Kite
Flyer
March 2001 Issue Route
66 Kite Club (R66KC)
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Kite Club Phoenix, AZ
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Table Of Contents
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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
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Please Help
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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. The first annual R66KC meeting was
held to review several issues and especially National Kite Month (NKM) events.
(See the Latest Fly Reports section to see the results
from this meeting.) As it turns out, we have several events coming up
in March, but nothing really scheduled for NKM March 31st through
May 6th. So lets get our heads together and get at least a couple of
event scheduled. Preferably with another, larger, corporate springtime event.
If nothing else we should hold a couple of our own. Perhaps one at Plateau Park
and another at the newly recommended Honeywell locations. (Preferably with BBQs
and Beer Permits.)
Special note should be taken of the Second Annual Sister Club Fly in San
Diego on May 5th. This is getting to be bigger and better than ever
with big time support from our Region 12 Director Glen Rothstein. Glen is also
pushing attendance by the Southern California Sport Kite League (SCSKL). So
this should be a grand event that you will not want to miss. For more info see:
Future
& Annual Events
And as for keeping up with all of these scheduled events, Doc has located
and setup a new online calendar of events for the club which can be found at: Calendar Of Events. This new Calendar has a new prominent place in
the intro/index part of this news letter, and will be added to the Web Site as
a link in the near future. So take a minute and review the features of this new
reference that Doc set up for the club.
That’s it for now. There is so much in the news letter this month I
thought I’d keep it short. So I will be looking forward to seeing you all, out
at these fantastic, upcoming events.
Keep’em Fly’n
Gadget Man Manson
AKA News Or
Directors Editorial
From
The Prez – David Gomberg
I have three items of interest for all you active kiters.
#1 - Thanks for your
fantastic support of our online raffles. Money is tight for the Association right
now and the response to this new program has been amazing! Tonight we added
May's prize to the web site -- a set of eight Windfeather Banners that form a
huge American Flag. This is a thousand dollar value and will be an incredible
addition to your ground display. The buggy package and flock of flying
flamingos are still available too so log in and buy some tickets. Just follow
the link to the Great Kite Raffle.
#2 - National Kite Month is right around the corner and we have a ton of
prizes for the people who help make it a success. For every member you recruit
during the month, you earn a chance at a kite made by National Champions Glen
and Tanna Haynes. There are also awards for the clubs with the most events.
You'll be seeing a full report next week, but start recruiting members now and
be sure to mark NKM on the registration form.
#3 - And speaking of membership, don't forget that we are running the
"I Got Three" program this year. Recruit three new members and earn a
special limited edition pin. Recruit them for Kite Month and qualify for prizes
there too! AKA needs your support and we are willing to reward your efforts!
That's all for now except for one very important thing -- be sure to have
fun out there!
David Gomberg
President
From The Region 12 Director
Hello Region 12!
Kiting in our region started with a few pebbles at the beginning of the
year and is now snowballing into March as an action-packed kite month...and
National Kite Month does not start until April!
3/3 & 3/4
Grace Rueker & the whole gang from the "Fantasy Faire" in
Perris have extended an open invitation to all kiters who want to share in the
"Go Fly a Kite" Festival @ the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. Good breezes, wide open spaces, & kite
making for kids is just some of what they have to offer. They heard about the AKA & would like us
to help them out. They have someone
that's providing easy kites for the kiddies & I told them I would put the
word out & get some of us out there.
If all goes well, I'm hoping to share what we love with them. They have never see modern kiting & I am
hoping you'll join me. They have a PA
system so I thought we could get a nice single line display, Precision & Ballet Demos, AND if I can
convince the one's who show up, a friendly little "Hot Tricks"
competition.
Perris is in Riverside County. Take any freeway you can to I-215 &
exit @ Ramona. Head east to Lake Perris
Drive. The fairgrounds have much to offer including free overnight RV parking,
crafts, moonbounce, a speedway, & OTB for you OTB'ers. Kindly RSVP to me so I can let them know
who's gonna show. If you need more
info, contact me directly or Grace @ 909-443-2845. Let's have some fun!
3/11
Sunday the 11th is the 26th Annual Festival of the Kite in Redondo
Beach. free kites for the kids, single
line prizes & sport kite demos are on tap.
