Kite
Flyer
February 2001 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!
Or go to: www.tmsquared.com/R66KC.htm
(Please note that R66KC is in capital letters.)
Table Of Contents
Please note that
there are several Hot Links usually in blue and underlined for your convenience.
To access these simply click on them and they will take you there. (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 this appears to have been a rather windy month so I hope that you
all have had a chance to go out and fly those Christmas Kites. Some of us have
been fighting virus’s and have not had much of a chance to do anything but blow
our noses. Well I wanted to remind everybody that Arizona Free Flyers (ArFF)
has their bulletin board back up for local chatting which can be found at: www.delphi.com/arff
As for the National Kite Month (NKM) Events, the Anthem Fun Fly in March
is currently the only item on the Arizona agenda. This will be a wonderful
event once again and we want to support the Tucson group however we can with
this event just north of Phoenix. But we would still like to find some
springtime event of our own, in conjunction with some other city, company, or
church event. So keep your ears open and the club in mind so we can come up
with another great event for the National Kite Month (NKM).
We have some experts moving to the valley! See
the e-mail below and make sure that you give them a warm welcome when you see
them February 10th at Riverview.
Good Morning Thomas
My wife, Ardith and
myself, Charlie will be in Scottsdale from Feb. 6(Tues) until Feb 11 (Sunday).
We are both very active kite fliers from Toronto Canada. In fact my wife just
returned from Hong Kong as part of the Canadian team for the first ever Hong
Kong kite festival. She was over there with David Gomberg from your country.
Anyway the reason for my e-mail is two fold. First we are coming down to
Arizona to look for a possible retirement area to live in but do not know the
state at all .My wife has breathing problem and we are looking for a dry
climate. Would it be possible to meet up with any of your members or yourself
to find out more about areas that are good (safe) to live in, don't get too
cold in the winter e.g. We have in mind something like an RV home in a park
with a little bite of property.
Also are you having any flies that weekend . We could bring down some
kites and join up with your club.
We fly Stunt kites as part of a three person team call "Spirits in
the Wind." We have not competed in the AKA for a couple of years do to teams
member health problems. My wife also flies two stunt kites to music at once
which is why she was invited to Hong Kong. You can see pictures of her fling if
you go to www.hkkitefestival.com. Click on participants then Canada . If you
click on her picture you will get three different shots.
If you could give us any help it would be greatly appreciated and if we
decide to become snow birds in Arizona we would love to join your club.
Thanks in Advance
Charlie
As for the Spring Schedule, it seems to be filling up quite nicely.
Please take a gander at the Future & Annual Events section for all of the
activities in the March and April time frames. Which brings me to the Second
Annual Sister Club Kiting Event in San Diego. Our sister club, the San Diego
Kite Club (SDKC) and the R66KC are getting together in San Diego, (due to their
great winds) for a joint Sister Club fly and pot luck hosted by the SDKC. Later
in the evening there will be a Bar-B-Que and night fly on the beach hosted by
the R66KC. For more details see the Future & Annual Events section below or click
the hot link underlined in blue.
The Latest Correspondence:
Regarding Our Second Annual R66KC/SDKC Sister Club Get Together
From out sister Club in San Diego:
Dear Mr. Manson,
I just realized in checking with several of our
members no one has contacted you concerning your visit.
Everything is all set for your visit to our
meeting at Tecolote Shores South of the Hilton(Mission Bay Area) May the 12th
2001.
We will have a Potluck and add it to our monthly
mailer card to let all of our members know.
My apologies for not confirming this earlier.
Neil
Tuthill
Current
President San Diego Kite Club
The R66KC response:
As with last year, I would like to extend and invitation to anyone that
would like to come and join us for a on the Beach Night Fly later that evening.
Special invitation to you and the current, as well as past, region 12 directors
as well.
As with last year we have a cottage right on the beach with a open area
with tables, chairs, umbrellas, and a bar-b-que. We wanted everyone to come by
for cocktails (BYOB) and a night fly, BYOKL or bring your own kites and lights.
We will also have the bar-b-que setup and going for anyone that would like to
bring something to bar-b-que for themselves for dinner. The Route 66 Kite Club
(R66KC) will be providing chips and dips for all. Those that want to just come
and enjoy the show are invited as well. There is a Ralph's across the street
from the cottages that we will be staying at so that it will be easy to pick up
supplies there. And we will be making arrangements for parking at the cottages
for those that come.
