Kite
Flyer
July 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 Thoughts From Leonardo
DiVinci Remember, Saftey FIRST |
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Letter From The Director And/Or AKA News Notes From The President |
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This Months Flying
Schedule 07/15/01 Sunday – At Riverview 07/29/01 Sunday – At Riverview |
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What Happened On
Last Months Flys |
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Long Term Dates And
Plans\ 09/21-23/01 – San Diego Fly 10/07/01 – One Sky One World Fly 10/12-14/01 – Rockypoint Fly |
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Other Items Of
Interest Notes From A New Guy Carl Hanson’s Aerial Photos
From San Diego Building Pyramids With Kites |
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Questions To The
Club |
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Flying Tips From The Fly’n Hawaiian No Article Available This Month |
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Tips For Building
Or Repairing Kites No Article Available This Month |
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Fun Kite Stuff
– Line Laundry |
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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 |
Click
Here For The
Web Site Links
(Just Click On Them And Go!)
Editor’s Notes
"And
once you have tasted flight
you
will walk the Earth with your eyes
skyward,
for
there you have been and there you long to return...."
--
Leonardo DiVinci
Hey Kiters,
We want to make everyone mindful that the Monsoons are here and giving us
great winds, and sticky days, for this time of the season. Due to our bad
winds, we all want to jump out there and fly, BUT....... you all need to be
aware that these storms blow in VERY fast, and bring LIGHTNING which sometimes
even precedes the storm. So PLEASE be very careful and if it appears that a
storm is coming in, cut off the flying time early.
We also want everyone to know that the number of die-hard flyers
decreases this time of year due to the heat. So don’t expect to find to many
people braving the heat for the flying fields. But if you do, please remember
to bring shade and chairs to recover in. Water is a definite MUST, along with
your common sense. Be ever aware of the possibility of heat prostration, and
bring a cell phone so that you can call for help if you, or someone else, feels
overwhelmed.
Remember, this is supposed to be fun, so if you are sitting in the field
sweating bullets wondering where everyone else is, perhaps you should
reevaluate the situation. We will all be getting together again in the cooler
fall season.
Remember, SAFETY FIRST.
To this end, we may be recommending some evening flys, and/or out of town
flys in the high country. If you are planning a trip and won’t mind some
company, please contact me and I will pass it along to the others so they might
join in this cooling activity. Or at the very least please pass along your
experiences and where you flew so that others will know where to find some cool
kiting experiences in the pine country.
To this end, three of us are heading to Cozumel Mexico. That’s part of
the Caribbean, and we will be flying off the beach with some killer winds. That
is when we are not Scuba diving for camera shots of the fish. Next issue should
have some photos and a full report of this Caribbean experience.
Keep’em Fly’n
Gadget Man Manson
AKA News Or
Directors Editorial
Notes From The President
Fly in the Big Sky!
Its time to start planning seriously for the big kite bash in Billings.
We've got as many workshops as Ft. Worden -- as many big kites as Kites on Ice
-- we've got more international guests than Miami and more competition than
Wildwood. What we need is you!!!
Billings is going to be a wonderful convention. Start planning now to
spend the first week of October with your extended kite family in Montana. The
next issue of Kiting will contain all of the details and registration forms.
But here are some of the things you "early organizers" need to begin
preparing your trip.
* Advanced
registration will be $185. After September, that fee will go up to $195 so
register early with the printed form. By July 1, you will also be able to
register online at our web site <www.aka.kite.org>.
* The base hotel is the Holiday Inn Grand Montana (877-55GRAND) where
rooms will cost $69 a night for two doubles. All of the banquets and meetings
will be at the host hotel which means convenience -- and fun in the lobby bar!
Remember to mention the AKA when you register to get the discount.
* We've got a huge soccer complex at Amend Park for the best flying
fields a convention has seen in years. Count on lots of room for competition,
practice, fun flying, buggies and seeing your friends. The park is about 1.5
miles from the hotel. And forget sack lunches! Meals will be available as you
choose from vendors at the edge of the flying area. We also have radio ads
(provided free) to help draw the public out to watch.
* We've arranged shuttles from the airport to the hotel, and busses to
the flying field. All this means that you don't need to spend money on a rental
car! But if you do prefer you own wheels, call Thrifty in Billings
(888-794-1025) and mention group CD1271. You'll qualify for a compact for just
$174 a week.
