Kite Lines - Vol.1 No. 3 - KiteLife

Contents "The American Kitefliers Association is a worldwideorganization devoted to the advancementof kiteflying . Its quarterly magazine, Kite Lines,is published by Verve Enterprises, Inc ., for AKA,with editorial and business office at 7106 CampfieldRoad, Baltimore, Maryland 21207, USA,telephone : (301),484-6287 . ("Verve Enterprises,Inc . 1977 . Reproduction in any form, in wholeor in part, is strictly prohibited without priorwritten consent of the publisher. This journalis on file in the libraries of the National Air andSpace Museum, Smithsonian ; the NationalGeographic ; the National Oceanic and AtmosphericSciences Administration ; and theUniversity of Notre Dame Library's Sportsand Games Research Collection .Founder : Robert M . IngrahamPublisher-Editor : Valerie GovigArt Director : Weston PhippsCirculation and Reader Services : Judith FaecherPublishing Consultants : Douglas Boynton andMichael StanleyTypography : Head CompositionPrinting: Collins Lithographing and Printing Co ..Editorial Advisory PanelWilliam R. Bigge A . Pete lanuzziLt . Col . Bevan Brown Robert M . IngrahamWyatt Brummitt Domina C . JalbertPaul Edward Garber Nat KobitzMelvin GovigArthur KurleEdwin L . Grauel Curtis Marshall, M .DGary HinzeRobert S . PriceRay Holland . Jr. John F . Van GilderChapters of AKA are active in Baltimore, Seattle,Long Beach, Rochester, NY, Utica . NY, Ohio,Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand . Ties aremaintained with other groups also, national aswell as international .Memberships and subscriptions : One year (4 issues),S6 ; two years (8 issues), 811 ; three years (12issues), 515 . Subscription rates include membershipin AKA at no additional cost . Single copies@ $1 .50 are available from the publisher or finekite shops throughout the U .S . Postage outsideU .S ., 51 per year additional . Special air mailrate for foreign mailings, 55 per year additional .Subscriptions always begin with the next issue,unless current issue is specified . Back issues areavailable for S2 (32 .50 outside U .S .) .Change of Address : Attach or copy mailing labelin letter, giving new address . If mailing label iswrong, please correct it .Advertising rate sheet and information is availableon request .Contributions are invited from kite enthusiasts .Articles, captioned photographs (preferablyblack-and-white . 5'x7" or larger), reports,clippings (see Classifieds), letters and othermaterial relevant to kite interests should besent to AKA at the address of the publisher .Contributions used become the property of KiteLines . Return of unsolicited material cannot beguaranteed unless accompanied by ample stampsand envelope, self-addressed . Accuracy of contentsof Kite Lines is the responsibility of individualcontributors . Diverse views presented inKite Lines are not necessarily those of the editoror of the American Kitefliers Association .Closing Dates for advertising, articles and newsare Jan . 1 for Spring, Apr. 1 for Summer, July 1for Fall and Oct . 1 for Winter .Postmaster : Application to mail at second-classpostage rates is pending at Baltimore, Maryland .If undeliverable, please send address changeForm 3579 to Kite Lines. 7106 Campfield Road,Baltimore . MD 21207 .Volume 1, Number 3, Fall 1977Toto Santos : All Saints Day in Guatemala's Hills/ 22Story by Hall Hammond, Photographs by Pat Hammond .The psychological power of kites that rise over village graves .Stormy's Kite Fishing System/ 26By Warren O . (Stormy) Weathers . A complete how-tofor the kiter, the fisherman-or both, including :The Bigmouth Se Pelican Sleds/ 26Some Rigs You Can Use/ 28Live One on the Line/ 29Kite Fishing in Palau/ 32Story and Photographs by Wayne J . Baldwin .A careful observation of native skills practiced on a remote Pacific isle .What's New: Kite Reels/ 40An overview of the basics in reels -their types, uses and limitations .Also a Data Chart and information on some of the new reels .Flags, Banners & Kites Exhibition Flies High in Seattle/ 48By David M . Checkley. An impressive show of community effort andexciting flying, including noted kites of Peter Travis .Kite Safety in the Headlines : The Sycamore Fire/ 55The tragedy that was started by a kite, plus news of AKA action on safety .The C .P .S .C . vs . the Aluminized Dragon/ 68Excerpts from the Transcript of the Hearing of Mylar Star Kitesbefore the Consumer Product Safety Commission .With an Addendum giving comment on the outcome .DepartmentsLetter from the Editor/ 7Letters/ 8Design Workshop/ 15Gull Delta, by John F . Van Gilder.Ultimate Questions/ 17Tail Picking : Getting it Up to a Science, by Ed Grauel .Profiles/ 20Ansel Toney, 89, of Farmland .Story and Photographs by Theodore L. Manekin .News from Here & There : Stateside/ 43News from Here & There : International/ 52Flying with the Old Pro/ 62By Bob Ingraham .Kid's Corner/ 64The Vietnamese Kite, by Margaret Greger .Classifieds/ 65Kite Calendar/ 66CoverPatricio Tahemaremacho makes kites in preparation for kite fishing onthe small Pacific island of Palau . It is here recently that an environmentalcontroversy has centered . A giant oil supertanker port has beenproposed for this remote isle in the Micronesia chain . The proposal hasaccelerated the desires of the natives for independence from U .S . trustprotection, and has created a classic confrontation between conservation anddevelopment . Wayne Baldwin, President of the Hawaii chapter of AKA,was in the right place at the right time to see Patricio working in thetraditional manner of his ancestors . Except for the striped shorts, thepicture could have been taken generations ago . "It was like striking goldto me," Wayne confessed . Photograph by Wayne J . Baldwin .(Story on page 32.)

The EditorToday I went kiteflying with some ofmy friends in the Maryland KiteSociety. You could say it was like manysuch days I've experienced, and yourassumption would be superficiallycorrect . But on a deeper level it wasentirely new and fresh .First of all, each outing brings out adifferent assemblage of people, so thatthe mixture of personalities alwayscreates new sparks of recognition,exchange and discovery. We enjoyedboth "new" and "old" people and their"new" and "old" kites .Second, the flying conditions werenot quite the same as on other occasions .The wind and sunshine were just right,but the site was not quite as idyllic asin years past . New construction iscruelly cutting into the open space .There is still plenty of room left forkiteflying, but it is now a more enclosedarea and a less majestic vista .It is hardly for kitefliers to say thatthis development is wrong, for we area small group and we visit HarpersFerry but once a year . The land ownermust have had his reasons for permittingthe change . But a hill thatonce saw 188 kites flying on a singleline is now being bulldozed into oblivion. We regret the loss, for it cannever be restored .Third, I relearned something veryinteresting today. Kiting is an individualchallenge in relation to construction,but in flying it's usuallysocial . True, one can enjoy it as asolitary sport . Also, the requirementfor open space tends to reinforce theindividualness and keep fliers separateon the field . But the urge to shareand be involved with others in kiting isstrong, and overcomes limitations .Kiting is a group sport as well as anindividual one, a combination that israre among human pursuits .This natural social extension of oursport was in happy evidence at HarpersFerry. Talk was constant, and veryoften it referred, quite unconsciously,to "the magazine," apparently notout of any special deference to me aseditor, but out of the natural course ofinterest in kites . A medium of communicationhas much to do with theenthusiast's ability to call kiting hisor her avocation . "The magazine" iswoven into the fabric and shape ofhuman lives, the fancies in their brains,the expenditures of their hours, thepatterns of their personal relationships .One of these days, an auditor isgoing to come look at the magazine'sbooks and pronounce upon their conditionfrom a hardheaded businesspoint of view . As I write this I haven'tmuch notion of what he or she willtell me . That news will be important tohave, of course, but whether the outlookis cloudy or sunny, I will find itdifficult to adopt so limited a pointof view . For me, kiteflying in itself isa rainbow of such incredible, magneticpleasure that a pot of gold at its endwould be irrelevant, redundant, cheapening. Or, to put it another way, kitefliersare among the richest men andwomen of this world .Windily yours,

NEW LIFE MEMBERSAnonymousJoseph ArenaCharles BernsteinDr . Myron BernsteinWilliam K . BiggeLt . Col . and Mrs .Bevan H . BrownWyatt BrummittDr . Floyd Cornelison, Jr .Elliott N . CoudenThomas F. . CowlsWood and Virginia EllisDale FleenerPat York GilgallonPaul Scot GilgallonPat HammondEdward HanrahanHugh A . HarrisonAI and Betty HartigJohn HastingsRobert HieronimusGary HinzeA . Pete IanuzziRobert and Hazel IngrahamBill JonesNat KobitzTheodore T . KuklinskiTed ManekinManistee AviationCurtis Marshall, M .D .William G .B . OchseRobert S . PriceRogallo FlexikitesWilliam A . RutiserDr . John H . SeipelCharles A . SotichBernard A . SpaldingTal StreeterJohn F. Van GilderCleveland J . WallBruce WulfsbergLIFE MEMBERSGregory A . ApkarianJohn C . ArmaninoGuy D . AydlettClifford BantelWilliam R . BiggeWyatt BrummittKenneth BryanJ . H . BuggJohn F. CarrollLincoln ChangThomas W . DietzSn Mary Ann Lenore EifertDouglas FalesJohn D . ForbesPaul Edward GarberAylene D . GoddardEdwin I . . GrauelHugh A . HarrisonEugene HesterHenry H . HowardDomina JalbertTony JohnstonMrs . David JueBen KimTheodore KuklinskiOswald S . MarkhamCarol MasterFt . Col . Joseph O'BrienLt . Raymond ReelFrancis M . RogalloGordon ShuteCharles SipleRobert SmithH . J . (Hod) TaylorWilliam E . TempleDr. Alfred ThelinThomas TroyerArthur VashMike WrightHarold WriterWill YolenAnthony ZieglerLettersDOUBLE-CROSS?The cover of the Summer 1977 Kite Linesshows three Japanese kitefliers pulling thegreatest hoax of last year and this year withtheir claim to the record for the most kitesflown on a single line .I SEE TWO LINES! PROTEST!!Henry H . BoutwellNew Orleans, LAHenry H . Boutwell has pointed out thatthe 1585 kites flown by Takeshi Nishibayashiand crew were not flown on oneline but on two closely-spaced lines . Myimmediate reaction is that the pair of lineswas handled as a single line on the ground .When I first saw the pictures, it seemedthat the two lines tend to keep each kitefrom lateral looping but tend to increasethe risk of accidentally overloading a kite .Boutwell apparently held the record forabout two months but there has not been anagreement as to how many of his kitesshould be counted -that is, as flying at thesame time, not merely_ launched butsufficiently anchored to continue to fly,and anchored by a single line or by two ormore lines acting as a single line . To me,retrieving all kites to be counted is adesirable but not essential means ofvalidating the number .The question of flying on a single line isa significant idea in kiting . A suggestedprimordial kite is a leaf in a spider webor suspended by a strand of spider silk . Aleaf suspended by two or more strands mayshow more flying ability than one danglingon one strand . There is a drawing of afanciful stickless man-lifting kite whichdepends on having several lines to theground . The Wright brothers and theWheat brothers have flown sophisticatedairframes as kites by using two linesthesemay not be kitable on a single line . Apurist might call them quasi-kites . Controllablekites as a rule, however, will flyon a single line or with both lines togetherin the hand and of the same length-thismode is good for climb .William R . BiggeWashington, DCTAIL TALK DRAGS ONI was favorably impressed with PeteIanuzzi's sound comments on tails (Spring1977 Kite Lines) . The general discussion on"purpose" of tails seemed to stray a bit inspots . A tail doesn't provide any lift to thekite . The function is exclusively drag .However, we should not overlook the factthat a wide tail, as in the case of the socalledcobra kite, provides significanttorque which prevents rolling and sideslipping. We should bear in mind thatsome kinds of tails are just as efficient aslifting devices as the kite, so that stabilitycan be achieved without impairing elevation.Weight need not be detrimental and canbe very beneficial . A properly placedballast of only 5- 7% of the gross weightwill have scarcely a discernible effect onminimum launch velocity . Attitude andelevation will be improved in the sense thatthe acquired stability will permit the optimumbridle connection . Moreover, ballastcan sometimes enable more surface to beutilized in providing lift which more thanoffsets the bit of weight .Usually, in box kites of cells in tandem,the aft cells are behaving pretty much asrigidly connected drogues rather than tails .That is because we don't design properlyor else the desired motif doesn't oblige .The performance of box kites is quite sensitiveto both aspect ratio and spacingof cells .John LoyCochin, IndiaWINGING IT : UPDATEThe story about "Person-Lifting Kites"brought back vivid memories of our ownsimilar activities here in Kitty Hawk beginningabout ten years ago and runningto about four years ago when I began flyinghang gliders at Jockey's Ridge .We used four different all-flexiblewings, each of about 300 square feet ofarea that we made at home, with some helpfrom a dress manufacturer in NewportNews where we then lived . Two of thewings were single-keel designs like theFlexikite and two were twin-keel designs .The materials were two-ounce rip-stopnylon of red, white and blue .We flew many of our friends and relativesin the sea breeze up to heights ofabout 50 feet . Our daughter Carol wasprobably the most frequent flier. I recalltaking one of the twin-keel wings to aMaryland Kite Festival where we tried todemonstrate it by flying our grandsonMike Samuels in a rather turbulent condition,nothing like sea breeze .Although our usual mode of flight wasanchored and in the sea breeze, we madesome flights by boat tow and some freeflights from Jockey's Ridge and other highdunes . The low glide ratio (2 to 3) of theseall-flexible wings and the launching problemsof a completely flexible wing relativeto the now conventional hang gliders,however, were the reasons that we switchedover to gliders with aluminum- tube framesfor foot launching .It's surprising that two-line control has

