Kite Lines - Vol.3 No. 3 - KiteLife

ContentsVolume 3, Number 3, Fall 1980Tal Streeter on Kites as Art / 19Q. It's a kite but is it Art? A . Yes! Q. It's art but is it a Kite? A . Yes!An authority suggests it's time we granted the eye freedom to see thebeauty in all kites . A large portfolio of photographs illustrates .With bibliography of recent kite/art articles .Postscripts : Kites as Art / 26Paris : Exhibit at Passage Verdeau, reported by Andre Mignard .England : Kites of Frank Holterman, reported by John Spendlove .Lists of past and future kite exhibitions .Of Termites and Kitefliers / 29By Wood Ellis . Pheromones in one man's philosophy .Ahhh . . .Scheveningen! / 31One of Europe's most spectacular kite days enjoyed .World Records in Kiting : Questions, Answers & Challenges / 33By Valerie Govig . How to Document Your Record ; Definitions &Rules to be Observed in Seeking Any World Kiting Record ; CurrentlyRecognized Categories of World Kite Records ; and New Categories ofWorld Kite Records which Kite Lines Recognizes .The International Exposition of Asymmetrical Kites / 37Story by William A . Rutiser, Photographs by Theodore L . Manekin .Twenty-one officially entered kites go through a rigorously zany process .The Convertible Cubics of Takaji Kuroda / 40Story and Photographs by Larry Hoffman . An eye-filling visit to thehome of a man whose kites are quite appropriately called "Magic Kites ."Letter from the Editor / 6With pictures from the AKA kite convention in Seattle .Letters / 11What's New / 14Reviews of the Snowflake/Facet Kite, the Sutton Flow Form,the Waldof Star Kite, the new 15-disk centipede, the Newport Boat andthe new nylon-model Skynasaur . In the reading section, we look atsome useful, inexpensive booklets from manufacturers .Innovations / 16The 14-d Box Kite by John Spendlove . A triangle-in-a-triangleto puzzle all eyes . Comment by Curtis Marshall .Design Workshop / 42The Piney Mountain Air Force and the Hornbeam Sled-Kite, Mark I .By Guy D . Aydlett. Includes a challenge to all sled-kite fanciers .News from Here & There : Stateside / 44News from Here & There : International / 48Directory of Outlets / 46Classifieds / 52Swap Shop / 52CoverThe scene is Scheveningen beach in Holland, outsideThe Hague, where one of the most sensational kite festivals ofthe summer has been happening for the last three years .In 1980, one of the star attractions was Nick Morse and hismarvelously crafted Cody man-lifting kites from England .The sight is captured on film by photographer Eric Schoevers .Copyright © 1981 Aeolus Press . Inc .Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part,is strictly prohibited without prior writtenconsent of the publisher .Kite Lines is the comprehensive internationaljournal of kiting and the only magazine of itskind in America . It is published by AeolusPress, Inc., of Baltimore, MD, with editorialoffices at 7106 Campfield Road, Baltimore,MD 21207, telephone : (301.) 484-6287 .KiteLines is endorsed by both the internationalKitefliers Association and the American KitefliersAssociation . Kite Lines is on file in thelibraries of the National Air and Space Museum,Smithsonian ; the National Oceanic and AtmosphericSciences Administration ; the NationalGeographic ; and the University of NotreDame's Sports and Games Research Collection.Founder : Robert M . IngrahamPublisher: Aeolus Press, Inc .Editor: Valerie GovigAssociate Editor : Richard F . Kinnaird, Jr .Business Consultant : Kalman IllyefalviCirculation/Reader Services : Judith FaecherDesign and Mechanicals : Weston Phippsand Cathy PasqualeInternational Correspondents : Jacques andLaurence Fissier ; British Correspondents :Ron Moulton and Clive C . O . Rawlinson.Editorial Advisory Panel :Guy D . Aydlett A . Pete lanuzziWilliam R . BiggeBevan H . BrownRobert M . IngrahamDomina C . JalbertWyatt BrummittNat KobitzPaul Edward Garber Arthur KurleMelvin GovigCurtis MarshallEdwin L . GrauelRobert S . PriceGary HinzeJohn F . Van GilderRay Holland, Jr Will YolenKite associations and clubs are located aroundthe U .S . and the world . Kite Lines works forand with all of them and maintains anupdated file on them . Write for informationabout your nearest group .Subscriptions to Kite Lines : One year(4 issues), $9 .00 ; two years (8 issues), $17 .00 .Single copies of current or back issues areavailable CF $2 .50 from America's finest kiteshops or the journal offices . Postage outsidethe U .S ., its possessions and Canada is $1 .00per subscription year additional . Air mailrates for foreign mailings are $3 .00 per yearadditional for Latin America ; $5 .00 per yearadditional for Europe and Israel ; and $7 .00per year additional for all other countries .All foreign drafts must be in U .S . dollarsthrough a U .S . bank or the post office .Change of Address : Attach or copy mailinglabel in letter, giving new address . If mailinglabel is wrong, please correct it,Advertising rate sheet and information isavailable upon request .Contributions and correspondence are alwaysinvited . Enthusiasts who contemplate sendingsubstantial material should request our guidelinesfor writers and photographers . Return ofunsolicited material cannot be guaranteedunless accompanied by ample stamps andenvelope, self-addressed . Accuracy of contentsof Kite Lines is the responsibility of individualcontributors . Diverse views presented in KiteLines are not necessarily those of the editor,staff or advisory panelists .Closing Dates for advertising and articles are8 weeks before publication or : Feb . 20-Spring ;May 20-Summer; Aug . 20-Fall ; Nov.20-Winter .Postmaster: Second class postage paid at Baltimore,Maryland . If undeliverable, please sendaddress change Form 3579 to Kite Lines,7106 Campfield Road, Baltimore, MD 21207 .

Letter from the EditorThis issue's letter might better be called"Travels with the Editor ." Kites have,literally, taken me away!Our destination in October was Seattle,Washington, for the third annual meetingand festival of the American KitefliersAssociation . A total of 151 kitefliers registeredfor the events as conducted by thehard-working Washington Kitefliers Association. We had a delightful time meetingold and new friends and relishing themagnificent scenery and weather . . .well,we could have had wind! But kites did getpulled up and shown off briefly . A fewlight-wind airplane kites floated steadilyand some fighters flown by Vic Herediaand by Grandmaster Kites darted aboutin the sunshine . But the camaraderie ofthe occasion, the sharing of kite ideaswith fellow grounded fliers, was as good acompensation as one could wish for .A slight dose of indigestion during theweekend was brought on by the meetingproper . The president's report (though nomotion to accept it was made) was readwith little background reporting to explainthe decision of the board to hire an"association management company" tohandle the awesome tasks of mailing anewsletter to 800-some listings . 'Time preventedpublic discussion and those attendingwere left with an unfortunate sensethat accountability to the members hadbeen violated . It is hoped that future dialoguewill be opened by the new president,Bevan Brown . We all know that democracyis both precious and difficult . Kite Lineswishes good luck to AKA and hopes itsstruggles are resolved in favor of sharingresponsibility with the members . WhenKite Lines established AKA in 1978, ourwhole purpose was to make that kind ofsharing possible .Meantime, kiters are not letting problemslike this hold them or their kitesdown . The really BIG news at Seattle wasthe Edmonds Community College KiteTeam's effort to outdo the Shirone KiteAssociation (Japan) in flying the world'slargest kite . After months of work constructinga Parafoil, the team was assistedby Domina Jalbert, designer of the kite,and George Ham, Parafoil expert . Launchtook place at Magnuson Park (a formerNaval airstrip) with Federal Aviation Administrationclearance on October 3, 1980,at about 6 :15 p .m . The kite was estimated

to have 10,000 pounds of pulling powerand was anchored by a dump truck filledwith 24 tons of gravel .Specifications were supplied to KiteLines only by Harry Osborne of theNeedle Trades department of the collegeand through clippings from local newspapers,and are as follows :Dimensions of kite : 50 x 70 ft (3500 sq ft)Wind :15 to 18 mphWeight and materials : 300 lbs of rip-stop nylonFlying line :3300-lb testDuration of flight : 2 min . 47 sec . (timedvideo tape only)Altitude above ground : 300 ftFlight crew :about 10 people, studentsof Edmonds CommunityCollege, Lynnwood,Washington .Osborne has said the team intends to addto the kite and fly a larger version, breakingtheir own record, each year . In viewof the brevity of the flight, it is hoped theteam will fly the kite again with thirdpartyclocking and observation to clinchtheir record unequivocally . (See pages 33-36 for a review of world records generally .)The celebration over the E .C .C . achievementraised the pitch of the enthusiasmin Seattle to an ultra-high level and putthe weekend on the books as one of thereally Big ones in recent kiting history .Geneva, Switzerland, was the next stopfor your editor on a visit occurring justbefore press-time . I want to share it withyou briefly .Can you imagine a major internationalnonprofit educational and conservationalorganization choosing kiteflying as a wayto raise funds and increase public awarenessfor itself? It really makes great sensewhen done right, done imaginatively,done on the grand scale .Kite Lines has assisted and will be furtherinvolved in the planning of just sucha project . It is too early to give details,but the effort is underway and will bebuilding up toward a grand finale abouttwo years down the road . Excitementcertainly fills the air-especially whenbreathed in beautiful Switzerland! V .G .

LettersGOOD-AS-GOLD TAILSI won a contest for the "longest kite" witha dime store two-stick to which I attacheda 150-foot Mylar® tail . The tail was a twoinch-wide150-foot-long piece of goldMylar which was used by a printing companyto hot stamp foil seals on IndianaUniversity diplomas . Printing companiesthat do "hot foil stamping" throw thousandsof feet of it away, sometimes oneor two feet wide, so if you don't mindthe stamped insignias or business logosthis is a good source of very thin Mylarandit's free!Gary L . RomineColumbus, INKITES BY FRACTIONSAlthough I am 51 years old, my interestin kites started only 2'/2 years ago througha chance remark by a disk jockey on ourlocal radio station, "Capitol ." Duringthese last 2'/z years I have acquired a selectionof 20 1/2 kites-yes, 20'/2 ; the last one,a 15-foot delta, is just about half finished .I thought you may like to see somepictures of two from my kite collection,both homemade .My home workshop has also seen thecreation of several kite reels and numerousaccessories for getting them up and down .Other bits and pieces are messenger devicesand "dropnik" gadgets ; needless to say,we attend all the kite festivals we can .My other avocations are woodwork andmore recently photography . Maybe sometimeI may get to visit some brother andsister fanatics on your side of the big pond .David WightmanEpsom, Surrey, EnglandAbove are examples of David Wightman's work .OF FOXES, KITES AND MASCARAThis is the only picture in the worldshowing how a wild fox feels about a bigred oriental kite :Untethered fox looking at tethered kite .The fox has a peculiar power . All eyes .Must be the same force that keeps themascara people in business . A force lookingfor a name . I think Foxy's mascara isdesigned to improve his vision like acamera's sunshade or the black paint insidefield glasses . It is also useful to toss thefear of death into a mouse perhaps ; butthe real reason is cosmetic . He simplylooks better that way . I'll bet that mustbe the reason the industry sells so muchof the stuff .Art ForanClancy, MTCARE AND FEEDING OF CENTIPEDESHow does one fly the spectacular undulatingcentipede? A Boston area kite dealerand I both brought centipede kites backfrom Japan sans directions . The centipedesconsist of a dozen disks, each connectedto the disk ahead of it by equal-lengthstrings from top, bottom and each side .Whiskers of straw or feathers grow outfrom either side of each disk . We bothhave flown nearly everything, but embarrassinglyfail to put the centipedes undercontrol . How are they bridled? Are theyflown with one, two or four lines?Donald L . UnderwoodHolliston, MAOur reply :A few years ago we asked Paul Garberthe same question . His answer was thatyou hold the kite in your hands, foldeddown into a stack of disks, and back awaysmartly, feeding out the kites one disk ata time . Well, no one we know can backthat smartly . He did suggest using 10-mileper-hourwind . Try this.First, check to see that all the linesfrom cell to cell are the same length . Thiskeeps all the cells parallel in flight . Checkthe feathers on the outriggers, since theycontribute balance. Next, lay out the kiteon the ground, face up, with the front celltoward the wind and the kite in line with