The time and address are as follows:
May 12th 6:00pm
The Beach Cottages
4255 Ocean Blvd.
Cottage 506
858-483-7440
Please include all of this information in your next new letter so we can
wow the board walkers with a dazzling night time display. In years past we have
had people come from miles in both directions to see what the UFO's in the sky
were. (Even the police came to investigate and stayed for 45 minutes.)
So we are all looking forward to seeing you there.
Keep’em Fly’n
Gadget Man Manson
AKA News Or
Directors Editorial
Hello Everyone! Happy New year!
This is my first email
to the membership as your new AKA president and I’m delighted to be announcing an
exciting new program -- the Great AKA Monthly Raffle!
Go to the AKA web page now at <www.AKA.kite.org> and click on the
Raffle button for pictures and details!
Those of you who have attended a convention know the excitement and fun
generated by our auction and raffles. Now we are expanding those opportunities
to a series of monthly events so that everyone has a chance to win one of these
incredible kite packages.
Here’s how it works. Each month we will be adding a “big ticket” item to
the raffle. A limited number of tickets (usually about 400) will be issued at
$5 each. You can buy the tickets through our secure Association web page, send
a check to the office, or call 800-252-2550 with your credit card number. We
will sell the remaining tickets and pull the winning number at a major kite
event each month.
The first three items are already online:
January - a Catch the Wind 75 square foot Bulldog Parafoil, 45 foot
spinsock, and line ($1250 value). Winner drawn at Kites on Ice
February - a 28 foot giant spinning Crown in your choice of colors ($899
value). Winner drawn at Fort Worden.
March - a complete buggy package from Active People with buggy, several
kites, lines, handles, helmet ($3000 value). Winner drawn at Smithsonian.
The new April prize is online now. For $5, you have a chance at ten – yes
ten -- big kites valued at over $1200. Win a whole flock of 3-dimensional bird
kites designed by Joel Scholz!
Pink Floyd the Flamingo or Percy the Pelican are each over 10 feet wide
and packed with 3-D inflatable fun. Take your choice - 10 of either, or mix and
match. Fill the sky, outfit your club, or take care of all your holiday
shopping early!
The super stability and life-like flight of these superb creatures will
astound and amaze bird and kite lovers alike! The Scholz collection has been
donated to the AKA by Go Fly a Kite.
You can buy tickets for one, two, or all three items. And remember to
check back at the beginning of each month to see what super new item we have
added next!
Al Sparling, Chuck Sigal, and Rob Cembalest have worked hard to make the
raffle program a reality. When you see them, be sure and congratulate them for
a job well done.
One other thing -- AKA is working very hard right now to re-build our
membership base, strengthen our finances, and broaden our support of kiting and
the programs we offer members. We need your help to make that happen. Buying a
few tickets each month gives you a shot at a really super kite. But it is also
an important part of our effort to balance the budget. So support kiting and
buy a few tickets!!!
And don’t forget to go recruit a new member too!
Good Winds!
***
David Gomberg, President ***
American Kitefliers Association
Greetings -
Want to see your artwork on the backs of hundreds of kitefliers? Want
pinheads from around the world oohing and aaahing over your design talents?
We are looking for just the right logo design for the upcoming Billings convention. This design will appear on t-shirts, pins,
promotional items, brochures, etc. (So, you need to make your design easy to
adjust for different items.)
The deadline for submitting designs is February 14th with entries going
to Maureen Posillico, 2017 Victoria Drive, Stafford, VA 22554.
Think Billings. Think
Montana. Think Big Sky Country.
Oh, yes. The prize for the
winning logo is a full complimentary registration to the Billings convention.
Questions? (540) 288-9417
Mel at AKA HQ
Upcoming Flying Events
Note: All flying events will be from
12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
Special
Welcome To Canadian Experts Fly At Riverview 02/10/01 – 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.
Let’s all have a big welcome for Ardith and Charlie Quanbury From Canada!
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 Plateau Park – 02/25/01 – Sunday:
(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.
Plateau Park (Northeast) This park is located approximately 100 Yards
north of Union Hills on 16th Street. Take I-17 north to Union Hills,
and go east to 16th Street. Then go north on 16th Street
to Wescott and turn east. Parking can be found about 100 yards east of 16th
Street on Wescott. We fly at the northern most ball field.