Letters(Continued)Nuesslein family/kite group scene :Ground front: Nicole and rotor kite .Left to right: Gibson Girl box, Larry, Jr., SteiffRoloplan, Larry, Sr., and Anniversary delta,taken so long to become popular . Flexikiteshave been built for either one or twolines since 1948 and our children preferredtwo-line flight . One day about twentyyears ago we demonstrated flight into andout of the water with a two-line Flexikiteat the end of a pier in the James Rivernear our home . Repeatedly we were able todive the kite into the water, turn it aroundand "fly" it back to the surface and intothe air again . We didn't feel that it wasmuch of an accomplishment, however,because flying fish and water fowl do it allthe time . They had flexible folding wingsbefore we did . I guess the only human usefor such a capability would be a flying submarineor submersible airplane .I'll leave you with that thought .Francis M . RogalloKitty Hawk, NCPERFECT KITE DEFINED FURTHERMel Govig asked the question, "Which isthe perfect kite?" (Summer 1977 Kite Lines) .Thank you for an interesting article, butwhy no mention of challenge or of pilotadaptability? The article was so smooththat I didn't even feel the wind on me' face!My wife has the answer to Mel's question .She says the perfect kite is one whichdoesn't take me out of the house or awayfrom home .I might add that one of my favorite kiteshandles like a B17 Flying Fortress .Clive C .O . Rawlinson,B .A . (Hon .), D .M .A .Essex, EnglandHIGHEROGLYPHICSThey do quite a bit of kiteflying here inCairo . I have observed as many as ten kitesflying in one group in the heart of oldCairo, from the tops of apartment buildings. They are rather colorful kites andmost are of the three- stick or star variety .I have flown a "foil" at the great pyramida couple of times but really haven'thad much time to fly anything else . Mywife and I spent the first two weeks ofJune in Dublin, Ireland, with our son andhis wife ; his wife Anne is an avid kiteflier .While spending a few days in WesternIreland near Galway, my daughter- in-lawand I built a UFO kite and flew it off thefamous cliffs of Mohr. Right in the middleof it all a bird watcher came out frothingat the mouth about our scaring the sea gulls!Secret ambition : To fly a kite off the topof the Great Pyramid of Cheops-462feet high!Capt . W . R . LangstonCairo, EgyptKITE COLLECTIBLESI am 43 now and as a child I and my dadused to fly kites quite a bit . Some of theold timers that we have flown and stillhave are :1 . A six-foot Steiff kite Roloplan (madeby the company that makes German stuffedanimals) and a smaller version . It is atleast 35 years old and one of the best fliersI have .2 . A collapsible Gibson Girl box kite .3 . A Navy Target Kite -flew super in astiff breeze at the shore .4 . Rotating wing kites made from cardboardthat fly like the dickens in goodwind . They are my copies from a post-warmodel with cardboard "pie plates" at eachend of the rotating wing .Currently my son and I fly all thesekites plus Indian fighters, Peter Powellstunters, various assorted garbage bagsleds (we have a Zammo sled from Englandwhich is a superb flier and has threeround vents) .We love it all and even won a prize at theannual Ocean City, NJ, kite contest, 4th ofJuly, 1976 . My son won for the smallest, a2"x2" paper kite with a three-foot tail, andI won with the Anniversary delta towing anAmerican flag ., It's all fun and a goodpastime to see what something will doup there .Lawrence A . NuessleinAllentown, PANON-STOP MOTSThank you for the Spring 1977 Kite Lines.It's a chair warmer. Mr . Mots, the KiteFlying King of Milwaukee, has greatlyenjoyed reading it, and when he left hischair, I'd sneak in and pick up Kite Linesand enjoy it greatly . It seems that comfychair never cools off . Your magazineis great .We have immensely enjoyed the articlesby and about our very good friend, PaulEdward Garber .The article "Talking Tails" was interestingto me . Our kites are heavy wind kitesand require four tails, each 50 feet long,for ordinary wind about 14 miles per hour .More tails are needed for heavier wind .Our greatest kiting was in Winnipeg,Manitoba, Canada, in 1967, where we werepaid $40 per day for nine days, for an hourand a half of kiteflying . One day therewas barely enough air to breath, so wecouldn't fly our kites . However, we displayedthose we had in our station wagon,and we talked kites .We were packed to leave, and my husbandsaid, "We'll wait a bit . I smell fresh air, andmaybe we can fly yet today ." We didn'twait long . He always said he couldn't smellanything, but he had a good sense of smellthat day. About ten minutes later, awhoosshh of fresh air, and a half of oneroof came off, tents were being blowndown, and Mr. Mots said, "Stay in the car,I'm going to test my kite in a wind likethis ." He guessed, and put on 12 tails, each50 feet .He fed the kite to the wind, did all hisacrobatics, and brought the kite downsafely to his feet . The man who hired ussaid, "Now I know you are professional ."Next day we read in the Winnipeg paper :"Wind, 79 miles per hour ." Part of a boardfence near our exit gate was blowing towardus like a cardboard in a breeze, and theelectric sign over the midway was flat inthe roadway.I bet nobody has done more work in thefancy kite tail department over the lastyears to excell my record . My beautifulkite tails are pinked on both sides andsewed together and some I have evenstarched and ironed for Special Occasionsand Special Customers . My tails haveadded spectacular beauty to Mots OriginalAcrobatic Kites . I've called myself Mrs .Kite Tails .Frank is the King of Spring . One day aphotographer phoned to talk to Frank,saying, "Let me talk to the Bull of theWoods ." I said, "Sir, you have his titlewrong . He is Bull of the Winds . Ya can'tfly kites in the woods ."Mr. Mots was 87 years young on Mayfirst this year, 1977 . He lost his hearinglast year flying kites at a Summerfestwith all that percussion noise . People allover those grounds were thrilled withhis acrobatics .With his loss of hearing, too much of aload is on my shoulders, so it's time tofind a buyer. We have developed MotsOriginal Acrobatic Kites nationally andare proud of what we built up since 1961when someone told Frank to go fly a kite-

(Continued)when he was talking insurance . PaulGarber knows the merit of our kites . Wishhe could see this House of Kites now .Mrs . Frank (Elma) MotsMilwaukee, WIThe newest member of the Marbleheadfamily of handcrafted fabric kites, theSTUNT KITE adds a new dimension tokite flying. With its dual controls it canbe made to loop and soar, making an incrediblevariety of intricate patterns inthe sky with its long satin tail .Constructed of light, strong ripstop nylonsailcloth in three brightly coloredpanels, the STUNT KITE is 40 11 high andhas a 25' long removable satin ribbontail . Flight is controlled by two kite linesattached to twin bridles . Details includesolid birch dowels, brass rings, brasssnap-swivel tail attachment, cotton webdowel pockets and our usual painstakingcraftsmanship .The MARBLEHEAD STUNT KITE is thesixth member of the family, joining ourfamiliar line of deltas, stars, dragons,windriders and diamonds . The populardiamonds are available in colorful printsor with a wide variety of hand-sewn appliques.The STUNT KITE is # 14 . 50 ppd . Or sendfor additional information on the full lineof Marblehead kites . Dealer inquiries areinvited .SURPLUS TARGET KITESREMEMBEREDI was very interested in seeing the articleabout Paul Garber because he has beena good friend, and my brother and I,through our aeromodeling activities, suppliedhim with many aircraft models in theearly days of the Smithsonian Aviationsection . After the War we purchased fromthe Navy practically the total surplus targetkite stock and sold them through our departmentstore . These kites were designedby Paul Garber and I don't think the equalto them has yet to be on the market .Nathan PolkJersey City, NJMANY FINS, FEW KITESYou can hardly talk about kiteflying customsin Finland-there are no customs .There are not too many people interestedin kites and I have not found any whowould take it seriously . For instance, asfar as I know, I am probably the only onewho makes and flies my own designs . Amagazine tried to arrange a kiteflyingcompetition here last winter but onlyseven people participated! So there is alot to (10 . . .Olavi TaskinenHelsinki, FinlandFIGHTER IN MIAMIOriginally I am from India -a kite lover,fighting kites for the last 15 years andtrying to promote kite fighting techniquesin Miami, FL, for the last year. I would liketo know about any groups, clubs or pointsof contact in the Miami area . I have beeninterviewed by the Miami News and theMiami Herald on the subject of kites .Kindly put me on your list of enthusiastickite fighters and let me know ifsomething turns up which needs demonstrationin Miami .Mukesh K . ShahP .O . Box 650582Miami, FL 33165Readers are encouraged to reply to letters, andwe will route them to appropriate parties wheneverpossible. Address tour letters to Kite Lines"Letters," American Kitefliers Association, 7106Campfield Road, Baltimore, MD 21207. Allletters become the property of Kite Lines . Theeditor neat edit letters for publication . 0

GULL DELTABy John F . Van GilderWashington Kitefliers AssociationThis design was something I clippedfrom a craft magazine and filed forfuture reference . Recently I finallyfound time to make it into a kite .It scaled out best for the piece ofTyvek available at five inches to thesquare : 17 1/2 inches long with a 58-inch wingspan . The chassis is a deltakite . The bridle point is 5 1 /4 inchesdirectly below a spot 5 1/4 inches fromthe nose .It was a pleasant surprise to me thatthe kite flew with a slight flappingof-the-wingsmotion . In fact, it was apleasant surprise that the kite flew atall with its great span-to-length ratio . Iwas sure it would tumble topsy-turvy . 0

UltimateStudies,Questions:TAIL-PICKING :GETTING IT UP TO A SCIENCEBy Ed GrauelIn recent years shortened windsocks,stylishly called drogues, and clusteredstreamers on a line some distance fromthe kite, sometimes called "pony tails,"have come into more common usealong with the old standard streamertails . I wanted to determine the functionaleffect of these appendages onvarious types of kites .Does a single tail, say two incheswide by ten feet long, have the sameeffect upon a kite as two tails twoinches wide by five feet long, or threetwo-inch tails, three and one-thirdfeet long? In other words, does thesame surface area, in this case 240square inches, have the same effectupon the flying characteristics of akite, whether it is in one piece or inseveral pieces, or is the length of atail more important than the amountof surface area?I attempted to resolve this questionby constructing three parawing typekites exactly alike, but each with adifferent one of the three tails as described,then 'flying the three kitesside by side in light, medium andheavy winds . The consensus of threeexperienced kitefliers observing wasthat the flying traits of the three kiteswere exactly the same under all of thewind conditions, indicating that theamount of surface area is the importantthing .For my next tests I selected fourtypes of kites on the basis of dihedral :(1) a flat kite with no dihedral ; (2)a bowed kite with positive dihedral ; (3)a Bullet kite with a negative dihedral ;and (4) a parawing (also called Flexikite)with both a positive and a negativedihedral built in .Now for the tails . I used : fourstreamers, ranging from one inchwide by six feet long to four incheswide by 15 feet long ; four pony tails,ranging from one inch wide by twofeet long to three inches wide by threefeet long, all in clusters of threestreamers with a 36-inch lead ; andfour drogues, running from five to14 inches long . For this report, it'ssimpler to call the four sizes small,standard, medium and large .Each of the four streamers, fourpony tails and four drogues was testedindividually on the four kites, andreadings were taken of : (1) the minimumamount of wind required to lifteach kite and keep it airborne ; (2)the maximum amount of wind eachkite would take before it tilted badly,power looped, power dived or becameuncontrollable ; (3) the maximum angleof elevation each kite would reachunder normal wind conditions andwithout the influence of thermals (thisangle of elevation was taken to establisha relative lift-to-drag ratio ; thehigher the angle the more lift the kitehad in relation to the amount of drag) ;and (4) opinions of the flying stabilityof the kite in each of the situationsdescribed .I posted the data collected from thesetests on 48 cards-one for each of thethree types of tails in four sizes forthe four types of kites -to permit crosscomparisons . Here are some of theresults in summary form .• What are the basic differences betweenstreamers, pony tails and drogues? Exceptfor kites with a positive dihedral,which showed little or no difference,drogues created the greatest windresistance by reducing the angle ofelevation, followed by pony tails, thenstreamers . I conclude that a fliershould try a streamer first to achievestability, then if it isn't enough trya pony tail arrangement and finallya drogue . For attractiveness or nonfunctionaluses, I suggest streamersin preference to pony tails or drogues,as they will add the least amountof drag .• Is any tail necessary? For the flat kite,of course, an appendage of some sortis needed to permit good flight . Thebowed kite performed about the samewith or without any tail . The Bulletflew about the same in light ormedium winds with or without a tail,but definitely flew better in high windswith an appendage . The parawingflew only in light winds without atail . So, except for kites with builtinpositive dihedral, you'll want a tail,at least in higher winds .• What effect does a tail haze upon theamount of wind needed to lift a kite? Theminimum amount of wind required tolift each type of kite and keep it airbornevaried only slightly, regardlessof the type or size of tail attached . Flatkites with streamers averaged four anda half miles per hour, but the use of astandard or medium-size drogue tookabout four miles per hour, while ponytails took five miles per hour- very

little difference . The bowed kite onaverage required about six miles perhour, the Bullet about five miles perhour, the parawing about seven milesper hour, all regardless of the typeor even size of tail used . It seems thateven in light winds use of tails fornon-functional purposes won't slowdown your kite much .• What effect does a tail have upon themaximum wind a kite will take? Thingswere quite different at this end of thewind scale . The flat kite would take asubstantially higher maximum wind(25 miles per hour) with the mediumand large drogues than with eitherstreamers or pony tails (17 and 20miles per hour) . The bowed kite tooka higher maximum wind (45 miles perhour) with streamers than with ponytails or drogues (35 miles per hour) .The Bullet took the same maximumwith the large sizes of either streamers,pony tails or drogues (35 miles perhour) . And the parawing had its bestmaximum with the medium-sizeddrogue (25 vs . 20 and 22 miles perhour) . So, select your tails on thebasis of the type of kite being flown .• How do tails affect the angle of elevation?As expected, when the size and weightof the tail increase, the angle of elevationthe kite can achieve decreases .The flat kite reached a 67-degreeangle, which dropped off to 55 degreeswith the larger tails . The Bulletdropped from 65 degrees to 45 degrees,and the parawing from 65 degrees to40 degrees . Interestingly, though,the bowed kite maintained about a65-degree angle of elevation withany size of tail .• What tails give the highest angle ofelevation? The highest angle wasachieved for the flat kite whenstreamers of the various sizes wereused (67 degrees), although the differencesweren't great as comparedwith pony tails and drogues . Thebowed kite achieved almost exactlythe same angle of elevation (65 degrees)whether streamers, pony tails ordrogues were used . The Bullet a-chieved the same angle (65 degrees)when the small streamer, small ponytail and small drogue were used, andthe angle decreased as the larger tailsof any type were used . The parawinggot its greatest angle of elevation withthe small pony tails (65 degrees), butthe standard, medium and large ponytails were too heavy to allow theparawing to rise .• What is the best tail for a kite with nodihedral? While the flat kite, as noted,took a higher maximum wind withdrogues than with streamers or ponytails, I considered the flight characteristicsunsatisfactory with any sizedrogue and also with any size ponytail except medium . Therefore, I havesome confirmation of what we knewall along, that a suitable size streameris the best tail for a flat kite, if youwant flight stability.• What is the best tail for a kite with apositive dihedral? The bowed kite performedequally well in the air withstreamers, pony tails or drogues . Butsince the kite took a slightly highermaximum wind with streamers, as wellas equal elevation, we may concludethat streamers work a little better herealso than the other tails .• What is the best tail for a kite with anegative dihedral? The Bullet had asmall yaw with any size streamer, andwith the small and standard sizes ofpony tails . Since an equal angle ofelevation came with the small-sizedrogue, we can conclude that a smallor standard-size drogue is best forthis type of kite, followed by mediumand large-size pony tails .• What is the best tail for a kite with botha positive end and a negative dihedral?The parawing is more skittish in theair, but the best stability was achievedwith small and standard streamers,small and standard pony tails and amedium drogue . To accept the maximumwind, use of the medium droguewas best, but for the highest angle ofelevation, the small pony tail wouldbe the choice for the parawing, againsomething we've known for a long time .-Are there any counter-indications forthe use of tails? Results are not too conclusive,but there is some evidence thatif you want stability drogues do not workwell on flat kites or parawings, orstreamers on the Bullet . No counterindicationswere found for bowed kites .I've determined to my own satisfactionthat attaching streamers, ponytails or drogues to a kite may not improveflying characteristics much, butat least tails will do little harm either.Thus the aesthetes in kiting with ataste for tails need not apologize to theaerodynamicists .