* Airline rates are dropping so check weekly! Northwest/Continental
(800-328-1111) is giving AKA additional discounts. Mention group #NYNLK.
Our local fliers have promised us great weather. But if you are worried
about a possible cold snap, remember how hot you were in Florida last year. You
can always put on a jacket! But there was a limit to how much you could take
off in Treasure Island...
The convention will begin Monday, October 1, with an evening reception at
the Billing Airport. Join us beneath their fantastic art kite exhibition.
(If you would like an early peek at this great collection, go to <http://www.skywindworld.org/index.php3>.) Consider coming the weekend before and
visiting Yellowstone, the Little Bighorn battlefield, or wading into a world
class fishing stream.
We finish up on Saturday, October 6 with a streamlined awards banquet and
social evening.
The town will be decked out with kite banners hung from lampposts. Watch for
artwork made by some familiar kite designers and see if you can guess who made
which! And if you have never been to a convention before, you probably don't
know about all the special activities and prizes we have for first-timers...
The bottom line -- this is a convention you won't want to miss! Check the
web page or the next Kiting for more details.
See you there!
David Gomberg
Upcoming Flying Events
Note: All flying events will be from
12:00 noon through 4 or 5 p.m. unless otherwise posted.
Remember, SAFETY FIRST.
07/15/2001 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.
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 |
07/29/2001 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.
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 |
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
06/03/01
Sunday – Jim Jennings Park Fun Fly Report
I went up to that
park.....and it was very nice up there....it wasn't too hot, there was a VERY
good wind, and there weren't a lot of people about......and nobody from the
Club showed up. Does this happen often?? I still flew several of my kites, but it
sure would have been more fun with other people to play with........
And remind me NEVER EVER to let out 2000 feet of line on a kite again
until I have some kind of power winder.......I
thought my arm was going to fall off.
Kites get really WEIRD when you get them up REAL high......they kind of
have
a mind of their own......I just kept letting this thing go and before I
knew it I had the spool almost empty.....and it has 2K of line on it. There was even enough wind to get my
helicopter and my ship up and keep them up nicely. Of course the Deltas and the Diamonds did real good and the
Dragon loved it.
I put some spinners on my big Delta and it really helped to stabilize
it. I'm getting real good with single
line kites....but I can't master the two line stunt kite by myself yet......I
think I need some pointers. Anyway, I flew for almost 2 hours.....got a little
bit pink.....but had a good time, even if it WAS all by myself.
I'm beginning to think that kite flying is like sex....although you can
do it yourself and be satisfied....its a lot more fun when other people are
involved! <g>
Talk to you soon, I hope.
Michael Greenlee
06/17/2001 Sunday – Father’s Day Fly
At Riverview Report
Hi Tom,
I snuck out for an hour or so on Father's Day to do a little flying. I went up to Chaparral Park and flew at the
big soccer field that is located just north of Jackrabbit Road and east of
Hayden. I have flown there on several
occasions over the last couple months.
This is a pretty nice kite field during the daytime in the summer. It's too hot for soccer, so usually I
have the field all to myself.
However, during the evenings the field is usually covered with soccer
players, making flying there almost impossible. The field also gets a lot of
daytime soccer use when the cooler fall weather comes around. For the summertime though, this is a nice
east-side flying field. If anyone lives
in the area, they ought to try it out sometime.
Chris (The Schermanator) Schermann
06/30/01
Saturday – Jim Jennings Park Fun Fly Report
No fly report
available. It may have been too hot.
(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
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.
Rocky Point
Kite Festival – October 12th Through The 14th
Hi guys,
Just got back from Rocky Point and catching up on lots of e-mail. Had a wonderful time in R/P. Flew every day but one -- cause the wind was way too high. Flew just about everything including fighters, dual lines, my Rev and a few single line kites I made. Beaches were relatively empty except for the weekend. Lots of kids off from school for Easter recess. Did not meet a single flyer during the entire week stay. Usually I'll catch one or two serious flyers on the beach, but not this trip. R/P is a wonderful place for kite flying and I'd like to suggest the following in order for the entire club to enjoy.