the wind direction . Experienced centipedistStephen Bernstein recommends a twolegbridle, one at the top and one at thebottom, to allow for natural dihedral inthe wind . Fasten the flying line to thebridle, back off 30 or 40 feet and pull onthe line . The first disk will rise, then therest will follow like the reverse of a rowof dominoes . If there is much ground turbulence,you will still have your hands fullcontrolling the centipede until it getsabove the turbulence . The same rules applyto centipedes and trains as to single kites :pull to make them rise when they arepointed up ; slack off to let them stabilize .If you have one of the small, relativelyheavy imported centipedes, they are difficultto fly-and perhaps more popular aswall decorations than as kites . If this iswhat you have, it's no disgrace if youhaven't been able to fly it . Good luck!Underwood's answer :The oriental centipede now flies, undulatesand thrills ; but only after : (1)steaming the bamboo frame on the frontdisk along the center line and bendingback the sides, stretching a line betweenthe two sides to firm up this "dihedral,"then removing the slack in the strings thatgo back to the second disk at each side ;(2) dangling a one-foot straw beard fromthe chin ; (3) steaming and bending backthe straw whiskers that grow out fromthe sides of each of the 10 disks that arebehind the face ; and (4) putting one'sback to nine-mile-per-hour or more wind(measured velocity ; a lighter versioncould get you up in much less wind) .To avoid launching damage, I prefer ahelper holding the entire centipede uprightoff the ground by holding the last diskuntil "Ready : 1, 2, 3-GO, UNDULATE ."UNDERWOOD'S CENTIPEDE FLYABILITYCONVERSION METHODTRIPLED CORNER KITESI built a Rogallo Corner Kite according tothe instructions in the Spring-Summer1978 Kite Lines. Ed Grauel was precise inhis instructions and I had little troubleputting the first one together . However, Iwent a couple of steps further and combinedthree Rogallo kites-two red and aTop, Bruce Mitton and his tripled Corner Kites .Below, the construction in flight and at rest .navy blue . It flies quite well in a pyramidshape or as three in a row . Two Rogallo

Corner Kites fly as well as three . If I evercatch up in my work, I'm going to addthree more kites to what I already have .I'm sure it will have to be tied to a treewhen I fly it .When sitting on the ground, the tripleRogallo is a great attention-getter . Peoplestop by to ask if it's a sculpture I'm workingon and I have to explain, "It flies ."I've been flying regularly for the lastthree years in Tucson and kiting is startingto catch on . Another local kite builderand-flyerjoins me in the , afternoons andwe send up six or seven kites each . Theunusual collection of kites in the sky generallypulls a group of spectators, and Ipass around a worn issue of Kite Lines inan attempt to stimulate spectator interest .In summer I go night flying with chemical"Lite-Ups" attached to the kites . Onenight last summer I had 35 spectators andthe local police helicopter stop by to findout what the dancing green lights were .Shortly thereafter the park's sprinklersystem went on and I found myself holdingthe lines to six kites and getting a latenight shower .Bruce H . MittonTucson, AZBruce Mitton is the author of a nice introductorybook Kites, Kites, Kites : The Upsand Downs of Making and Flying Them .START OF A GREAT DEBATE?I have flown kites in Bar Harbor, ME,Cape Cod, MA, Montauk, NY, AtlanticCity, NJ, Delaware City, DE, Ocean Cityand Chesapeake City, MD, Virginia Beach,VA, Nags Head, NC, Brunswick, GA andevery beach on Florida's East Coast fromSt . Augustine to Key West .Do you know where I found the mostconsistent wind? Right here in my backyardon Sanibel Island, FL . I thought yourreaders may appreciate this information .Kenny RynarzewskiCape Coral, FL

and Baris Msisted By CurtWhat's New :Kites, Books, SundriesKitesill KocherMel Govig, asTHE SNOWFLAKE/FACET KITEThere was a time when I would have saidthat over $100 was a lot to pay for a kite,and even though more and more kites arepushing the century mark, I still looklong and hard at the value offered .Sallie Van Sant of Kites of the FourWinds now makes a six-sided "SummerSnowflake" adapted from StephenRobinson's Facet Kite which first appearedin Kite Lines (Winter 1979-80) . Now, it istrue that you can make your own FacetKite using about 75 square feet of ripstopnylon, several hundred feet of seamssewn and a week or two of your sparetime . You can also make a fine raincoator leather jacket using the proper materialsand a good pattern . If you can, do! If youcan't, go to a clothier for a good coat orto Sallie for an excellent Facet Kite .The six-sided Snowflake/Facet Kitefrom Kites of the Four Winds is more rigid,though not heavier than the four-sidedversion that appeared in the journal . Itgains in both grace and stability from itsmore rigid structure .In flight, the kite responds like theProfessor Waldof Box, with a fairly fastrate of climb and exceptional "wind-seeking"self-correction to changes in air conditions. It flies on a wind of about 5 milesper hour and from its behavior seemscapable of winds over 20 . It maintains agood angle of about 60 degrees in amoderate wind .Besides flying steadily and reliably, theSummer Snowflake in the air presents interestingand unpredictable changes ofpersonality in response to differences inwind, sun and viewing angle . The colors inour sample were chosen with a good eyeand the workmanship was excellent . Ibelieve the kite is well worth the price-orthe effort-whichever you choose to spend .NEW SUTTON FLOW FORMClearly a derivative of the Jalbert Parafoil,the Sutton Flow Form was patented onJuly 9, 1974, under patent number3,822,844 . It is now being producedcommercially . Like its flexible father, theJalbert, Sutton's kite is completely soft,with no stiffening but the wind . However,unlike the Parafoil, it flies light on theline, without the arm-pulling tug of asimilar-size Parafoil . If I were to sum upin a few words : the Parafoil was born towork, to lift, to pull, at whatever cost incomplex bridles and gloved caution at theline ; the Sutton was built for fun andeasy handling, with simple bridling andstable, predictable light-pulling flight .The model tested was the smaller oftwo and was approximately the size of aJ7 .5 Jalbert . The larger is approximately16 square feet . Unlike the Jalbert, theSutton has only three bridle lines andthree fins . The test model inflated easilyin a light wind and was launched andflown without assistance . It attained anangle of about 65 degrees in 10 m .p .h .winds . The most notable thing about theFlow Form, even with winds of 10 m .p .h .or more, was that the pull on the line wasless than a pound .Many of us know Bill Tyrrell, one ofthe partners in Mariah, the company manufacturingthe Sutton under agreementwith the designer . Tyrrell's showmanshipwith his large Parafoil (see the Kite Linescover for Summer 1979) or two-line flyingof his 30-foot-long Sutton have thrilledmany viewers . Buying a Sutton from thiscompany implies buying a lot of experiencebehind the kite . We didn't have anyprinted instructions with our early-modelsample-but we didn't need any . The kiteinherently requires no adjustments orassembly .Like the Snowflake/Facet Kite, theFlow Form design appeared in Kite Linesnot long ago . Again, you can take yourchoice whether to buy it or make it . Butwith prices at about $35 for the 7 .5 and$80 for the 15, a lot more of us will takethe easy route and buy . Easy is the wordfor the Flow Form, yet in the air itrewards its flier with all the glamour ofthe latest technology .PROFESSOR WALDOF'S NEW STARThe Star from Prof. Waldof is an interestingand novel new kite, but-to theseeyes-not quite as exciting as the originalProf. Waldof hexagonal box . The Starshares the tensioning system of the original,a central tinker-toy-like boss withspokes to the eight corners of the kite .Visually, it is very distinctive in the air .Dead on, up the string, the kite looks likethe Star of David . As the viewing anglechanges, the perspectives challenge yoursense of up and down . I would hate to bean artist charged with drawing the Starfor an advertisement .There were two drawbacks to the kite,more in the way of warnings than realdiscredits to the Star . First, the fiberglassspars of two models tested left fine glasssplinters in the fingers during the assemblyprocess . The second problem is probablyan outgrowth of pushing a design too farfor aesthetic reasons ; the Star comessupplied with a ponytail drogue andseems to really need it in winds over 7 or

8 miles per hour .Assembly instructions are clear andthe plan (as with the original Box) is wellthought out though complicated . Craftsmanshipis superior . The color choices ofthe two models we tested were not muchto our taste in a kite that would seem tolend itself to riveting color effects . At aprice of about $85, including carryingbag, the Prof . Waldof Star Kite is a veryinteresting piece of sky sculpture . Somewill want the Star for its unique design .Unique it is and a credible kite .THE NEWPORT BOATHere's a good, basic six-foot delta-with adifference . It flies well, neither better norworse than most good rip-stop-nylondeltas . But it is made to sail across thesky like a yacht on its own bit of brinyblue . The effect is surprising and fun .The trailing section that makes up the"hull" and the ribbon tails that suggest"water" seem to degrade the flight onlyslightly in light winds and are stabilizingin heavier ones .The Newport Boat is only one ofseveral in the new line of cloth kites fromGo Fly a Kite and speaks well of them ifit is representative . The craftsmanship isgood and a matching carrying bag is includedin the $50-or-so tab . That's closeto what other large deltas are bringingthese days-and with this kite you alsobuy the fanciful visual effect of thisWinkin', Blinkin' and Nod kite .THE 15-DISK CENTIPEDEYou have seen them and envied-oh, yes,envied-the makers : Dave Checkley, Prof .Hiroi, Tom Van Sant, Steve Bernstein, J .C .The Newport Boat sails over the waves .Young, Tyrus Wong . Well, you might notbe able to make one yet, but you cannow get a dramatic centipede kite of yourown for about $65 . Seeing it and flyingit, you might feel inspired to build one .New from Great Winds in Seattle is awell-crafted 15-section centipede with athree-dimensional head and whirling eyes .The bright red and yellow disks of thebody are an up-to-date combination ofbamboo with polyethylene cover and realfeathers lashed on with red plastic cord .In the air, the bright colors and thefierce face add to the classic undulatingmotion of this beautiful kite .Information supplied by Great Windssheds some light on the origin over 100years ago in China of the centipede (alsoknown as the dragon or caterpillar) . Perhapsdevised out of a flier's wish to flymore than one kite, "the design wasrefined to a masklike head followed by aseries of connected disks, each disk with afeathered balancing arm similar in functionto a tightrope walker's balancingpole . This kite came to be known as wukung, the centipede, thought to bringgood luck ."The master kitemaker who suppliesBooksBy Valerie GovigGreat Winds learned his skills from anelder kitebuilder and long experience . Hetest flies each kite and adjusts it as necessary. "A flyable centipede can be no lessthan perfect," says the company . "It canbe flown as high as desired-but it's almostmore enjoyable to keep it close andwatch the spirited motions of the centipedein detail ." From our experiencewith the kite, we confirm that suggestion .At times I have struggled with centipedesand given up in despair . With thisone, I soon found I didn't need mylaunching assistant ; I could easily pull thekite up off the ground and into the air .After some minor adjustment to thebridle (well-described in the good instructions),the kite flew nicely at about 45degrees . It was a rare pleasure to fly thiskite in a light wind and see it respond topulling in and letting out of line with itsspecial body language .SKYNASAUR UPDATEIt's refreshing to know that people readwhat you write . It's truly gratifying toknow that they pay attention . In ourreview of the Skynasaur in Kite LinesSpring-Summer 1980, we noted that theweight of the kite made it difficult tofind strong enough winds to fly it . Well,a new Skynasaur is out now and, bymeans of new fittings and a rip-stop coverthat replaces the rubberized cover of theoriginal, it has come down to a veryrespectable 7 .5 ounces or one ounce persquare foot . It will now fly in winds of 6or 7 m .p .h . It retains the toughness andagility of the first Skynasaur, though, andit is the only Rogallo wing among thestunt kites on the current U .S . market .GOOD-VALUE READINGOccasionally kite stores and manufacturersprint for their customers instructionalmaterials that offer more that is helpfuland accurate than some of the books youplunk down dollars for . These nice piecescome to you as a bonus for buying a kiteor being a customer .We've noted in passing some especiallygood instruction sheets from GrandmasterKites, Great Winds, Skynasaur, Vic'sFighter Kites and Wind Mill Kites, toname only a few . (And, of course, KiteLines publishes the useful "Brief Guide toSafe and Sure Kiting," available for astamped envelope .)In addition, a few businesses haverecently put out some fine booklets thatdeserve mention in this space, as follows :A Guide to Frustrationless Flying (Seattle :Great Winds Kites, 1980), 6 page leaflet,free to customers .Nicely printed tips on choosing and flyingkites . A special feature is the Beaufortwind scale indexed to kite selection . Goodbridle adjustment and knot drawings areincluded plus sections on kite etiquette,rescues and safety . There's even a bit ofcopy about Great Winds .Tips on Buying and Flying Kites, byWalter Leuzinger (Ultra Kite Co ., Pittsburgh,PA, 1980), 28 pages, $1 .00 .More than "tips," this compact bookis best on types of commercial kites andtheir flying behavior-a quick briefing fornew kite salespeople . Errors are slight(such as a poorly proportioned drawingof a fighter kite) . Has up-to-date detail oncoverings, framing materials and propertiesof flying line, a good section on flyingand safety-even an index! The authorunderstandably plugs his own Firebird kite .How to Get the Most out of Your FishingLine, by Paul C . Johnson (Berkley andCo ., Spirit Lake, IA 51360, 1980), 35pages, $1 .00 .Over half of this booklet intended forfishers is applicable to monofilament kiteflying. Comparisons are made of differentkinds of monofilament by break, tensileand knot strength and by uniformity,stretch, stiffening and abrasion resistance .Discusses spooling up and knot making,shows eight knots suitable for mono andexplains care of line and troubleshooting 0