Profiles . . .Ansel Tony, 89,of FarmlandStory and Photographsby Theodore L . ManekinIn 1894, when Ansel Toney was 6 yearsold, he and his father built a flat diamondkite on their farm in PrebleCounty, OH . It was Ansel's first kiteand the beginning of a lifetime of kitebuilding that has seen the automobile,airplane and men on the moon .Ansel Toney is probably the mostpopular man in Farmland, at leastTED MANEKIN is also known as TLMProductions and made the little film "Howa Kiteto Fly." He is a freelance commer-ial photographer and was recently electedthe Executive Secretary of the MarylandKite Society .with the children . This central-easternIndiana town has a population of 1200and its environs are exactly what itsname implies . Ansel and Stella, hiswife of 67 years, moved to Farmlandin 1920 and have lived in the samehouse since then . They raised theirchildren there and their "kids havebeen air-minded and kite-mindedall their lives ."Ansel has always been an innovatorin farming, approaching it scientifically. He talks of new hybrids, rotationschemes, pesticides and energyconservation . He was the first farmer tointroduce soybeans to the area, and the

first to use modern mechanized cornpickers,tractors, combines and graindryers . Since he retired, most of thatis behind him now and he spends muchof his time building kites . As he says,"The earth and the sky-I feel veryclose to both ."Ansel's first two-sticker soon gaveway to an eight-foot three-stick barndoor kite flown at night with lanternson it . He has built Eddys, Parafoils andflat kites . He started building deltasabout two years ago when he visited aworkshop in Carmel, IN, where twoyoung men were building hang gliders .He bought some Dacron ® polyesterfrom them and proceeded to build akite shaped like their hang gliders .Missing an important detail from thehang gliders, Ansel attached all thesticks at the point rigidly so the kitecould not adjust its shape to the wind .The kite consistently crashed and hadAnsel stumped ; it was not until aneighborhood youngster asked him tofix a purchased delta that he discoveredthe problem .The deltas he now builds are not veryunusual, just well made . He does do onething differently from most people,however . Instead of using curtainhooks to attach the crosspiece, hemakes rings out of copper wire, soldersthem, and ties them to the kite . Hethen tapers the ends of the crosspieceand they fit into the rings .Children from all over Farmlandcome to him to build their kites . Hesends them down to "Mrs . Clark atthe fabric shop" where the childrenask for kite material . For about $2,they get just enough nylon to make afour-foot delta . Ansel shows them howto cut the fabric and then sews thematerial himself on an old treadlesewing machine, the same one he hassewn kites on for 67 years . Once thesticks are inserted and the line attached,the youngsters test-fly theirdeltas from the town's kiteflying field,Ansel's backyard .Ansel's largest kite is a 14-foot rednylon delta which he flies on 140-lb .test from a reel bolted on the back of asmall electric tractor. He is also buildingConyne kites out of Tyvek ® . (Thefirst Conyne he ever saw was at the 1904St . Louis World's Fair .) Having onlyrecently been able to acquire smallamounts of Tyvek, Ansel uses nylon formost of his kites . He likes rip-stopnylon the best and would probablybuild all of his kites with it, excepthe has had some difficulty getting it .Perhaps his biggest problem withmaterials is sticks . Pine and most otherwoods are difficult and expensive toget in Farmland . Most of the sticks heuses he rips from 1/2 inch fir and pineboards taken from the ceiling of an oldbuilding . He also has his eye on a fewcherry, hickory and sycamore trees thatare on the farm he gave his son, althoughhe is not convinced that hewants to go to the trouble of attackingan entire tree .Since an article about him appearedover the Associated Press wire servicea few months ago, Ansel has receivedabout 200 letters and a few phone calls .Some of these people have requestedkites which Ansel has gladly built forthem after they have sent the fabricand sticks . He estimates that he hasbuilt over 300 kites, from 3 foot to 16foot wingspan, for other people, allfor free . He doesn't make kites to sell ;he makes them for the enjoyment itbrings to other people and himself.As we sat in Ansel's living room,this incredibly spry, active man suddenlyperked up to tell me of somethinghe did last August . He decidedto go up in a Parasail, flown 200 feetabove his own field . "How did it feel?"I asked ."Nothing to it . It looks beautiful .The most perfect sight you ever saw ."

Toto Santos:All Saints Day inGuatemala's Hills

Story byHall HammondPhotographs byPat HammondImagine the spectacle of huge roundkites, some 30 feet in diameter,swirling over a colorfully garlandedgraveyard near a tiny Indian village .This scene has been repeating itselffor generations on the Day ofthe Dead (November 1) in the centralGuatemalan hillside town of Santiagode Secatepequez .The origins of this traditional eventare unknown but these unique kitesare flown from the graves to releasethe souls of the dead, many of whomhave died in the frequent earthquakesin the area . The kites (locally calledbarroletas) are constructed by piecingcolored strips of tissue paper in a concentricpattern with many symbolsand designs included . The kites vary insize but are all one shape . This work isperformed only by males who work formonths to prepare for the special daywhen they place the circular patternon a crude bamboo frame and add flags,fringe and streamers . (Continued)Toto Santos, All Saints Day in Guatemala, where kites made in muddyvillage gardens rise over hillside graves to assist the souls of the departed .All these round kites are made of multicolor tissue papers and in flight they filterthe light as brilliantly as cathedral rose windows . They carry flags on top,fringe all around and long streamer tails below . Senor Ixtol and his family are shown duringconstruction of one of these kites . The tissue covers are burned over the graves after flight,but the cane frames are saved from year to year .

Aerodynamics are of little concernas the natives patiently wait for a stronggust coming up the hillside to carryaway their handiwork in a symbolicgesture of recognition for the departed .The kites frequently return to terrafirma after a brief flight, are quicklyrepaired, and oddly seem to fly withmore stability with the punctures anddamages . When each has been damagedbeyond repair, its makers rip off thepaper skin and set it afire on the graveof the dead loved one .Bright color dominates the sceneat this annual event . Yellow marigoldsfestoon the graves and the greenboughs of fir draped over the tombstonesadd a fresh scent that erasesany morbid thoughts . The traditionalcostume of the female-a huipil, orblouse, woven on the backstrap loom,densely brocaded with riotous geometricalmotifs-is richly contrastedwith dark blue skirts and bare feet .Blue skies, white clouds and greenhillsides provide a perfect backdropfor the multicolored kites, and makefor an unforgettable sight .For those attending the event atSantiago de Secatepequez, by auto itlies one hour west of Guatemala Cityand 30 minutes north of Antigua justoff Highway CA 1 and reachable bygood road . Make a visit on October31 to see the preparations, and thenext day allow several hours in themorning and early afternoon to viewand enjoy this unique spectacle ofkiteflying .Villagers and visitors bear giant kitesup the road to the cemetery in Santiago deSecatepequez, Guatemala . Each shinyroof is a tin replacement for the tile roofs lostin the February 1976 earthquake .

Kite fishing makes sense .Why isn't it more popular?By Warren 0 . (Stormy) WeathersKites can provide the boatless fishermanaccess to waters that have beenheretofore available only to boats .Conversely, for boat owners, kites providea way to fish in areas where it isnot safe to take their boats ; the kite ineffect provides a half-mile long extensionto the fishing rod in the boat .Kites can also be used for trolling whenengines are stopped, to conserve fuel .In short, kite fishing makes sense .THE BIG MOUTH &PELICAN SLEDSBy W .O . (Stormy) WeathersPaul Sroka's laterally vented sledscaled down to two feet vertically,makes a great fishing kite . Never oncehas a two-foot Sroka shamed itself orembarrassed me by collapsing ordiving into the drink .In kite fishing there are times whena two-foot kite just isn't large enough,so I scaled the Sroka kites up to fourfeet, and ran head-on into the collapsething that has plagued the larger sledkites from the beginning . Having beenled to believe that vent shape and sizewould solve the collapse problem, Ibuilt a kite on which I could tapepanels with various vent shapes andarrangements . After I had tried ventsshaped like hearts, diamonds, clubs,spades, the Maltese cross, the swastikaand the bar sinster, I concluded thatat best vents only cured the symptomsof a basic fault in the sled design .I discovered that a sled collapses forthe same reason that a flag flutters inthe wind . In a slightly gusty wind,collapse starts in one of two ways : (1)A fold about two inches wide fluttersdownward in the middle of the centerpanel's leading edge . The wind catchesthis fold, exaggerates it and slams thekite shut . Or : (2) A flutter forms aninward fold on the bridle flap's leadingedge . The wind rolls the flap under,and the whole kite rolls up, sometimesso neatly that if you slip a rubber bandaround it, you are ready to go home .Fortunately, there is a way to virtuallyeliminate these two modes ofcollapse ; you merely angle the sticksinwards towards each other from topto bottom . In other words, you givethe kite a big mouth .Angling the sticks this way reducesthe chance of the covering materialbecoming parallel to the wind, aposition that causes flutter to develop .The big mouth scoops in enough air tobuild up a slight pressure inside thekite, which also helps to prevent flutter .As a result, the forms of collapse describedare no longer much of a problem .Why isn't it more popular? Many reasons,but probably the biggest is thememories of kites we flew as kids . Nobodywas likely to try fishing with oneof those, and if he did, he wouldn't trya second time . Kite fishing with oneof the 39¢ kites requires that the kitefisherman be more skilled as a kiteflierthan as a fisherman .But things have changed . Thanks tothe improved kites both on the marketand out of the home workshop, flyingcan be done in winds from about sixknots to around 36 knots . My ownchoice is a sled-type kite made fromwaterproof polyethylene sheeting(trash bag) . The kite rolls up neatly forMATERIALS• 1/8" diam . hardwood dowels• 3/4 " masking tape• 1/2" strapp ing t ape• Plastic trash bag, size as needed . (Forlarger kites you can split a bag downone side and across the bottom to geta double-size cover .)INSTRUCTIONSPrepare CoverLay the pattern out on paper first, asfollows : Fold the paper along thecenter line, making sure the fold isat right angles to the top (match thefolded halves) . Draw half your pattern,then draw a pattern inside thefirst, but % " smaller on all sides . Youshould now have the half pattern out-

.storage and transportation (I use aplastic golf club tube) and requires noon-site assembly. Furthermore, it iseasy and inexpensive to build and asnap to fly.The fisherman can either use a verysmall kite and fish with an artificial flyor grasshoppers in season, or use amedium-size kite (about 2 1/2 feet) andtroll with Ford Fenders or other rigsof his choice . The basic kite-fishingkit should include one each 2-foot, 2 ½-fo ot and 3-foot kitesThe general rule is : use the smallestkite that will do the job . It is no funto fight both a fish and a big kite in astrong wind . For very strong winds,lined with two sets of lines % " apart .Take scissors and cut out the smallerpattern, both halves at once to insuresymmetry. Unfold the pattern and layit on the covering material (trashbag) . Outline the pattern with strappingtape split into % " widths . Getthe tape as close to the pattern aspossible, but avoid sticking it ontothe pattern . Lift the pattern off andtrim off the excess covering materialoutside the tape .Attach SticksLay the dowels on the pattern as shown .Secure them with throe or four bits ofmasking tape to hold them in place,then cover the entire length of thedowels with % " masking tape . Carefullyput on the crosswise piece ofstrapping tape, leaving six inchesWard Weathers, 8, and Benjamin Weathers,5, compare the relative merits of ventingand paper-cup stabilizers on a couple offour-foot Bigmouth prototypes . Which kiteis flying cross-wind, and why doesn't itcollapse as the good book says it will?build one two-foot kite with 3/16-inchdowels . These are a little heavy andtend to be unstable in light winds, butin strong winds they do quite well .When fishing in light breezes use athree- or four-foot kite . As wind picksup, switch to a smaller, heavier kite .Line used is 30- to 40-pound testmonofilament . For true kite fishing,a rod is not used, just a large fishingor kite reel . Of course, I recommendthe Weathers Mono-winch No . 6M kitereel, which will hold a mile of 30-poundtest line .There is a problem where the prevailingwinds are on-shore . If you planto fish under these conditions, seekextra on each side . Cover the excesstape with a 2x 1/3" piece of paper positionednext to the cover .Attach BridleTake a piece of bridle line four timesas long as the kite . Fold a 4" bight andtie an overhand knot in each end sothat a loop about 1" long is formed .Slip this loop over the bridle looptabs, fold the tab at the middle of the2" piece of paper, and stick the tab tothe back side of the kite, forming thebridle loop . Fold the kite along thecenter line, holding bridle cornersaligned face to face, and draw bothlegs of bridle between thumb and forefingerso that the two legs are evenedup . When you are sure the bridle legsare equal, tie an overhand knot about1" in from the towing point . Use a snapswivel to attach the flying line .Go FlyingIf the kite loops or dives to one side,check the bridle by turning the kiteinside out to see if it pulls in the oppositedirection . If it does, haul the kitein, and unstick the bridle loop on theside towards which the kite was pulling .Restick the tab so that the loop is about1/4" shorter, and put the kite up again .If you run out of adjustment on oneside of the kite, you can lengthen theloop on the other side to achieve thesame effect . Repeat until the kite'smedian position is upright .Further ExperimentsI don't normally vent the Bigmouth,but when I do my preference is forrectangular or parallelogram vents1/6th the kite height in length and1/24th in width (a 1 :4 ratio) . The ventsout jetties, piers, spits and peninsulas .High lakes are another good spot forkite fishing .On the larger rivers it is sometimesmore difficult to kite fish because ofodd wind currents and eddies set upby high banks and bordering trees .But it can be done . Use the smallestkite that will work satisfactorily, sincesmaller kites are less affected by eddiesthan big kites . When you go fishing ona river, take a selection of kites rangingin size from six inches to three feet inheight . A six-inch kite will be hard tofind for sale, so inveterate kite buyersmay have to capitulate and make theirown kite for this . (System continued)start at the sticks at a distance equalto 2/3rds the length of the vent from thebottom of the kite and angling upwardstoward the center at about 45degrees . I've also used paper cupswith their bottoms removed taped tothe base of each stick as stabilizers .Eight-ounce cups work for four-footkites .For a fishing kite, I wanted a lowerlift/drag ratio, so I modified my Bigmouthusing Paul Sroka's bridle points,which are 5Y2% lower and 5Y2% fartherout (using the height of the kite as thebase of measurement) from the centerpanel than are the Scott and Allisonbridle points . If you need a kite forpulling something, use the dimensionsfor the Pelican fishing kite .Both kites fly at elevation anglesfrom about 35 to 55 degrees, thoughthey will occasionally go almoststraight overhead . If you want to makethe kites fly at a higher angle, take acouple of half-inch tucks in the leadingedge of the center panel . Taper thetucks neatly back into a V shape aboutsix inches long, and hold them in placewith masking tape . The tucks result ina somewhat airfoil shape and an increasein lift .As for scaling the kites up or downfrom the sizes given, I have scaledthem up to four feet and down to sixinches (using broom straws as sticks,attached with bits of cellophane tapeon light plastic, and leaving off thestrapping tape-the kites are weightsensitive) . Larger Bigmouth kitesshould behave themselves well, butsomewhere around eight feet a thirdstick should be added down the centerline to keep flutter out of the leadingedge of the center panel .

