Kite
Flyer
July 2000 Issue Route
66 Kite Club (R66KC)
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Kite Club Phoenix, AZ
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NEW Format Due To Our New Web site
Click Here To Go To Our New Web Site
Table Of Contents
(Just Click On The Left
Item Of Interest. It is recommended that all articles be read)
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Hot Buttons |
Descriptions
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Quick Thoughts From The Editor |
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Letter From The Director And/Or AKA News |
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This Months Flying Schedule |
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What Happened On Last Months Flys |
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Long Term Dates And Plans |
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Other Items Of interest |
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Questions To The Club |
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NEW! The Leading Edge |
Special Tips and Tricks From The Fly’n Hawaiian NEW! |
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Notes From Our Very Own Kite And Banner Maker |
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New
Name! Flick Flacks |
Fun Kite Stuff |
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Lost Puppies And Things For Sale |
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Cover My Ass Legal Ease |
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Please Help Yourselves |
Web Site Links
(Just Click On Them And Go!)
Reminder: I will be publishing anything and
everything that comes my way that relates to kites. If you wish to communicate
with me, and DO NOT want something
used in the Kite Flyer, please indicate what part of your E-mail is private.
Otherwise, everything is fair game. Send me something, come on, I dare
you! In any event, I could really use the help so send your articles to: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Well this last month has been a little sparse for flying, although you
guys have provided numerous fly reports and other editorial notes worth reprinting.
Many, MANY thanks to you all. I believe all of you will appreciate the little
tidbits that have been contributed throughout the month that can be found in
the “Other News” section. PLEASE keep them coming. As soon as we get our acts together,
we have had several volunteers that want to do a members profile section. So
keep your eyes open for this new section. And another new feature for the web
site, coming soon, will be an easy calendar of events so that you all won’t
have to paw through all of the newsletters to find out what is going on.
We have several members traveling the country, and in Hugh’s case, the
world. And hope to have fun fly reports coming from them all. So keep an eye
out for next month’s edition, it should be fun. Perhaps when our wayward kiters
return, we may be amazed with their out of state acquisitions.
We have a great Forth Of July Event coming in just a few days on the 3rd
of July. See the “Upcoming Fly Events” section for the details. And we hope to
see as many of you, that aren’t vacationing or working, as can come.
I will look forward to seeing all of you on the fields soon, enjoying
these Monsoon winds. Keep a wary eye out for lightning, the bane of our Monsoon
winds, and pray for cooler weather.
Keep’em Fly’n
Gadget Man Manson
AKA News Or
Directors Editorial
From Our Region 12 Director, Ron Despojado
(Taken from the AKA Kiting
Magazine May 2000 Issue)
Recently I experienced the loss
of someone as close as family. At the service, the priest said, “Life is a banquet, so don’t starve
yourself.” These words have stuck in my head since then. So, forget
about personal conflicts and let’s go fly a kite and enjoy the day. Bon Appetit!
Written By Charles Stonestreet of Richmond, VA
(Also taken from the AKA Kiting
Magazine May 2000 Issue)
One person flying a single kite in
a perfect sky can touch the hearts and raise the spirits of innumerable people.
Any activity with such depth is surely destined to grow far beyond its present
status.
Upcoming Flying Events
Note: All flying events will be from
12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
The Forth Of July Weekend
Special Club Event
Club Fly At
The Paradise Valley Park – 07/03/00 – Monday Forth Of July Weekend:
Well here it is! An
early evening / night fly with better winds and less heat. So come on down and
enjoy the fun!
We have been invited
by the Paradise Valley Parks and Recreations Department to display and
demonstrate, to a crowd of about 20,000 people, our kites, talents, and skills.
We have also been asked, wind permitting, if we would launch as many eye
catching single liners for the crowd to see, as we could muster.