Innovations : 14-d Box Kiteby John SpendloveDear Editor : "14-d' is an abbreviation of"tetracaidekadeltahedral," a solid having14 faces, each an equilateral triangle .The kite has a unit length of three feet ;that is the length of side of the equilateraltriangular sails and the span and length ofthe central cell structure . Longerons use'/a-inch dowel and other struts are ½"x¼"strip . Cover is rip-stop nylon .Flying line of about 100-lb . test is usedand a wind speed of perhaps 15 to 20miles per hour is suggested ; the kite is tooheavy for much lighter winds and the softwoodframe too weak for stronger ones .The one I have-was made for me to mydesign by Alan Gibbs of SkyView for theKite & Balloon Company, London .John Spendlove10 Higher Bank Road, FulwoodPreston, Lancashire PR2 4PD, EnglandDATE OF DELINEATION : APRIL 21, 1979John Spendlove flies his 14-d Box Kite, a sort of triangle-in-a-triangle, at Old Warden meet, England .Comment by Curtis MarshallThis pretty three-dimensional geometrickite, John Spendlove's 14-d, offers itselfadmirably to kite builders who have aneye to masses of color, which change asvarying hues interpose themselves duringflight-a great potential for a relativelymodest outlay of effort and expense .With the appearance of Peter Waldron'sProf. Waldof box kite, a whole family ofkite possibilities was implanted within theconscious and subconscious of susceptiblekite designers . Although Spendlove's kiteis not an offshoot of the Waldof, it is relatedby the thought processes which gaveit birth . In any kite, but especially in thisparticular family of kites, flight successdepends largely on the ratio of effectivesail area to weight of supporting frame .However, the amount of drag is not to beignored . Alexander Graham Bell's highlyinefficient, but nonetheless successful designfalls near the lower end of the scale .To achieve a certain degree of "geometricbeauty," one must be willing toaccept a lowered area-to-weight ratio, asthere is little freedom in this family ofkites to dramatically alter aerodynamicefficiency . However, some juggling offrame concept of the 14-d kite could reducethe amount of frame by perhaps 30percent . In turn, this might well reducethe required windspeed from the "15 to20 miles per hour" quoted by the designerto perhaps 8 to 12 m .p .h .Each kite crafter has his or her ownspecially developed interests and methodsof construction . The 14-d is sufficientlyopen with regard to details that craftersof divergent techniques and interest willbe able to adapt this design enjoyably .

Artist/kitemaker TAL STREETER evolveshis kite/art philosophy in the light of themany kites he enjoys and his extensiveparticipation in kite festivals and exhibitions. As kites more and more frequentlyfill museum spaces, questions of beautyand art come to the forefront in kitedesign . Though Tal forgets to mention hisown name in his article, readers will notforget his international prominence .The provocative qualities which are distinctiveto the domain of flight attract usto everything that flies-or becomes airbyany other generic kite . These two mastersdeserve a whole essay to themselves,but for this article I am simply stating theirpreeminence categorically .Box kites and tetrahedral kites occupya special niche among kites as art . Theyare flying three-dimensional structures-inother words, flying sculptures . AustralianLawrence Hargrave's invention of the boxkite in 1893 set the stage for magnificentwire, wood and doped-fabric flying machines. They seem perfect complementsto bustles, bowler hats and walrus mustachesof yesteryear . In more modernTAL STREETERON KITES AS ARTQ . It's art but is it a Kite? A . Yes! Q. It's a kite but is it Art? A. Yes!borne : birds, insects, airplanes, balloons,the planets, stars, moon and sun, dancers,baseballs, boomerangs and kites .The kite has its own special characteristics. It is a generally modest, sometimeslanguorous object capable of driftingsteadily, darting about or soaring gracefullyfar off into the clouds . Unlike a bird,it can be controlled by a human handfrom the ground, but like the bird, itseconomy of mass and flexibility, its veryform gives it the power of flight . Thepurity of a kite, if it is to fly at all, isalmost inviolable .A kite is a kind of pottery for the wind .If it is designed and made well, the windwill pour into and out of this vessel andsimultaneously-magically it seems-lift itoff to fly away into the sky . There is agreat deal of pleasure to be had in workingto this measure .A synthesis of form and function isone of the paramount principles of allgreat usable objects (pottery, furniture,automobiles, architecture, etc .) The sparseminimalism of the kite is a given of thefunctional requirements of flight . Perfectionof form is an absolute . Visible handcraftmay all but disappear . The kiteentity itself, flying, free of the distractionsof craft and decoration, the fact of itsvery existence, is a great wonder-transcendingart . The art of the kite, in otherwords, need not rely on applied art ordecoration but may be an inherent characteristicof the kite itself .Domina Jalbert's and Francis Rogallo'sinventions are marvels of this kind of functionaldesign purity . The Jalbert Parafoiland the delta wing which evolved out ofRogallo's flexible kite represent a synthesisof form/function virtually unmatchedtimes, it is only the box kite which allowsus to see fully three-dimensional rectangularforms, boxes, which we expect tosit squarely on the ground, tilting off intothe sky, defying gravity . Strangeness,one of the qualities that defines Art, ispresent in every flight of a box kite .Alexander Graham Bell's behemothtetrahedrons, though not notably successfulas kites, nonetheless provide an extraordinarysight flying in the sky . Theoriginals on display at the Bell Museum,Baddeck, Nova Scotia (and occasionallyon loan to other museums) are quitebeautiful . I am particularly appreciativeof the deep maroon-colored fabric coverings,so refined in contrast to the blatantcarnival colors we tend to favor for today'skites . The tetrahedron form has consistentlyappealed to the engineer/artist/architect . Its adaptation as a kite isvisually striking .One might briefly mention the kiteswith spinning effects, such as the eyes oforiental dragon and insect kites and thepurer revolving rotor kite . Here is a kitewhich must be seen spinning in the skyfor us to realize its kinetic uniqueness .The rotor in its static state seems to resistthe notion of inherent beauty of formevolving from function .ARTISTSWHO MAKE KITESA number of artists are attracted to avariety of kite forms as a means to artisticexpression . What art values might wededuce from artists' kites? Pure form asin the Parafoil, delta wing, box, tetra, etc .,is not every artist's cup of tea .The diversity of these kites in itself isimportant . The fact that each artist can1 . Jalbert Parafoil in flight .2 . Flying Red Line byTal Streeter shown inAllentown (PA) ArtMuseum exhibit .3 . A classic delta wing kite, Rogallo derived,made by the Nantucket Kiteman 'n Lady .4 . Poem Kite by Tal Streeter and Willem vanHettinger, Charleston, SC .5 . A Naval Barrage Kite (Harry Sauls design) ascrafted in spare style by Gary Hinze .6 . Bevan Brown's carousel kite, with the kineticwit of whirling styrofoam horses .7 . Large tetrahedral kite by Peter Lynn of NewZealand is strikingly designed, internally bracedand made collapsible for easy portability .

1 . Groups of JacquelineMonnier kites paint thesky in a pale palette oncellophane, crepe paperor nylon.2 . Monnier at work .3 . Snail, Paw Print, Jellyfishand Bicycle at restagainst Curt Asker's studio wall .4. Peter Travis kite in poplin, the hexagon inblack, tail assembly multicolor, flown in Seattle .5 . Travis's Nebulae kite, 12 feet in diameter,hanging in 1977 exhibition in Seattle, WA .6 . Tom Van Sant kiting on a California beach .7 . Peter Travis preparing one of his kites .8 . Tom Van Sant's Ghost Kite, 16 feet long .9 . A Van Sant bird form kite, 12 foot span .adapt kites to a personal imprint givesrepeating proof that kites are an authenticart medium . And the variety of expressionis indeed fascinating, ranging overevery material and technique available tothe modern kitemaker and showing inventivenessof both structure and surfacetreatment . One does not choose amongthese ; I bear in mind Lewis Carroll's wiserejoinder : "There are a lot of truths ."The following list, therefore, is in nosignificant order and in addition is almostcertainly incomplete . Total safety inregard to completeness could only be obtainedby not writing this article! I begin :Jacqueline Monnier's kites exist quitesubserviently to carry long, long tails uponto her sky canvas . Monnier, an expatriateAmerican living in France, was raisedin the families of two of the greatestartists of modern times . Her maternalgrandfather was Henri Matisse, her stepfatherMarcel Duchamp . Color and patternare her primary concerns . Organic formsloosely organized on the background fieldreflect Matisse . This informal organizationis refreshing, differing markedly from thegeometric patterning often characteristicof kites in general . One would profit froma study of Matisse's late designs in papercollage, books and ecclesiastical garmentsto better understand his art's compatibilitywith applied kite designs . Monnier's unshakablefaith in the absolute appropriatenessof making kinetic paintings in thesky rather than painted canvas firmlyattached to the wall is an insight fitting tothe legacies of her stepfather, Duchamp .Noted for having integrated art into hiseveryday life, Duchamp left a heritagewhich we can all share . One of the finestresults is the fact of a Monnier sky painting,a fact of art .Swedish artist Curt Asker eschews"pure structure" and "pure art" entirelyin favor of content . He sends wit, surrealismand trompe l'oeil realism into the skyon the back of his kites . The quality ofhis imagination astonishes us-even moreso as we are predisposed to accept thepoor art and imagination which normallyattends the commercially produced kite,virtually all of the mass-produced pictorialand comic kites that sell in the millions .(We are as prone to commercial litter inthe sky as on the ground .) Curt Askerraises the comic to the level of an artform, derived from surrealism, the art ofthe imagination and unexpected juxtapositions. His kites take many forms :bicyclists pedal vigorously over the clouds,a woman trails a real scarf, an enormousanimal leaves clawed pawprints on thesky, a dump truck drawn in perspectivedrives away while several timbers (fastenedto invisible net tails hanging downfrom the kite) spill out of an open tailgate. . .and many other kites that challengedescription . To come upon one ofAsker's kites unexpectedly is to have apleasure impressed on your mind forever .Peter Travis is well known in Australiaas a potter and teacher of textile design atthe Shillito School of Design in Sydney .Having traveled widely under the auspicesof the Australia Council, he is knownaround the world as a maker of extraordinarykites . His kites are large, brightlycolored cloth eight-to-twelve feet in diameterwith 200-foot-long tails of openform,cobweb-like configuration whichripple and flow in the air currents. HisAustralian government commission to thetune of $8,000 surely qualifies as the mostexpensive kite purchase of recent times .Regardless of price, the Travis cathedralsized,stained-glass-patterned kites are animpressive sight .Tom Van Sant is a Los Angeles sculptorwhose cast cement reliefs may be seen ona great many buildings in that city . Severalyears ago, Van Sant veered off to justabout the opposite pole from cement-tothe making of elaborate kites of his owndesign . The film featuring his kites, FlightForms : The Improbable Flying Sculptureof Tom Van Sant, captures the almostotherworldly beauty of his kites flyingout over the Pacific from a Californiabeach . Van Sant does not sell these kites,making them instead, he says, for thepure pleasure they give him and his friends .Canadian Skye Morrison (whose namesakeis Scotland's Isle of Skye) couples alifelong love of British and Celtic traditionalsong and dance with her training asa textile designer and a love of kites . Shewas a featured artist/kitemaker at theFirst World Craft Exhibition held in 1974in Toronto (it moves around among leadingcities) . This first gathering and exhibitionwas known for a distinguished catalog,A kite Is a hind ofpottery for the windIn Praise of Hands . Morrison's French dyeresist paintings on silk are unparalleled asillustrative design . One may find her playingthe concertina or flying a 20-foot-longconcertina kite-and either will make youskip with pleasure .Tsutomu Hiroi is well known throughThe Art of the Japanese Kite as well ashis own kite books and writings . His kitedesigns demonstrate a talent, wit and inventivenesswhich is combined with thetraditional Japan of Kabuki and themodern Japan of plastics and transistors .His "cubic" kites are modern in the contextof the virtual exclusivity of planar

