Kite
Flyer
November 2000 Issue Route
66 Kite Club (R66KC)
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Kite Club Phoenix, AZ
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To Visit Our Web Site Click Here!
Table Of Contents
Please note that there
are several Hot Links usually in blue and underlined for your convenience.
(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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Special Tips and Tricks From The Fly’n Hawaiian |
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Notes From Our Very Own Kite And Banner Maker |
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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.
Hey Kiters,
Well group we have a new Region 12 director, a Mr. Glen Rothstein. With any
luck we will have a little article posted in this newsletter from Glen under
the AKA News Or Director’s Editorial section, so we can all get to know him better.
And speaking of new things, there is a new Kite Club in Yuma. A Ray
Hopkins should be giving us the low down on this club called the “Westwind
Flyers Club”. We will have to give them a warm welcome and find ways of
including them in our events, and us in theirs. So lets keep an eye out for
info in our news letter regarding this new club, and join in when we can. An
article should be found under the Other News section.
Due to several new people in the valley, wanting to fly with us, we will
be attempting to rotate the flying events to Saturdays. Aside from Preacher
Man, who of course is working Sundays, we have several others that are working
Sunday’s as well. So due to this, we will be attempting to keep most, if not
all, of the fly days to Saturdays. Please make special note of it when checking
the Upcoming Flying Events
section. This one is for you Michael Montoya.
I have come across a new Quad
Line Kite called the Spirit. This is a design by the famed Steve LaPort. I had
a chance to fly one in San Diego in September, and just had to have one. Below
is a picture of this great kite, and here is the URL to the LaPort web site: www.spiritsinthesky.com
In any event, I am now a proud
owner of this great kite and will be willing to have those of you that are
interested, and have some quad line experience, a try on this great flyer.
By the way, Al-Habib had an
interesting item of concern, so here it is:
November is almost here and
I was just thinking. I know, I know, rare event... But
anyhow. What are we going to do as a club for National Kite Month in
2001? It's about time to start planning.
Al-Habib, The Tent Maker
So lets all get together
on the next couple of Fly’s (oops it’s down again), and brainstorm what we want
to do!
Keep’em Fly’n
Gadget Man Manson
AKA News Or
Directors Editorial
From
Our NEW Region 12 Director Glen Rothstein!
Hello Route 66 KC Flyers!
My name is Glen
Rothstein & I'm YOUR new AKA Regional Director. I capitalized "YOUR", because I am here for YOU! My job is to help, in any way I can, to
further you & your club's kiting pleasure.
I live in Valencia, CA, near Magic Mountain. I plan on visiting your fine
state in the next few months & flying with however many of you I can find!
(Note: We
will attempt to schedule an event with Glen when this happens.)
I REALLY enjoyed perusing your website.
Lots of good info & pictures! Your field layouts with descriptions
should be the standard in kite web paging.
Many kite clubs just hang out in their own space. I hope we can get a regional club retreat
planned for next year sometime. I'll be
in touch with your club's "Top Brass" about putting it all together.
(Note: Tom
has informed Glen about our Sister Club Fly events in May. Perhaps this will
work for the Region. See the Future &
Annual Events section for details.)
Enjoy your November and hope to fly with you soon.
Best Wishes & Winds,
Glen E. Rothstein
Region 12 Director - American Kitefliers Association
Vice President, Southern California Sport Kite League
Kite Flying hits new heights!... Check it out below:
http://community.webtv.net/OpusFader/VenturaCountyKite
WORLD
SPORT KITE CHAMPIONSHIPS, 2001
The three primary sport kite organizations in the world are pleased to be
joining together with the Malaysian Kitefliers Association to produce the World
Sport Kite Championship in Langkawi, Malaysia, from February 25 to March 3,
2001.
The All Japan Sport
Kite Association (AJSKA) from Asia, the American Kitefliers Association (AKA)
from North America, and Sport Team And Competitive Kiting (STACK) from Europe
and the Pacific now represent over 10,000 competitive fliers. The best of these
contestants will be gathering in Malaysia for the first time ever to determine
the world champions.