This Park is located
on the Southwest corner of Union Hills and 40th Street. We have been
allocated a large area of the field at the North end of the park, next to Union
Hill Road. The Parks and Recreation people were so enthused that we could come
that they moved several vendors around so we could have a prime viewing location
for the public. So lets all attend this event and put on a great show. The
actual times for this event is from 6pm to 10pm, but we have been authorized to
arrive at 2pm to setup and fly before the event. Some assistance will be needed
the previous Sunday 07/02/00 for the tapping off of the flying area for safety
purposes. If interested in assisting please contact the Gadget Man at: thomas.m.manson@boeing.com,
or W-480-891-8042, or H-623-939-6441 as soon as is possible.
Our Club Expert “The
Fly’n Hawaiian” will be present to demonstrate his skills and assist the rest
of us on how to make that breakthrough to the next plateau. Some new super
secret kites made by Hawaiian hands may magically appear at this event as well.
Optional
Fly At The Peoria Sports Complex – 07/04/00 – Tuesday Forth Of July Weekend: - - - CANCELED - - -
This event, it has been reported, has fallen by the way side. The ArFF Group
flier Dave Evans who was coordinating this event has opted to support a Tucson
Forth Of July Event that we have no details on. Perhaps, as communications
improve with the Tucson based ArFF Group, we will get more info on their
events. Next year the R66KC may have to look into picking up the dropped Peoria
Sports Complex Fly due to the fact that the new freeway will take out most of
the Paradise Valley Park that we will be flying at on the 3rd of
July. Keep the faith baby. We keep getting calls from event holders from all
over the Phoenix Metro Area. Maybe the new down town Indian School park will be
in a good enough shape to support an event next year. We will see.
Club Fly At
The Original Hippie (Jim Jennings) Park – 07/15/00 – Saturday: (See web site Kite Field Recommendations for maps.) Let’s try to do dinner and drinks after.
Original Hippie Park (North)
Was the “Jim Jennings Park”, and can be located by going north on I-17 to Bell
Rd., west on Bell to 29th Ave., then south on 29th to
Grandview, and finally west again on Grandview for two blocks.
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Rating: |
Great |
Restrooms: |
None |
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Kiters That Can Fly: |
30 |
Drinking Fountains: |
None |
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Non-Kiter Visibility: |
Poor |
Park Benches: |
Yes |
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Distance To Amenities: |
1 Mile |
Shade Available: |
Lots |
Club Fly At
The Riverview Park – 07/30/00 – Sunday:
(See web site Kite Field
Recommendations for maps.) Perhaps we will be able to join the Phoenix part
of the Tucson based ArFF Group.
Riverview Park (Southeast) This Park is located approximately one quarter
of a mile south of Highway 202 on Dobson Road. Take the 202 to the Dobson Road
turnoff and head south. The park is on the west side of the road.
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Rating: |
Good |
Restrooms: |
South Side |
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Kiters That Can Fly: |
30 |
Drinking Fountains: |
South Side |
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Non-Kiter Visibility: |
Medium |
Park Benches: |
No |
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Distance To Amenities: |
3 Miles |
Shade Available: |
Lots |
Note: By popular demand and the desire
to socialize after a fly with a meal and possibly drinks, the club flying
events will be moving, periodically,
to SATURDAYS!!! Stay tuned as to when
this will start. Park selection will be
alternated so that no single group of individuals will have to drive a long way
all of the time.
Special
Note: Jane
and I have purposely bought three
indestructible Beetles for guests! Please
do not hesitate to ask for them when you have a guest attending our events.
Latest Fly Reports
Club Fly At
The Original Hippie (Jim Jennings) Park – 06/04/00 – Sunday Fly Report: (See web site Kite Field Recommendations
for maps.)
The Following Fly Report By
Rocky
Hey Guys,
We missed you. Tried
to call your cell but could not get through. Dennis, Johnathan and I were the
only attendees. Wind was intermittent at best. "Hours of sheer boredom
punctuated by moments of sheer pleasure". About the best part of the fly
was sitting under a shade tree talking about kites and stuff. Great
conversation, but crummy flying conditions. Sorry I can't provide more detail
but that's the whole story and nothing but the whole story. Hope all is well.
