Kite Flyer

May 2001 Issue

Route 66 Kite Club (R66KC)

Kite Club

Phoenix, AZ

Or go to: www.tmsquared.com/R66KC.htm (Please note that R66KC is in capital letters.)

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.)

Hot Buttons	Descriptions
Editor’s Note	Quick Thoughts From The Editor National Kite Month (NKM) Events On High Sister Club Event In Two Weeks NEW Rocky Pont Event In The Fall
AKA News Or Director’s Editorial	Letter From The Director And/Or AKA News Notes From The AKA Pres NKM A Shinning Success
Upcoming Flying Events	This Months Flying Schedule 05/06/01 Sunday – Fly At Riverview 05/12/01 Saturday – Sister Club Fly In San Diego 05/20/2001 Sunday – Fly At Riverview 05/26/2001 Saturday – Sprinverville Windfest 2001
Latest Fly Reports	What Happened On Last Months Flys
Future & Annual Events	Long Term Dates And Plans
Other News	Other Items Of Interest Gone With The Wind Has A New Look
New Questions	Questions To The Club
The Leading Edge	Flying Tips From The Fly’n Hawaiian Controlling The Speed
Kite Building And Repair Tips	Tips And Tricks To Building Or Repairing Kites Rokkaku Building Web Site
Flick Flacks	Fun Kite Stuff
Used Kites For Sale And Lost Stuff Listing	Lost Puppies And Things For Sale
Disclaimer	Cover My Ass Legal Ease
Copyright Non-Restrictions	Please Help Yourselves

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Calendar Of Events

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Charter

Membership Requirements

Past News Letters

Photos Of Events

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Kite Field Recommendations

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Kite Basics And Safety

Editor’s Notes

Hey Kiters,

Well it looks as thought the National Kite Month (NKM) was a stunning success. Events all over the country were better than ever before, and we had several events here in the Phoenix Metropolitan area that supported these endeavors. Our big event, the Second Annual Plateau Park Beer / Barbecue / Fun Fly was rather a fair success in spite of some poor planning on the local counter parts the Arizona Free Flyers (ArFF) group who held an event on the same day instead of supporting our event.

Well with several R66KC members in attendance, and a poor wind problem, we still were able to entertain a large crowd of spectators. Numerous people showed up with there own kites as well and joined us in the attempts to keep them in the sky. In the down times, Remote Control (RC) cars and Sky Surfers were the entertainment of the day. The Sky Surfers, (in essence a RC kite with a make your own wind propeller), was the winner of the day with three floating overhead on numerous occasions to the delight of the spectators. Several new people joined in for the extra hot dogs and hamburgers that were available, and even a few extra beers and sodas were shared with some of our new acquaintances.

Several Boeing employees and their families (friends of the indomitable Gadget Man) came to enjoy the fun as well. The McMullan Family being one of them, brought a full size male poodle named Louie, who had a blast to the amusement of the attendees, chasing one of the high speed RC trucks around the field. Finally, when the dog was drained the truck turned face and chased the poodle who then attacked the car. To the dogs amazement, the truck bit back when his free leash caught on the car and Louie the Poodle did not know how to free himself from this terror. Thanks to the quick thinking Mad Dog Dines, (the R66KC Director and at one time, dog show champion), snatched the unrestrained dog and removed the car before the poor dog became too frantic. After that though, poor Louie just eyeballed the RC vehicles with concern having learned that they do in fact bite back, and would chased them no more. (By the way, the RC truck survived with only a few scrapes.)

As for the kites, the Pro-Wrens were a great success when the wind wasn’t too high. And on those times the single liners, including the new 20ft Delta Raptor leapt to the sky. Alas though, not for long. And out came the RC toys once again.

Well On To The Future........

This is a reminder For The

BIG Second Annual

Sister Club Fly In San Diego

05/12/2001 - Saturday

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.