YOU CAN USESetup for fishing where boat traffic is light . The bleach jug keeps the kite from pulling the bait out of thewater, and it also prevents a fish from drowning the kite . This rig permits you to troll both when lettingout and hauling in, or just when walking along the beach . The kite should be able to lift the jug outof the water occasionally to compensate for drift caused by tide or current, so add or dumpjug water as needed .Setup for trolling where boat traffic is heavy . Winding the kite in quickly pulls the bait about 100 feet intothe air until a boat has passed . Let the kite run' to get the bait back into the water and once again troll Don't let the kite run so fast that it fails into the water. You'll need to practice braking abit to make things fly just right . The disadvantage of using this rig is that youtroll when winding in .can'tBottom fishing setup . Use this for simple taking out and dropping of fishing lines . The drop mechanismis a clothespin modified as shown in inset . A tug on the kite line opens the pin .Flyor popping se tup. Use for skipping a grasshopper or artificial fly across a pond, river or't ike' iiI 1 lte for this one.

When the editor of K ite Lines receivedmy article on kite fishing, she demandedphotog raphs of fish caught and thefishermen that caught them . I didn'thave any . I hadn't caught a fish, andwhen I tried to buy a fish large enoughto take a decent photograph, I foundthat I couldn't afford one . Have youever tried to rent a 30-pound salmonlong enough to take photographs?Anyway, the time to deadline wasrunning out . I couldn't wait for theproper conditions at the mouth of theColumbia River ; I had to find an idealkite fishing spot - fast .Of the several sites recommendedby the local fishermen to whom I talked,the most promising seemed to be FortCasey State Park on Whidbey Island,WA . The way veteran fisherman TommyGibbons described the place, tide ripsparalleled the beach about 200 yardsout, and the wind always blew gentlyfrom the beach straight out across therips . The beach itself was a narrow stripof log-covered sand immediately adjoininga campground . Salmon ofvarious species took turns feeding inthe tide rips throughout most of theyear. Best of all, Coupeville, a littletown about four miles from Fort Casey,consisted of about 90% antique shopsto keep a non-fishing, antique-collectingspouse (such as my wife Pat) happywhile the fisherman went after his fish .By dangling the antique angle infront of Pat as bait, the trip was arrangedand we took off, arriving inCoupeville about an hour before sunset. Finding lodging was a little difficult,since Whidbey Island seems to bethe resort area for most of Seattle andall of Canada . We finally found a roomat the Captain Whidbey Inn, a 70-yearoldpole-and-plank structure thatmakes up in character what it lacks incomfort. It is also filled with antiques,which nullified any reservations Patmight have had about the lodgings .With the night's lodging problem outof the way, we headed for Fort Caseyto get the lay of the beach for the nextday's fishing . On the way we passeda sign that said "Fresh Smelt," whichtook care of the bait problem . Then wedrove through Coupeville . At thebeach we found the tide rips and windsthat Tommy had promised me . Wouldthe winds still be favorable the nextmorning? I crossed my fingers, prayed,tried to remember if my Sioux Indianhunting buddy had ever done a winddance, took one last look and headedback for the inn .After a nice seafood dinner and aLiveFish cum Kite StoryOneON THE LINEBy Warren O . (Stormy) Weatherscouple of drinks, Pat said, "I'm tired .Wake me for breakfast about 10 :30 inthe morning ." If I got up early, I couldget some fishing done before I had totake Pat to breakfast .At 6 o'clock the next morning, I waspacing up and down the road by the"Fresh Smelt" sign, waiting for evidencethat someone in the place wasawake . Finally I walked down thedriveway, and just as I saw anothersign that said "Help yourself and leavemoney in the box," the owner appeared .I bought a package of smelt, gave theowner a copy of my article on kite fishingand headed for Fort Casey .A low bluff behind the beach causededdy currents that made it difficultto put up a two-foot Pelican fishingkite, so I snapped on a 30-inch job,which managed to catch the wind andrise into the steady breeze that had heldnicely from the night before . When Ihad let out the line to the snap swivelmarking the 150-foot point, I snappedon the 30-foot line that ended in thefish hooks . Carefully slipping a smeltonto the hooks in such a manner thatit would imitate a cripple when beingpulled through the water, I finishedthe job of rigging up .Things looked good from the start .The wind was just right, and aside froma little too much water in the jug, therigging looked good . I hauled in,dumped enough water out of the jugto a level where the kite could lift itout of the water once in a while (to correctfor drift caused by the tide), thenlet out enough line to position the baitin the tide rips . I found that by walkingalong the beach, I could troll the lengthof the tide rip ; by letting line out andtaking it in, I could troll back andforth through it . Boat fishing couldn'thave been a whit easier . (Continued)

Meanwhile, the nearby campgroundhad come alive . People drifted downby two's and dozens to see what I wasup to . Very few of them had even heardof kite fishing, and most of them hadthat half-smile on their faces thatplainly said, "What a nut!" However,one retired couple, Ed and MargaretAungsted, stayed with me for most ofthe short morning, and when I left togo awaken Pat, Ed bought my spareMono-winch reel and a kite . Margaret'sreaction to this bit of foolishness onEd's part was to say, "But you justbought a new motor for your boat ."Back at the inn, I collected Pat, paidthe bill and headed for a late breakfastin Coupeville . After breakfast and apreliminary tour through the antiqueshops, Pat drove me back to the beach,telling me that she would pick me upEd Aungsted stares at the kite reel withwhich he landed his salmon. He looks as ifhe still isn't sure he did it . Five hours earlier,he hadn't even heard of kite fishing .at 3 :30 so we could catch the 4 :15Mukilteo ferry back to the mainland .I had just about two hours to get thosephotographs for Kite Lines .As I was letting out for the secondsession of kite fishing, Ed Aungstedshowed up again . He was a little dubiousabout the way he was hooking upthe reel and kite he had bought andwanted to take another look at the wayI rigged things . I showed him the rigging,then let the kite out until thebait was in the tide rip .Since Ed wasn't a kiteflier and wasone of those who had never heard ofkite fishing, it occurred to me that herewas a good chance to see if a personwith Ed's qualifications could handlea kite fishing rig without trouble . TellingEd that I had to make up anotherbait line, I handed him the reel andasked him to run things for a bit .I hadn't been fooling around in thetackle box more than a few minuteswhen Ed remarked almost casually : "Ithink I have something on ." Focusingmy nearsighted eyes on the jug, I sawit suddenly go a few feet against thetide : FISH ON!At this point I had a decision tomake : Should I grab the reel away fromthis guy who had never even heard ofkite fishing until a few hours before?I didn't know Ed, but if anyone triesto take a reel away from me in such asituation, he is going to have a helluvafight on his hands . So, mustering upevery bit of generosity I had, I said,"What are you waiting for? Pull 'em in!"Ed turned out to be a competentfisherman . He sat on a log, braked theside of the spool with his thumb whenthe fish ran straight out, and let thejug and kite wear the fish down when itran sideways and straight in . Afterabout 10 minutes, the fish was poopedand Ed brought him in .I waited at the water's edge, andwhen the 30-foot section of line thatcarried the hooks and bait appeared, Itook it and carefully slid the nice fourorfive-pound salmon up to an Ed whohad finally lost his cool . He was shakingand muttering over and over, "Iknow I did it, but I just can't believe it .I sat on a log 50 feet from the waterand hooked a salmon 1000 feet out ."The minute the fish was in, wordwent through the campground like ashock wave . You could see heads turn,then bodies start moving toward thebeach . The campers had to see forthemselves that a couple of idiots hadactually caught a fish with a kite . Aftera suitable amount of crowing, I got outmy camera for the long-sought photographs,and Ed got out his movie camerato get proof for the fish story hewould be telling when he got backhome . By the time we finished thecamera work and answering questionsfrom the crowd, it was time for Pat toshow up . I stowed away my fishinggear, bid Ed and Margaret goodbyeand the great kite fishing expeditionwas over.For those of you who live in WashingtonState, you have been missing areal bet by not kite fishing from WhidbeyIsland . If the salmon aren't running, you can go for the nice big rockcod and other bottom fish in DeceptionPass . Wherever you live, a little scoutingand talk with the local people willturn up the best fishing spots . For myself,it's for sure that when the Kingsstart running I will be back there atWhidbey, and this time I am going tobe very stingy with my gear .STORMY WEATHERS is a technicalwriter and kite reel manufacturer who livesin Milwaukie, OR, with his wife Pat andtwo kiteflying sons, Ward, 8, and Benjamin,5. Despite phenomenally bad luck in catchingfish with kites, he has developed asystem that works and has popularized itthroughout his state .

1 BREADFRUIT LEAF+6 OR MORE SPIDER WEBS+FRONDS OF ONE COCONUT PALM+DRIED FIBERS OF COCONUT HUSKS+PACIFIC ISLAND NATIVE SKILL-20 OR 30 SIX-FOOT NEEDLEFISHWITHIN SEVERAL HOURSStory and PhotographsBy Wayne J. BaldwinPatricio Tahemaremacho's fingersdeftly interlaced the dry slender ribsof a coconut frond through the flattenedbreadfruit leaf . I felt as if I were visitingTobi Island before the days Europeansnavigated this exotic and unknownpart of the tropical Pacific Ocean .Patricio was making a breadfruitleaf fishing kite of the type used forcenturies to catch needlefish from acanoe along the shores of this small,remote island several hundred milesnorth of New Guinea .No one really seems to know exactlyhow long ago Patricio's ancestorspatiently worked on similar kites .There is good reason to believe thisunique kite, similar to the one shownin the photographs, was made herefor centuries from the natural materialsat hand : carefully prepared breadfruitleaves, slender ribs removed from thefronds of a coconut palm, and strongsennet line made by twisting togetherthe tough individual fibers from driedcoconut husks . The fibers were used totie the slender ribs together wherethey crisscross to give added strength .It's an exciting feeling to view withyour own eyes an ancient type offishing kite being constructed by anisland craftsman approaching eightyyears of age . Patricio was instructedin the art of making these kites andcatching needlefish by his father andgrandfather when he was a young boy .He continues to make these kites as hewas taught, even though youngerfishermen now use plastic materials orpurchase commercially made kites .As interesting as the kite is thepeculiar lure used to capture needlefish,a tasty fish that sometimes reachesa length of six feet or more when fullygrown . This unusual lure is made fromthe web of a species of spider found onTobi Island . Usually six or more spiderwebs are carefully collected on aslender Y shaped stick, then tied togetherin several places . The finishedlure, resembling a frayed, elongatednoose two to three inches in length, isslipped off the Y shaped collectingstick and tied onto the end of thesennet fishing line .One can close one's eyes and imaginethe joy that some long-forgotten Tobiislander felt upon returning to hisvillage with a successful catch of fishcaptured using his new discovery-adiscovery that was to help feed generationsof islanders in future years . Thespider web lure is particularly effectivefor catching needlefish, since they havelong jaws with large, recurved teeththat easily become firmly entangled inthe fine silken strands .I first met Patricio Tahemaremachoin Koror, Palau, while there on businessin late 1976, and through a mutualfriend made arrangements to purchasetwo breadfruit leaf fishing kites . Ialso hoped to take a series of photographsof their construction . Luckily,I was able to accomplish both, whileobserving every detail of construction .The two finished kites were a realbargain ; they cost me a new pocketknifeand $10 . Although Patricio didnot not speak English, his son Patris,who is equally adept at making thesekites, acted as translator and explainedexactly how the breadfruit leaf, obtainedfrom Tobi Island, was dried andpressed between two woven mats, theslender ribs were removed from thecoconut frond, and the coconut huskfibers were prepared . I watched inadmiration as Patricio began makingthe kite totally by eve, without theaid of a ruler or layout . It took twohours to finish one kite, but this didnot include the time required beforehandin preparation of the breadfruitleaf, removing and trimming by handthe slender ribs from coconut fronds,patiently twisting together the sennetfishing line, and making the spiderweb lure .Fishing is usually done by a single

fisherman from a canoe, but it can alsobe accomplished while wading alongthe edge of the coral reefs if the prevailingwinds are suitable . Accordingto Patris, a good fisherman can oftencatch up to twenty or thirty needlefishwithin several hours .During fishing the breadfruit leafkite is flown at different heights dependingupon the strength of the wind .In light winds they are flown as low assixty feet above the water but in strongwinds they may be flown as high asthree hundred feet . Both light-windand strong-wind kites are made thathave a short adjustable bridle for settingthe angle of attack . They can alsobe made to fly to the left or to the rightby trimming or altering the kite on oneside . These techniques are quite simplebut very effective .In launching the kite from a canoe,the fishing line, which also acts as thekite's tail, is let out first, followed byletting out the sennet kite line to keepthe kite aloft while closely observingits behavior. Since the breadfruit leafwill in time become worn or damaged,frequent bridle adjustments are necessary.After letting out the flyingline it is either tied onto the canoeor held between the fisherman's teeth,thus allowing him to handle his canoeand line at the same time . The canoeslowly follows the kite while the spiderweb lure is made to skip and dancealong the surface of the water .Apparently the lure resembles a smallfish jumping or frantically trying toelude some pursuing predator. Thisaction entices the fast-swimmingneedlefish to strike the lure . When itdoes, its large, numerous teeth becomesecurely entangled in the strong spiderweb filaments . Then the kite with theneedlefish firmly "hooked" by thelure is pulled in and the fish removed .The kite is launched again withinseveral minutes to catch another fish .There is considerable speculationregarding why this method is sosuccessful for capturing these large,timid predators . Modern rod andreel methods are often used withsuccess but their effectiveness doesnot approach that of the ancient breadfruitleaf kite and spider web lure .Some observers believe that fishingwith a kite allowed the fishermen tomaneuver the lure close to their timidprey without startling it . Some areconvinced that it's strictly the motionof the lure playing upon the surfaceof the water. Others believe that thefishing kites tended to attract needlefishto the lure because the movingkite looked like some seabird feedingupon small fishes .Unfortunately, lack of free timeprevented me from going fishing withPatricio in his canoe . The centuriesoldtechniques he used were describedto me in considerable detail by Patris,and they closely agree with observationsmade by other individuals andwith reports printed in scientificjournals . However, good fortuneplaced several clear 35mm color slidesin my hands that showed Patricioactually fishing with one of his kitesin the Western Caroline Islands . Theseexcellent photographs were kindlymade available to me by Dr. BobJohannes, an associate also interestedin kite fishing and fishing lore of thePacific islanders .Since these rare and valuable fishingkites may become quite brittle withage or damaged from frequenthandling, I donated both, along withthe photographs, to the Bernice P .Bishop Museum in Honolulu, HI, sothat in the years to come othersmay enjoy and perhaps study them .