Regards,
Rocky Point Howard
The following Fly Report By Doc
Hey Gadget,
Sorry you didn't make it.
We had a pretty good time. Only Al-Habib, Rocky Point Howard and myself were
there. The wind was its usual, up one minute and down the next. We did get in
some flying before the heat took its toll and we all sought cooler breezes
indoors. My Pro Wren was zipping
through the sky pretty good. Al-Habib
had some success flying his latest creation "#2". Rocky Point Howard
mainly got frustrated by the lack of wind because he really wanted to fly his
new Alpha +. But overall we had a good
day. See ya at the next club fly...where ever it might be!!!
Doc
The following Fly Report By
Al-Habib
I was the first one to
arrive at the park. As I was staring at
the empty park and wondering if I had made a royal screw up in the location of
the fly, Dennis pulled up and set my mind at ease. Dennis and I hauled out the kites and set-up.
Dennis pulled out his ProWren and started to work the light winds that
were coming out of the Southwest. I
pulled out a kite that I had thrown together over the last week. It's loosely patterned after a Prism Vapor
with some changes to the sail materials and dimensions. The frame on #2 (original name, I know, I
know.....) was made primarily of SkyShark 2 Tapered rods. The initial hop into the sky revealed that
it had critical understeer. (as
evidenced by the cringe inducing "thwacks" of delicate 2PT rods
smacking the ground)
As I was fiddling with the bridle, Rocky Point Howard pulled up and added
the third person to our trio. Howard
pulled out his new Alpha + and a Miniature Wind Meter (Kestrel) that he had
scored at a good discount at a local marine supply store. As Dennis played with the new toys and
Howard settled in, I smacked my new Prism Banner into the ground. The winds were up and down with a low of 2
and a high of 6. Howard Tried to get the Alpha + to work, but the winds lacked
the consistency needed to work that wing.
Howard pulled out a Prism Ozone to try the lower wind range and Dennis
pulled out a Beetle to try the gusts.
I was still tweaking the bridle on #2 and discovered that extreme
oversteer helps tighten up that turning radius, but makes control a bit touchy.
Picture a kite rotating around the center "T" connector and you'll
have a really good idea of how much oversteer I had dialed in. Back to bridle tweaking. I finally got something that was close
enough to make it flyable. I switched over to some longer lines and took a
couple of swift passes and caught some good winds. Too good for the light and skinny 2PT spars after watching the
upper leading edge bow in 6 inches, prudence demanded a tougher kite.
#2 got pulled down and the Illusion went up. The winds managed to frustrate us all by going from zip to 6 mph
and back again.
Much time was spent sitting in the shade and discussing kite retailers,
best kite / worst kite, what's in the kite bag, etc... Howard expressed a new found love for Ballet
kiting and shared some music with Dennis.
Dennis suggested a fly up around Flagstaff as a way to get away from the
heat. Howard also chimed in with details
of his upcoming two-month west coast kite junket with planned stops in Long
Beach and Kite Hill in Seattle. (Lucky Dog, can I pack myself in your
luggage?) I'm all over the Flagstaff
idea. We all decided that enough was
enough at about 4:30pm and broke camp.
Another point that was raised is that both Dennis and Howard expressed
interest in purchasing line bags and other kiting supplies from me. I'd like to get a feel from the local flyers
on what items local flyers are considering buying in the upcoming months. If the demand is there, I'll start getting
ramped up to meet local needs and try to provide a quality product at a fair
price.
Work has calmed down a bit and I remember that Jim J. was, at one point
in time, inquiring about a custom banner.
Jim, shoot me a line and we'll talk about it.
Jonathan Dellmar
AKA
Al-Habib, The Tent Maker
Club Fly At
The Schermanator Park – 06/17/00 – Saturday Father’s Day Weekend Fly Report: (See web site Kite Field Recommendations
for maps.)