Most of us will be making the six (6) hour drive Friday afternoon/evening to the “Beach Cottages” and then returning on Sunday. Saturday we will be joining the San Diego Kite Club (SDKC), (http://www.sdkc.net), at their Mission Bay Park for a Sister club fly which will include a pot luck hosted by them (bring chips, salsa, soda, etc. to chip {ha ha} in). This event will also include their annual honoring of those that have passed event.

Once you think that you have had too much fun, the Route 66 Kite Club will host a night fly on the beach Saturday evening. This will be kicked off by a large flaming barbecue, starting at 6:00pm with some snacks being provided. This will be a, bring your own beer and steaks event and again the Route 66 Kite Club would like to remind you to drink responsibly.

Others that may possibly be in attendance will be the AKA Region 12 Director Glen Rothstein as well as the Southern California Sport Kite League (SCSKL) URL: www.scskl.com, so come and join the fun and make this the grandest Sister Club Event EVER!

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 style rooms and up to $250/night for a two-bedroom cottage. Jane and the Gadget Man have a one-bedroom cottage that we all can congregate for the barbecue that is right on the beach. This make for a great starting point for the night fly as well. So our recommendation is the cheaper hotel style rooms. Everyone should get their reservations in early because this is a popular place. And we hope to see you all there!

Note: The San Diego Kite Club, (our hosts) have asked for a head count, so please contact Gadget Man Manson at thomas.manson@arz.boeing.com as soon as is possible to let him know you are coming. This will be passed along to the San Diego Kite Club. Thanks.

Special Note From The San Diego Kite Club

Well, everything is all set for your arrival in May, can you give us an idea of how many there will be, we will be doing a lunch and would like to have an approximate idea.

Also, so that you know the May meeting is our annual meeting where we honor those that have passed. As you know Virgil Dalton passed away a few weeks ago, he was the kindly gentlemen that made the wind socks for years at the club. Larry Mixon would be one of the others.

Look forward to meeting you

Neil

New Rocky Point Kite Festival – October 12^th Through The 14th

We have a new event on our calendar for the Fall. The NEW Rocky Point Kite Festival spawned by Rocky Point Howard and his lovely wife Maddy. Rocky has really out done himself with all kinds of information on this event. The information that he has provided would be usefull any time you might want to go to Rocky Point so take some time and give it a read. And PLEASE note this event on your calendars and for more information on this Fall’s event see: Future & Annual Events

So in closing, I hope that you all can make the weekend event in San Diego for the Second Annual Sister Club Fly, and enjoy some really great Sea Side breezes. If you have only flown Arizona winds, you have got to try the great winds of San Diego.

Keep’em Fly’n

Gadget Man Manson

(Return To Table Of Contents)

AKA News Or

Directors Editorial

Notes From The President

Hello Fellow AKA Members!

Here are a few pieces of news that can't wait for the next Kiting...

***

RAFFLE WINNER! Congratulations to Martin Smith who bought five tickets for the March raffle and won himself a $3000 buggy and 3-kite package from Active People.

Our newest prize was loaded into the web site last night. Register to win two big 252 square foot Sutton Flowforms! What a great package for a $5 ticket!!

Next week we draw the winner for the April prize -- flock of ten Joel Sholz Flamingos. The deadline for buying tickets is April 23. Call the office at 800-252-2550 or purchase online at www.AKA.kite.org. We'll draw the winner at the Galveston Festival at the end of the month.

Other prizes currently online include a set of eight great feather banners from Get in the Wind and two 24 stacks of Dyna Kites!! Later this summer, watch for a giant Martin Lester Top Half and a set of the Kevin Shannon Rokkakus featured in the Neiman Marcus catalog for $2000.

Thank you Al Sparling, Kevin Shannon, Rob Cembalest, Chuck Sigal and all of the great prize donors for making this project work. And thanks to all of you buying tickets! You help the AKA and may be the next big winner.

***

NATIONAL KITE MONTH SOARING! Anyone who questions the vitality of kiting or our Association only needs to look at National Kite Month for an answer. At the moment, halfway through NKM, there are more than 380 events on the calendar! After struggling to break the 150 mark in each of its first two years, we set a goal of 175 events this year. Little did we know….