. .7. 8. A The reel reel should be not easy be to so use heavy and or should complicated put no unusual that it strains interferes on the with arms, the feel wrists of or flying handsthe kiteAssisted by By Pete Mel Ianuzzi GovigA complex of mechanical and human factors comes to bear in selection on kite reels . Pete Ianuzzi recently attempted to spell out some of the qualities that his ideal reel would have .A reel should keep the line from tangling and make retrieval and flying easier, and to achieve this it would have the following characteristics :1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. When If The launching, the Each reelIt It line flying shouldshould turn or should pull retrieving, be of becomes it strong sometimes the possible becomes more flier's enough necessary than possible to can work hand windto the be line inreel cranked by should hand the monofilament to in in, take a it reel kite . It in should under or be be while possible in pay possible tension to drop out the it reel without to at on is the take kite least ground pullingthe line and pressure 1 line inches from by four hand without breaking jamming of and to line the wrap the watching reel eight or it reel snaring on the the pounds line . More reel the is .. better kite . . .,The Several new There reels on are the market other prompted considerations, our attention to reels in this issue course, of Kite Lines such . Here we as, have tried a reel to compress should our standards not into reduce a measurable and a manageable fliers few mobility . We also found on more the reels on field the market and than we a could reel possibly should review in this store space . a In given spite of these quantity limitations, we of made line an effort . to Every cover as many kiteflier samples as we could could while flying make an assortment his or of standard her own kites in list light wind of conditions preferences .Thesecondsimplesttype I call .Ireelthe hoop,haveto make, simplefoundandcylindera goodof anyonespecificthatfor strong,diameter ortheresteadywidth . Itflyingis characterizedarekites,by lackisfourtheof a spindlebobbinor axlebasictype. Included. A flatin thistypeswinder,group areakinthe unimprovedofto thetinkitebobbinscan, reelusedfiberboardin handtube,:weaving,the Cuban Yo-Yothethisandbobbin,typethe bicycleis mostrim . Dependingusefulon intheadiameter,standardthesehoop,lengthare relatively (sucheasyastospool6,manage12 orfor18lineandinches)retrieval,towith helpone handintruedeterminingwinding while thereelaltitudeother holds the hoop(defined..TheseLine releasereelswithare asnothoop canusuallybe by steadydistinctwellrotationsuitedortoby fastfromlettingdump, inoutspinningthe reelrapidlyposition,generalbutwhencanthe hoopbeisfasterturned attermthanrightotherangles"reel"reelsto the kiteforlineretrieval. A large diametercommonlybecausehoopofsuch aappliedlargebicycletake-uprim can beperan easytoturnchoice all.aTheystrong-pullinglineallow akitesortbecausewindersofitone-mancombineswalkthe familiardownhandover-handTheInthirdthetypefirst,..I callonethe spool,end ofthoughtheitspindleis truly arestsspool andinsidespindlethe. A widecrooksmall-diameterof the lefthoop (spool)arm whilewithgripa spindlethe leftor axlehandthroughguidesit, formingand tensesconvenienttheactionhandleslineonandeithertheor bothrightends,handthis typetwistsis easyatforthefeedingotheroutspindlelinewhile. TheendIndian fighting.reelInisthethesecond,classic spoolboth. Yourhandsgatheringkitecoordinatecan be eased intointhe airorbitalat a speedmotionthat letstoyouachievefeel theandpull ofmaintainthe climbmomentum. Pointed at thethethekite,rotatingthe spool spillsspooloff line at.theI admitline.end, inIthehavesame mannerstruggledas the hoop achieve. The handlethesecan beenviedstuck inskills,the ground whilelikethea littleflier takesboyovertryingto bare-handto whistle,the line forbutfightingthe.knackHowever,hasgettingevadedthe linemeback on the.reelItcanshouldbe tediousbe noted. With athatlot ofthepractice,Indianyoufightercan learn tospoolspin thecannotline inberapidly,woundtheinwayeffectivelythe flashy Indianswithdo it,tensionby one of twothedazzlinglinemethods..

BOBBINHOOPSPOOLTRUE REELThe fourth type of reel, the true reel,is the spool made to rotate on a fixedspindle or axle. handles, cranks; gearsand extension rods become possiblewith the free-rolling reel. In usingreels, you sacrifice the hand-on-stringstyle necessary to fighter kiteflyingfor the convenience of mechanicalretrieval, the ability to crank in thehard pullers and the extra leverage ofa rod extending from y our arm . I thinka good salt-water casting rig is stillthe ultimate for both fish and kites.These have right-handed orientation,while all the kite reels we tested areadaptable Some or by The area usable plied cubic than choose. dimensions.the interfered Overall Cord To Size: Weight: the true thickness Price. don't may feet (inside by inches. explain stronger husky, guide: outside the kite argue to of size: provide Measured with width either measured line, reels, This of specialized Furnished for cranking The the diameter) the to right the since cord longest chart line get a much ability usable without subtracted larger fairer the guides or we a kite flier advantageheadings:left don't capacity several and criterionwinding at to offered multi-widest reels line. hand. might times knowfrom. In. We pre-modelsstring as the opposed spool, to and cranking each or case twirling was noteddirectly onto the spool by hand,Ḟor would Ḃrakes the probably or really drags heavy-duty not were present furnished reels a problem on thisfew other large cases, reels, the and braking were action noted isaprovided Ẇinding subjective ease byofthe is theflier's probably judgementsgrip the mosthe reelsumed kite, .an under average tension to moderate , for the pullingtensions For the is spools, difficult winding at best, undercrankto Ġround assume action a slack refers lineto what thesounattendedyou in your are flying hands reel does the on kites the with ground the whenwe hadpreciate Any of you who have been struck string.Vibration the can importance be critical of if this you criterion wantby a flying reel will ap -to . set Some let up a handleskite uncontrollable run out fastwobble whenand of Manzi reels, in stillthe Remarks We the in each were be and a world of line few many New note Joe corresponding cases wereis reel.said who York the inventedrunning : the wouldn't unusual "If recently "look-out-fors"the there with use featuresbest free about it would Joe..mean works show when. . reels, unless to . not use, . all some too Personality okay Then kites the and . are . people but have suited they . sometimes Some to sophisticated a has see people found how complicated the to I lot just reels you wonder use advantageto . ain't . have do . My whatrim happy with andtoIthey or matter choice eventually In playing are short, of of kite doing. wind personal choice itself, around up I with of mean but idiosyncracy reel a with way flying most is to kitefliersas a wind much a reel?up as a.

A I A CHART--KITE REELS

CALIFORNIAIndoor kiteflying as a special branch of thesport gets its annual big play at part of theFathers Day Kite Festival, San Francisco, CA .The Fifth Annual Fathers Day KiteFestival in San Francisco's Golden GatePark took flight on June 19 . A preliminaryindoor kiteflying event was heldin the Hyatt Regency Hotel lobby . Itwas won this year by Saeed Udin Khan,manager of the Come Fly a Kite shopin Carmel, CA, who kept his Indianpaper fighter kite aloft for one hour,42 minutes, 23 seconds . The feat wonhim $350 and a weekend at the Hyatt .New this - year at Golden Gate Parkwas a team kite fighting event . NorthernCalifornia and Southern Californiaeach fielded an eight-man team .The sport of kite fighting seems to begrowing in the U .S ., but its potentialwas clouded on this occasion by a disagreementover rule changes . Theofficial winner was North 5-3, and eachman took home $50 .The largest prize was $1000, andwent to a group from San Diego calledFree Form Concrete . They won for thelargest kite, a 452-square-foot Levitortypedesign . Winner of Most BeautifulKite was a centipede-style model byRainbow Kitefliers done in squaresand described as delicate and lovely .Kite Lines received two guesstimatesof the attendance at San Francisco-5000 and 1000-2000 ; in any case it wasa good turnout for a cold, gray day.The sponsors, Come Fly a Kite, Inc .,Anchor Steam Beer and KFRC Radio,cannot be faulted on financial support ;their stated budget was $25,000 .A second annual Kite Retailers Seminarwill be held in San Francisco, CA,January 16-18, 1978, sponsored byKiteworld, Inc ., kite distributor. Sessionsare planned to increase the retailer'sknowledge of kites and of merchandisingthem . If you're "in the business,"it's a chance to meet others andshare ideas . For further information,contact Gordon Teekell at Kiteworld,Inc ., 540 De Haro, San Francisco, CA94107, tel : (415) 863-5815 .CONNECTICUTJohn DeGange reports :Thomas Vasiliou had never flown akite until he came to Groton, CT, wherea program of monthly flies has beenin effect since May 8 . Mr. Vasiliou haddone lots of things in his 102 years, butkiteflying wasn't one of them . He foundhe enjoyed every minute of it, as well aslocal newspaper coverage that followed .It was surmised that Mr. Vasilioumight be the oldest person ever to flya kite, at least in the United States .The Groton Recreation Departmentconducts the kite program and has twoco-sponsors, the Ben Franklin KiteShoppe in Mystic and an organizationcalled TRIP (Teenage RecreationalInterest Program, an activity of theGroton churches) .Groton's kite flies are conducted atthe Cutler School grounds in summerand at Esker Point Beach when thevacation season is over. The flies includecontests in various categoriesand have been very popular .Thomas Vasiliou, 101, flies a kite in Groton,CT, with Frank Intelisano, proprietor of theBen Franklin Kite Shoppe .FLORIDAExclusive to Kite Lines from Will Yolen,author of The Complete Book of Kitesand Kiteflying and AKA Life Member :The Sunrise Inn Rooftop Kitefliersof Fort Lauderdale, FL, were gettinghigher than a kite -a colorful Frenchmilitary kite-in the first organizedattempt to set a new world's record forsustained flight which had been set bythe late beloved Walter Scott . Thatrecord was 168 hours . The SunriseInn's coed gang of waiters, waitresses,bellmen and busboys was coached byyours truly. Captain of the team of tenwas Chris (Junior) Morling, assistantto his boss Joe Garvin, bell captain .The team was divided into four sixhourshifts, two people to a team andtwo fliers swinging . When not on duty,they ate and slept around the clock onthe roof of the handsome seashoreresort hotel .In addition to the French kite (socalled),there were two of Ed Hanrahan'sFalcons, which lasted for al -most three days, a Rogallo wing, an AlHartig beauty from Nantucket and acoterie of small plastic kites .Two rainstorms failed to stop thekites . Nor did a 25-knot wind halt theintrepids . For the rainstorm we had torun up a jury rig, somewhat similar toa jury rig on a sailing vessel in distress .We pinned the kite to the chimney of anearby building and kept it on a shortlead line for the 30-minute and threehourrainstorms .- The team handled the kite in similarfashion during a windstorm but keptthe kite inside a ring of human bodiesthat deterred the wind from whippingit into total destruction .The worst phase of the challengecame at dawn of the final day, whenthere was a three-hour lull early in themorning . I sent out a distress call tothe swing people who responded magnificently.Each in turn waved the kitearound on a rod and reel and kept thekite aloft by sheer manpower .Three hours before the 1 :30 p .m . tietime, the wind began to pick up again .Store-bought kites, shiny new Gaylasand Hi-Fliers, went up gaily and highly,accompanying the scruffy-lookingveteran French military. My Russiankite, that I had flown in Red Square

Art students of Mary Frisbee Johnson atFlorida State University flew about 30creations at St . George's Island, on theGulf, with help from AKAer George Brett .(Continued)last year, made specially for me byAl Hartig, had long since fallen soggyin the rain .About this time the local and nationalpress began to make inquiries byphone and in person . A notary public,Marie Posses, certified the event . Somecivic celebrities, including Sunrisemanager Richard Moore, took a bowand champagne was broken out .The world record was broken bytwo hours 'instead of one . The MiamiHerald had phoned to say that theirphotographer and reporter would beunable to come at the exact time of thekite descent, and to ask if we wouldcontinue to fly until they arrived . Thushi 'tort' was made, not as scheduled, butwith an hour to spare, on May 7, 1977 .Therefore, when the same teamassembles next year, it will be preparedto try for the record of seven daysthree hours . I will lead them again .Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Ample stadiumseating brought out the bestspectator crowd ever for the event .-The site is adjacent to the MarylandScience Center, with which the Societyworked in setting up an exhibit of kitesof scientific and historic interest . Thedisplay is now available for rental byother institutions .The weather for the festival wassunny and breezy, though not quitewindy enough for some kites . TalStreeter, artist and author of The Artof the Japanese Kite, again attended fromNew York as a guest of the Society andan honored judge, among others oflocal distinction .The format of the day was less ambitiousbut more relaxed than in yearspast, and the emphasis was on comprehensivejudging of hand-made kites,many of them spectacular .At the end of the judging, a "duel"between two stunter fliers, Bill Ochseof the Kite Loft in Ocean City, MD,and Paul Ritchey of the Kite Site inGeorgetown, DC, drew the crowd'sattention. Co-Chairman Rick Kinnaird,at the microphone, gave aspirited blow-by-blow account, describingevery move in heroic stanzas .The victor, Ochse, won the customprintedshirt off the back of the vanquishedRitchey.MASSACHUSETTSSpecial report by Gregory A . and PhyllisE. Apkarian, AKA Life Members :On May 14 the Good Lord must haveknown the 9th Annual Great BostonKite Festival was to be held in FranklinPark because the wind was full, steadyand definitely strong . Too strong forthe Marblehead Kite Company's largeAbout 50 people, mostly students atFlorida State University, went to thebeach for a First Annual Kite FlySpectacular. The competition wasplanned by the Creative Design andArt Department to show off the kitesthat were a spring final class project .MARYLANDOn April 30 the Maryland Kite Societyheld its Eleventh Annual MarylandKite Festival on the fine new field in