ird/insect designs . What better subjectfor trompe l'oeil than kites in perfect imitationof nature's own fliers. The archetypalthree-dimensional bird/insect kites,still made today in Tientsin, China, are somarvelously constructed you can almostenvision the nimbleness of the fingersmaking them . In Japan, Shuhei Gotomakes extraordinary, realistic, fully-scaledseven-foot-wingspan cranes and other birdsof wonderful grace and elegance . (TyrusWong's kites have already been mentioned .)There are counterparts in westernnations . Our noble bald eagle inspired AirForce career man Bevan Brown to constructof papier-mache an eye-catching,show-stopping full-scale version to confoundeven natural birds as it wheels inthe sky . Ezekiel Contreras of Long Beach,CA, "Nishi" of Japan and J .C . Young andLarry Chinn of Seattle are among otherswho have made eagles of equal beauty .The flap of the delta has always suggestedbirds. Thus, John Van Gilder andLouise Crowley have worked magic inSeattle with realistically rendered seagulldeltas . In Australia, Helen Bushell'sTrefoil airfoil keeled invention warrantsreal admiration and praise for the beautyof her butterfly and bird deltas . Her seagull,convincingly suggested by an economicalstroke of black at the wing edges,is one of my all-time favorite bird kites .Joseph and Alice Lee (Lee's Kites), alsoof Washington state, bring exceptionalcraftsmanship in similar vein to the kitemarket in a' collection that includes snowgeese, Canadian geese and eagles . Al andBetty Hartig also make a very beautifuleagle, red cloth ibis and white snow owl .Some of the intricacies of orientalkites are being rediscovered by Americanssuch as Lawrence Chinn and J . C . Youngin Seattle, who carry forth and adapttheir heritage with dazzling effectivenessin bird kites, butterflies and centipedes . InArlington, VA, Stephen John Bernstein,attracted to the challenges of orientalkites, has made a variety of them withoutthe advantages of an Eastern environment .All of these "art" kites by kitemakersnever fail to hold their own in museumexhibitions shared with kites of historicalimportance and those made by artists .THE TREND TOKITE EXHIBITIONSKitemakers of all inclinations, commercialor otherwise, are pushing the body of kiteknowledge outward in every direction .We are all beginning to believe this is nota temporary explosion but an endlessclock . Each contribution we make rewindsthe kite clock to a point that will advanceit always by more . And as kiting grows sodoes its aesthetic . Beauty is continuallyredefined as the mutual learning processgoes on . Sprawling, groping, unstructuredand untidy, kiting does not stand still forlong . Its beauty moves, with the ultimate,uncertain beauty of life itself . It is nowonder, therefore, that we resist the ideaof putting kites in museums, where lifebecomes frozen in time . Devoid of itsnative habitat in the sky, the kite is notquite itself.There are innumerable museums withoutwalls, that is, kite festivals, spreadacross the United States-a worthy subjectfor a story of its own on kite festivals astheater-art-but to mention just one : thearchetype living annual museum for kiteshas to be on the last Saturday in March,initiated and master-of-ceremonied byPaul Garber, the dean of American kitingand Smithsonian Historian Emeritus, inhis glory at the Smithsonian Kite Carnivalon the Mall in Washington, DC . It'sAmerican kiting's finest : young, old,poignant, charming, inventive and strikinglybeautiful kites fly as Garber organizesand orchestrates an afternoon ofeveryone purely and simply enjoying kites .On the other hand, a kite so veryslowed down as it is when hung on a wallis available for detailed scrutiny that cangreatly increase appreciation . With propertitling and historic information, the kitescan provide a concentration of kite knowledgethat outdoors would be dispersed oreven invisible . Further, there are peoplevisiting galleries who will be captured bythe kites and sent out to play with themfora healthy kind of reversal .It was probably inevitable that the increasedrecognition of kites as art wouldbe reflected in a growing number of kiteexhibits . The trend is flattering to kitingthough not always convenient, as forexample when dates overlap and kites arepacked and repacked for air shipmentsrather than real flight .The landmark exhibition of kites inmy time, reviving my own childhoodpleasure in kites as it must have for countlessothers, took place in 1968 at NewYork City's Hallmark Gallery on FifthAvenue just a few blocks up the streetfrom the Museum of Modern Art . Theshow, "Flying Kites," was the brainchildof author James Wagenvoord . His FlyingKites : In Fun, Art and War provided thebasis for the exhibition . Yoshimurashowed his elegantly pure white paperand bamboo kitelike objects flying up outof the basement level grand stairway intothe Fifth Avenue windows . Window shopperscrowded into the gallery to findpainter Al Hansen's pop art imagespainted on kite-shaped canvases, stacks of1 . Diaphanousdragonfly kitefrom China .2 J .C. Youngof Seattle show!his eagle kite .3 . Lawrence Chinn,also of Seattle, in hisworkshop full of kites .4 . Bevan Brown ofMcLean, VA, poises his baldeagle kite as for falconry .5 . Australian Helen Bushell'sseagull-like Trefoil delta .6 . Goto crane kite from Japan .7 . Snow goose by Lee's Kites .8 . Eagle delta by Nantucket Kiteman 'n Lady .9 . Stephen Bernstein, Arlington, VA, and hisoriental crane kite, symbol of long life .

as well as work by nearly all the contemporarykitemakers I've written about here .For permanent kite exhibits, I suggest-not facetiously-that one visit kiteshops, which are often mini-galleries inthemselves . These are permanent exhibitsthat are, besides, regularly updated . If,however, you prefer more hallowed halls,there are two of them . As more fully describedin the Spring 1979 issue of KiteLines, these are in Washington, DC, andTokyo, Japan .Paul Garber has been instrumental inestablishing a permanent exhibition ofmajor historical kites in the collection ofthe National Air and Space Museum,Smithsonian, in our nation's capital . Thisimportant display opened in June, 1978 .And in Japan, with a nearly uncountable2500-odd kites from all over the world,the late kite collector extraordinaireShingo Modegi established in November,1977, the first museum/gallery devotedexclusively to kites . The Modegi Kite Museumis a short walk from Tokyo Station,the center of Japan's rail system . Howmany millions are going to benefit fromModegi's wonderful generosity?THE MOSTBEAUTIFUL KITEWhat is the most beautiful kite? I don'tdare speak for anyone but myself . Everykite enthusiast has in his or her mind'seye a breathtakingly beautiful kite silhouettedagainst the clouds, a kite whichstops time for a moment . The best museumfor kites, after all, may be the sky .This is not so different from paintingand sculpture ; the studio, not the museum,is the most exciting space of thefine arts . The art of the kite is completeonly in the collaboration of inventor,artist, maker and flier :Unrolling Jalbert's Parafoil on theground, the cloth limp and slightly disheveled,holding your arms out widespreadto catch the wind, seeing the cells fill outjust inches away, catching the breeze,joining the cloth to the wind, the wrinklesof the rip-stop cloth straightening out,smoothing out, stretching, more insistentlypulling at your arms, pulling youoff balance, your smile starts then-thekite smile-the air joining the fabric, transformingit into a new entity pulsing withlife which will fly off into the sky .Assembling Rogallo's delta, unfoldingthe sail cover, sliding the spars into thenarrow side pockets, bowing the spreaderbar into place, just picking it up a fewinches off the ground, the kite pulls incessantly,shaking back and forth, demandingto be released, flexing laterally . Strengthseems to flow through the whole frame . Thedelta is like an arrow with the hard cuttingtip, its middle strong but flexible and resilient,the softness of the trailing edgeruffled by the passage of air . With just thebarest hint of a breeze it leaves your hand,moving smoothly off into its home .Rogallo and Jalbert have given us thegift of two very beautiful kites .It is dangerous in an article like this toname names-some are sure to be left outaccidentally . There are many more kitemakerswhose kites I have admired andenjoyed and who help to sustain this kitefeeling of good will in me and I imaginein many others : H . B . Alexander inCharleston, SC, Stormy Weathers in Oregon,Peter Lynn from New Zealand, GarryWoodcock and Ken Lewis of Canada, PatHammond and Richard Robertson ofTexas, Hod Taylor of Minnesota, HankSzerlag and Wayne Hosking of Michigan,Marylanders Pete lanuzzi, Rick Kinnaird,William Bigge, Mel and Valerie Govig, SanFranciscans George Ham and the Toybrothers, Peter Powell and Nick Morse ofEngland, Gary Hinze of San Jose, CA, TomJoe of Long Beach, CA, Bob Ingraham ofNew Mexico, Wyatt Brummitt of Rochester,NY, the late William Allison ofOhio-and scores more whose names Iregret I do not yet know who make andfly wonderful kites . Having given kites-asarta great deal of my time and thought, Ibelieve, at last, that all kites are beautiful .The good will held by kites in thepublic's collective subconscious is ratheramazing . The very word kite-whether akite boxed for sale in a store or displayedon a museum wall-predisposes one toimages of flight, the release of tensionand a warm feeling of pleasure free fromearthbound problems . I wonder if there isanother single human-made object setapart from nature's myriad wonders quitelike the kite .1 . An experimental sled by Harold B . Alexander .2 . Ladybug kite by Hank Szerlag .3 . Kite in wrestling match with mortals, includingmaker Peter Lynn of New Zealand .4 . Bill Bigge, cerebral kiter, with one of his airplanekites at Nags Head, NC .5 . Rainbow Bird by A . Pete lanuzzi .6 . The ebullient original stunt kiter, Peter Powell .7 . Robert M . Ingraham, founder of Kite Tales(predecessor of Kite Lines) .8 . Rick Kinnaird, crew and crowd at Codylaunch, 1980 Smithsonian Kite Carnival .

Kites from the Cerf-Volant Club de France ondisplay at Paris's Passage Verdeau :1 . Pomorcef kite made by Mr . Collard .2 . Cody Soneyded kite made by Mr . Bonvalet .Seen at the Frank Holterman exhibit, England :3 . Holterman next to one of his kites showingthe separate tail sections attached by swivels .4 . A group of mask-like Holterman designs .5 . Sketches of Holterman kite ideas .POSTSCRIPTS : KITES AS ARTIn addition to the 1980 exhibitions of kites seen by Tal Streeter [preceding article] ,Kite Lines has received reports of others which we briefly mention here .Perhaps it should be said, however, that the fact of an exhibit is not necessarily anindicator of either great art and aerodynamic quality or comprehensive selection . Indeed,as exhibitions increase and overlap, their quality grows more difficult to achieve .PARIS : EXHIBIT ATPASSAGE VERDEAUIn the typically Parisian scenery of PassageVerdeau, the Cerf-Volant Club de Franceorganized a most beautiful exhibition ofkites from December 19, 1979, throughJanuary 30, 1980 .This charming and quiet place wasperfect for such an event . Imagine a pedestrianway covered with a huge andgorgeous glass roof of Second Empire age,shedding a soft and warm light, charmingcolorful shops, a slight breeze whichmakes the kites quiver-you are there .Eleven beautiful kites, some of whichwere four-meter span, were hanging underthis glass roof . Old original documentsfrom 1900, man-lifting pictures from1910 and contemporary aerial picturestaken from kites were displayed in a largeshop window .Many visitors came ; the kite put itscase across . Unfortunately, all is bound tocome to an end . Kites are flying in theirnatural element again .Report by Andre MignardSecretary, Cerf-Volant Club de FranceENGLAND : KITES OFFRANK HOLTERMANAn exhibition of kites by Frank Holterman,A .R .C .A ., F .R .S .A ., of Hale (near Liverpool)was held at Manchester Polytechnicfrom March 17 to 22, 1980 .The show was in an exhibition hall,perhaps 35 x 70 feet, with windows ateach end, so the kites were hung thelength of the wall at each side, interspersedwith framed ink sketches for designs andsome photos of kites from (e .g .) Japan .Frank's kites may be called traditional,in a sense, in that they are all fully-framedsingle-surface kites-no soft kites, boxkites or sleds and only one quasi-delta, aRussell Hall's . Birds and insects, togetherwith simple geometric types such as circularand rhombic designs, predominate ;what chiefly attracts is the bold and colorfultreatment of the sails-rip-stop (withone exception), mostly painted rather thanappliqued designs .I've never seen kites in England aswildly colorful as Frank Holterman's .Report by John SpendloveInternational Secretary, Northern Kite GroupMori buka kite by Shin'ichi Muramoto from TalStreeter's collection shown at Japan House .