Each event is an opportunity to reach new converts. The Smithsonian Kite Festival received TV coverage on ABC’s World News Tonight and was picked up in 60 other large media markets. The Associated Press will be covering the Little Acorns Festival in Miami for a national wire story. Newspapers across the country, from the New York Post to the Burlington (Iowa) Hawkeye have run stories about NKM and kiteflying. An article about kitesurfing appeared in Newsweek.

The AKA affiliated club that sponsored the most events (27), thereby winning a very cool Felix Cartagena bubble machine, is the Rogue Valley Windchasers of Oregon. They're doing kite flys in conjunction with beach cleanups and kite displays at places all over southwest Oregon. In second place (14 events) is the Richmond Air Force. More than 40 kite clubs are hosting events, including several new clubs. Great job everyone!!

And all of you seem to be having fun! Here’s one example -- At the WACKOS 3rd Annual NKM Fun Fly near Charlotte, NC, the owner of the first kite down in the rok battle had to wear a hat with my name on it...

The contest between AKA Regional Directors to see which region has the most events was won by Steve Santos of New England. His members have 59 kite activities on the official schedule. Last year’s runner up, Al Sparling of the MidWest is again in second place with 55 events.

There are kite events planned in 44 states and 7 foreign countries. Three individuals have each organized more than 10 events. Well done to coordinator Phil Broder and steering committee members Lolly Hadzicki and Sharon Musto! Thanks to Jim Miller for his extra efforts keeping press releases flowing. Thanks to Susie Edison for sending membership materials to all the events. And thanks to all of you for exceeding all of our wildest expectations!

National Kite Month is a joint project of the AKA and the KTAI. Check out the entire calendar on the NKM web page link at www.AKA.kite.org.

David Gomberg

President

National Kite Month A Shining Success

We've passed the halfway mark! A couple of NKM updates....

There are 381 events registered for NKM. Considering our goal was 175, all we can say is WOW! You event organizers are great.

58 of those events are in AKA Region 1 (New England), so Regional Director Steve Santos wins a bunch of prizes donated by Jose Sainz, Marc Ricketts, Craig Wilson, Scott Skinner, and Charlie Sotich.

27 events are sponsored by the Rogue Valley Wind Chasers club in Oregon, so they win a Felix Cartagena bubble machine.

There are more prizes for the club that recruits the most new AKA members. Also, everybody who enlists a new member will be entered in a drawing for a 9-cell AKA logo kite by Glen and Tanna Haynes.

Finally, very few people have returned their event evaluation forms. Please, we need those back! If you lost the form and need another, let me know and I'll dash one of to you. But if you don't let us know what worked and what didn't, we can't make improvements for the future.

Keep flying, and thanks for your help.

Phil Broder, NKM Coordinator

(Return To Table Of Contents)

Upcoming Flying Events

Note: All flying events will be from 12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.

05/06/01 Sunday – 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.

Rating:	Good	Restrooms:	South Side
Kiters That Can Fly:	30	Drinking Fountains:	South Side
Non-Kiter Visibility:	Medium	Park Benches:	No
Distance To Amenities:	3 Miles	Shade Available:	Lots

This is a reminder For The

BIG Second Annual

Sister Club Fly In San Diego

05/12/2001 - Saturday

Others that may possibly be in attendance will be the AKA Region 12 Director Glen Rothstein as well as the Southern California Stunt Kite Association. So come and make this the grandest Sister Club Event EVER!

05/20/2001 Sunday – 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.

Rating:	Good	Restrooms:	South Side
Kiters That Can Fly:	30	Drinking Fountains:	South Side
Non-Kiter Visibility:	Medium	Park Benches:	No
Distance To Amenities:	3 Miles	Shade Available:	Lots

05/26/2001 Saturday – Sprinverville Windfest 2001:

Roman has found something in the Eastern Part of our State. So if you are in the area, you might want to take a detour for this new event. If so, please give us a fly report so we all can know what is available for next year.