The Following Field Update
Report By The Schermanator
Hi Tom,
I see a potential
problem with this Saturday's (June 17th) scheduled fly at
"Schermanator" Park. I have
been flying there lately in the afternoons, and I have had to compete with the
lawn sprinklers for space. They have
decided to start watering the fields, and the sprinklers have been coming on at
odd times throughout the day, usually in the middle of the afternoon. I thought rather than risk a "rain-out"
this Saturday, I would propose an alternate east-side flying location for the
club.
I did some scouting around at Chaparral Park, and I found a large soccer
field that we can use. This field is
located at the southeast corner of Jackrabbit Road and Hayden. Jackrabbit is located one-half mile north of
Chaparral Road. This field is
approximately 200 yards north of the field where we flew last time the club was
there (a few months ago).
I checked with Steve Laman of the City of Scottsdale (480-312-2365). He handles reservations for the city parks
for athletic events. He told me that no
groups have reserved this field for this Saturday, and that it should be
available for use. It is available on a
first-come/first-served basis, unless somebody has reserved it. He said we could reserve it if we wanted,
but it would cost $5.00 per hour of use.
I thought it would be better just to take our chances on the field being
open, instead of paying the $5.00 per hour.
This field has very good visibility to car and pedestrian traffic. There are some shade trees and picnic tables
nearby. There are also restrooms and
drinking water available, and there is plenty of parking available adjacent to
the field. The only real drawback I see
is the wind condition there. This field is a little more open than the last
field we used there, and has fewer trees to obstruct the wind. But because this park lies in a shallow
valley, it does not have the good wind exposure that you might find at a park
such as Plateau. But for a park located
within the city, this one is
probably as good as any for wind exposure.
To access this park, head north or south on Hayden Rd. to
Jackrabbit. Turn east on Jackrabbit and
you are there. You will see the field
and parking lot on the south side of Jackrabbit. If we decide to have the fly there, I was planning on arriving at
about noon to stake out a site.
Let me know what you think about this site. If you decide to hold the fly at some other location, that would
be fine too.
Chris Schermann
The Following Fly Report By Mad
Man Manson
Well as you may have guessed, we took the Schermanator’s suggestion and
checked out this new field. It is on the northeast side of town and has a great
wind and field arrangement. Parking was fantastic, park benches were great, and
shade was good. The only concern were some power lines to the north that were
easily out maneuvered by the single liners.
The power lines were of no concern to the stunt kites so this field may
become our replacement to the Chaparral park, which has some parking problems.
YES, we had some single liners up of a good part of the day. The only
concern seemed to be with the humidity combined with the heat. In future we
will have to evaluate these concerns and move the fly times to later in the
day, when the wind is better, and the heat is reduced. Perhaps even making them
early evening flys.
Well there were about five of us, with Al-Habib coming late, and we flew,
and stopped. Flew and stopped, all day long. The single liners enjoyed the same
exercise with a simple point to the sky to re-launch them each time. This made
for an easy day of hot sweaty fun. (Almost sounds sexy.) We enjoyed numerous
spectators and several who quizzed us about the club joining several churches,
and other events. We gave away handouts and offered support with sufficient
notice. (Some wanted next day support on Father’s day.)
All in all not a bad fly, just hot and sticky. Next time we need to move
the times to an early evening/night fly.
Gadget Man
The Following Fly Report By Doc
Hey Tom, Sorry Ryan and I missed the fly on Saturday. It
was my fault...I misread the messages and thought Sunday was the 17th. OOPS!
Anyway Fly’n' Ryan and I showed up about 1:30 to an empty field. We set
up the Beetles and were having a great time flying when all of a sudden this
guy approaches me and wants to take our picture. Turns out he is a photographer
for the AZ Republic and he spent about 40 minutes shooting Ryan & myself
flying the Beetle, Maxima and my Pro Wren. He says the pictures might be in the
paper on Monday or Tuesday or never...who knows. Oh well, there goes my 15 minutes of fame!
I wanted you to know
that I'm off the weekend of the 4th of July so I can help set up on the 3rd or
do whatever. What happened on Saturday?