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Rating: |
Fantastic |
Restrooms: |
Yes |
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Kiters That Can Fly: |
30 |
Drinking Fountains: |
Yes |
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Non-Kiter Visibility: |
Great |
Park Benches: |
No |
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Distance To Amenities: |
2 Miles |
Shade Available: |
Limited |
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: Lady
Hummingbird and the Gadget Man 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
Fly Report
For The Hippie Man Park The Riverview Park – 01/13/01 – Saturday:
The fly on January 13th was a two man get-together. The weather was
nice with the typical AZ winds. Zip-nada to 4 mph with major wind
shifts. I met Rocky Point Howard and together we tried to put in some
time on Prism's Ozones. Short bouts of flying were interspersed with chat
and trip around with a remote control car until I hit a puddle a bit too slowly
and cooked an electronic speed control. Water and electronics still
don't mix folks. Howard also took possession of his new (To him) Rev EXP.
Both Howard and myself lamented the lack of company on the field.
We need to figure out a way to R.S.V.P. for the flys. I personally would
like to fly at some of the other parks. We have, in the past, rotated
through other parks. It's been a while since we've been to a new park or
some of the old favorites like 16th St.. and Union Hills.
Fly Report
For The Riverview Park – 01/28/01 – Sunday:
Phoenix open ....HMMMPF! Super Bowl..... PISHA!!!!!!! RAIN??? OH
WAAAAAH!!!!!
NO FLY INDEED!!!!
I FLEW BY GOLLY! Up in Payson next to the Casino there. yes there was a
foot of snow on the ground and snow coming down BUT YA DON'T HEAR ME
SNIVELING! he he he he
Had a consistent (oops did I say
CONSISTENT???? YES I DID) 8 MPH wind and plenty of spectators at the Casino and
a good view was had by anyone going up the Beeline Hwy.
Well I think I know how Ron Rich learned to fly by the hips. Cause I had
no gloves and I learned how to fly with my hands in my pockets. I didn't bring
deicing crew so after the leading edges got iced up I had to wrap it up. I did
get in a good solid hour of air-time. (besides I had no snow shoes and couldn't
feel my feet)
Rain, sleet, snow, super bowl or golf If the wind blows ya gotta
fly!!!!!!!
I am sorry to hear your ill Tom. always knew ya were a little sick :oP
Hope you and The Mrs. Are back up and about real soon.
Best regards
Spectra Mike
(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
03/17/2001 Saturday – NKM Fountain Hills Fun Fly
The official re-opening
of the Fountain Park will be held on St. Patrick's Day! At Fountain Hills, Fountain
Park From 10:00am-5:00pm. The Park re-opening ceremonies are from 11:00-1:00
The Arizona Free
Flyers group would like to invite all the local kite flyers who enjoy this
local favorite flying location to come join in on the St. Patrick's Day opening
celebrations with us! This "Fun fly" event will be a great warm up
for the
"Anthem" event coming up the very next weekend!
Kite events will include: Fighter kites, Single line, ROK Battles (bring
your new Roks everybody!), Stunt Kite Demos, Team Demos, Kite displays and
other fun and games. A live Band will be playing, and the Fountain will flow
GREEN in honor of St Patrick's Day! For more info contact: azkitefest@aol.com
03/18/2001 Sunday – NKM 9th Annual Spring Kite Fiesta In
Tucson
(March looks to be a busy month for Arizona Kite flyers!)
This great Fun Fly
event in Tucson is filled with lots of fun for all! Kite making workshops for
kids, Stunt Kite demos, single-line kite displays, Boomerang demonstrations,
great thumping sound system and huge candy drops never fail to put a smile on
your face. Don't miss this great Arizona Kite Event, held at "Arthur Pack
Park" in Tucson, March 18 from 10-5, now in it's 9th year!
Directions: Take I-10 to the Ina Rd. Exit, go east on Ina Rd. to
Thornydale. Turn North on Thornydale, go 3/4 mile (follow signs) to
"Arthur Pack Park". You can't miss it, just look for the kites!
For more info contact Jo Ann at: jagwalker@uswest.net
03/24-25/2001 – NKM Anthem Fun Fly
Take I-17 North about five miles
from the Carefree Highway, north of Phoenix. Exit at the Anthem Way exit, then
turn right and drive into the community. As you come to the park fountains,
take another right (before the fountains) and proceed to the second parking lot
on the left. The event is from 10am to 4pm, and will be a long day so bring
your shade, water, and chairs. You will need to arrive early to get good
parking because this will be a big event. This event is the second annual
Anthem Days event so there will be lots of vendors, and events all over the
place. The Fun Fly sponsors, the Tucson group, have requested that we bring our
short line sets due to the limited space available. In this way, we should be
able to get more people on the field at the same time. This will be the biggest
event of the season, so come and join the fun.
