12, Marina Green, San Francisco .CA . Contact : Come Fly a Kite (c/o ShelleyHall), 900 North Point, San Francisco, CA94109, tel : (415) 441-2965 .2nd Annual Glad Kite Festival, with large cashprizes for kites made of Glad plastic bags,Ontario Place on the lakefront, Toronto,Ontario, Canada . Sponsor : Union CarbideCanada Ltd . Contact : Starword CommunicationsLtd . (c/o Carolyn Myles), 165 UniversityAve ., Toronto ., Ontario M5H 3B8, Canada,tel : (416) 863-1754 or 366-5801 .122nd Annual International Kite Fight, RedondoBeach Pier, Redondo Beach, CA . Sponsor andcontact : Sunshine Kite Co . (c/o Randal Joe),233-B Fisherman's Wharf, Redondo Beach,CA 90277 ., tel : (213) 372-0308 .Back-to-the-Hills Kite Fly,non -competitive,at Virginia Kendall/Metropolitan Park . QuickRd ., Akron, OH . Sponsor and contact : OhioSociety for the Elevation of Kites (c/o TomRask), 2687 E1 28th St ., Cleveland, OH44120, tel : (216) 791 -6563 .175th Annual Indoor Kiteflying Competition,with a $250 prize for duration, in San Francisco'sHyatt Regency Hotel . Sponsors :Anchor Steam Beer Co ., KFRC Radio andCome Fly a Kite store . Contact : Come Fly aKite, 900 North Point, Ghirardelli Square, SanFrancisco, CA 94109 . tel : (415) 441-2965 .18Festival of Sport 1977,including kiteflying,June 18-19 . New River Sports Complex (PerthRoad, Recreation Ground), White Hart Lane,London, England, Sponsor : Haringey SportsCouncil, London . Contact : British Kite FlyersAssociation (c/o Ron Moulton), P .O . Box 35,Bridge Street . Hemel Hempstead, Harts HP11 EE, England .1st Annual Inn on the Park Kite Festival, with$1 admission fee, at E T . Seton Park . acrossfrom the Inn on the Park, Toronto, Ontario,Canada . Sponsor and contact : Inn on the Park(c/o Sharyn Thomas), 1100 Eglinton Ave . E .,Toronto, Ontario M3C 1 H8, Canada, tel : (416)444-2561195th Annual Father's Day San Francisco InternationalKite Festival, with $1000 for largestkite and other big prizes, Polo Field, GoldenGate Park, San Francisco, CA . Sponsors :Come Fly a Kite, Inc ., and city, neighborhoodand commercial groups . Contact : Ron Young,507 Howard St ., San Francisco, CA 94105,tel : (415) 495-0100 .KIM Radio Mile-High Fly-In, non-competitive,Washington Park, Denver, CO . Sponsor andcontact: KIM 98 Radio (c/o Sandie Reale),5350 W . 20th Ave ., Denver, CO 80214, tel :(303) 234-950026Great Waltham Kite Festival, The PlayingField, Great Waltham, Essex, England . Contact :Essex Kite Group (c/o Clive C 0 . Rawlinson),The Croft, Howe St ., Great Waltham, Chelmsford,Essex, England27English Capt . B . F . S . Baden-Powell builds hisfirst man-carrying kite, 36 feet tall, 1894 .30Alfred E . Hartig files adjustable keel kite patent,1966 .July43rd Annual Ocean City, NJ, Come Fly a KiteContest, Athletic Field on 6th St . off Boardwalk,Ocean City, NJ . Sponsor : Ocean City PublicRelations Dept. (c/o Mark Soifer), P . 0 . Box174, Ocean City, NJ 08226, tel : (609)691-4947 .10Flags, Banners and Kites Exhibition,July 10-24, Flag Plaza Pavilion, SeattleCenter, Seattle, WA . Sponsor : Allied Artsof Seattle, 107 South Main, Seattle, WA98104 . Contact : Dave Checkley, The KiteFactory, 678 W. Prospect, Seattle, WA 98119,tel : (206) 284-5350Lake Erie Islands Kite Fly, non-competitive,Commodore Perry Monument, Put-in Bay,OH . Sponsor and contact: Ohio Society for theElevation of Kites (c/o Tom Rask), 2687 E .128th St ., Cleveland, OH 44120, tel : (216)791-6563 .15Silas J . Conyne files winged box kite patent,1901 .At6th Annual Galleon Kite Contest, on Highway158, adjacent to the Galleon Esplanade, NagsHead, NC . Sponsor and contact : The GalleonEsplanade (c/o Margie White), P. 0 . Box 67 .Nags Head, NC 27959, tel : (919) 441-5505 .5th Annual Seafair International Kitefly, July16-17, Elliott Bay Park, Seattle, WA . Sponsors .Seafair and the Washington Kitefliers Association. Contact: Dave Checkley, The Kite Factory,678 W . Prospect, Seattle, WA 98119, tel : (206)284-5350 .Vancouver Sea Festival Kite-in, Vancouver,B . C ., Canada . Contact : High as a Kite (c/oMarcia Madill), 201-131 Water St ., Vancouver,BC . V6B 4M3, Canada, tel : (604) 687-8041 .176th Annual St. John's Kite Festival,noncompetitive,on Confederation Hill overlookingcity and ocean, St . Johns, Newfoundland,Canada . Sponsor and contact : MemorialUniversity Extension Service (c/o SusanSherk), 21 King's Bridge Rd ., St . John's, Newfoundland,Canada, tel : (709) 753-1200, ext .3484 .234th Annual Summer Let's Fly a Kite Festival,a non-competitive fly, Venice City Beach atWashington, Venice, CA . Sponsor and contact :Let's Fly a Kite (c/o Gloria Lugo), Fisherman'sVillage, 13763 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA90291, tel : (213) 822-2561 .

. Contact. Sponsorand contact.,.. 0246th Annual Harpers Ferry Family Fly, non-- competitive, Harpers Ferry Caverns grounds,-Harpers Ferry, WV: Maryland KiteSociety (c/o Ted Manekin), P . 0 . Box 10467,Baitimore, MD 21209, tel : (301) 332-1619 or35-2370 .304th Annual Martha's Vineyard Kite Festival,Essentially non-competitive, Ocean Park, OakBluffs, Island of Martha's Vineyard, MA .Sponsor : Project, a division of CommunityServices . Contact : Kiteworks (c/o Hani Dzubasor . Diane Box 2010, Mackellar), VineyardPmaven, MA 02568, tel : (617) 693-1453 or37-9090 .August1898 .William A. Eddy files first bowed kite patent,72nd Annual Festival of the Kite,a non-c ompetitive fly, on the sand south of theredondo Beach Pier, Redondo Beach, CA .Sponsor and contact : Sunshine Kite Co . (c/oRandal Joe), 233-B Fisherman's Wharf,'Redondo Beach, CA 90277, tel : (213) 372--308 .133rd Annual Cape Cod Kite Festival, Provincetown,MA . Sponsor and contact: OutermostKites (c/o Christina Davidson and GabrielDix), P. 0 . Box 1032, Provincetown, MA22657, tel: (617) 487-3766 .2nd Annual Cleveland Games Kite-In, ConventionCenter Mall, Cleveland, OH: Ohio Society for the Elevation ofKites (c/o Tom Rask), 2687 E . 128th StCleveland, : (216) 791-6563 OH 44120, telMission Bay Fly-In, Ski Beach, across fromVacation Village, Mission Bay, CA . Contact :San Diego Park and Recreation Dept ., Cityadministration Bldg ., Community Concourse,2nd and C Sts ., San Diego, CA 92101 . Sponsors: The Kite Store, (714) 270-2692 ; and-Cites & Strings, (714) 295-7769 .14Paul Edward Garber files Navy Target Kitepatent, 1944 .Sunny Sunday Kite Fly, non-competitive, InnerHarbor, Baltimore, MD . Contact : Maryland KiteSociety (c/o Ted Manekin), P . 0 . Box 10467,Baltimore, MD 21209, tel : (301) 332-1619or 685-2370 .15Francis Rogallo flies first fully successful flexiblewing, 1948 .19Orville Wright born, 1871 .20Utica Kite Flight Festival-Thon, Aug. 20-21,Utica, NY . Write or call for entry blanks andexhibitor booth rentals . Sponsor and contact :Utica Chapter of AKA (c/o Betty Devins), 1038Albany St ., Utica, NY 13501, tel : (315)733-3343 .28Canadian National Exhibition Kite Festival,Bandshell, Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario,Canada . $1 entry fee for entire exhibition . Writein advance for entry form . Contact : RayWismer, The Kite Store, 848-A Yonge St .,Toronto, Ontario M4W 2H 1, Canada, tel : (416)964-0434 .