Of Termites and KitefliersBy Wood EllisThe prominent biologist, Lewis Thomas,says (translating freely from the arcane*)that an individual termite has no mentalconception of the vast architecture of thewhole termite hill, which may, in tropicalareas, measure 100 feet across . The littlefellow simply has a yen to pick up a dabof mud and put it just there, you see,where it looks right . The resulting structurecan be as large compared to the termiteas New York City is compared to ahuman . It includes hundreds of levels oflabyrinthine passages, beautiful, archedvaults and orderly galleries, subterraneangardens of fungi, air conditioning andsuch excellent drainage and waste disposalthat it can endure for decades .Not a single termite ever knows thathe is building such a thing, and he seesonly a small part of the structure in hislifetime .Thomas observes that humans as wellas termites are biologically programmedto build things they do not comprehend .The human parallel is the continuing constructionof languages, music, art, information. Each of us spends a lifetime movingbits about from place to place, oftenaimlessly it seems, but the bits are wordsor images-or kites-symbolic things . Thediscovery of a really new fact, previouslyunknown to humans, triggers the releaseof tons of pheromones, and our antennae,by the millions, pass it around excitedlyuntil it finds its place as a vital part of alovely new doorway or buttress in ourcollective mind . If he is correct, then mystupid dropping of a phrase or an attitudeis an essential part of its relayed movementfrom some unknown beginning to aresting place in an undreamable, vaststructure .When you have a yen to do something,it may be biologically ordained, even ifyou cannot think of a good reason foryour urge . Your DNA strands may carrycomplex codes which compel you to payattention to kites-to do your bit in an unknownsocial project . Trust your clocks .Perhaps some kitefliers are merely makingexcuses when they explain why theyfly kites . They have a pat list of whatthey hope will be socially acceptable reasons,but the real reason is unconsciousand bigger than anybody . My own ostentatiousexcuse has been that the kite is apatriotic symbol of liberty and I'm tryingto set an example of proper citizenship .But think of the termite . He is unableto explain the structural significance ofhis dab of mud . Probably a kiteflier is unableto explain the significance of his kitein the vast systems we build without blueprints. The next time someone asks mewhy I fly kites, I shall simply say, "Here,hold the line a minute ." And then I'llcomment briefly about that particularkite-how it looks, feels, flies, how it isbuilt . And I'll say, "Do you think itshould have been a different color? . . . Isthat so? . . . Yeah, probably so . . . . Doyou like kites?" And then he will understand-orfeel-as well as I can explain it .Prof. Tsutomu Hiroi in his Gakugei University office-studio in Japan, as photographed by Tal Streeter, who says Hiroi "has about 150modern kites of his own design along with a collection of traditional kites . They are not hung as decorations, as one might guess, however; Hiroiis anxious that they be used and enjoyed as they were intended-and they are flown frequently . Hiroi says, 'I am not a kite maker inthe traditional sense . I seldom repeat designs and I do not sell these kites .' "

Above, at Scheveningen, Holland,a triple sled (15x21m ; 49 .2 x 68 .9 ft) isprepared for a launch that didn'tsucceed . Below : from left, NickMorse's giant tetra ; a Brogden kitefrom Belgium ; Prof . Waldof kiteson the mobbed beach .It had to be a standout event . The ThirdInternational "Vliegerfeest" (Kite Festival)on June 14 and 15, 1980, spilled all overthe beach at Scheveningen, a resort outsideThe Hague . The crowds, massed to see thekites, were estimated at 25 to 40 thousand. For energetic, curly-haired 32-yearoldGerard van der Loo, it was a great day .The Big Plans for Scheveningen hadkept Gerard bubbling six months in advance. He had donated his time for thepromotion of kiting, believing it would alsohelp his kite shop, Vlieger-OP, in TheHague . But it is obvious he loves the work .The festival is mostly paid for by the localcouncil of Scheveningen beach . Somebeach spaces are sold to sponsors ; Fokker,the airplane company, was one this year .The Scheveningen Kite Festival is essentiallya kite show . It is noncompetitiveand informal, welcoming kiters and thegeneral public and inviting a few foreignguests on an expense-paid basis to put onflying performances . For 1980, kiterscame from Germany, Denmark, Belgium,England-and, of course, Holland .Saturday dawned bright and sunny,with winds at 13 to 15 knots . One of themain attractions in Gerard's kiting circuswas Nick Morse, the admired builder ofelegant Cody and tetrahedral kites . SevenCodys were assembled on the beach, fourof them made by Nick [see this issue'scover] . The kites were to be used in a manlift,but on the first day a storm threatenedand on the second day the winds fell offby the time the system was ready . Inspite of this, the kites made a spectacularsight on the sands and in the air .Much advance effort had gone intoplans to attempt to break some worldkiting records : altitude, duration andlargest kite . Gerard reported afterwards :"First the altitude was canceled by theminister of defense at the very last moment,because Scheveningen is a veryrisky place with many airplane flights .Then after three days our duration offlight was over . We had very bad luckbecause we had three different timeperiods of absolutely no wind . (Yes, ithappened in Holland!) So we stopped ."But the effort to build the largest kitewent forward . After months of work bya team of seven Dutch kiters, and at acost of $6000, a triple sled had been madewith 315 square meters (1033'/2 squarefeet) of lifting surface and a weight of390 kilograms (860 pounds) . A line of8000-kg (17,637 lbs) breaking strengthwas to be used ."For lifting the kite," Gerard reported,"we hired three cranes and a tugboat .The cranes were 40 meters (44 yards)from each other and lifted the kite bypulling a line (attached from one crane toanother), at the back of the kite, slightlyforwards. At this moment one of the steelpipe struts bent too much and as the boatpulled, the pipe bent completely and thekite had no lift anymore . Anyway, wefailed . Next year we will try again!" (Thenext Vliegerfeest will be June 21-22,1981 .)But the crowd didn't seem to mind thefailure . Tourists drawn by the abundantpublicity found much to enjoy . A goodcamping site at nearby Okenburgh drewmany, including Dave Taylor and his twosons from England .Writing later for "Kite Wings," thenewsletter of the Essex Kite Group, Davetold of joining Brian Edgely for a breakfastof "traditional good old English eggsand bacon . We went into Amsterdam andhad a very good look around . We madeseveral good friends who were also interestedin kites ."He also met a group of artists and musiciansin Swolle, Holland, and saw themfly some beautiful kites, including a centipedeand a windmill . "This was approximatelysix feet high and had sails aboutfour feet across . The sails rotated and thekite flew, made from tissue paper ofvarious colors ; it looked very attractive ."Summing it up, Dave said, "What awonderful two-day festival it was, full ofbeautiful kites and beautiful girls! Brianand I cannot make up our minds whichwas more delightful!"Gerard can sleep easy .V .G .

for the RecordWORLD RECORDSIN KITING :QUESTIONS,ANSWERS&CHALLENGESA letter arrives in the office at Kite Linesfrom a would-be kite record breaker . Itstates an ambitious goal ("I am planningto fly a kite higher than ever in history")and says that the Guinness Book of WorldRecords has referred the correspondentto us for advice on procedures .How do we answer? For several years,we have replied to these inquiries individually,as well as we could within the timeconstraints of publishing our journal . Eachinquiry presents different questions but afew general points are repeated in eachreply . We sense that the time has come toshare our suggestions through Kite Linesand to open the debate to kiters everywhere. Even those of you who have nopersonal yearning to set a new worldrecord of your own might still be interestedin the questions of judgment andphilosophy surrounding world records .Guinness presently recognizes only sixcategories in kiteflying and has shownresistance to expanding its kite sectionbeyond them . This is an interesting pointin itself, since baseball, for instance, fillseight-pages-plus in Guinness . Yet a baseballfan can obtain books of statistics onhis or her sport that are nothing less thanencyclopedic . Just as baseball has recordsthat exceed the interests of Guinness, kitingas a sport should have its own records .In its comparative youth, however, theenthusiasm of kiting stands very nearly onsquare one where documentation is concerned. As the journal of record for theworldwide kite community, Kite Lineshas shouldered the responsibility and willcontinue to do so .As of this writing, no defined standardsfor any kite record have been "carved ingranite," nor do we of Kite Lines considerourselves, by any means, to be the finalarbiter of all kiting achievements . But weadmire the old saying : "Observe the turtle .He makes progress only when he stickshis neck out ." We are willing to risk thepossibility of doing a less than perfectand complete job of defining "standards." Experience will be the real andultimate test . Our suggestions are madeon the basis of the consensus of knowledgeableopinion, as near as we can senseit . These opinions will certainly evolveover time . Thus the following statementsare only a beginning and they only applyto what Kite Lines will recognize . We cannotspeak for Guinness* or for any otherparties who might wish to set standardsHow to DocumentYour RecordSetting the most impressive kite record inthe world will get you zero recognitionunless you can back it up on paper . Thisdull truth might as well be faced from theoutset and a secretary recruited if necessary. Papers and other material should besent to Kite Lines, Guinness and elsewhereas the contender chooses . Minimum informationwill include :1 . The claim .2 . Date and hour or hours of the effort .3 . Name of contender or team withfull addresses as appropriate .4 . Nation, state and site of the effortand weather conditions at the time .5 . Full information about the kite orkites flown, such as dimensions, type, andmethods used, the details to depend uponof their own . We will try only to upholdthe best and fairest standards we know inwhat we print in Kite Lines as worldrecords . At the same time, of course, weencourage you, our readers, to commentand make suggestions for criteria .*As a matter of information for those who seeklisting in Guinness: the kite records section ofthe book closes annually on about June 15 .their relevance to the record claimed .6 . At least one disinterested third party(more is desirable) must sign the claimsheet and verify the information as a witness. Every effort should be made toobtain the best possible verification ; forexample, if possible, use a notary public .7 . Photographic verification is encouragedbecause it will buttress the newsvalue of the report, but it will not necessarilyprovide proof of it . For example,still photos taken at the instant of launchmay seem to show a kite in apparentlysuccessful flight when, in fact, in amoment's time, the kite may have crashedingloriously . Motion pictures would bemuch more definitive and the film laboratory'sprocessing log could verify a date .Definitions & Rules to beObserved in Seeking AnyWorld. Kiting Record1 . A kite is defined as a tethered aerodynederiving all its lift from ambientwinds and unassisted in launch or flightby any "booster," such as a rocket, balloon,gas, motor, electricity, explosive orother applied device .2 . All kites used in any claim for arecord must fly . Flight is defined as being