Per our discussion, lets reserve the weekend of October
12, 13 and 14th for a club fly at R/P. Here are some details to consider
relative to that weekend:
1. The trip to R/P is a 4 - 4 1/2 hour drive from
Phoenix. Roads in Arizona are mostly freeway. In Mexico, it's a 60 mile drive
from the border on a well maintained 2 lane paved road. To get to R/P from east
valley, take Maricopa Road exit on I-10 about 35 miles to Rte. 8, west about 35
miles to Gila Bend . South on Rte. 85 for approximately 75 miles to
Lukeville/Sonoyta border crossing. South on MEX. 8 for about 60 miles to R/P.
From west valley, take I-10 to Rte 85 and south through Gila Bend.
2. Mexican auto insurance is required when driving in
Mexico. This can be purchased in Ajo and will cost between $50.00 - $100.00 for
a weekend depending upon value of your vehicle. This covers everything,
including towing in Mexico should you get stuck. I suggest car pooling and
sharing insurance costs (providing there is room for lots of kite bags in the
vehicle).
3. Crossing the border at Lukeville is a 2 - 3 minute
affair. Sometimes you might be asked to open your trunk and this adds about a
minute to the process. Remember, no guns, no drugs, no exceptions!
4. We can rent a beautiful 6 - 8 bedroom fully furnished
house directly on the beach for between $100.00 - 150.00 per night, per couple.
The difference in costs would depend upon how luxurious the accomodations are.
Most rooms have double beds and private baths. Generally there is a community
kitchen with full cooking facilities. We must bring our own food. Cooking
utensils are provided. To get an idea of what houses are available, go to
RockyPoint Reservations on the internet. Lots of pictures, etc.
5. For the budget minded, hotel rooms are available
generally a few blocks from the beach and run between $50.00 - $80.00 per
night, double occupancy. Drive time to beaches usually are about 2 minutes,
unless we are way out of town, then
about 15 - 20 minutes.
6. Resturaunts abound in R/P. Breakfast runs about $3.00
per person, lunch about $ 6.00 per person and great dinners for about $12.00 -
$15.00 per person. If we cook our own, lots of groceries are available for beer
and chips. R/P is a small town, no Wal-Marts, Costco, Safeway or Blockbuster.
If there are things you can't live without, bring them from home.
7. While we are there, we can meet with representatives of
Sonora tourism, the mayor and other dignitaries to discuss a kite festival.
They are eager to meet with us to discuss a mutually beneficial
relationship.
8. The winds generally blow pretty constant from morning
till evening, varying from light in the AM to about 5 - 8 mph in the PM.
Sometimes, winds do get to 15 - 20 on rare occassions. Weather in October is
beautiful. This is prime season therefore, I will need a committment from the
club now in order to reserve a beach house or hotel rooms.
We have been going to R/P 6 - 8 times per year for the
past 5 years and each time we go, we enjoy it more than ever. I'm sure those
who have never been there will be impressed with the country, the people and
their culture.
If you have questions, please e-mail (howmad@aol.com).
Rocky (Howard)
- - - 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.
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.)
04/14/2002 - 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!
05/11/2002 –Third 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!
Note: Any ideas for events, please
contact the Gadget Man at: R66KC@TMSquared.com.
Other News
Notes From A New Guy
Hey Tom......
I haven't forgotten about you or your group.....not being the healthiest
of humans, I have to do what my body tells me to do --- which sometimes means
staying home when I really don't want to.
I have been doing quite a bit of flying out in the field behind my
apartment complex which is WONDERFUL......59th Avenue and Bethany (actually one
block EAST of there is the field) -- I've been doing single-line stuff so far,
but have a couple double line kites I'd sure like to learn to fly. Maybe sometime you could buzz down for an
hour or so and we could play in the field.
I'm actually thinking about getting some kite lights just so I can fly
more at night when its cooler.
I went to Jutenhoops last week.
They had all kinds of kites on display (which seemed to be GOOD, HIGH
QUALITY stuff) and the woman that assisted me knew her stuff when it came to
kites. She also said they were getting
in a new shipment of kite stuff this week and would really like to be
associated with the Kite Club --- I ended up spending over $100.00 on various
and sundry things, including a big "BIRD" kite and an old fashioned
box kite which I've yet to get up in the air.