Tom & Ani Fine have worked very hard with the city to make this
event better & better each year.
3/18
Rakesh has done it! The Santa
Barbara Kite Festival is on. Local
sponsors have made the commitments necessary to keep this one alive. Shoreline
Park is a few minutes North of the pier.
The action starts around 11. If
you get there early, parking is good & so is the light wind flying.
3/24 & 3/25
The 2nd Annual "Anthem Days" Festival will take place @ the Del
Webb Anthem Community just North of Phoenix.
The Arizona Free Flyers, Route 66 Kite Club & this Regional Director
are going to party like it's 2001! For more info, check out the following: www.delphi.com/arff
That's it for now. I thought
you'd want to know.
Keep Flying!!!
Best Wishes & Winds,
Glen E. Rothstein
Region 12 Director - American Kitefliers Association -
Come Fly With Us! www.aka.kite.org
Vice President, Southern California Sport Kite League -
Kite Flying hits new heights on the West Coast!...Check it out below:
http://community.webtv.net/OpusFader/VenturaCountyKite
New AKA Rules
Hi, Kite Clubs!
I have several important pieces of important news for you.
First, the AKA Board in January decided to discontinue the club
affiliation fee--we will no longer be charging for club affiliation.
That's right! Your club can belong to the AKA for free! As long as
you continue to have five or more AKA members, your group can remain an
affiliate at no cost.
Club's wishing "sanctioning", (and insurance), for their club
flys will be asked to pay the regular $50 sanctioning fee. However, this
will be a one-time annual fee for all regularly scheduled club flys, rather
than the per event charge for organized festivals.
Furthermore, those clubs which are currently "paid" affiliates
can continue to sanction their club flys at no charge until their
"paid" affiliation expires. Contact me for your paid
affiliation expiration date.
So the bottom line is that clubs are getting a good deal.
Affiliation is free, you pay one sanctioning fee no matter how many events you
have, and if you have already paid, you get sanctioning at a reduced rate.
Second news: National Kite Month is offering some cool prizes to
kite clubs. Here is the word, from NKM coordinator Phil Broder:
BIG PRIZES! TONS OF FUN! And all you have to do is fly
kites! Is that a bargain, or what? Yes, it's almost National Kite
Month again, and we need all the AKA's affiliated clubs to get involved.
NKM runs from March 31 to May 7, so there are five weekends for you to
fly. And we're prepared to make it worth your while.
The club that hosts the most NKM events wins a brand new Felix Cartegena
bubble machine! This is one of the big ones that mounts on a tripod,
(which is included), and blows bubbles all over the place. Wouldn't that
look cool at your next fun fly?
The club that recruits the most new AKA members during NKM wins a Ron
Gibian feather and a Scott Hampton ground piece. That's some good-looking
colorful stuff to let your club members know where to meet.
OK, now the details. First, anything can be a National Kite Month
event. Your regularly scheduled monthly fly. A huge festival.
A classroom demonstration for second graders. A display of kites in a
shopping mall. We'll take anything, with a goal of 175 total
events. All you have to do is go the the National Kite Month website,
accessible through HYPERLINK http://www.aka.kite.org
and click on the Register an Event button. It's free and takes about a
minute. (Note: this is not AKA sanctioning--there is no liability
insurance involved. Registered events will receive publicity and
organizational support.) Make sure you enter your club's name in the
Sponsor line.
As for new members, we want to recruit 150 of them. We'll be
sending out membership forms with "NKM" written on the corner, but
you can do the same with any form you already have. Make sure your club
is listed as the referral. For those registering on-line, make sure your
club's name and "NKM" are in the data submitted.
We'll tally up the results in May, and send out prizes as the summer
flying season begins. If you have questions, please contact NKM
coordinator Phil Broder at (319) 753-3436 or twelveswinds@hotmail.com
OK, clubs, there you have it. Time to start planning your NKM
schedule of events! And please contact me if you have any questions,
comments, or changes in your club information. (New officers, e-mail
addresses, etc.) You can reach me at clubs@aka.kite.org or by phone at (405) 372-6127.