Formal Announcement:
2nd Annual Anthem Days Kite Festival
Mark your calendars kite flyers, this event is
back again for the second year!
The official dates for this event are March 24-25,
2001.
-Event will be held at "Del Webbs
Anthem" communities in North phoenix-
Located at:
3711 W. Anthem Way
Phoenix, AZ 85086
http://www.anthemarizona.com/sitemap.html
(3 miles
north of the carefree highway on I17)
Kite field is on the south west soccer field
Kite field times are from 8-4 each day
-Once again this event is coordinated by-
the Coyote Kite Club of Tucson
and
The Arizona Free Flyers
-This year promises to be bigger and better with
more kite activities planned-
Huge Single Line Kite Displays
Stunt-Kite Trick Shootout
Kids-n-Kites Activities
Special Guest Flyers
Kite Demonstrations
Fighter-Kite Battles
Kite Parades
Candy Drops
Team Flying
ROK battles
(more events will be added)
Kites, food, fun and sun and a whole lot more, so
plan now to attend!
Have something special for the show?
Want to help out with the activities?
Want more info?
Contact in Phoenix:
azkitefest@aol.com
Contact in Tucson:
jagwalker@uswest.net
**Festival up-dates
will be posted as this festival progresses and will be distributed in a timely
fashion to all interested parties. Real time updates and festival progress will
be posted on the Arizona Free Flyers Bulletin Board (enter as guest) located
at: http://www.delphi.com/arff
04/15/2001 - 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!
05/12/2001 – 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 hosted by
R66KC. 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?
- - - Next Year - - -
Nothing as yet scheduled for
next year.
Well you guessed it, I finally came up with an idea. With
all of the events that enjoy having us signal their events with a kite, would
could request donations to our charity on our behalf for our efforts! (yea like
right, what effort... ha ha). So keep this in mind and perhaps we can get more
big event planned, and some real monies for the Sunshine Acres Children’s Home.
Rocky Point
Kite Festival – This is still being looked into by
Rocky Point Howard. We should be getting some additional information on this in
the near future.
Note: Any ideas for events, please
contact the Gadget Man at: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Other News
Preacher
Man May Have An Event Or Two For Us To Support
Tom,
You know, I hadn't given
it much thought until you mentioned it. As a matter of fact, we discussed in
our staff meeting yesterday, the possibility of having some kind of
"Spring thing" (we have a Harvest Festival in the Fall that is well
attended and think a Spring event would do equally well) utilizing the services
of a bunch of those huge blow up toys (moon bounce, Sumo wrestling, obstacle
course, etc.) and adding R66KC would be a nice touch! We have EXCELLENT
exposure as our building faces East on Tatum Blvd. (between Bell and Union
Hills). The drive by exposure is tremendous. We are just finishing a new
parking lot and by then, we should have a nice sized field of grass adjoining
the new parking lot which would be perfect for a few dualies and quads as well!
We'll work further on the dates and I'll keep you posted. Peace to you
and thanks for your interest in our church!
Hope to see you soon,
And May God's breath be in your
sails,
Christopher "Preacher
Man" Green
Childhood
Kite Reel Resurfaces For Preacher Man
Dear Tom,
I'm so glad you
followed me to my new address. I couldn't continue justifying the cost of an
additional ISP, when I have complementary service through my office. Things are
fast and furious for us around here, but I so appreciate your writing back!
I don't know if you remember, but I once wrote and told about my dad
planning to make a single-line winder similar to the high dollar ones in the
catalogues. Well.... Christmas night, much to my surprise(since I had long
forgotten about it) he presented me with a beautiful custom made winder! It
works well and on one recently stormy Monday I ventured out to Buffalo Ridge
Park (16th Street and Union Hills) and let my 6 foot delta have all the line it
would take. It was fun and kind of took me back to childhood.
You see, when I was just about five or six years old, my dad made my own
box kite winder (I was the only kid on the street with one). It was a simple
three sided box with a spool in the middle and a crank handle. We don't know
where it is now, but my new one is far superior.
Nicely finished of oak and other various hardwoods, it has a friction
feed brake and nylon strap to secure the hand lathe-turned knobs. There are two
knob positions, one for speed winding and the other for leverage. It's a pretty
cool little rig.