Doc
(Special Note: We need to find more
parks with an audience to introduce more non-fliers to the sport. Some
discussion at the last fly was made of parks that might fit the bill. Please
send in your recommendations ASAP so that we can start trying them out. R66KC@TMSquared.com.)
Future & Annual Events
Sunshine
Acres Children’s Home/Orphanage Charity Event – We need help in
coming up with ideas for this charity.
I have raised $10,000/year for this Children’s home through the Harley
Owners Group (HOG), but do not have a clue as to how the R66KC can raise money
for these needy kids. Please send your ideas to r66kc@tmsquared.com Thanks.
We still need
ideas for this Charity Event!
Any thoughts
anyone?
Rocky Point
Kite Festival – Is currently being worked on by our
newest member Rocky Point Howard, along with Mad Dog Billy Dines. Anyone
interested in this event should contact R66KC at: r66kc@tmsquared.com Here is what Howard
has found:
Hi Tom,
Just got back from
Rocky Point, Mexico and I've got something interesting to propose. The week was
terrific for kite flying. I met several flyers from all parts of the country
staying at different campgrounds.
I happen to know some very influential people in RP (Mayor, Congressman
and news media people) and mentioned that an International Kite Festival in
town sometime in the fall would be a terrific event. They all agreed. My
contacts indicated they could probably get several sponsors including Tecate
and local American and Mexican business folk. I also spoke to Pablo (The kite
shop owner) and he was very interested.
So what do you think? If this idea sounds reasonable, how would we go
about putting this together? Let me know your thoughts.
Regards,
Howard
09/22-09/24/2000 – September
San Diego Sister Club in San Diego w/ the San Diego Kite Club Event. More information to follow when available. See
the May event below for lodging information.
10/08/2000 – One Sky One World (OSOW) Annual kite event for world
piece. More to follow as information becomes
available.
- - - Next Year - - -
Easter Assention Tradition Next Year
One of our members,
Juan, states that he has a tradition in the country that he is from, Guyana,
which is to fly kites during Easter, especially Easter Sunday. Actually, this
is the only time kites are flown in Guyana he states. The reason being that
sending a kite up into the skies is significant of Jesus's resurrection and
ascension to the Father. He keeps this tradition with his family and plans on
flying Easter Sunday. We may or may not plan a fly on Easter each year, mainly
because lots of us plan on being together with family on this special day, but
we will all be with Juan in spirit. If you remember this tradition from Guyana
on Easter, try to get a kite up and think of this tradition.
If anyone has or knows
about traditions such as this, please send them in so that we can share them
all with the rest of the club. And let’s all join Juan and Guyana in this wonderful
Easter Ascension tradition!
05/18-05/20/2001 – Route 66 Kite Club Fly With Our Sister Club the San
Diego Kite Club (SDKC). Come
and tryout some really great winds with loads of fun for the whole family. Sea World,
Old Down, Seaport Village, Mission Bay, Mission beach, the ocean, shopping, and
a myriad of other things for the family to do. We will be joining the SDKC, (http://www.sdkc.net) at their Mission Bay Park for a Sister
club fly on Saturday, with a night fly on the beach Saturday evening. A
Saturday evening barbecue will be promoted as well. We would like to have
everyone stay at the same hotel if possible for easier logistics. The “Beach
Cottages” hotel is on Mission Boulevard (858) 483-7440 and right on the beach
for everyone’s enjoyment with lots of shops and restaurants within easy walking
distance. The rooms run from $75-$85/night for hotel rooms through $250/night
for a two-bedroom cottage. Jane and I
have a one-bedroom cottage that we all can congregate at, so my recommendation
is the cheaper rooms. Everyone should
get their reservations in early because this is a popular place. Hope to see
you all there!
Note: Any ideas for events, please
contact the Gadget Man at: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Other News
New Shirt Order To Go In
The club currently has an order for five(5) additional shirts. We have a
deal with the shirt maker that will allow us to submit small orders with no
penalty. We will be ordering these 5 shirts and want to know if there are any
additional shirt orders that should be added. Please contact Gadget Man Manson
(thamas.m.manson@boeing.com)
as soon as possible so we can save some time, effort and money.