(Continued)delta of 225 square feet, too strong forthe hang glider's ride and too strongfor the parachutists -but just the rightwind strength for kitefliers .Television reported that 30,000 peopleturned out for the festival with anestimated 6,000 kites including about100 homemade .For the serious kiteflier, few kitescould compare to the 20-foot JacksonParafoil kite . Dr. Richard Jackson, aMarblehead, MA, anesthesiologist, waspreviously recognized for his uniquedesign at the Boston Festival severalyears ago . This year he enlarged histhree-foot original to a 20-foot tallyellow and white rip-stop model flownon 1000-pound test marine line . TheJackson Parafoil kite appears in the skyas a cross between a keeled Scoff sledand a parawing, and should not beconfused with the Jalbert Parafoil .Registered under Patent #3,697,023,Jackson's three-foot aluminized Mylarversions flew up to 3000 feet while his20-footer on the marine line snappedat 600 feet after a long flight . Manufacturedby Chuck Watts, owner ofWilson-Silsby Marblehead, andengineered by Ernie Scoff of Marblehead,the Jackson Parafoil has adefinite future .You can imagine my surprise whenawarding a blue ribbon to Ted Kuklinski,PhD candidate from MassachusettsInstitute of Technology, tofind out that he, too was an AKALife Member. At long last a fellow enthusiast!Ted is involved in theM .I .T.K .E .L . (the M .I .T. Kite ExperimentationLaboratory) and flies in theCambridge, MA, area-along theCharles River, in Larz Anderson Parkand behind the Boston stadium, favoritesite of Frisbee fanatics .Among other recipients of ribbonswas Wilfred Moore of Boston, originallyfrom Barbados, with a noisyoctagonal kite . The central New Englandarea may be the home of the nextactive branch of the American KitefliersAssociation . With a delightfulspot to fly in Worcester, this Life Memberis certainly dedicated to the idea .MICHIGANBy dint of hard work Pat Gilgallon ofthe Unique Place kite shop has focuseda lot of attention on kiting in the Detroitarea . Her major spring effort wasHundreds of kites fill the airy lobby of theFisher Building, a grand edifice named intribute to Detroit's automobile industry.a kite show in early May in the lobbyof the elegant Fisher Building . Billedas the "largest kite display in the world,"the hanging of hundreds of kites wasaccomplished by a portable elevatorwhich enabled workers to reach thehigh ceilings and attach kites amongthe balconies and chandeliers .In the central crossroads of the lobbywas Pat's booth, where kites were soldand information given . The resultingpublicity hasn't stopped yet, and hasencouraged Pat to expand from heroriginal tiny shop to a large kite center,still on Hamilton Row, Birmingham. Her latest letter brought chips ofpaint and sawdust in the envelope .NEW JERSEYThe Princeton Battlefield was a peaceful,happy place on May 7 when thelocal Arts Council sponsored their annualArt People Party, this year devotedto kites .According to reports, about 200 kiteswere flown and about 2000 people attended,picnicked and enjoyed musicand dancers along with kites .Most Spectacular Kite was awardedto Lawrence Hasiak with one of hisrotor kites ; Roger Sherman won forhigh flying with his yellow snake ; thelargest kite was a team effort of Philipand Ilse Johnson and Pierre Coutin foran eight-footer in plastic and bamboo ;and Most Original was taken by JoeGladden flying a white silk kite withgreen tail in simple, sculptured formwith two green streamers from headto tail . The atmosphere as describedverified the statement of the localCouncil for Community Services thatthe day contributed "to the mentalhealth of Princeton by providing opportunitiesfor people to experience ajoyous sense of belonging to their com -munity ."On the Fourth of July, Ocean City,NJ, invited its summer visitors to itsannual kite contest, followed by Dixielandmusic and fireworks . The twokite shops at the resort fielded theirbest stunt and fighter kitefliers . Thetwo shops generated an enormousamount of interest in kiting at thebeach, where demonstrations were con -ducted on nearly every flyable day .A manlift was one of the biggest at -tractions . This pattern of activity wasquite the usual thing for many seasidespots in the summer of 1977 .NEW HAMPSHIRELast December, Dinesh Bahadur of SanFrancisco's Come Fly a Kite shop,visited Keene, NH, and set RooseveltElementary School agog . He flew akite in the gymnasium, which starteda host of other kite projects . MarieLambert coordinated activities includingwriting, drawing, kite making anda parade of kites . The parade includedseveral models that took many hoursof work by involved adults .NEW YORKJames Vullo's latest public relationsexposure, in Buffalo Fan magazine,August issue, showed him with one ofhis fine kites in LaSalle Park . Jim isa Professor of Fine Arts at State UniversityCollege at Buffalo and a dedicatedAKAer and Longmeadow (Rochester)Chapter stalwart . His enthusiasmwas revealed in this quotation :"Kiteflying connects you to the earthand to the sky. It's kind of a mixture betweenaesthetics and science . It makesyou look up, think up and feel up ."NORTH CAROLINAThe Galleon Esplanade's Sixth AnnualKite Contest took place in Nags Head,NC, not far from the Wright BrothersMonument at Kitty Hawk . An unimpairedrecord of good kiting weatherwas maintained for this well-run event .Valerie and Mel Govig took off along weekend to attend . Valerie madea yellow rip-stop high-aspect-ratiohexagon with yellow surveyor's tapetails in 1 1/2 hours the morning of thecontest and won for Prettiest Kite . Mel

flew 11 little Eddys in train end took ethird place prize . Wood Ellis won hisfirst First with e modified Baden-Powell in various colors of pieced ripstopnylon to depict e galleon warship .Francis (Rog) Rogallo end his familyflew three loosely lashed Corner Kitesin red, white end blue, en "array for theU .S .A .," end took second place .Aylene D . Goddard came with edelta wing kite crafted in multicolorfabric to match her attire for the event .Aylene is en AKA Life Member, formerlyof Michigan end now e residentof Kill Devil Hills, near Nags Heed .Many other fine friends end finekites appeared, end e number competedin the Endurance Division . Thisbegins et noon end ends when the winddies, usually early evening . This yearthe winds were steady end the kiteswere up till midnight, when the prizeswere split among the weary finalists .Big winner Wood Ellis is the center ofattention in Nags Head, NC, at the GalleonKite Contest in July. His modified Baden-Powell was a result of much trial-and-error .Long-time AKAer Aylene Goddard first cameto the Outer Banks, NC, as a kiteflier fromMichigan . She and her husband came backhere to retire .OHIOBill Jones reports for the Ohio Society forthe Elevation of Kites :Kiting continues to grow by breezesend blasts with OSEK . We sponsorede number of kite festivals end conteststhis summer .July 10 marked the Lake Erie IslandsKite Festival in cooperation with theNational Perk Service . The site wasPerry's International Victory endPeace Memorial, Put-In Bay, OH, onSouth Bass Island in western Lake Erie .A good number came, many from faraway. The Island Kite Shop gave prizes .Spectators could end did look et thecontest from 350 feet up on the PerryMonument . One could watch kites ettheir own level end sight the fliersalong their own kite lines -en unusualperspective .The Cleveland Games Kitery wasparticularly well attended . The sponsors,WJKW-TV, WMMS-FM Radioend the Plain Dealer newspaper, donated1000 paper two-stickers with 250feet of string end choice of sailclothor crepe tail . They were gone in enhour. Happily, many of them gracedthe sky during the kite contest thesame day, August 13 . Winners in thecontest went home happy with e widevariety of prizes ranging from e fullsizecolor TV to records, T-shirts endgood kiting equipment end books, theletter courtesy of The Kite Kompany,Chagrin Fells, OH .Indian-style kite fighting's popularityknows no bounds around herelately. One member, about to be married,has already given his bride-tobee Vic's fighter, her first kite . Is Ohiothe first state with e husband end wifefighting kite teem'TENNESSEEGeorge P Turner sends us n ews :The Kiwanis Fifth Annual Kite Festivalwas held on May 7 et Paris, TN,end I was invited to attend and judgeagain this year, along with my friendDr. James P. O'Dwyer. The competitionwas divided into several age groups aswell as between home-made and purchasedkites .Unfortunately, the wind was unusuallyvariable, fluctuating abruptlyfrom about 10 miles per hour down tozero . This created e problem for severalof the contestants, as the rules requiredthat the kites fly for et leastone minute end be up over 20 feet .Judging was based on how well theparticipants launched, flew end retrievedtheir kites .Tropies were awarded to Joan Williamsend Bred Willoughby for beingthe best overall kite handlers . Manyother cash awards were presented .Our hosts from the Kiwanis Club ofParis were most gracious, end ell ofthe contestants were very cooperativeend accepted the judges' decisionswithout question although in somecases only e hairline difference separatedthe placements in the ratings .TEXASRichard Robertson of Austin writesthat May 8 was celebrated in Austin asNational Kite Day by proclamation ofMayor Jeffrey M . Friedman . Eversince the Austin kite festival in ZilkerPerk in March, Dick has been tirelesslypromoting AKA end teaching kiting inhis area . He can fill e stage with hislarge end varied kite collection, andoften does so et his lectures .Spilling over to Rankin, TX, e newinterest in kiting there resulted in eLions Club Kitefly on April 23, organizedby Rev. Herb Frederick .An exhibition of kites by Pet Hammond,titled "More then Meets theSky," has been on view from August28 through September 25 et the Universityof Texas Health Science Centerin San Antonio .Pet has been making end collectingkites for many years, end this exhibitionis e culmination of her work . Itrepresents not only on accumulationof examples, but e thorough study ofthe kite as en enduring spiritualsymbol end e challenge to humaningenuity .Pet's fascination with kites is furtherdocumented in e smell booklet preparedfor visitors to the show (end unfortunatelyin very limited edition) .The pamphlet contains some of hercollected researches as well as e wittyaddendum : "The Book of CommonAir, e Highly Irreverent Collection ofKites, together with Kitechism, andPat Hammond's theory of aerodynamics: Name them, they fly better ."Eleven puns fit to make e kite flip ereillustrated by the kites, such as SwineFlew (e hog kite) end Of Corset Flies .The exhibition will be kept intactfor possible loan to other cities .(Continued on page 50)

Right, Flying colors of Peter Travis,Australian kite maker extraordinaire . Scoresof hues are combined, some with onlysubtle differences .Below, Travis adjusting bridles on one ofhis 8-to 12-foot diameter cotton poplinkites. Some have as many as 16 bridle legs .Travis brought over 200 pounds of kites toSeattle, eight to fly and three to showon exhibit .By David M . CheckleySpecial report to Kite Lines from DaveCheckley :After three years of planning, theAllied Arts Foundation of Seattlestaged their International Exhibitionof Flags, Banners and Kites at the FlagPlaza Pavilion at Seattle Center fromJuly 10 to 24 .The 253 entries came from all overthe U .S . and 12 foreign countries, includingFrance, Hungary, Belgium,Poland, Australia, Japan, Canada andSweden . Kites, only recently recognizedin Western countries as an artform, were the minority . According toJack Van Gilder, one of the exhibitors,only about 20 looked as if they wouldactually fly. A number that theirmakers chose to call kites were reallyhanging sculptures .The official list of winners included :First Place Award to Edward W. Randell,Jr., Long Beach, CA, for GrommetsChinese kite (an inventive wall hang -ing) ; Second Place Awards to AhmadNabi Naimi, Bethesda, MD, for hisAfghan kite (a flyable kite), and toSusan Nininger, Seattle, WA, for AWearable Kite (a whimsical sculptureof a human figure outfitted as if forspace travel) ; and Third Place Awardto Margaret Little, Philadelphia, PA,for Rising Sun II kite (apparently notintended for flying) .Selection of works exhibited and ofaward winners was made by an independentjury including Eudorah M .Moore, Director, California Design,Pasadena ; Paul Chadbourne Mills,Director, Santa Barbara Museum ofArt ; and Anne Focke, Director, and/orGallery, Seattle . Unfortunately, therewere no kite people on the jury (anunsuccessful attempt was made to getPaul Garber), so some of the awards,notably the first place among the kites,were disappointing to most kitefliers .In spite of this failing, the jury put togetheran interesting and colorful show .The stars of the exhibition werePeter Travis's kites from Australia,which arrived too late for the judging .The three kites shown, Nebulae, Diaboloand Celebration, ranged from 8 to12 feet across, with tail assemblies upto 200 feet long, which were drapedthe length of the pavilion . Each kiteis a work of art, combining both brilliantand subtle colors so that theyhave maximum effect with the light(or in this case the pavilion lights)shining through the fabric . To givethe reader some idea of the size andcomplexity of Travis's kites, theAustralian government recently commissionedone of similar size for $8000 .Travis visited Seattle, and then traveledin Canada, under the auspices of theAustralia Council .Travis is a professional designer andteacher, with a background in textile,fashion and industrial design . He isalso a well-known potter and teaches

Above, The largest of the Travis kites, Centennial, has pieced multicolortail stiffened in places horizontally to maintain its shape in the air .Left, Flag Plaza Pavilion, Seattle Center, where 17,000 square feetwere filled with flags, banners and kites . Several thousand visited daily .Above left, Rainbow Kitefliers of Oakland, CA, represented by theToy brothers, accept a special award in Seattle from Tsutomu Hiroi(center) on behalf of the Japan Kite Association, for their "cooperativespirit" in helping others fly their kites . Trophy was sent by ShingoModegi, Association President .a three-year course in color at theShillito School of Design in Sydney.Unlike some other kitemakers, PeterTravis is also an accomplished kiteflier.Except for his largest creations,which require a second flier in highwinds, he is able to launch and fly hiskites alone . They are bridled high sothey fly reasonably flat, and becauseof the long and complex tails theyare remarkably stable in flight . Hisluggage contained a metal spool of400-pound test braided line, and severalrolls of lighter line for the smallerkites .Other spectacular kites included :two by Heloise Lochman of WhiteBird Kites, San Francisco, CA -a verylong, intricate and beautiful nylondragon entitled Om-Swayyambhu, anda striking Eddy called Shine On YouCrazy Diamond ; four kites by MargaretGreger of Richland, WA (author ofBlown Sky-High) - beautifully appliquedkites (one of which was purchasedby Travis) ; an interesting sledby Joan Slattery Newcomb ; and threekites by Mel and Valerie Govig (mistakenlycredited only to Mel in theprogram), including the original MarylandKite Society kite .For sheer size and aerodynamicquality, top mention should go toDavid Farris of Vancouver, B .C .,Canada, who exhibited three hugenylon box kites, one almost 20 feetwide with an aluminum frame . Othernotable exhibitors included Tom VanSant of Los Angeles, CA, with a singlesection of his oval Trampoline kitewith an open keel and drogue, andJacqueline Monnier of Paris, whowas the principal exhibitor at theFestival d'Automne a Paris kite exhibitin 1976 .Japan was ably represented by ahuge Daruma Edo kite by KatsuhisaOta of Tokyo ; a pair of Iwai characterkites by K . Takahashi of Shimaneken; two kites by Semmatsu Iwase ofAnjo-shi ; a Tongari kite by MatsutaroYanase of Yokosuka (near Hamamatsu) :two kites by Teizo Hashimoto ; andminiature kites entered by KenjiHoffman of Tokyo and Shin Nishimuraof Osaka .Nishimura's kites were exhibitedin Paris last year and are from thecollection of Professor Tsutomu Hiroi,who was in Seattle for the kite showand the Seafair/Port of Seattle kitefly . Hiroi brought a 30-foot long, 8-foot diameter plastic carp kite of hisown design, decorated by his studentsat Tokyo University. It flew beautifullyat Elliott Bay Park . Hiroi leftSeattle to officiate at an exhibitionof Japanese kites at the ProvincialMuseum of Alberta in Edmonton .The best pieces exhibited in theshow, as selected by the jury, areillustrated in a beautiful full-color53-page catalog/1978 engagementcalendar. Copies of this calendar areavailable at $8 each including postageand handling from Flags, Bannersand Kites, Allied Arts of Seattle, 107South Main Street, Seattle, WA 98104 .