We are hoping to make it out to the next club fly and debut it for
everyone there.
Dad said he made templates of all the pieces and will be willing to
fabricate a few as demand dictates. He's more interested in people having fun
and isn't in it for the money, but will need to cover cost of materials and
time. Clearly he'd be under catalogues in price and all could say they've met
the "artist" and receive a signed and numbered piece.
It's nice to revisit our childhood, isn't it? What is it you say,
"Just because you are getting old, doesn't mean you have to act like
it!" How true!
Well, here's to seeing you (hopefully) in the field soon.
May God's breath be in your wings,
Christopher "Preacher
Man" Green
Custom
Skysurfer Project
The power train is pretty much finished. After snapping an axle or
two I've got the kinks worked out. The major hold up now is the sail and
that part of the project has come to a screaming halt until I can get
my sewing machine to stop snapping needles. I'm in a heated argument with
the store that sold me the machine and it's getting to the point that I'm about
ready to return the machine through the front window of the store and cancel
the Visa charge. So, until I can get this resolved, all sewing projects
are on hold. (Sorry Tom) I'm hoping for a resolution to this
problem in the next week or two. I'll keep everybody posted.
Till next time,
Al-Habib, The Tent Maker
Illusion
2000 SUL On Order
My custom I2K SUL has been ordered and should be here early
February. Due to the KTAI show, things are grinding slowly at Prism right
now. I'll keep you in the loop as I get information. The I2K will
only be offered in Mylar and the Mylar will be un-reinforced. (Ala
Vapor). Rumor has it that the I2K will not be offered in the all Fabric
wing due to a lack of demand. Something like 95% of all the I2K's
requested have been in the Mylar wing. So if you want an all fabric I2K,
order one now folks, because the option might disappear in the near future.
As usual, when I get it, you all invited to put some time on the
wing. The I2K SUL is a custom order job and there are no plans (I've
talked to both Prism's folks and Dan at GWTW) to have it as a "on-the-shelf"
item. The cost (don't flinch too much) for the I2K SUL is $375 plus
S&H. On the plus side, you get to chose your colors.
Till next time,
Al-Habib, The Tent Maker
A Love
Story
The TV show
"Blind Date" has recently featured the "Blind Date" winners
going to the beach to fly stunt kites for their prize. The kite shops featured
were, Up Up and Away Kites located at Seal Beach, and Kite Connection on the
Hunting Beach Pier.
Reminds me of Kay and I's first, not Blind, but "First Official
Date".
It took place in the hot July weather, we shopped all day and then went
out for dinner. I had a surprise in store for the evening! Stashed in the trunk
were some Delta single-liners, snacks, and a blanket. All set and ready for my
surprise, I only had to hold out till it got dark!
Yup, a First Date Night Fly! Finally it was dark enough to break the
news. We were going to fly kites at night! The look on Kay's face was kind'a
like, "Oh really?.....OK", and off to the park we did go.
Lucky for me, the wind turned out great for a July night, a gift from the
Gods. I remember sitting there flying the Deltas with Kay and thinking that I
was Soooooooooo clever, putting lights on the kites at night! I thought we were
really doing something no one had ever tried. This moment was actually the
official start of our kite flying!
Whenever I launch a kite now, it instantly brings me back to that night,
the night of our "First Date".
-Dave and Kay
The ArFF Group
Fireman
Entertainment
Whilst flying out at Riverview
last Sunday, Victor had his new Arizona Banner out and flapping in the wind
beautifully. It looked so good in fact, that a Mesa Fire Engine came to a
screeching halt right next to the flying field!
The "Captain"
of the Engine cambered out and came over to us, while the truck filled with
firemen watched the "action" that was going on above kite field with
amazement.
The Fire Captain wanted
to know all about the nifty Arizona Banner that was marking the field. He said
that they were very impressed with the banner and especially the caliber of
Flyers that they were watching! The Captain then related that they just had to
stop and say something about it!
When the Fire Truck
finally drove off, it was full of happy smiling firemen's faces..
Way cool........ I'm
sure they will be back sometime soon.
Ya never know what will
happen, when Flying at Riverview! One thing is for sure though, there are some
GREAT fliers there!
-Dave
The ArFF Group
The New
Central Phoenix Park Report
Hi Tom,
Unfortunately, I don't have any flying to report from last weekend.