Great Web Site Find For Miniature Kites
Give the web site below a click and review the best little Miniature Kite
galleries, kits, material lists, plans, vendors, and associated links that you
can find. Enjoy! And if you get into the miniature kite hobby, let us know with
some photos and a demo when possible.
http://miniatures.kitelife.com
The
Tucson Store Has Lost It’s Lease But All Is Not Lost
(Note: Information obtained from
the ArFF Bulletin Board Site.)
From Jim Jenning’s, Anita
I traveled the long and dusty and hot highway to Tucson only to find my
favorite kite store closed. It was this past Saturday around two p.m. and the
restaurant next-door where I thought I might find JoAnne or Bryan was also
closed. things were off of the walls and I got scared....Jim needs string
before we head off to the beach (all of his melted last time he flew it was 104
in the kite bag)
Anita
Hi Anita,
Sorry we missed you. Our lease at the center is up. We have closed after
11 years and now will direct all of our energy to our online business and
expand it with gifts also. It is becoming a full time job. We are here however
for all of you who need repairs and parts. Just call us anytime or email us.
1-877-326-3442 or 520-299-7701. Come on down to Tubac for the 4th, it's a
blast. Also we will be continuing with the fun festivals here in Tucson and in
Phoenix.
JoAnne,
Sorry
to here about the Store Lease. Could you provide some more info on the online
shop so that I might post it in the next newsletter. That way people will no not
to go to the old store, but simply log into your online location for future
support and supplies.
Thanks,
Gadget
Man Manson
Dry your tears Gadget Man, as you know we have had an online site for 2 years.
Because of the business generated by this site we will no longer need the
storefront. Yes we are still available for parts and repairs for local people.
We are looking around now for a workshop for those people who are in to the
kite-making end of this wonderful sport. It will be set up with supplies,
material, and sewing machines and made available to anyone who would like to
use the space to sew or attend a workshop. A big thank you to you Tom for
always keeping our store name out in front, you have been a walking
advertisement for us, if there is anything we could ever do for you let us
know. Keep up the good work, you are role model in communication between
kiters, and have really advanced the Route 66 Kite Club. All clubs should take
a lesson from your leadership in always being so friendly, helpful, courteous,
and extending your hand to all kiters, in the name of fun!
Sky High!
Jo Anne
info@playitbyair.com
Jo Anne,
Thanks for your response. I will post your notice in the next edition of
the Kite Flyer. I will also update our web site, (which has always listed your
store and web site) to reflect your web site as the sole means of contact. I am
assuming your phone number will stay the same. If not please let me know and I
will update that fact as well.
When you have your Workshop setup, please let us know so that we can post
that in the newsletter, and updated web site as well. As always, any kiting
news is news worth publishing. After all there is so little of it in AZ.
Good luck in your extended online endeavors. And keep us posted on your
events in Tucson. We will be glad to add any of your events to our newsletter.
Cordially,
Gadget Man Manson
The Bottom Line: For any future
support from the Tucson Group goto: http://www.playitbyair.com and/or phone: 1-877-326-3442 Don’t attempt to drive to the Tucson store
as poor Anita Jennings did. (Boy she will do almost anything for that big lug Jimmy.)
Someone
Has Been Enjoying The High Country And Elsewhere
Sorry I won't be there
Tom...We're in Flagstaff enjoying cool weather and trying to figure out where
to fly. Any suggestions?
By the way, here's the
Israel family motorhome itinerary:
Seattle, WA - Fly Kite
Hill (Magnusson Park)
Visit Prism factory.
Long Beach WA. Stay for
2 weeks and fly like crazy.
Pacific City, OR. Camp
on beach and fly like crazy.
Florence OR. Stay for
one week and fly like crazy.
Gold Beach, OR. Camp on
beach and fly like crazy.
Klamath, CA. Same
Ft. Bragg, CA. Same
San Francisco, CA. Well,
maybe no crazy flying.
Monterrey, CA. Fly like
crazy.