Good winds,
Richard Dermer
Upcoming Flying Events
Note: All flying events will be from
12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
03/11/01
Sunday – Club Fly At Riverview:
(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 |
03/17/2001 Saturday – Club Supported Fountain Hills St. Patricks Day Fun
Fly
This is a club-supported
event and not quite a NKM event, but close enough. 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 that 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 – 9th Annual Spring Kite Fiesta In Tucson
(March looks to be a busy month for Arizona Kite flyers! Also not quite a
NKM event.)
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
03/24/2001 Saturday – Club Supported Anthem Fun Fly -
This too is a club-supported
event and again not quite a NKM event. 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
03/31/2001 Saturday – National Kite Month (NKM) Kicks Off
Nothing planned on this date as
yet.
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
Special Welcome
To Canadian Experts Fly At Riverview 02/10/01 – Report
Let’s all have a big welcome for Ardith and Charlie Quanbury From Canada!
Observations From Doc
Hey Tom, Sorry Ryan
and I missed you at the Riverview fly. Charlie and Ardith are 2 very nice people
and we enjoyed getting to know them a
little. I noticed they had lots of kites setup but I don't think I ever saw
them fly one of them. I guess I was too busy flying to notice. Anyway they
would make a great addition to our group.
DOC
A Note From the Quanburys
Hi Thomas
I'm sorry that we
missed you also . Here was what happened. We were talking to the locals at the
hotel about where to gamble and every one said go to Laughlin, which we did. We
went up there on Thursday morning and were having such a good time that we
decided to stay until Sat. morning. When I got there I realized, I did not
bring your phone numbers with me so we did not get a chance to call you.
We did leave Laughlin
very early Sat morning in time to get back for your arranged fly. Thank you
very much for arranging that . It was great to meet and talk with several of
your members. We had a great time talking with every one. Ardith spent most of
her time trying to get all her equipment set up properly again after her Hong
Kong trip. It's a lot easier to do it in a warm climate than in the snow here.
She did get her kites
up for a while and I can't remember which one of her group took some pictures
of her flying. Your flying field was a lot smaller than we are use to so it was
difficult to put too many kites up . We fly on 140 ft. of line which is much
longer than your group seem to be use to . We normally fly on a double size
soccer field. It is Canada we have lots of space and not many people.
All in all it was
great fun and thanks very much again for all your help . I hope some day we can
repay the favor if you are ever up here in Canada.
We will stay in touch
Thanks again
Charlie and Ardith
Fly Report From Al-Habib
I shot out to Riverview and arrived at about 11am. The winds were about 3
to 7 mph. Gotta love springtime in
Arizona. I hauled the kites out and set
up the Ozone and grabbed the Vapor to cover my bets. Upon unpacking the Vapor, I found that I was missing the upper
spreader. Back in the bag and remember
to order a replacement from Dan on Monday. I futzed around with the Ozone and
was trying to improve my ground work and launching skills when I noticed
that my Ozone had sprouted another part.
Somehow, I managed to snap the lower-right spreader in half. As I looked down at my second
out-of-commission low wind kite in less than 30 minutes, I decided that the
Fates wanted me to Fly single line kites.
I unpacked the Sutton and a Triad and launched them into the sky. Much better. The Wind started to pick up a bit and things were looking good
for a single line kinda day. I was
putzing around and taking pictures when I got some company.
Our out of town visitors showed up and Ardith and Charlie walked out to
say "hello". After a brief round of lip flapping, they started to
unpack. A passerby then came over to
ask about the kite flying, having been draw into the web by the Sutton and its
line laundry. Charlie gave her a copy
of the club newsletter and we answered some of her questions. Hugh then added to the number of flyers on
the field.
Then another guest showed up. A
teenage girl named (if memory serves me correctly - I'm horrible with names)
Rebecca showed up. Rebecca had a sled
type 2-line kite that she had received as a gift. One quick look told me that is was a hurricane kite and wasn't
going to cut the mustard in Arizona. A quick call around the growing fly field
revealed that not a single beetle was to be found. I grabbed a Macro-ion and set it up for Rebecca to play
with. As I was walking Rebecca through
the basics of stunt kite flying, Ardith came over to give expert
instruction. I left Rebecca in talented
hands and went over to chat with Doc and Flyin' Ryan who had arrived to add to
the growing crowd.
