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 kin