The World Sport Kite Championships is significant for several reasons.
First, all three organizations have agreed to work together recognizing and
supporting this inaugural common event. Second, it is the first time that a
single common rulebook has been used by all three organizations. And third, all
levels of competition will be offered including individual, pair, team, and
multi-line flying.
In addition, the prestigious Langkawi Cup will be issued to the
organization earning the highest number of accumulated points. This trophy will
continue to be used at events around the world, being perpetually won whenever
the three Associations gather and compete.
The World Sport Kite Championships in Langkawi, Malaysia in 2001 are certain
to be an exciting and wonderfully successful event. The entire world sport kite
community looks forward to this prestigious gathering.
David Gomberg, Chair World Sport Kite Championship Committee
Koichi Shimada, Nobuo Tomatsu All Japan Sport Kite Association (AJSKA)
Helmut Georgi, Chris Eichenberger Sport Team And Competitive Kiting
(STACK)
Richard Dermer, David Gomberg American Kitefliers
Association (AKA)
Attention Sport Kite Judges and Staff!
The AKA is ready to
start selecting staff (Judges and Field Director) for the World Sport Kite
Championship (WSKC), scheduled for Feb. 25-March 3 in Langkawi, Malaysia. We
already have on file information from those who applied for last year's
scheduled event, which was unfortunately canceled.
If you applied last year, and still wish to be considered, do nothing!
You are still a candidate.
If you did not apply last year, and are interested in being a candidate
for one of the positions, please e-mail us a brief resume stating your
experience in judging at major events, and a statement of why you feel you are
qualified to represent the AKA at this ground-breaking event. The committee can
be reached at < sportkite@aka.kite.org >. We are especially interested in people
who are able and willing to play leadership roles within the AKA Sport Kite
structure in the coming years.
If you applied last year, and no longer wish to be a considered, please
send a brief e-mail to us and we will remove your name from consideration.
This information will be reviewed by the following committee:
David Gomberg: WSKC Chair,
AKA President Elect
Mike Gillard: WSKC Member,
AKA Sport Kite Committee Chair, IRBC Member
Chuck Sigal: AKA Sport
Kite Rules Coordinator, IRBC member
Susan Shampo: AKA
Scorekeeper, AKA Sport Kite Conference Chair
We expect to have decisions made and invitations extended within the next
30 days.
Good Winds!
Upcoming Flying Events
Note: All flying events will be from
12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
Club Fly At
The Riverview Park – 11/04/00 – Saturday:
(See web site Kite Field
Recommendations for maps.) As per usual the fly times are from 12 noon to
about 5pm in the afternoon. Let’s try to do dinner and drinks after.
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 |
Club Fly At
The Hippie Man Park – 11/18/00 – Saturday: (See web site Kite Field Recommendations
for maps.) As per usual the fly times are from 12 noon to about 5pm in the
afternoon. 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 |
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
Report On
Club Fly At The Riverview Park – 10/08/00 – Sunday
The One Sky One World event as reported by our
very own man in the field, Schermanator!
We had a great day of
kite flying out at Riverview Park on the Sunday for the One Sky-One World
celebration. The sky was partly cloudy, the temperature was
comfortable, and there was a strong, steady breeze out of the
east. It was the kind of weather that kite flyers wish they had
every day.
We had a big turnout out at the park that day. At the peak of the
afternoon, there were so many kites up in the air that it looked like a
large kite festival was going on. There were lots of people
there that I knew, as well as many new folks that I hadn't yet met. It's
good to see that there so many local people who share a common interest in
kite flying.
Hugh was there with his varied collection of kites, including his
buzzing California Wasp and his beautiful big Sutton. What a kite
that is! For such a large kite, it surprising what little wind is
required to keep it afloat. That big kite is always a crowd pleaser.
It's visible from far away, and certainly must have drawn looks from people
driving by on the nearby 202 freeway.