The Schermanator arrived to round out the roster of club members and soon
the field was covered with kites and kite lines. I unpacked the I2K and Rebecca was given a second kite to play
with. As the day drifted by, other
flyers showed up in the adjacent fields and their colors to the sky. The winds started to get too fickle for
single line kites, although it would tease us as the afternoon wore on.
Ardith and Charlie focused on unpacking their equipment and performing
mid winter maintenance. The lack of
cold white stuff on the ground provided a chance to untangle line sets and set
up for a demonstration. Conversations
with Charlie revealed that there was a lack of production kites in their
bags. Almost everything they fly is
made by a fellow club member.
Ardith performed a short demonstration of her ability to fly 2 dual line
kites at one time. The Arizona winds
hampered her attempts to dial in the kite set, but it was still an impressive
display of skill.
Rocky Point Howard showed up to round out the list of R66KC club members
on the field that day. By this time,
the Arizona winds were mellowing out and Rebecca was having some problems
keeping a wing in the air. Expressing
my
faith in Prisms claims that the I2K would shrug off damage, I switched
Rebecca over to the I2K and let her play with that. Prism's product survived the "lawn darts" that Rebecca
applied to it without any trauma.
Group photo time came
around and everybody, Rebecca included, lined up for the obligatory pictures.
The failing wind and late hour prompted everybody to start packing things
up and heading off our separate ways.
It was a good day to fly. We had
lotsa' people and some different faces in the park.
Al-Habib, The Tent Maker
AKA Jonathan Delmar
Update From Victor (AKA Hugh)
I kind of was a
"no show" in Jonathan's fly report, but I really was there full time
as the photo included shows (note the guy sporting the black Route 66 Flagstaff
shirt - someone forgot to tell him to open his eyes..<g>). I showed up after Charlie and Ardith but
before Chris Scherman. I put out an old
Spin Off for Rebecca to fly as well when the wind was picking up. Charlie,
Ardith and I had some great conversations - I went home with Charlie's left
over beers (he could not take them on the plane), no other takers on the beer
(I am such a lush). It was a good fly
with good wind too. A medieval
(spelling) group set up across the road and were doing the "thump, boom,
crash" with fight simulation while we were doing "flight simulation". One of the medieval group came over to eye
the Rok I was flying with the idea of making a flying banner for their group
gatherings - an interesting concept.
Ardith asked me "You compete in kite fly's don't you?" - what a
compliment! Give me a sky without any horizon and somehow I can still manage to
hit the ground <G>. A great time
was had by all that showed up myself included - sorry you could not make it
there.
Route 66 Member Hugh
Club Fly At
The Plateau Park – 02/25/01 – Sunday Report
This turned out to be a great
event with about 16 people in attendance. Dennis “Doc” Hardy suggesting that we
make this a formal meeting to review the National Kite Month NKM activities and
Doc went overboard with the setting up of a extra large grill for burgers and
dogs, and getting a beer permit for the park. This made the event fantastic and
everyone had a blast socializing, flying, eating and drinking in the park. The
wind would stop from time to time, and made the single liners scramble for
their kites, but the stunt kites kept the park a buzz with kiting activities.
Several new kites made the scene including the Schermanator’s Rev. Numerous
passers by stopped and watched the show.
After the fun, food, and drinks,
just prior to everyone’s departure, the meeting was called with the following
agenda:
1. New shirt orders so we all match at the National
Kite Month (NKM) events.
2. Support of already planned NKM events.
3. Planning ideas and efforts regarding our own NKM
event.
4. New rules handed down by AKA regarding club
membership dues and event coverage.
5. Charity ideas for the club.
6. Support of the Sister club fly in San Diego.
7. Any new ideas for the club and it's direction.
Results:
1. As for the shirts, several previous orders were confirmed,
and a couple of new ones submitted. This will be pursued in the next few weeks.
The color was discussed and agreed that we all want the same colors to match at
events. The gray color was approved once again due to the heat of the summer.