.airborne at an angle of at least 15 0 abovethe horizontal to an altitude above theground of at least the length of the kiteand for a time period of at least two minutes. These factors interrelate and a kiteachieving only the minimum in all ofthem puts acceptability of the claim atrisk . For example, duration of flight isimportant for the record for Largest Kite .Further, any "touch-down" of the kite(or anything attached to the kite) to theground (or any thing or person attachedto the ground) ends a flight .3 . All kites used in any claim for arecord must be retrieved .4 . All kite records must be set eitherwithin the limitations of any applicableprevailing laws or with permission of theauthorities to perform outside suchlimitations .5 . All kite record efforts must bemade in conformance with recognizedsafe flying practices as appropriate tothe effort .6 . For most categories of kite records,increases over past records, to be recognized,must be in significant increments,perhaps on the order of 5% . There shouldbe no doubt that a new record surpasses aprevious record .In sum, kites used in any claim for arecord must, to be recognized, fly unassistedand be retrieved, within the law andin conformance with safe flying practices .Currently RecognizedCategories ofWorld Kite RecordsFirst let us set out those kinds of recordswhich Kite Lines is not prepared to recognize. As of this writing, we make no distinctionbetween records set by individualsas opposed to teams ; any numbermay play. For many kinds of kite records,it makes good sense to use a team . As apractical matter, however, Kite Linescannot publish extremely long lists ofnames, so a captain's or club's name maybe used for a team effort . As recordsettingwith kites increases over time,some efforts may be broken down by in dividual vs groupFinally, categories broken down bynation or state or by specific productionmodelkites are not presently consideredof significance . It is believed that kitegroups will set their own records withintheir areas and kite manufacturers willrecord efforts made with their own kites(as, for example, the most productionmodelFlexifoils flown in train) .Following are kite records which KiteLines doesrecognize .However, we have insufficient informationeither to dispute or confirm most of theclaims . In the absence of prior standardsand provisionally deferring to Guinness,we accept these kiting records :V 0 0 0 0ALTITUDE by Single KitePresent Holders : Prof. Philip R . Kunzof the University of Wyoming and Jay P .Kunz of Laramie, WY, on November 21,1967, flying to a minimum of 22,500 ftand a maximum of 28,000 ft .ALTITUDE by Train of KitesPresent Holder : Unnamed Germans inLindenberg (now East Germany), on August1, 1919, flying a "chain of eight kites"to 31,955 ft .Previous Holders : An earlier edition ofGuinness had recognized 10 high schoolboys of Gary IN, flying near Portage, IN,using a train of 19 kites . The undatedreport gave the height as 35,530 ft,"assessed by telescopic triangulation ." Arecent and noteworthy effort (reported inthe Spring 1979 Kite Lines) was made bySteven Flack in Boonville, NY, on September9, 1978, flying to a claimed heightof 37,908 ft, using a train of seven kites .The altitude was determined only by triangulation,using line length and angle,and the kites were not retrieved .Comments : For future Altitude recordefforts (single kite or train), Kite Lineswill not accept triangulation byline angle and lengthalone asLikewise, ages of contendersare immaterial at this time,but they may be appliedto kite records inthe future .

conclusive, especially when trains are used,We require that the highest kite in a trainbe observed by a disinterested third partyusing a rangefinder sighting or radar .DURATION OF FLIGHT OutdoorsPresent Holder : The Sunrise inn team,managed by Will Yolen, at Ft . Lauderdale,FL, on April 30 to May 7, 1977, flyingfor 169 hours .Previous Holders : A record of 168hours had been set on April 23, 1964, byWalter Harlan Scott, Delray Beach, FL .The notarized claim was signed by sixwitnesses . It stated that this effort hadbroken the previous 99-hour record heldby Benn Blinn of Columbus, OH . Scottand Blinn had been unknown in Guinness,which for several editions listed the longestflight as belonging to Vincent Tuzo ofBermuda, who flew 61 hours 25 minuteson May 6 to 9, 1973 .Comments : For tries at a Duration record(sometimes-perhaps rightly-calledEndurance), Kite Lines requires assurancethat a minimum line length appropriateto the kite was maintained throughoutthe flight . This applies both to Outdoorsand Indoors records . "Walking" a kite ona short line will provoke doubt of "flight ."Also during a Duration effort, the kite orkites must be kept under observation atall times to insure that no question can beraised that a kite fell to earth and thenrose up again by itself, as can happen . Atnight this is particularly challenging andimportant . A searchlight from the groundor light source attached to the kite can beused ; or a flier can listen to the hum onthe line or keep a hand on it to assure ofthe continued "life" in the air . A logshould be kept of the kites used, the personnelon watch and their annotations,which should be made regularly .MOST KITES FLOWN ONONE LINEPresent Holder : KazuhikoAsaba on September 21,The largest kite flownand fully documentedis 2,949 square feetin area, flown inShirone, Japan,March 20,1980 .1978, at Kamakura, Japan, with 4,128 kites .Previous Holders : There were severalimportant earlier achievements in thiscategory . Documentation of them appearedin the special issue on trains,Summer 1977, and the Spring 1979 editionof Kite Lines . The earlier issue included"proposed standards for multikiteflying,"which we repeat here as our . . .Comments : All the kites must fly . Tomeet this standard, it must be clear thatno kite pulls another . So-called "skyanchors," or large kites launched first, arenot recommended or proper procedure .All kites should be approximately thesame size, again on the principle that nokite pulls another . All kites must be retrieved; kites lost or impaired in flight donot count . A recent question was raisedabout the number of lines permissible in a"most-on-one-line" effort . Our responseis that more than one strand may be usedif they function as one line .LARGEST KITE FLOWN(by Lift Area, by Weight)Present Holder : The Japanese in NarutoCity, Japan, in 1936, flying a kite built of3,100 "panes of paper" and weighing 9 1/ztons . Exact documents on this incrediblefeat seem to be blurred in myth . Theweight claimed is considered dubious by anumber of kite experts . A more recenteffort, scrupulously documented, appearedin the Spring-Summer 1980 KiteLines . This was the work of the ShironeKite Association in Japan . On March 20,1980, they flew a 63 .3 by 46 .6 foot kiteweighing 792 pounds to an altitude of250 feet for 15 minutes . This very definitiveeffort is affirmed by Kite Lines and isexpected to be recognized by Guinness inits next edition .Comments : Guinness recognizes asingle, simple Largest Kite category ; KiteLines maintains two categories, LargestKite by Lift Area and Largest Kite byWeight, even though the same kite mayachieve the record in both . Contenderswho seek to challenge the Japanese recordshould know that Kite Lines determines akite's size by its lifting area only . In a kitewith multiple planes (as, for example, abox kite), horizontal area, counts but notvertical area . The sides of a box kite donot count if the kite is flown square ;however, if it is flown on an angle theangled areas (of degrees between horizontaland vertical) count as lifting area,based on the projected area, up to within150 of the vertical . Likewise, side flaps ofsleds do not count as lifting area . Indetermination of a kite's weight, its tailsand bridle lines may be included .LARGEST "HAND-LAUNCHED" KITEGuinness recognizes this category butKite Lines does not because methods oflaunch do not lend themselves to sharp orsignificant distinctions that separate the capabilitiesinvolved in managing giant kites .New Categories of WorldKite Records whichKiteLines RecognizesThe following are new records and suggested records, recently recognized or not yetset . All are, we believe, categories that are both achievable and valid . We hope to reportclaims on these records in future issues of Kite Lines.DURATION OF FLIGHT IndoorsPresent Holders: Carl Brewer and TomSisson of Seattle, WA, on January 31 - February 1, 1979, in Seattle's Kingdome,flying a Brewer airplane-type kite for 9hours 13 minutes .Comments : "Indoors" is defined as insidea building and under roof .TRACTION BY KITE for Distance,Distance by Land and Distance by Water(all straight-line) ; and for Speed, Speed byLand and Speed by Water .Present Holder for Distance and forDistance by Land : George Pocock ofEngland in his "Char-Volant," a carriagepulled by two large kites . Pocock traveled113 miles across the English countrysidein 1827 . It is not known how many daysthis journey took, but the speed at timeswas 20 to 25 miles per hour .Present Holder for Distance by Water :Samuel Franklin Cody crossing the English

Channel on November 5,1903, using a train of hisCody kites . Reenacted byKeith Stewart in 1977 usinga Gordon Gillett Tow Kitesystem . Closely contendedby Bernard Stewart (no relation)of Victoria, B .C .,Canada, crossing the Straitof Juan de Fuca on July 5,1979. covering 20 to 23 miles .GREATEST WEIGHT LIFTEDBY KITEPresent Holder : G . WilliamTyrrell, Jr ., of Southampton, PA,on September 22, 1978, at theGrand National Kite Festival in OceanCity, MD, flying a 19 x 20 ft JalbertParafoil kite that bottomed out the scaleat its highest reading, over 420 pounds .Comments : Net vertical lift, not linepull, is the standard for measurement ofkite weight lifting.LONGEST KITE AND TAILPresent Holder : Richard de Santis ofPalos Verdes Peninsula, CA, on March 22,1980, flying a 500 ft stunting "dragon"kite at the Venice Pier Kite Festival inVenice, CA .Comments : Measurement should be inthe kite's longest dimension and/or includingthe full length of its tail . The tail mustbe substantial and functional over its entirelength, not merely attached threadsof string or wisps of paper .FIRST KITE FLOWN in Specified RemoteLocations (such as the North Pole, Mt .Everest, etc .),A Present Holder : Dodds Meddock,Aeronaut on the 1980 Polar Balloon Expedition,flying a four-cell Parafoil kitefor six minutes at the North Pole, 90 0 N,April 11, 1980 . The kite, a gift of John M .and Ora (Scotty) Parker of Charlotte, NC,was included as an emergency signal butwas flown for pleasure .MOST PARTICIPANTS AT A KITEEVENTComments : Applies to number ofpeople flying kites in a specified area overa specified time . A "crowd estimate" willnot be acceptable . A systematic count,verified by a disinterested third party, isrequired .MOST EXPENSIVE KITE SOLDComments : A written bill of sale anddisinterested third party verification mustaccompany a claim, which shall be subjectto stringent scrutiny .KITEFLOWNIN MOSTEXTREMEWEATHER :Hottest and ColdestTemperature, Strongest Wind .MOST CONSECUTIVE DAYS OFINDIVIDUAL FLIGHTComments: Is anyone up for kiteflyingevery day for a year? Has anyone alreadydone it? Wouldn't the diary of it makeinteresting reading?MOST NATIONS IN WHICH KITESHAVE BEEN FLOWN : Individual LifetimeCount. Also subdivision for moststates in the United States and for firstkiter to fly in all 50 states .LARGEST FISH CAUGHT BY MEANSOF A KITE FISHING SYSTEMComments : Determination to be madeon the basis of fish weight .NONE OF THE ABOVE (Other kiterecords can be set and recognized, too!)ANNUAL RECOGNITIONIn addition to our interest in the aboveabsolute world records, Kite Lines wouldlike to recognize the annual record foreach category . Wouldn't it be good toknow, for example, that you flew yourkite higher than anyone else this year?Send us your claims for best effort thisyear and we will publish them in an earlyissue next year!Valerie GovigDodds Maddock flying a kite at the NorthPole on April 11, 1980, is the first verifiedsuccess at this location .

Story by William A . RutiserPhotographs by Theodore L . ManekinRutiser's diagram plots kites by number forasymmetry vertically against flight horizontallyHere's how it came about . A few yearsago I happened to wonder if it might bepossible to construct a kite that both flewwell and possessed a pronounced asymmetrybetween its left and right sides .Attempting to encourage expert experimentationwith such kites, I offereda modest cash prize at the annualfestivals in Baltimore, sponsoredby the Maryland Kite Society, and wasrewarded with numerous promises andclaims of designs-but no kites . Last spring,Valerie Govig proposed that Kite Linessponsor and publicize an internationalexposition of asymmetrical kites . Thistook place on June 17, 1980, at theBurtonsville Recreation Center, a largegrassy field located midway betweenBaltimore and Washington, DC . (Val alsoarranged for nearly ideal weather, ratherhot but with no precipitation and only afew short periods of calm .)There was a small but appreciativecrowd for this unusual occasion, whichmingled serious headwork with sporadicgiggling . Twenty-one kites were officiallyentered. There were also two last-minute,unofficial entries and three kites thatwere brought to the field but not flown .Of the 21 official entries, only two wouldnot fly (numbers 4 and 16) . Eight of thekites, shipped to the event, were flown bysurrogate fliers while the rest were broughtto Burtonsville and flown by their makers .The kites were flown, one at a time,approximately in order of arrival, beforea group of four judges : Bill Bigge, BevanBrown, Bob Price and myself . Others whohad been tapped for judging decided toenter kites instead or assisted in otherthan-judgingcapacities . (For example,Ted Manekin was occupied with thephotography .) Robert and Jewell Price,who live near the field in Burtonsville,were particularly important because theyreceived and logged in the kites shippedin advance and also prepared a lovely buffetfor all of us afterwards . We thank thePrices heartily for their great help .In judging each kite, we noted certainobjective aspects of the flight : the kite'shighest angle ; demonstration of stableflight for 30 seconds ; and ability to recoverfrom disturbance, both with andwithout assistance from the flier . Werated, on a ten-point scale, three performancecharacteristics commonly consideredin kite contests : launch and retrieval ;altitude and angle ; and stability and control. We attempted to estimate each kite'sdegree of asymmetry in terms of the ratiobetween the area of the kite's elementsthat did not have symmetrical counterpartsand the kite's total area . While thisasymmetry ratio is easy to define for anoutline drawn on paper, we found it difficultto compute precisely for a real kiteflying in the air . It's evident that theproper symmetry plane to consider is thevertical plane containing the flying line,but unfortunately kites flown in mostwinds don't remain still (and frequentlythe line doesn't stay in one plane either) .it is unlikely that our in-the-air estimateswould be exactly duplicated by tape measureand calculator .In addition to such practical difficulties,a conceptual problem is presented bykites that are not simple two-dimensionalshapes. One must decide whether toapply the above definition to the kite itselfor to a projection of the kite on aplane . As an example, consider an ordinarydiamond-shaped kite with one side set ashort distance behind the other . In projectionthe kite is perfectly symmetricaleven though no part of the kite matchesany part of its mirror image .The scores are summarized in thefigure where each kite's asymmetry scoreis plotted vertically against the sum of thekite's flight performance scores . The twolines dividing the diagram into quadrantscorrespond to the median scores . The diagramshows that, with certain exceptions,the best performing kites tended to bethe most symmetrical while the less symmetricalkites performed less well .The airplane kites entered by CarlBrewer (6) and Gary Hinze (2) flew wellat high angles . Both kites seem to havebeen designed by distorting symmetricalkites in ways that did not destroy thestability and rigidity inherent in the basicdesign . At the other end of the diagonalwe see several kites where unique shapesdefinitely influenced their behavior .Stephen Bernstein's kite (9) was generallyconstructed like an oriental figure kite .Its stability was impaired by the lack of