Tom and Jane were there with their collection of single-line
kites. They had an assortment of kites and line laundry up in the
air. Tom didn't have his big winder with him, so he couldn't fly his
trusty Bertha. Even without her though, he and Jane still put up a good
display.
The other flyers included Reggie, who was doing his
usual cool tricks with his Jam Session; Howard, who was flying his Elixir
and Prophecy kites; Spectra Mike and his son, who were flying
Mike's T & T kites with long tails made from police barricade tape;
and Jonathan, who was flying a variety of kites, including a Prism
Stylus 2.8 stacked onto my 1.8 (those kites gave us some good pulling action).
There were many other flyers there as well, and I apologize to them for either
not knowing or not remembering their names.
I was having fun flying my favorite kite (my Illusion), until I
accidentally let go of my right control line and the kite went into a
rapid spin and eventually corkscrewed into the ground. My beloved
Illy suffered a broken spine and had to be put away for the day. I
have since replaced the spine and the kite is once again ready for action.
All in all, it was a fantastic day of flying. We are all looking
forward to the cooler fall weather that is now upon us, and the fall breezes
that are certain to follow. Now, if it would only quit raining for a
while.
Chris Schermann
Report On
Club Fly At The Hippie Man Park – 10/21/00 – Saturday
Our director Billy Mad Dog Dines
was there and found a soccer match in full swing on the field. So he opted for
the other side of the field and had a great time by himself for several hours.
Please keep in mind if our normal meeting place, on any of the fields are
occupied, we will be moving to the nearest open space. I have a feeling that
old Mad Dog would have had company if the others had just looked around a
little for the alternate place to fly. Better luck next time Billy boy, and
let’s all make a better effort at showing at this park, in memory of the Hippie
Man Jim Jennings. We want to keep his favorite park alive with kites.
(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
- - - Next Year - - -
Easter Assention Tradition
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!
05/18-20/2001 – 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!
09/21-23/2001 – 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.
10/07/2001 – One Sky One World (OSOW) Annual kite event for world
piece. More to follow as information becomes
available.
- - - Ideas For New Events - - -
We need help with these so if you have any ideas
that will support this event, please let us know by dropping us a line at: r66kc@tmsquared.com
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
Note: Any ideas for events, please
contact the Gadget Man at: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Other News
We Have A New
Club In Arizona
Let’s have a big R66KC welcome to the new Westwind Flyers Club or Yuma Arizona! A Ray Hopkins is our point of contact, and here is what he has to say
about this new club.
We are a very small club, with only 4 solid members and 4 to 7 sometime
flyers. Two of our members live in Yuma year around, and the rest are snowbirds
(I'm from Idaho), so we are really only together 6 months out of the year. We
are not currently signed up with AKA but may look into it. Our colors are as
follows: lettering is purple, the diamond kite design is pink and aqua.
Two of us are working on some ballet routines. And we our going to have a
team name as well. We our starting to plan a fun fly for some time in March and
will let your club know more once the plans are finalized. But that is as far
as we have gotten at this point.
This spring a couple of us did go to the Wildwood New Jersey kite fly,
and in August we went to the long beach Washington fly. They both were great!
Well we are hoping to have some winds today so have a great day.
Ray Hopkins
We Have A
New Teenager In The Group
Doc (Dennis Hardy) reports that
our very own Fly’n Ryan has just turned 13 years of age. Lets all give him a
razzing the next time we see him on the field. I am sure that as a newly
eligible teen, he will be glad to give it back to all of us as a new
representative of his piers.
Congratulations Fly’n Ryan!
Florida’s
Treasure Island International Event
Our very own Billy Mad Dog Dines attended this event with several
friends of his that were in Florida. So here is what he has to say about the
event.
Dear Route 66'ers,
I decided to fly to Florida a few weeks back to attend the AKA
Convention. It was in Tampa, Fl., on a chain of Islands off the coast of St. Petersburg/Tampa
called Treasure Island. Treasure Island
faces the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida.
Flying in on Monday morning was great. You could see all the little finger lakes where people had homes with docks and boats all over the place. The Bay between the cities was huge with long low-lying bridges connec