the pro soccer game the night before ."And do you know," continued thesupervisor, "there was a guy downthere who sure looked like you!"Another halftime kite show has beenrequested for a televised pro basketballgame on March 26, 1978 .The July 4th holiday found severalmembers of WKA hard at work helpingover 1500 kids assemble free kites atthe Heritage Festival in MarymoorPark, near Seattle . The county purchasedthe little sled kites from TheKite Factory, and WKA volunteers,headed by Dave Checkley, earned a$90 honorarium for their club treasury .The WKA also continues its weeklySunday afternoon flies at variouspoints around Seattle .Seattle's Kingdome halftime show of super-light kites flown by the Washington Kitefliers(Continuedfrom page 47)WASHINGTONNews from the Washington Kitefliers Association,by John F Van Gilder :April 30 at Seward Park in Seattlewe enjoyed a little gem of a kite festival. The day was lovely, the breeze justright and the atmosphere relaxing .The Japanese Consul-General toSeattle contributed a nice trophy, wonby Bill Lee, President of WKA, with awinged box kite .May 21 and 22 on Seattle's waterfront,the WKA provided an umbrellaof kites at the dedication of the city'snew aquarium . Van Gilder sent amovie camera up with his 100-kitedelta train, at the 70-kite mark . Thecrowd waved as the camera ground onfor three minutes . The film turned outwell, too .The next weekend, at the dedicationof a new Seattle park, WKA membersdid the same thing, provided an umbrellaof kites . It was heard later thatsome of the politicians didn't hearmuch of the speeches ; they were watchingthe kites overhead .On the evening of June 29, 26 membersof the WKA, on a week's notice,flew 25 kites and five delta trains of 10kites each at Seattle's indoor stadium,the Kingdome (in King county) . It wasduring the halftime of a professionalsoccer game and about 20,000 peoplewere in attendance .Sighs and gasps were heard whenthe first group of five kites went uparound the perimeter of the field-Eddy kites . All kites were of tissuepaper material, super light weight .Next came five of Bill Lee's wingedbox kites ; then five cobras built by.Bill, John Dusenberry and Jack VanGilder ; then five sleds ; and finallyfive large tissue deltas . The youngpeople carrying them were able to pullthem around at normal walking speed .Some of those with the cobras had tojog . Betty . Davisson and Tom Sissonalso contributed beautiful deltas . Lastto be displayed were five trains oftissue deltas, 10 to the train . Gaspswere heard when Bruce Kimball hunga delta on a loudspeaker cable 100feet in the air-and then applausewhen he expertly extricated himself .While all the deltas and trains weremoving around the field, Ken Conrad,partner in the Great Winds kite shop,joined Carl Brewer and others in afighter kite demonstration in the centerof the field .Bill Hull of Great Winds, havingonce been a professional radio announcer,did a polished job of describingall the kites as they were launchedand retrieved . WKA left the field withapplause ringing! (Incidentally, theirclub, the Seattle Sounders, lost - thegame to the Dallas Tornados .)Next morning, while at work atBoeing, where he is a technical writer,Bill Lee was approached by one ofhis supervisors and told of thebeautiful halftime kite show duringPeripheral to the Flags, Banners andKites Exhibition (see page 48) were anopening day fly and festivities onSeattle's waterfront . July 16 was spentin demonstration and practice and July17 was reserved for competitive events .In the Long Line event, StephenD'Oyley won for letting out the mostline in two minutes at the flattest possibleangle . Highest Angle of Flightwas a tie between Jack Van Gilderflying a Tony Toledo Filipino fighterkite, and Carl Brewer with a balsaand-tissueairplane-type kite . MostBeautiful was won by J .C . Young witha 60-disc Chinese centipede . The Kite-Boat Race was won by Bob McCort .Professor Tsutomu Hiroi and PeterTravis, both house guests of the DaveCheckleys, served as judges . They alsodemonstrated their kites several times .There wasn't much time to rest beforethe Seafair/Port of Seattle Kite Contestwas held on July 30 . It was a fineday and a well-attended event . bnote some of the more importantentries : in the Most Beautiful eventwere Jack Van Gilder's Chinese butterflyin rip-stop nylon, and Coe Axt'slong-tailed appliqued hexagon . TheLongest Tail event brought out bagsfull of tails that unfolded, accordionlike,as the kites rose . David Lee andhis sister Linda crossed line and tailso that one kite became tailless andthe other flew two tails . "Tail transference,"they called it . Largest Kitewent to Van Gilder's 21-foot delta,challenged by a Parafoil flown byCharles Locklin, who came fromAustin, TX, to participate .(News from Here & There continues)

AUSTRALIAHelen Bushell reports from the Melbournearea for the Australian Kite Association :This is to offically inform you thatthe Australian Kite Association wasformed in Melbourne in May 1977,with the object of bringing kite enthusiaststogether and promoting knowledgeof and interest in kiting throughoutAustralia .As several of our members havebelonged to your association for along time, we would like to keep incontact with you . A group has alsobeen formed in South Australia, andthey are affiliated with us, as also isthe National Gallery Society . Its leader,Mr. Paton Forster, is one of ourdirectors, and the Society has handedover its kiting responsibility to us .Our Chairman is Tony Johnston,Treasurer is Cathy Tonkin and I amSecretary . We look forward to seeingsome of you at some time and welcomeyou to fly with us on our regular first-Sunday-of-the-month flies, wherewe hope to enjoy ourselves and helpothers do the same .In addition to the above announcement,Helen has sent us some enthusiasticletters . She and her son Alanmake and sell Australian-design kites,in particular the Evolution Trefoil,their own patented design . Helen hasTrefoil kites by Helen Bushell on exhibitin the lobby of the Y.W.C .A . in May inMelbourne, Australia .also printed a booklet of her theoriesof kiteflying, which includes a patternfor making her Australian Long-TailTrefoil . We found the work bothcharming and hard to follow-terminologywas undefined . Copies of"Make Mine Fly" may be purchasedfor $2 U .S . plus shipping ($2 airmail)from Helen Bushell, 10 Elm Grove,North Kew, 3102 Victoria, Australia .From the Kitefliers Association ofSouth Australia, R .E. Ted Padmancorresponds frequently and sends ustheir newsletter. The association hasthe good fortune of being sponsoredby a television station in the Adelaidearea, which advertises their monthlyflies and helps in other ways as well .On July 10 the Association's firstfield day was held in the Parklandsat North Adelaide, the highest spotclose to the city, according to Ted .Winds were light to moderate for the48 people attending, but there wasgenuine interest shown .The organizational meeting held onJune 23 drew 25 people to FullertonPark, Fullerton, South Australia . Theofficers of the association are : President,Bob Hains ; Vice-President,Graham Blackey ; Secretary-Treasurer,Ian Perrin ; Editor-Publicity Chairman,Jan Hosking ; Children's Advisor,Ray Blucher ; Resources Advisor,Wayne Hosking ; Official Photographer,Richard Grabb .Bob Hains is admired in his areafor the expertly detailed kites he sewson an old treadle machine . He hasmade a Cody war box kite, a Flare,a Marconi-jib kite and a JalbertParafoil .The group plans to fly kite trains incountry areas, where they hope tohave the cooperation of the Departmentof Air Transport for specialoccasions in lifting the kite altitudelimit of 300 feet .Ted reports good flying with manyof his own kites, including a Chinesebutterfly with six long tails, the framemade of basket cane and 3/16" dowel . Hewent flying with Ray Blucher in Juneand observed Ray's success with hisred rip-stop nylon compound batkite, one of several Blucher kites thatTed describes as exquisite .CANADAJohn F Van Gilder reporting from Seattledescribes the Great Pacific Rim KiteFestival:The first weekend in April, severalWashington Kitefliers Associationmembers drove their kite-packedcars to Vancouver, B .C ., Canada (110miles) for a kite contest . Everythingclicked in Vancouver - weather,publicity and interest . The judgesand officials were inundated withpeople . Bob McCort said that WKAmembers had never seen as manykites in the air in one spot in theirlives . They came back with their shareof prizes also .Everyone had to tell about the mostunusual kite up there - a cotton sportsshirt, undershorts and a pair of pantyhosewere strung together -and theyflew! Jack Kelly was responsible forthat one . Also noted were the hugebox kites of many strange configurations. "Of course," we sniff, "anythingwould have flown in that steady 15miles-per-hour wind"-except fortissue-paper delta trains . John Dusenberrydidn't dare even attempt his40-kite train .David Pinner writes about his favoritekite stunt:I take my Skycat stunter from 200feet and dive it straight into a lake .Rising from a dip on a hot summer's day isthe stunter kite piloted by David Pinner ofVancouver, B .C ., Canada .

This never fails to bring hoots fromother kitefliers who assume that I havelost control of my kite, not to mentionmy senses . Then by increasing thetension on the lines, I bring the noseof the kite out of the water until thewind catches it and then the entirekite rises with water streaming fromits back! I like to call this my amphibiouskite trick, and as far as I know it isstill a unique maneuver in this area .Ed. Note : Unique (like beautiful andperhaps a list of other words it would beinteresting to compile) is in the eve ofthe beholder. See the letter from FrancisRogallo on page 10 of this issue . Also, wewill bet a British pound on a US . dollarthat somebody is doing this in England .ENGLANDA wave of kite excitement has hitEngland since the first big event ofspring, the May Day National KiteRally of the British Kite Flyers Associationat Old Warden airfield, Buckinghamshire. Described by globe-trottingAKAer Bruwer Van Graan as "a realknockout," it was only the first in aseries of kiting activities that Britainshave organized this year .The second major event was theFirst British Kite Championships atParliament Hill Fields, London, onMay 29 . For starters, it included DavidTurner's man-lifting effort on Codykites, and Flexifoils flown 12-in-line .Ripples afterward were many . TheHaringey Sports Council's Festivalof Sport, which included kiteflying,was held on June 18 . Two flies werestaged by the new Blackheath KiteAssociation on June 9 and June 12 atBlackheath . Two more events wereorganized by the Essex Kite Group,led by Clive C . O . Rawlinson ; onewas on June 27 and another on July,National Rally at Old Warden draws aCody war kite . At right is Bruwer Van Graan,recognizable in his cap .3 . The new Norfolk Kite FlyingSociety's Kite Festival took place onJuly 31 in Norfolk .Kite Lines has received extensivefirst-hand accounts of these and otherkite events from Clive Rawlinson'sgenerous pen, as well as reports byBruwer Van Graan and photos by RonMoulton, Founder of the British KiteFlyers Association . A special storyon kiting in England's Jubilee Yearwill appear in our next issue .JAPANjack Van Gilder reports :Dave Checkley and John Dusenberryreturned from their two-week tour ofJapan's kite festivals in May with manypictures, both slides and movies . Johnshowed films of a 50-foot delta, andreported mind-boggling kites inTokyo -1600 kites flipping nonchalantlyout of 250-kite containersinto the 25-mile-per-hour wind .Nothing John had with him would flyin that wind, but the Japanese fliersseemed to be used to it . It rained twoof the three days at Hamamatsu butthe festival was successful anyway .(News from Here & There continues)

News From Here & There(Continued)MALTAA . Darmenia-Gay, Secretary of the MaltaKitefliers Group, writes :In addition to being a member ofAKA, I am also a member of the BritishKite Flyers Association and founderof the Malta Kitefliers Group . To datethe group is small and I find it ratherhard to get adults to admit they enjoykiteflying .On May 15, 1977, the first NationalKiteflying Competition was held inMalta G .C . It was organized by theMalta Kitefliers Group to celebratethe International Kite Festival Day[!sic] . This is the first time any kiteflyingcompetition has been held hereon such a scale . I hope this will markthe revival of kiting here in Malta .NETHERLANDSRento Brattinga sends this account frontAmsterdam :There was something in the air justoutside Amsterdam's new Biljlmermeer(Continued on page 63

KITE SAFETY IN THE HEADLINES:T 11141A SYCAMORE FIREOn July 26, 1977, at 7 :27 or 7 :28 p .m .,a fire broke out in the rugged foothillsof Santa Barbara, CA, which destroyedat least 234 homes, many of them luxurious,and damaged many others . Thetotal estimate of loss ran to a quarterof a billion dollars .Amazingly, no lives were lost . Butthe emotional damage over lost possessions,pets and the memories of alifetime, was beyond calculation . Officiallynamed the Sycamore Fire, it wasthe worst of several fires that besiegedtinder-dry California in this period .For kitefliers it was particularlyagonizing because it was started by akite .Surely every reader of this magazineshared a personal sense of shock andregret on learning that a kite couldhave brought such terrible tragedy toothers . From such stern lessons wehope to learn how to accept and promoteresponsibility in kiting .Kite Lines talked to Bob Krauch ofSouthern California Edison Co ., whosaid that a large box kite flown on 1 /8-inch nylon line pulled two high tensionwires together. They fused and senthot metal to the ground, where the firestarted . The kite and string were notconductive, but caused the two lines tocross in conditions of extreme heat,dryness and wind .Henry H . Howard, AKA Life Memherof Solvang, CA, 35 miles fromSanta Barbara, wrote :"I am happy to tell you that so faras I have been able to determine nobodywants to lynch the kiteflier, whohas been identified as a local man, acarpenter, who had worked on several

of the homes destroyed . Whether hewill escape persecution, if not prosecution,is anybody's guess . The wholecountry here is dry as tinder and justabout anything, including a hobnailedboot sole twisting on a bit of dry grass,could have set it off ."Nevertheless, the story is before usonce again -don't, don't, please don'tfly a kite in such a manner as to allowthe line to foul power lines ."Newspapers reported that the kiteflierwas a man in his 20's and a residentof the immediate area . Accordingto District Attorney Stanley Roden,winds "well in excess" of 20 knotswrested the 8x10-inch kite spool fromthe hands of the flier and carried it toa point where it wrapped itself arounda cable television line directly belowthe tension wires between two standardpoles . Later investigation showed thefirst reports to be incorrect . It was atelephone cable just below the powerlines, which then arced and sent theshower of sparks to the ground ."The force of the wind," Roden said,"continued to drive the kite forward sothat the 16,000-volt line directly above. . .arced with the adjacent tension wire ."At this point," he said [ independent]"witnesses have confirmed thateither a shower of sparks or the arcitself actually caused the brush belowto ignite ."According to Thomas Hunt, theDA's senior criminal investigator, theman flying the kite was one of thepersons who immediately tried to putout the fire .The flier was taken into custody, butnot arrested, was questioned extensively,and was shown to be truthfulby a lie detector test . A statement releasedby Roden on the flier's behalfwas printed and broadcast nationwide :"Investigation has shown that a kitebeing flown by me became detachedand came into contact with high tensionwires . Somehow this contact resultedin the ignition of dry weedsand brush beneath the wires ."I am deeply shocked and saddenedby the great loss and suffering whichhas resulted from the fire . I shall alsoalways regret the part, however innocent,I have had in this tragic matter ."Later, reporters found and broadcastfurther information about the kiteflier,which distressed his attorney, whofeared vindictive behavior might beunleashed against his client . The kiteflier,Scott Sheldon, 23, was flying ahome-built 3x4-foot green and yellowbox kite, described as hour-glassshaped, with which he had hoped toset an altitude record one day . Parents,friends and employers described himas a sensitive young man who likes tofly kites and gliders . After the investigation,he went home to his parents inOregon to take refuge from the traumaand try to come to terms with his partin it . V .G .Shown are two prevalent types of electric transmission ("high tension") line towers, whichshould always be avoided by kitefliers . Much more common, especially in urban areas, aredistribution lines . These are usually insulated, and 99 times out of 100 will not conductelectricity down a kite line . But it's that 100th time, when, for example, the insulation is wornout, that we have to worry about . Telephone and television lines are normally non-conductiveBut the only safe policy is to avoid all overhead wires, to assume all of them present ahazard for kiteflying . It is not enough that you merely fly a distance away from such wires .You should fly in such a manner that no matter in what direction the wind may shift, yourkite and kite line will neither touch the wire nor land on it if your flying line should break .Readers concerned with the kite safety problem will want to study the excerptsfrom the transcript of the hearing of Mylar Star Kites before the ConsumerProduct Safety Commission, beginning on page 62 of this issue .AKA TO FORMKITE SAFETY COUNCILAlthough Scott Sheldon is not amember of AKA, there are implicationsfor all of us in his accidentalstarting of the Sycamore Fire witha kite .Past editorials have been writtenin Kite Tales (predecessor of KiteLines) promoting kite safety, butAKA has neither set standards forkite manufacture nor a flying code .This is , a shortcoming we hope toremedy with all possible speed .We have appointed Paul EdwardGarber, Historian Emeritus of theSmithsonian's National Air andSpace Museum, Washington, DC,and John V. Hastings, businessmanof Ardmore, PA, as Co-ChairmenPro Tem of a Kite Safety Councilfor the American Kitefliers Association. A first meeting will be heldin early November in the Museum'sConference Room . As we go topress, a date and possible membersare being considered .Paul Garber has told us that hewould like to see the final codesstand as a product of the suggestionsof all kitefliers . How can we do thebest possible job on this importantmatter? Are there steps we couldtake to prevent such tragic occurrencesas the Sycamore Fire and itslong aftermath of hurt? We havelearned that Scott Sheldon is nowone of several defendants, includingSouthern California Edison Co . andGeneral Telephone Co . of CA,named in a class action suit for anunspecified amount of damages .The time and money we spend andraise now to build a public educationcampaign on kite safety willbe worth a great deal in preventionpotential for the future .Please write with your suggestionsto the following, sending copies toall three : Paul Edward Garber,Room 3200, National Air and SpaceMuseum, Smithsonian Institution,Washington, DC 20560 ; John V .Hastings, III, 220 Glenn Road,Ardmore, PA 19003 ; AmericanKitefliers Association, 7106 CampfieldRoad, Baltimore, MD 21207 .If you are short of time, use thetelephone : Garber, (202) 381-5791 ;Hastings, (215) 649-1261 ; AKA(301) 484 -6287 .0