They had all kinds of accessories -- swivel snaps, line, winders,
spools, tail material, etc. She said if
they got a little more support in the kite area, they would be more than happy
to stock even more product. I don't
know if you've had bad luck with them in the past or what, but I know this
young woman really helped me, and I will be going back for a couple of the more
expensive kites they had that I want.
Question: Is there such a thing
as a "Power Winder" --- something that electrically winds in your
line? I would think that a cordless
drill motor with variable speed and being reversible would work very well........I
know I could fly much more if I didn't have to worry about winding 1000' of
line sometimes.. Its hell to get old
and have your body go to shit on you, Tom.
I was healthy as a horse until I was 38 and the last eight years have
been hell on earth. I found out today I
have prostate cancer, so now I get to start working THAT up along with
everything else. Oh Well.....could be
worse.....I could be kiteless! <g>
Even flying my big bird, which is probably the easiest kite in the world
to fly, is a great joy to me, although I do need to get over to Jutenhoops and
get some more GOOD kite line and I also need to learn how to tie PROPER knots.
I don't know what sunday will bring for me, but I am going to TRY to get
up to the park up there.......TRY being the operative word. And like I said -- if you ever want to do
something local in the evening, this field over here is wonderful.......call me
and let me know you're coming and I'll put on some shoes and get out a couple
kites. Would really like to learn to
fly the two line kites I have -- I've
not had much luck so far -- mainly because the wind is so unstable.
Talk to you soon, My friend.
Michael Greenlee.
Glendull, AZ.
Carl
Hanson’s Aerial Photos
Carl is from
California and has mailed us some really great aerial photos of the Sister Club
Event in May. Below is a picture of the home made equipment that he used and
just one of his great shots of the field. What follows is a note from Carl on
how this was accomplished. Hopefully we will be able to coax Carl into sharing
with us some of his expertise in this Aerial Kiting field. And many thanks to
Carl for sharing his skills with the rest of the club.
Carl writes:
I had a great time flying with the
Route 66 and San Diego Kite Clubs last month. I’m always looking for places to
fly and test out my kite aerial photography equipment. Many KAPers use
radio-controlled servos and transmitters to snap the shutters on their airborne
cameras but I find alternate methods to work better for me. My greatest
invention is the string activated shutter trigger which is attached and built
over a common cable release used by photographers to open the lens on their
cameras for long night time exposures. A string is tied to a wooden platform
over the button of the cable release. The cable release is treaded into a
wooden cage with the other end of the cable release fastened to a wooden frame
surrounding my Advantix point and shoot camera.
The frame is attached to a pendulum,
which is attached to a wooden bracket, which is fastened to the main kite line.
The bracket also holds the wooden cage in place (have you gotten it so far?
There will be a test afterwards at the end of this newsletter).
The string tied to the wooden
platform runs the length of the main kite line and is attached to a plastic
reel that I attached to my Stratospool (a true marvel of engineering). Without
the Stratospool, KAPing can be a bit cumbersome and usually needs a second
person. Also I have found that handling a radio controlled transmitter while
holding on to a kite reel is like juggling spaghetti blindfolded. When I pull
on the string trigger I have more control in knowing that I’ve actually
triggered the shutter from below.
My next KAP challenge is using a
Dunford line crawler and make it sail up the kite line and make it tap a cable
release which triggers the shutter on my airborne camera.
For this to work properly, the
line crawler has to reach a reasonably fast speed which means the camera has to
be at a fairly high altitude (over 200 ft.). The wind has to blow fairly
strongly and consistently in order for the line crawler to gain momentum. I
attached a small wooden hammer to the line crawler, which increases its chances
of hitting the button on the cable release and triggering the shutter.
I have recently written a book on
Kite Aerial Photography, which includes other methods on how to trigger a
camera’s shutter in flight including instructions on how to attach a camera to
a sport kite
Best regards and happy flying.
Carl Henson
Building
Pyramids With Kites
Some people think so,
and their experiments will soon be broadcast on a PBS special. Check out the
latest kite lifting experiment here at the following web site:
And for more
information, visit the organizers home page here:
New Questions
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
We
have no Leading Edge article for this month. Roman must be swamped as per
usual.
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).
Kite Bulding
And Repair Tips
No Tips Available For This
Month’s Issue.
(Any Help?)
Flick Flacks
And Other Fun Stuff!
Used Kites For Sale And Lost Kite Listing
Nothing
lost or for sale at this time.
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!