torsional rigidity in the small wings onthe right side . Similar flexure in a symmetricalkite might have been balanced by correspondingchanges on the opposite side .Curtis Marshall's attractive kite (10)was constructed of styrofoam disks decoratedto represent astrological bodies supportedby a rigid wooden frame . Whilerigidity was not a limiting factor, theframe's drag and weight prevented thekite from flying above 30 degrees or so .Mark Mazak's kite (13) was constructedon a two-stick frame with a framing cordand an irregular cover in several pieces .During this kite's judging trials, the smallersails were sliding loosely on the framingcord which caused a constantly shiftingbridle point. The kite had flown betterduring tests earlier in the day .Several variations of tetrahedral kitesappear near the middle of the diagram .Scott Spencer (12) constructed anasymmetrical configuration of symmetricalcells while Skip Harmuth's kites(14A, 14B) were composed of distortedtetrahedrons arranged in the conventionalsymmetrical patterns of four and twentycells. These kites flew very much liketheir ordinary counterparts .Pete lanuzzi and Garry Woodcockmade flat kites composed of multiplerandom shapes. Pete's kite (19) wasformed of patterned plastics attached toan intricate rigid frame of bent wood .Garry's kite (1) contained five triangularsails of nylon and plastic loosely connectedto four sticks . These kites were somewhatpenalized by the way the asymmetryscore's definition cancels balancing areas .Pete's kite was the most randomly shapedkite in the event .The remaining kites in the lower righthand corner of the diagram are asymmetricderivatives of recognizable designs . OscarBailey's "Asymmallison" sled (3A) has acenter keel of heavy transparent plasticand a three-point bridle . A thin bamboostiffener in a sleeve across the back tendsto keep the kite from closing . Clive Rawlinsonsent a lopsided two-line controllablekite (7) that was not much hinderedby the effects of its asymmetry . BrooksLeffler flew a modified flare kite (17)with a folded-back wing balanced by anoff-center drogue .Skip Harmuth's third entry (14C) wasa Corner Kite with one triangular wingreplaced by a rectangle of equal area . Thekite, flown with a tail attached to therectangle's corner, flew well at an angleabove 45 degrees . This suggests that therectangular sail produced more lift thanits triangular counterpart .While kite number 18 appears to beisolated in a distant corner of our diagram,the reader should not dismiss it as an insignificantentry as this was the mostimposing kite of the day . Its constructionto a spontaneous design by an eightmemberteam led by Rick Kinnaird consumeda small carload of bamboo poles,several plastic drop cloths and a case ofbeer (launch included) . The entry formstates the randomly shaped kite's weightas 27 .1 pounds and its area as 0 .5 acres .Red Braswell, inspired by the design ofthe LEAK emblem, made a controllablekite (11) in the shape of one side of anEddy kite which demonstrated its asymmetryby refusing to fly to the right ofthe wind while performing quite well tothe left . Two-line configurations seem topromise a convenient means to locate theflying positions for odd-shaped kites evenwhen stunting is not an objective . My impressionfrom watching Red fly this kiteis that it could be trimmed to fly stablyin many different orientations although atail would be required since the kite hasno dihedral .The simplest and clearly the mostasymmetric kite in the exposition wasmade by Carol Master (8A) . Note that theleft side of the cover is made from thematerial removed from the hole in theopposite side . The kite's two-point bridleis attached at the corners of the hole anda tail is attached to the solid side's tip .Unfortunately, the kite was unable toreach an angle of 45 degrees and wassomewhat unstable . I expect that this design,with sufficient experimentation, will

develop into an excellent kite .Takaji Kuroda sent a truly remarkablemulticell box kite from Japan (5) . It consistsof four rigid two-cell triangular boxkites hinged together at their edges withfigure-eight lashings . Frames made of '/.-inch square wood are covered by paperdecorated with block prints of the traditionalJapanese bumblebee kite . It wouldhave been a serious contender in any symmetricalkite contest on design and constructiongrounds . It flies well from twodifferent bridle points . With the line atone point, it assumes a novel but symmetricalconfiguration while with the lineattached at the other point the cellsassume an asymmetrical configuration .The maker arranged a rigid steel pianowire between the two points, one at eachend of the kite, with the wire spacedslightly above the cell surface . The flyingline is tied to a heavy snap swivel thatslides freely along the wire . The kite canbe launched with the swivel at either endand flies in the corresponding mode .When the flier draws in several yards ofline and releases them suddenly the swivelfalls to the other end of the wire and thekite inverts itself, assuming the otherconfiguration . Correspondence fromKuroda refers to other "magic" kiteswhich change shape or color in the air[see article about Kuroda on pages 40-41of this issue] . This kite arrived at BobPrice's home via air y freight in a heavywooden crate . We spent nearly half anhour getting past the steel banding andthe glued wire staples used to secure thetop . Once inside, we found, wrapped inseveral layers of plastic bubble packing, asecond box, a light field case made ofthin plywood and wooden strips . Thisentry, clearly the best box kite in theevent, also provided the best kite box!Oscar Bailey's "Three Mile island"mutant delta kite (3B) earned the day'shighest flight performance score and thesecond highest asymmetry score . Thewings of this otherwise conventional deltakite are identical right triangles, withsides in the ratio of two to one, connectedshort side to long along the spine . Thekite's tail, about four inches wide, ismade in several sections connected withstrips of Velcro to permit adjustment .With the tail attached to the tip of thespine, the kite flew to above 60 degrees .Its flight stability was exceeded only byKuroda's multicell box kite . I believe thatsufficient energy and material invested inexperimentation would be rewarded witha similar kite requiring little or no tail .My curiosity has been justified . Asymmetricalkites do fly and there are moreways to make them than I had ever imagined. Now, thanks to all of the exposition'sparticipants, we know that there is a differencebetween balance and symmetry .NON-ARRIVALS OF INTERESTOscar Bailey's favorite wind sculpture(kite) was too big - 60x24x12 inches -to ship to the exposition . Oscar said,"It is made of bamboo and Silkspan andflies very well, steadily and at a relativelyhigh angle . The shape comes from seedpodsand concave tetrahedral forms ."Ray Proctor of Honolulu, HI, wrote ofhis "wing, cabin, tail and simulated jetengine with one wing missing ." He andhis wife put in long hours but couldnot test the kite in time for shippingto the exposition . However, they havesince flown it successfully at the beach .The model is made of Tyvek® graphlextubing and aluminum spars ; the winghas mesh-covered holes for lightness .

Story andPhotographs byLarry W. HoffmanTHECONVERTIBLECUBICSI OFTAKAJIKURODAIImmaculate. Detailed. Precise. Faultless .Impeccable . Perfec t . . . I exhaust mythesaurus finding words to describe TakajiKuroda's workmanship for the constructionof his cubic kites . Some readers mayremember this gentleman's name and hisinteresting kite design form from theirfirst publication in Kite Tales (predecessorof Kite Lines) in 1976 .Kuroda is an electronics engineer and isGeneral Manager, Space Development Division,of Japan's giant Nippon ElectricCompany . He designed the "multiporthybrid circuit" used in satellite and othercommunications systems throughout theworld . Applying this principle to kite design,about seven years ago, he found himselfsolidly launched into kiting . One cubicdesign followed another and all foundtheir way into his 1975 book Three DimensionalKites . In Japan, 15,000 copieswere sold ; no English version is available .Walking into Kuroda's living room islike stepping into another world . The eyeis confronted with multicolors and multipatternseverywhere it looks! Mixed inwith the cubics that are hanging from eachwall and totally covering the ceiling, aresome of Japan's traditional kite designs,and if you don't walk carefully you willstumble over countless more kites leaningagainst the walls . The only space nottaken up with kites is that occupied bythe furniture .In 1979, a friend of Kuroda startedexperiments with a sliding bridle arrangementto cause a kite to turn over while inflight . Using this idea, Kuroda worked ona cubic kite that didn't just turn over butconverted from one combination to a differentcombination of cells . Only movingpictures could describe the results achieved .A slacking of the prescribed "fathom" (sixfeet) of line causes the kite to circle in thesky . At the right moment, a jerk on theline slides the bridle over to its alternateposition and alters the cell configuration .Clever in concept, amazing in constructionsimplicity, Takaji Kuroda's"magic" convertible cubic kites provethat the impossible, though yet to beaccomplished, has been almost reached! VKuroda showsthe convertibilityof one of his cubickites . Above left isa single box, whichbecomes, with aslip-switch of thebridle, a doublebox, below left .triangularbox kitewith piano wirefor the Magic Kitethe Magic Kite withthree triangular box kites (basic configuration)the Magic Kitewith three triangular box kites set up

Kuroda at home in his living room, which is crowded withkites, including traditional Japanese as well as his cubic kites .Above and left are views of the ceiling inKuroda's home . Hardly an inch of space is leftfor a fly to walk over without entering amaze of cubic kites .