2. Support of the exiting NKM, (or near NKM events),
such as the Fountain Hills Fly, and the Anthem Park Fly, was reviewed. Sense
our offers for setup support have not been accepted, we will simply come and
fly at the event. As for the dinner after the Anthem Fun Fly, it was determined
that $30/person was way too extravagant for the rest of the group. The Tucson
group is looking for a new dinner site after the event, and depending on the
per head cost, the club agreed to attend and support there efforts. On the
other hand, it was also agreed that if the price was once again exorbitant, we
will search out a place of our own and hold a dinner ourselves.
3. Planning ideas and effort for our own NKM event
were also discussed. We are still looking for a big springtime event that we
can join and support. In lieu of this though, we will once again setup a
Plateau Park Fun Fly like last year, and pursue the BBQ and beer permit to jazz
up the event. A second location was discussed near the Honeywell plant which
will be looked into due to it being privately owned. It was agreed though, that
a larger springtime event would be the best for the NKM events.
4. The new rules handed down by the AKA regarding
club membership dues and event coverage was discussed and it was decided that
instead of submitting the now, not required, $25 for association dues, we would
follow up with the all event insurance coverage of $50. Based on the
approximate membership, the $5/person dues would be continued, and the annual
all event insurance would be purchased instead. It was also agreed to that with
any remaining funds, a Beetle would be purchased and given to a worthy
individual chosen by the club, perhaps at the Club’s sponsored NKM event,
(Plateau Park at present.) Several cheap $2 kites will be purchased out of
pocket for kid giveaways at our NKM event.
5. Charity ideas were discussed and it was
determined that raffles and other resale ideas would not be worth the effort
with regards to the small amount of monies raised. The Sunshine Acres (SSA)
Children’s Home for abused and abandoned kids was generally accepted as the
charity of choice for the club. And the sole idea that was supported was
charitable contributions by any large event that the club would support. An
initial appearance would be supported with no contributions, but for future
events a request would be made to have a donation made to the SSA home on the
club’s behalf for us supporting an event.
6. The support of the Sister Club event in San Diego
was discussed and it was revealed that the Region 12 Director, and the only
other sanctioned AKA club, the San Diego Kite Club, are pursuing this event.
The Region 12 Director, Glen Rothstein, also has contacts with the Southern
California Sports Kite League (SCSKL) and is pursuing having them attend as
well. So this should be a great event and will only get bigger and better every
year. Our participation is being encouraged so that we would have a good
turnout for this event. Several people discussed it and are looking into
attending this year.
7. Any new ideas or directions for the club were
solicited, and no alterations in the club were forth coming. A quick review of
how Billy Mad Dog Dines became the director, and the charter of the club to not
have any politics, nor meetings, was once again agreed to and approved. The
desire to not have any formal meeting unless absolutely necessary was heartily
agreed to as well. It was agreed that an annual meeting prior to NKM would be
the norm for the club.
An thusly the first annual Route 66 Kite Club was ended. Hail to the
chief!!!
(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
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 –Second Annual Sister Club Fly In San Diego
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 Fly 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.
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.
We still need
ideas for this Charity Event!
Any thoughts
anyone?
- - - Next Year - - -
01/01/2001 Tuesday - New Years Day Fun Fly (For
those of us that can function that is.)
Note: Any ideas for events, please
contact the Gadget Man at: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Other News
Something
to ponder ........
We usually only publish things to do with kiting, but this came to me by
way of the mighty Schermanator, and it was a real eye opener. And definitely
worth sharing. (The wow notes were mine, as well as the Kiter guess.)
If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100
people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would look
something like the following. There would be:
57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south
8 Africans
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be nonwhite
30 would be white
70 would be non-Christian (not the same 70)
30 would be Christian (not the same 30)
89 would be heterosexual
11 would be homosexual
6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth.
All 6 would be from the United States.
80 would live in substandard housing (wow!)
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition (wow again)
1 would be near death; 1 would be near birth
1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education
1 would own a computer
(1 kite flyer?)
When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the need
for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly apparent.
Food for thought eh folks?