However, last week I
drove over to the new park that is being constructed at the site of the former
Phoenix Indian School at Central and Indian School. There is lot of
construction going on now (finally), including site grading, underground
utilities, and perimeter walls and structures.
Three of the old historic buildings on the site have been saved from
demolition and will eventually be restored.
The project manager told me that the park should be open in late July of
this year. He also told me that the
northeast corner of the park should be fairly flat and wide open, and generally
pretty good for kite flying (I mentioned to him that many local kite flyers
have their eyes on this new park).
I took a few photos of the site.
The photos are not the greatest, but they will give you some idea of the
work that is happening. I'll keep you
informed of the progress of this new park.
Chris The Schermanator Scherman
Kite Knots
Here is a great page for kite
knots. I have always wondered how Prism did that great locking/sliding bridle
knot. Well now we all know.
http://members.aol.com/goodheavens/knots.html
New Questions
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 (mailto:thomas.m.manson@boeing.com)
as soon as possible so we can save some time, effort and money.
Reminder: Renewal Registration For
R66KC
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 or more.
If anyone has any problems with this please contact me at your earliest
convenience.
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 Smile Factor
(By
Our Fly’n Hawaiian)
I fly
for the smiles :)
The smiles I get when I pull off a double axle
with practically no wind....
The smiles I see on a kid when he sees a colorful
kite in the air....
The smiles that go around when meeting new kiters
for the first time....
The smiles that go around when you meet up with
long, lost kiters....
The smiles that are anticipating the next kite
you pull out of your bag....
The smiles that are brought to a special kiting
event....
Start racking up some frequent flyer smiles!!! Go
and fly a kite!!
Aloha
Roman
The Leading Edge
Aloha,
Kite Flyers! Hope you’re having a great
New Year so far. I know I am. :0)
This
month I’d like to share ways on helping your fellow man. Or newbie kite flyers in this case. You’ve seen them at the park. They may be a small kid or an adult. Sending up their $15 kite (to them it’s a
fortune) running in the wrong direction, wondering why the kite won’t stay up
in the air. They look at you flying in
virtually no wind and still wonder why…why won’t my kite fly?!
Whenever
I see this scenario I usually wait until they look like they’re about to give
up on the kite. Then I go over and give
them a quick lesson on reading the wind and why my kite stays up in the air. I usually grab a few blades of grass, throw
them up in the air and show them which direction the wind is blowing. This is the easiest visual to show a newbie
wind direction (unless you are flying in a parking lot). Depending on the type of kite, single or
dual-line, I help orient the flyer and the kite so that they are ready for
launch. Then with a ‘one, two, three,
go’, I send them off running. I’ll
remind the newbie that the wind speed and their experience with flying the kite
have a lot to do with keeping the kite up in the air.
If
they’re interested in how my kite stays up in the air I’ll invite them over to
check out the kites, give them a short demonstration, and ask if they want to
go for a test drive (depending on the wind and their comfort level).
Remember
that we were all once newbies. I would
have given anything to have a kite lesson when I was a kid. Too many memories of kite eating trees and
losing my kite when my line would run out on the spool. Come to think of it, those were great
lessons!
Until
next time, I’ll see you on the Leading Edge!
Straighten up and fly right!
The Flyin’ Hawaiian
Note:
Please feel free to give Roman holly hell the next time you see him. He has
reported that he will be spending the New Year celebration in Hawaii!!! And he
has indicated that he does not need a manservant to carry his bags for him,
(boo hoo).
Al-Habib
The Tent Maker
Al-Habib’s Charter: I will be more than happy to help
anybody who wants to design or make a kite, banner, or kite bag, (to the best
of my ability), on a one-on-one basis.
Nothing
to report at this time. So give him a call if you have something that you would
like built. The the Gadget Man single line bag.
Al-Habib,
The Tent Maker
Flick Flacks
And Other Fun Stuff!
Used Kites For Sale And Lost Kite Listing
Al-Habib is planning on selling a few Kites
I will be thinning out
some kites and sundries from my flight kit. As club members, y'all will
get first crack at the stuff before I try to sell it to the general kiting
public.
Stuff that's slated for
sale:
2 Buena Vista Pi
10 Triad Clones
Lotsa wrist straps
A kite bag or two
Deca A1
Revolution Exp
Possibly more as I
dredge through the bags.
Jonathan (Al-Habib, The Tent Maker)
Delmar
(To contact Jonathan regarding
a purchase, e-mail him at: al--habib@home.com )
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!