Design WorkshopThe PINEY MOUNTAIN AIRFORCEand the Hornbeam Sled-Kite, Mark 1 .By Guy D . AydlettPiney Mountain Air Force commencedflight operations at 1 :30 p .m . Saturday,November 10, 1979, on a rural flightpadin Central Virginia . Our name honors adistinctive topographic feature whichexists about 14 airline miles north of Mr .Jefferson's Monticello, near Charlottesville .U.S . Route 29 crosses the eastern flank ofPiney Mountain, a small mountain whoseprecincts abound in fickle air currents,turkey vultures, a vibrant sense of history,curious happenings and almost palpablemagic . It is our unqualified belief thatany kite which consistently flies well inour environment is a great kite!Our primary purpose is to fly kites orrelated vehicles safely and to encourageour friends to enjoy their healthful dividends. Our primary goal is to seek andpractice technical improvements in thestate of light-flight art . We limit ourgatherings to mature, responsible, creativefliers totalling not more than 10 participantson any flight date . We do notanticipate sponsoring contests or festivalsin the foreseeable future, but we do notrule out that possibility .In addition, we offer objective flighttestservices to individuals or manufacturerswho submit ideas or products forevaluation and we intend to publish ourfindings in Kite Lines or other appropriatemedia .We are pleased to report that twofliers well-known to the kiting fraternityhave honored us with their presence :Alex G . Dunton, Jr ., of Richmond, VA(versatile artist-printmaker, packagedesigner and experimental fugalist extraordinary),and John D . Forbes, Kite LinesLifetime Subscriber, University of Virginiaprofessor, longtime kiteflier and eminentlysuccessful water-witch (dowser) . John hasdonated a Cadillac trunkful of kitesmanynever flown-as potential test units .Alex had contributed a splendid roll of5111-wide Type 14 Tyvek®Piney Mountain Air Force flies on afternoonsof most Saturdays that bear evennumbereddates . Direct inquiries to : PineyMountain Air Force, c/o Guy D . Aydlett,P .O . Box 7304, Charlottesville, VA 22906 .Above, Guy Aydlett and Perry Fitzhugh of the Piney Mountain Air Force gaze up at one oftheir kites, perhaps an efficient, stable, simple, unvented Hornbeam Sled-Kite, Mark l .HORNBEAM SLED-KITE, MARK I .The Hornbeam Sled has been flown withbrilliant success in many sizes and instrenuous Northeastern United Statesweather conditions by experts and novicesin places as widely diverse as Upstate NewYork and the Outer Banks of North Carolina,from 1976 until the present .The excellent flying qualities of theHornbeam Sled principally obtain fromarcane airflow magic brought about bythe noticeable leading-edge sag-arc subtendedby the upper ends of the twoHORNBEAM SLED-KITE, MARK I .(as flown by the Piney Mountain Air Force)Copyright 01980 by Guy D . AydlettA = Area = 0 .83132 H2 Aspect Ratio = = 1 .880Alongeron sticks . However, aspect ratio,longeron placement and bridle point locationsalso enhance the ability of the kiteto tolerate drastic up-and-down dimensionalscaling .Note that the proportions are shown indimensionless modules . This means that asled can be made using any preferred unitof measurement : feet, hand spans, leglengths, etc . For example, should youdesire to make a sled one meter in height,its height would embody four 25cm modules; its span, five 25cm modules . Similarly,a sled 4011 high would measure four 1011modules in height and five 1011 modulesin span-simple ratio and proportion .In common with other sled kites, theHornbeam variation does not enjoy beingchoked by an overly short bridle . However,generous bridle lengths have no evil effectson its stability . It is suggested that bridlebranches should be at least three timesthe longeron length (the height H) .Braided nylon or polyester line is recommended. Use swivels of good quality atthree points : the two bridle attachmentpoints at the wingtips and the bridle apexwhere the kite line is attached . Verifythat the bridle branches are exactly equalin length, particularly when flight is attemptedin strong winds . If the HornbeamSled flies in a wing-low attitude, adjustthe fault by shortening the bridle branchon its low side .SLED CHALLENGETalented kitemaker, we invite you to flyour design simultaneously alongside yourfavorite sled of equivalent materials,weight and sail area . We believe you willdiscover the Hornbeam is the best allaroundrefinement of William M . Allison'sinspired invention, the sled . Indeed, weextend this friendly challenge : if you consideryour sled to be better, send both kitesto us for our verification of your claim . Ifyour favorite flies better during our tests,we shall attempt to honor you in print!(Unless return shipping costs are prepaid,we shall assume the kites are offeredas donations to the archives of the PineyMountain Air Force . In the interests ofsafety and prudence, sleds larger than twometers in height shall not be accepted forcomparative testing.) 042 KITE LINES FALL 1980

FLORIDAOscar and Sarah Bailey have been busyconducting kite workshops . In the winterof 1979-80, Oscar found himself makingthree kites a week through a 10-weekperiod for his university students . In thesummer of 1980, he and Sarah taught akite designing and building workshop atPenland School of Crafts, Penland, NC .On a personal note, he wrote : "AtPenland, I was flying a kite from a neighbor'shill, looked across the valley andsaw a mountaintop clear of trees andmade the comment that it was a perfectplace to fly kites-360 degrees, all open .I found it was for sale and bought it . Wewill spend time this summer studying theland and siting a house, all solar . Plan tomove there in four or five years-to dophotography and kites ." Subsequent letterstell of breaking ground for thiskiter's dream house .MARYLANDOn June 1, 1980, the Silver Hill Museumwas renamed the Paul E . Garber Preservation,Restoration and Storage Facility .Housing, over 90 historically significantaircraft, including some kites, the buildingholds the reserve collection of the NationalAir and Space Museum, Smithsonian .Garber, Historian Emeritus of the NASMand a walking repository of aviation history,is beloved of kiters for inauguratingand maintaining the annual Smithsoniankite festival on the Washington Monumentgrounds . At the Garber Facility are someof the Chinese kites that formed thenucleus of the Smithsonian's aeronauticalcollection in 1876 .Free two-hour tours of the GarberFacility are conducted on WednesdaysAn old Chinese man-and-woman kite fromthe collection at the Garber Facility, Silver Hill .and Fridays at 10 a.m . and Saturdays andSundays at 1 p .m . Two weeks' advancereservations are required through the TourScheduler, Education Services Division,NASM, Washington, DC 20560 ; or (202)357-1400 (call Monday through Friday) .NEW YORKWyatt Brummitt pens an appreciation forthe long-standing kiters of Rochester, NY:Any decent day they're out there-theinveterate veterans of the ancient andhonorable Long Meadow Chapter . Theirflying field is the wind-swept expanse ofthe big parking lot at the Monroe CommunityCollege, where the grass beyondthe blacktop is kept tailored and green as asuitable setting for any kind of kiteflying .Ed Grauel is usually first out . He has anew 10-foot delta, made up of foot-squarepatches of varicolored rip-stop . It usuallyevokes comment ranging from referenceto Joseph's coat of many colors to somethingabout Aunt Dinah's Quilting Party .Bill Schaeffer, our purist (he scornsanything new or tailored for the job ; if hefinds it in a vacant lot, it's okay) flies,mostly, control-line jobs . He takes specialpleasure in making a downed kite leapback up into the air . (This, of course, isnot to imply that his kites are frequentlydowned .)Old Man Brummitt usually flies from asprawled position in a comfortable foldingchair . His usual fliers are deltas orboxed deltas ; recently he varied things bylofting a six-foot airplane-type kite . Itflew nicely, too, until it suddenly realizedthat Wyatt had forgotten to insert thespreader ; it panicked, then, and dovefrantically back to Wyatt's feet . Now arebuilding job .Often as not Tom and Jim Mendenhallshow up, and Craig and Kathay Smith,and Al and Ruth Fennyvessy, and JohnMills, and Wint Lemen and others-plusfrequent visitors . On the third Saturdayof each month there is a regular, officialfly-up, with the AKA banner high on akite line and, usually, an out-of-townA 10-foot Zephyr kite with open keel madein multicolored plaid design by Ed Grauel andflown by Bill Schaeffer in Rochester, NY .visitor or two . Jim Vullo comes over fromBuffalo and flies both puns and kites withgreat eclat . It's all a pretty tight operation,as can be plainly seen . And visitors arealways welcome .OHIOBetty and Miller Makey write to us fromGrove City : "We have loosely organizedthe Central Ohio Kitefliers Association(COKA) on July 12, 1980, with 30-somenames of interested kiters . We have kiteflies on the even-numbered Saturdays atHighbanks Metropolitan Park ."The letter goes on to list over a dozenoccasions, mostly in the spring of 1980,when the group gave kite talks and workshopsto schoolchildren, recreation gatherings,the media-and (notably) such disadvantagedgroups as deaf children, retardedpeople in a psychiatric unit . Find COKAat 2557 Clark Drive, Grove City, OH 43123 .TEXASRichard S . Robertson sends sad news fromthe kiteflying Robertson family in Austin :Our son John died on January 6th,1980 . Experimental cancer treatmentsfailed and we knew it was a matter oftime . However, John had moved backto his apartment, enrolled at the universityand had a great fall until he had tomove home the first of November, 1979 .We are fine, making daily adjustmentsin our lives and trying to catch up onmany things . Our kite tournament wasrained out and held a week later . Thepostponed tournament barely squeakedby the weatherman . It looked like rainall morning and even sprinkled a littlebit, but, as predicted, the afternoonimproved-sun and wind were providedandthe tournament was on! The smallcrowd grew and we had a good tournament. If we'd been rained out, it wouldhave been cancelled and would have beenthe first time it had not been held sincethe 1929 beginning . We were naturallyvery pleased .Don Hering from Flexifoil Skysail inHouston demonstrated five stacked Flexifoilsand donated two as prizes . ColetteHolleran from Sky's the Limit in Dallaswas there also with some of her colleaguesand kites . It was a good afternoon .News from Here & There Continues onpage 48 . . .

AUSTRALIAWe received an interesting letter fromDavid Ayling, new secretary/treasurer ofthe Kite Fliers Association o f South Australia,Inc . Some excerpts follow :I have just sent copies of our newsletter .Yes, we try to make them monthly, althoughI wonder if something less ambitiousmight be more realistic . We electeda new executive in June . Our president isyour old friend Ted Padman, who, ofcourse, is also the honorable president ofthe Essex Kite Group [England], as wellas recently remarried and, as ever, thecompleat, dedicated kiteflier . I havetaken over as secretary/treasurer from IanPerrin . Frankly, I doubt that Ted and Iare good for the group, since we are bothkitefliers at heart rather than organizersof others. Bob Hains, our founding father,continues as editor/publicity officer . Hereis our new address : 4A Hazelwood Avenue,Hazelwood Park, South Australia 5066 .Our numbers are down but with somepublicity we can build them up as warmerweather comes along . We now have a permanenthome in the Parklands (the greenbelt which surrounds the square mile ofthe city and is a feature of Adelaide'soriginal, colonial-times layout) where wefly first Sunday afternoons each month .Last time I guess we had 30 or 40 all toldon a rather cold day, but good winds .. Wehave had one or two outings to ourcountry site at Woodchester (2000-footair limits vs the usual 300-foot ceiling forkites) and ahead are a springtime picnicmeeting in October ; the South AustraliaChampionships in November at VictorHarbor ; and probably some municipalchildren's days during the summer holidays .In our first year or two there was a lotof activity and one of our local televisionstations got involved in both publicityand sponsorship-big public flies once amonth with 1000-plus along, clowns,balloons, the works ; flying somewhereevery weekend in summertime, etc . Consequently,'79 was a year of reaction,very quiet . We have set about rebuildingon a lower-keyed but, we hope, moresolid approach . We see our monthlymeets as essentially club events to whichwe invite visitors and potential members .We think it will work .CANADAWe quote from newsletter number one ofthe British Columbia Kitefliers Association :On the rainy afternoon of March 9,1980, at the invitation of Marcia Madill,owner of the High as a Kite shop in Gastown,Vancouver, a group of more than20 kite aficionados gathered in the boardroom of the planetarium at Vanier Park,Vancouver . Their purpose was to explorethe possibility of forming a kite associationwhose goals would be the furtheranceGUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA-Children and adults fly kites on a mount of pre-ColumbianIndian ruins at "Colina de la Muerte" archeological excavations . In the background is Volcano Ague .of kite lore and fun in the B .C . area .The participants, some of whom camefrom Victoria, were solid in their supportof the idea . They represented a wide rangeof kiting interests, from classic Japanesekites (displayed by Dan Kurahashi) to theultramodern Flexifoils (flown by BarryHeibert of Victoria) .An initial organizational committeewas set up and subsequently officers wereelected, with David Pinner as president .The club has already held several flies andmeetings and has put out some fresh, enthusiasticnewsletters, one of which includesa drawing of the superlative VarleyVolvo kite by Les Varley of Victoria .Memberships are $5 .00/single, $10 .00/family, c/o B .C.K .A . Secretary RosemaryMeyer, 3991 Puget Drive, Vancouver,B .C., Canada V6L 2V3 .From the other side of Canada, GarryWoodcock writes :The 1980 Toronto Kite Competitionwas held June 7, jointly sponsored by theUniversity of Toronto, Institute for AerospaceStudies (UTIAS), the Kite Store inToronto and the Toronto Kitefliers .Qualifying in the morning was exhausting,since there was no wind, and all kiteshad to fly for 90 seconds . Sure made fora lot of running and puffing!It did pick up, though, just as everyonewas hoping, and by midafternoon therewas a breeze up around 300 feet . Still,there was a lot of puffing on the ground .Graham (Gray) Marshall of Marylandadded a lot of pizazz to the event with hisbig new Parafoil, launched from the frontof his BMW auto as he drove it backwardson the field . His father's (Curtis Marshall)magnificent delta-Conyne thrilled us allas well .My own new seven-foot hexagon performedas I had hoped and took secondin strongest pull at 11 kg (24 1/4 lbs) . Inthe highest line angle event my SaulsNavy Barrage Hargrave biplane box kitedidn't fly at its usual steep angle, butthen the judge mentioned that every kitehe measured wasn't flying at its highestangle, according to the flier!Terry Wedge of Toronto was the bigwinner of First Place trophies, along withGraham . His Flare, "shooting star" (likea dragon and Russell Hall kite combined),plastic-wrap-and-bamboo lightest kite andspring-steel-framed "most unlikely tofly" cobra all won trophies .