Morro Dunes, CA. Same
Ventura, CA. Same
Backto Phoenix in late
Aug.
Sept. Spain to fly like
crazy.
(Just in case anyone is
interested).
Rocky Point Howard
Rocky,
Wow!!!! What a schedule. I am like totally jealous! Well Fly like crazy
just once for the rest of us eh!
Have fun and shoot me a fly report from time to time will you! We will post
it in the Kite Flyer so the rest of us can get a feel for what you are up to.
Your info may even give others ideas about what places might be the best to
try.
Thanks, and have fun,
Tom & Jane
P.S. Jane and I would love to do dinner again with you guys once you
return. Enjoy!
The Wayward Paul And Dawn Drop Us A Line
I'm still out here and flying occasionally. The schedule has been very hectic. Got a long weekend on the beach at
San Diego the week after you were there.
Unfortunately or fortunately we will be in Seattle the week of the forth
of
July. I will take the kites with me and fly at Gas Works Park
with Mark Reed. he's promised to help
with my
"education" Don't give
up on us, we will participate when we can.
Do ya think the Racing fuel will make the Feather go faster?
Paul & Dawn
Note: Paul also sends us a Photo of Dawn and himself at the Prism Company
workshop to tease us with.
There Is A Giant Sutton Lift Kite In Our Midst
Rumors of Sutton are
true; have only flown it twice thus far without much laundry; a big Spinsock so
far.
WORK, the relentless intruder, will preclude me from doing nuthin on July
3rd, I will be in Taiwan until the 6th, leaving this weekend. Dave and Kay may have a chance to fly the Sutton
in my absence down Tucson way at the Forth of July deal down there. One of these days I will make it over to the
west side again, perhaps in a month or so.
Good winds
Hugh McDowel
Note: Looks like the Hugh-myster will be a bit wayward
himself. Hope we get some kite reports from Taiwan.
New Rok’s In Our Midst
Well the Gadget Man
has purchased two Rok’s in San Diego one 5’ and one 6’. Mad Dog Dines has
picked up a custom built 9’ job from Dream Merchant’s near Kingman that you
just have got to see to believe. And now the Schermanator says: I liked your 5
ft. Rok so much that I ordered one yesterday from Dan Whitney of Gone With The
Wind. I also ordered a "Sky
Guy" for it. Have you seen
them? They look pretty cool.
So keep an eye out for the flying Rok’s next time you go out to fly.
A Word From Valli And Family
Hi Tom!
We won't be in town
for July 4th. We're leaving Wednesday
to visit my family in Calgary. At
least, we're supposed to be going. I
was trying to get clothes washed to take, and my washing machine just broke
down. You know, Murphy and I have never been so tight. Last year, we had a car accident on the way
to the airport, and while we were gone, the house flooded. I wonder if someone is trying to tell me
something...
Thanks for the invite; hope to see you when we get back. I'm still not able to get around very
well. I have to have surgery on my
foot, and what with everything going on, I haven't gotten around to it yet.
Oh, BTW, I'm working at Lucent Technologies now. Got a big raise, but it's a stinky place to
work. Better than nothin', and better
than an hour driving to work!
Gotta scoot. Have to set up a
laptop to take with us. And trying to
get the kids to do anything makes me want to tear my hair out!
Talk at you later!
Valli
Reminder: Renewal Registration For
R66KC Is Now Due!!!
It has been determined
that it would be too difficult to track and contact each one of you
individually, as to when your Club dues become due. Due to this, the May timeframe
has been selected as the date for club membership renewal. Also, dues collected
at any other time of year from new members will not be pro-rated. Our intent is
to keep the process simple, and keep the dues down to $5.00/person/year, which
is cheep compared to some clubs that charge as much as $25.00/person/year. If
anyone has any problems with this please contact me at your earliest
convenience.
New Questions
We Still Need
To Give This Park A Try!
Warning: We need responses to the following questions in a
timely manor, from all of the
membership. If we cannot get the needed responses, we may have to call an
actual meeting, eeeeeeuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwww.