SPRINGERVILLE: Windfest 2001 & Kite Festival - Municipal Airport, festival and trade show featuring wind uses, kite competition, vendor booths, wind usage demonstrations, free, 10 am - 3 pm, 520-333-2123 or

www.az-tourist.com/eventcal01.htm or http://www.azcentral.com.

I wonder what kind of kite competition they're having up there?

Rome

The Fly’n Hawaiian

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.

(Return To Table Of Contents)

Latest Fly Reports

National Kite Month (NKM) Events

04/01/01 Sunday – April Fools Day Fly At Riverview Report

Even though the official thermometer said 88 degrees, it somehow felt like 95 yesterday afternoon. Thanks to the "Goofy" hats though, the coming summer temps were abated with a little Goofy Hat Shade. Summer has indeed been seen, climbing over the back fence!

Riverview Park was quiet and serene, with picnickers quietly enjoying themselves in selected trees offerings of shade. The "historic" Riverview Kite Tree, is now one branch shy. The "Broken" arm of welcomed shade has now been removed, leaving a gaping hole for the summer sun to tan the hapless kite flyer who camps under it. Hopefully it will grow back and fill in with leaves during the coming summer.

The winds were nice and cooling though, seems that even if it's 110 degrees out, if there is wind, it's not bad at all. Thanks go out to everybody who made the trip out!

I flew my new T-n-T Competition exclusively, as a matter of fact, couldn't put it down!. This kite is quickly replacing my "Illusion" as the first kite outta' the bag. I flew on 75lb. 75 foot length lines to much personal enjoyment and notice from shady picnickers alike. I love this new kite, and it's light wind abilities are very good as I found out by flying it all day Saturday at the Anthem (the first time I ever flew it). Fly's great right down to +-3mph!

Anyway, thanks for coming out!

-Dave From ArFF

04/07/2001 Saturday – First Annual Jim Jennings Park Fun Fly Report

No Fly Report Avalable.

04/15/2001 Sunday – Easter Ascension Tradition Report

I hope that everyone had a chance to get a kite in the air for the Easter Ascension Tradition. Keep the faith baby.

04/22/2001 Saturday – Club Sponsored

Second Annual Plateau Park Fun Fly Report

This Is The Route 66 Kite Club’s Big (NKM) Event

Repeated From The Editors Note Section With Additional Comments

* * * * * * Additional Comments * * * * * *

The Arizona Free Flyers (ArFF) group, it appears, purposefully scheduled an event at the same time instead of supporting our main event of the year. Granted there has been some bad blood and/or legacy politics that has been used as an excuse by the ArFF group to not attend the R66KC events in the past, event though we have always supported their events. This is the first time that they have scheduled an event at the same time in an attempt to draw attendants away. A lack luster move at best and not a glowing moment on their parts. In-spite of this we had just under ten R66KC members in attendance or just under a third of the total membership. Unfortunately their spite has gone even further with the removal of all R66KC events from their schedules as well as our web site links. Their efforts have even gone as far as banning all postings from R66KC and it’s members on their bulletin board. So it seems that the Free in “Arizona Free Flyers” applies only when you are in full agreement with their agenda. (Whatever that may be.) It also appears that the bad blood from over a year ago has not washed under the bridge as we had worked so hard on for this past year, and the petty games will be continuing. It’s just too bad that bygones cannot be bygones and we cannot all get along and just fly kites.

On the lighter side, the R66KC will not stoop to these types of tactics and we will continue in our normal vein by supporting ALL Kiting events in Arizona, including the ArFF events. So in keeping with the positive upbeat attitude the Route 66 Kite Club has always shown, we will continue to promote kiting through the American Kiters Association (AKA) and it’s ideals, through membership there in, and in the full attempts to keep this club simple so that bad politics such as these do not corrupt this club once again. (In other words, let’s just Keep’em Fly’n!!!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Well on with the report....

Kite Flyer

Route 66 Kite Club (R66KC)

Phoenix, AZ

Table Of Contents

Descriptions

This is a reminder For The

Sister Club Fly In San Diego

AKA News Or

Directors Editorial

Upcoming Flying Events

This is a reminder For The

Sister Club Fly In San Diego

Latest Fly Reports