Rocky Point Howard’s Rocky Point Update
Wish I could join you
guys but we will be in Mexico from Feb. 19 thru Feb. 26. A representative with
Groupo Fonatour (Mexican Tourist Agency) would love to meet with us to discuss
kite activity in Rocky Point. We can meet a few people to discuss kiting, check
out some condos for a club meet and do some flying on the beach as well. If we
don't do this soon, we'll never make kiting in R/P happen. Let me know via
e-mail before we leave on Monday so I can arrange meetings accordingly.
We'll have to talk
when I get back. The folks here are
really excited about a kite shindig and I'd really like to follow up.
Regards,
Rocky
The
Famous Ray Bethell Of Three Kites At A Time Fame
This wonder of kiting,
of whom we have published articles on, and has become even more famous by
setting a new world record by simultaneously flying three stacks of 7 kites
each, a total of 21 Prism Fanatics", has a great new web site. So take
some time and check it out. You might just be amazed.
http://www.raybethell.com/
A New Park In Fountain Hills AKA Helicopter Park
After we inspected the Fountain construction, we headed over to the big
grassy park located across the street from the "Red Rock" gas station
on "Desert View Rd".
This park should not be overlooked if you are in need of a "Fountain
Fix". Easy to find as it's located next to the road on your way to the
Fountain. Just look for the "Alamo" and the huge flag flying at the
"mini storage" building, the park is right in it's shadow, and you
can still see the Fountain when it goes off.
The wind and sun refreshed us as we flew all afternoon at this nice
field. Chris flew his Rev, and spanked his Illusion while I watched in envy
from the sidelines, cuz my Illusion was broke (upper leading edge). I played
with my TrickTail till the sun started
to set.
A great day flying....thanks Chris!
Hopefully there will be a map of the New Flying area out at the Fountain
Park in Fountain Hills. Just look for the "Red Rock" gas station, the
park is right across the street. Don't know the "official" park name,
but for our purposes lets just call it....."Helicopter Park".
-Dave
A New
Kite Enthusiasts Web Resource
Dear Kite Flyer:
This email is to let you know about a tremendous new resource that is
available to all kite enthusiasts, www.KTAI.ShowVantage.com
This Internet portal and marketplace has been developed by the Kite Trade
Association Intl. (KTAI) and ShowVantage. It offers you, the kite flyer, up to
date news, festivals and events information, a message board as well as
information on how to find kite clubs in your area. You also will find many
kite suppliers have developed websites within the marketplace. These websites
feature the participating manufacturers latest products along with contact
information to the retailers carrying these products.
The KTAI marketplace
officially launched on February 1 and has quickly grown to become the largest
kite portal on the Internet. Feel free to post your events or any messages and
let us know if there is anything else we can offer to make this your home on
the Internet!
Thanks for visiting www.KTAI.ShowVantage.com
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
Old Roman the Fly Hawaiian
has been swamped with work and will not be able to provide us with one of his
insightful Leading Edge articles full of tips and tricks of the trade. Look for
one of his perceptive articles to appear in the next issue of the “Kite
Flyer”.
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.
Prism:
The Prism I2K SUL is still not out. Prism has had some delays in the testing
process and isn't quite sure when the I2K SUL will ship. This is not quite what I was lead to believe
when I ordered the kite in early January.
As a peace offering, I did get to buy 2 of the 20 foot tall Prism demo
banners at a very reduced price. Too
cool. When will the I2K SUL ship? I dunno'.
All I know is that I have the first production kite that comes out.
Prism has evidently, as per Dan W., raised the
price of their spare parts in the new year.
All I can say is ouch. When I
looked up the cost of a new lower spreader for my Ozone, I nearly fainted.
$25+ I bought a spar and made it
myself. Cost me about $10.00 plus 5 minutes
of my time.
I still love my Prism kites, but I'm wondering
what direction they are going in. Guess
we'll all have to wait and see.
Project
Sky Surfer.
Nothing new to report. The sewing machine is still not working right. In addition, my cat swallowed a piece of
sail maker thread and it got tangled up inside. I had to have the cat operated on to save it. So, in order to cover the unexpected
$1000.00 hit, I'm working a bunch of overtime leaving me a minimal amount of
time to work on projects. So for those of you waiting for something specific,
like Gadget Man and his over sized single line bag, you’ll just have to hang in
there.
Al-Habib,
The Tent Maker
AKA
Jonathan Delmar
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.
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.
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!