:-(
No new questions at this time.
Tips
and Tricks from our own club expert, Roman (The Fly’n Hawaiian) Trugillo.
The Leading Edge
Aloha,
Kite Flyers! In this installment of “The
Leading Edge” I will discuss several ways of getting your dual-line sport kite
in the air. I will briefly go over
beginner, intermediate, and advanced techniques in launching your sport kite
with style as well as safety. Although
some of these methods can take a novel to explain in words I’ll give you the
basic idea and then you can ask an experienced flyer to show you how to do the
move when you’re on the flying field.
Beginners
2 Person Launch – Ask a friend to help you launch by having him
stand downwind with the kite. Always be
sure you have enough room behind you to back up if the wind isn’t strong
enough. Give the signal to let the kite
go and pull back on the handles.
Staked Kite – Stake your lines at the handles then walk to the other end to attach your sport kite. Make sure that the kite is nose up and leaning away from the handles. This prevents the kite from “self-launching”. Pickup the handles from the stake and you are in launch position.
Intermediate
Leading Edge Launch – Kite is near the edge of the wind window, one
leading edge on the ground and the other in the air with the nose pointing away
from the “power zone”. Let the upper
leading edge fall towards you and walk backwards. As kite starts to move forward pull both handles and steer kite
safely into wind window.
Pop-Up Launch – Kite is on its belly, nose away and slightly angled
from the pilot. Pull hard on the handle
that the nose is angled towards. The
kite should “pop-up” into launch position or it should be flying.
Advanced
Coin Toss – Start with the kite in a “tip stand” position. Pull handle of the upper wing to initiate a
half-axle move. Be sure to slack the
lower wing to get a smooth looking coin toss.
When kite catches the wind steer it into your next trick.
Pop-Up to Fade – Kite is belly down, nose directly away from the
pilot. Pull both handles equally and
then release to allow the kite to pop-up and then fall into the Fade
position. Walk backwards to sustain the
maneuver.
Fade Launch – Kite is belly up, nose towards the pilot. Rock the kite back and forth with lines to
allow air to flow underneath the kite.
Carefully tend to the position of the kite as it lifts in the air. Rise the Fade high and then recover to
normal flying position.
Dead Launch – Kite is belly down, nose towards the pilot. While taking steps backwards, tug on the
handles two or three times to ease the nose up and to let the wind under the
kite. Let the kite right itself into
launch position and fly away. Warning: This launch can only be
accomplished on kites with short spines or “trick tails” and will cause spine
damage to other styles of sport kites.
Well,
those are some different ways of getting your dual-line sport kite off the
ground. Always be sure to put safety
first before launching your kite. I’ll
see you next time on “The Leading Edge”!
Straighten
up and fly right!
The Flyin’ Hawaiian
Al-Habib
The Tent Maker
Al-Habib now has
his own web site so please go there and see what he can teach you about Kite
Making. Simply click his Icon below. Al-Habib has promised to show off some new
banners for the 3rd Of July Event. So come and see what he has come
up with this time.
Flick Flacks
And Other Fun Stuff!
Used Kites For Sale And Lost Kite Listing
No
Kites For Sale At This Time
Disclaimer
The Route 66 Kite Club (R66KC), the editors of the “Route 66 Kite Club - Kite Flyer” (currently Thomas Gadget Man Manson), the American Kitefliers Association (AKA), and any contributors to this editorial, make no claims concerning the accuracy of materials appearing in this publication. Any and all information relating to kiting, rumors or otherwise, will be published without efforts in authentication or verification of the source. Efforts will be made to screen out items of malicious intent, without any guarantee of the success of these efforts. Updates or clarifications of previously posted information or rumors, are requested, and will gladly be posted in the following edition.
Copyright
NON-Restrictions
Reprints or redistribution of this
publication ARE permitted.
Notification of the editor is required, and the “by line” or “photo by”
required for all reprints. Default to: “Reprinted from Route 66 Kite Club-Kite
Flyer By Tom Gadget Man Manson” unless otherwise specified. So help yourself!