Mylar Star Hearing(Continued from page 68)occurred on April 16th of this year in LosAngeles . . . I think that what that incidentdemonstrates is that if the child had been flyingan aluminized kite, the power lines would havefallen on him and he would have been killed .He would have been killed in any case .Second, MY. Alonso has stated that he wishesthe Commission to do more than make a findingwith respect to his aluminized kites . Hewants standards set for kites in general .This, however, is not a proceeding to setstandards for kites . This is a proceeding underSection 15 of the Consumer Product SafetyAct to determine whether specific kites, thealuminized kites that respondent manufactured,present a substantial producthazard . . .In 20th Century society, the kiteflier is exposedto a source of electricity in even the bestof weather, Overhead electrical power linescarrying as much as 12,000 volts of electricityare found in most residential areas . Indeed,several sets of power lines are attachedparallel to each other on poles . Kites frequentlybecome entangled in power lines, and therecord in this case shows that when an aluminizedkite contacts overhead power lines, alethal shock hazard exists .There are several ways in which an aluminized)kite that comes in contact with powerlines can present a hazard . First, there is aline-to-ground hazard . If a kite with a longtail gets caught in an energized power line, aperson who grabs the tail of the kite, forexample a child attempting to retrieve it, asthat child attempted to retrieve his kite onApril 16th, will complete an electrical circuitto the ground . This circuit will carry a lethaldose of electricity through his body .Second, there is a line-to-line hazard . If analuminized kite comes into contact with a pairof power lines, an arc carrying sufficient currentto break through the lines and cause themto fall will result, can result .Third, if the top level high voltage powerlines fall onto the lower level lines rather thanfalling onto the ground, a high voltage powersurge can be transmitted into residencescreating a risk of fire as well as shock toinhabitants .Thus aluminized kites present a hazard notonly to kitefliers, but also to passers-by andeven to stay-at-homes .The record in this proceeding demonstratesthat the types of hazards I have outlined canand do occur in real life . In early April, 1975,at Herman Street in San Francisco, an aluminizedkite caused power lines to fall on a car,resulting in damage to both the vehicle and thetires . The car was retrieved from the fallenpower lines by utility company repairmen .Fortunately, no one was injured .On April 15th,. 1975, at Jackson and BroderickStreets, also in San Francisco, an aluminumkite got away from its owner, lodged inthe power lines, and caused a power surge tohouses in the neighborhood . The surge hadrepercussions in at least three houses . Itcaused a fuse box to explode and burn, anoverhead chandelier to shatter, and a refrigeratorcompressor to break . Again, fortunately,no one was injured . but the possibilities forinjury are obvious . . .Respondent has correctly pointed out thatthe arc in the tests self-extinguished withoutcausing the lines to break . He argues thatthis proves that the kites are not hazardous,but the test did show that the kite conductedan enormous amount of electricity, and breakageis possible, as testified to at the hearingby both John Thurber, Commission staff engineer,and Professor Charles Delziel, ProfessorEmeritus of electrical engineering atthe University of California at Berkeley . . . .More importantly, the fact that aluminum kiteshave caused power lines to break and fall wasestablished at the hearing by utility companyforeman Ira Bray and by consumer witnessJeanne Sullivan, and indeed the fact that thepower lines did not break in the test does notprove that they would not do so in real life .The power lines in the test were six feet apart .Power lines in San Francisco are a minimumof 1 1 and a half inches apart, as John Thurberstated at the hearing . An even hotter arc, onemore likely to break the power lines, wouldhave resulted if the lines in the test had beencloser together as they are in real life .This brief summary of the record demonstratesthe product defect which the staffbelieves and the presiding officer properlyfound to present a substantial product hazard .Aluminized kites are highly conductive ofelectricity. Their electrical conductivity is aI completelyagree that thereneeds to bea uniformrequirementon kites .property which presents an unreasonable riskof serious injury, lethal shock to the public .This risk of injury is patently unnecessary in arecreational novelty item such as a kite . Nosuch risk is presented by conventional paperkites or by non-aluminized polyester film kitesin their originally manufactured state .Respondent's argument that conventionalkites also are hazardous if flown with wet tailsor with metallized strings injects a new issuewhich is irrelevant to this proceeding . We agreethat the situations hypothesized by respondentalso are dangerous, but the hazards presentedby such misused kites result from alterationsperformed by the kiteflier using products whichare fit for their originally intended purpose .In contrast, the defect in respondent's aluminizedkites is manufactured into the productby respondent himself . The product defectthat we have described, that is, the electricalconductivity of the kites, presents a risk ofinjury that is substantial as that term is definedin Section 15 of the Consumer ProductSafety Act .The statue states that a substantial producthazard may be shown in a variety of ways :first, by the pattern of the defect : second, bythe number of defective products distributedin commerce : third, by the severity of the risk,or fourth, otherwise . If a product meets anyone of these statutory criteria, that is enoughto establish a substantial product hazard .Aluminized kites fit into all four categories . . .The evidence compels the conclusion that thekites present a substantial product hazardand we urge the Commission to so find . . .At the hearing, testimony from Pacific Gasand Electric Company, Ira Bray, establishedthat PG&E's parallel high voltage lines are aminimum of 11 and a half inches apart, andthat an aluminized kite whose dimensionsexceed 11 and a half inches presents a lineto-linehazard because it can fuse two linesand initiate an arc and cause the lines to fall .On the basis of Mr. Bray's testimony, thestaff moved to amend the notice of enforcementto include the allegation that respondent'stailless winged box kites approximately 36inches by 28 inches ., and tailless diamondfighter kites, approximately 25 inches by 31inches, also present a substantial producthazard . . .Although respondent did not object at thehearing to the amendment, he has argued inhis brief that it is unfair to require him to recalltailless box and fighter kites when other companiesconcerned, agreements have beenordered to recall only their dragon kites withtails . He argues essentially that the orderissued against him should coincide with thoseagainst the consenting respondents, but aconsent order does . not have the precedentvalue of a litigated case ., and the relief accordedto the public in a consent order cannot limitthe relief to be accorded by an order issuedafter a matter has been tried, Respondentrejected the opportunity to sign an identicalconsent agreement, and choose instead toundergo the hazards of a hearing . He thereforeshould not now be heard to complain that thehearing in which he alone participated led toan inequitable result .Section 15C empowers the Commission toorder notification to individual members ofthe public through the mails and to the generalpublic through the print and broadcast media .In this case, general as well as individual noticeis necessary . . . to inform kitefliers to stopusing the kites because they are dangerous,but the hazard presented by aluminized kitesis so substantial that notice to the public ingeneral and to Mylar Star kitefliers in particularis not sufficient to eliminate the danger .The most certain way to remove the danger isto recall the kites . We believe that the publicinterest requires recall and that recall mustinclude provision for the return of the kites aswell as their replacement . . .Commissioner Kushner : Does enforcementcounsel, is enforcement counsel able to distinguishthe degree of hazard or degree ofrisk associated with aluminized kites havinglong tails and those that don't have long tails?Ms . Rubenstein : Well, there is one distinction .The kites with the long tails present an extrahazard . It is only kites with the long tails thatpresent the hazard of dangling from the line tothe ground . The kites without tails don't presentthat one .Commissioner Kushner : Do I infer then thatyou regard the kites having long tails as presentinga greater degree of risk than thosewithout the tails?Ms . Rubenstein : Well, yes, in the sense thatrisk can occur more than one way, but I regardthe kites without tails as presenting a greatdegree of risk also,Commissioner Kushner: I am not sure whether

Mylar Star Hearing . . .(Continued)or not it is appropriate for me to ask this nextquestion, but it is a very important one . Whatare enforcement counsel's intentions withrespect to aluminum kites without tails thatare manufactured by other parties?Ms . Rubenstein : Well, we would recommendfurther action by the Commission, and wehave not brought this to your attention duringthe on-going time of this proceeding . . .Mr. Alonso : Enforcement counsel asserts thatthe kite brought the lines down . She hasasserted that . I wrote it down four times here .There isn't a single bit of test data that saysthat these kites brought those lines down . Infact, there is a test that the Government ranthat shows that the kites did not bring the linesdown, and I keep getting most irritated thatpeople with good sense look at evidence andsay, hey, it didn't happen, but if you did thisand that, which would be very easy to prove . .They didn't do it, but we still assert that thekite brought the line down (but the kite survivedthe test) . . . that it didn't survive . NonsenseJust utter nonsense .Now you issue this press release . Is it not acruel hoax? Is it really not a cruel hoax? Thepublic reads this . Bad kites are now banned .What do you know . Kids, go do whatever youwant to do with kites . The bad ones are gone .You don't have to worry about them . Is that nota cruel hoax? . . . You know, safety is a probabilityproblem . It is not a black and whiteproblem, and it is a problem of a system . Nowif you want to make kites safe, you do somethingabout making kites safe and about teachingpeople how to handle them .You ban a kite that is already on the market,that is being built by cottage industries, you banit, you give it the necessary publicity, well, Ithink you hoax the public .Now stop. and think of why I am here . Thereason I am here is because I think there is aproblem, and it is a problem that calls for asolution, The local utilities are trying to dosomething . The local playgrounds are trying todo something . . . . and I want to repeatagain that an assertion has been made overand over again that the kites in San Franciscocaused those two lines to fail, yet the tests thatthe Government ran could not duplicate thatsituation .Now she mentioned that patterns are one ofthe criteria by which you judge something .Isn't it interesting that never before, and thereis thousands, not only my son's kites, but thereare lots of other manufacturers at that time,there were lots of those being used in lots ofparts throughout the country-isn't it interestingthat prior to these two events, not asingle event of this nature had occurred acrossthe country, and subsequent to those events .when there were still lots of kites being flown,have not occurred, and I want to reiterate thefact that this kite in many regards, particularlythe small ones, are safer than non-conductivekites . They act like a fuse . They are made out oftwo-millionth of an inch thick aluminumvery,very small Doesn't take much energy tovaporize them, and consequently the probabilityof the kite causing a fatal arc is virtuallyzero .In San Francisco, no one saw the kites hitthe lines . The reason that the kites are consideredto have caused it is by inference . Alady saw the kites flying in the vicinity the daybefore . After the events ., after the one event,then she found the kite . It was wrinkled andscorched, but the tests that the Governmentran proved that the kite self-destructs .Commissioner Piffle : Mr. Alonso, I understandyou are not an attorney, and I am not anattorney either, and I have understood youvery well, not that I didn't understand enforcementcounsel, but I would like to thank you forSafety is aprobabilityproblem, It isnot a black-andwhiteproblem,and it is aproblem ofa systemtaking the time and the hard work that you haveput forth to protect your own rights, as wellas to provide a fairly broad perspective on this .I completely agree with you on the point thatyou made earlier, and you just reiterated, andI think that there needs to be a uniform requirementon kites . and not so much that only yourcompany or two other companies cannot sellthat kite while other companies have yet to becaught or to be discovered, and that they areallowed to sell them . I think that is a veryexcellent point and a very fair one . . butin the few hearings that I have been in of thistype, it is the first time I have seen one conductedby a non-attorney . I must say that youmake that side inspection very well represented .Commissioner Kushner : There is one questionI would like to put to Mr . Alonso . You havelikened the behavior of the small kite, aluminizedk ite . t o that of a fuse . the implicationbeing that since the fuse is a safety device inhouse wiring circuits, that in one way oranother the small kite when it functions as afuse is functioning as a safety device in a setof real-world circumstances, but I guess I don'tunderstand in what respect it is functioningas a safety device except insofar as it is beingvaporized and disappearing, but is it causingthings to be safer in the sense that there is nolonger any kite for the child to try to climb upand recover?Mr. Alonso : That is precisely the point In theincident that I have, the Fire Department's reportthere, the child, first of all, the normalreaction to anybody that has flown kites . themoment you see it tangled is to pull on thestring because you create your own wind, butit does get entangled, in which case in thisparticular case it was a 13-year-old boy whowent climbing up the pole . He obviously didn'tknow what he was doing He fell on the wiresand became electrocuted .Had that kite been aluminized, or you mightthink of this as a criteria, that any small kitehaving a small pattern, perhaps film, maybehalf an inch wide, that would do this for him,of aluminized film, maybe half an inch wideif it does fall on these wires, boom, it is gone .The child has not got a reason to go climb . . . .Commissioner Pittle : Well, in that same lightthen, suppose that the kite landed on the powerline, but it did not fall across two lines ofdifferent potential and just landed on one andthe child climbed up and grabbed ahold of thekite to pull it down . Would he not, and let'ssay he was near the ground strap, would he notbe connected through the kite to the highvoltage line?Mr. Alonso : If the kite were in that position,in the position you describe, a tug on the linewould lift it right off .Commissioner Pittle : Unless the string mightbreak, but there is that possibility?Mr. Alonso: Nothing is for sure .Commissioner Piffle : The aluminized kite,even being a small one ., could still present arisk if it were sitting catty-wampus on an angleand a child climbed up and had his kneetouching the ground strap?Mr. Alonso: It is possible . The best of fusesdon't always save a house from burningdown . .Chairman Byington : How do you deal with . .questions relating to the dragon tail kite?Mr. Alonso : Well, had they flown one of thesekites, they would see that the possibility-Idon't have enough time to write enough zerosto have the probability of this kite go throughthese two wires and stay there, and the kiddoes exactly what he shouldn't do . which isto drop the line and go run and go climb andgrab it by the tail . This is conceivable, butthe probability is virtually zero . It doesn't takethesekites are very, very light, so the line toground, it is virtually impossible .The kite is sitting there like this, and just acouple of feet here, and then that tail is drapeddown to the ground . That means that a singletug of the line would dislodge it immediately orforce it against the other line where you getline to line contact ., but to just sit there-thekite has been flying Otherwise it would not bein this position, and to fly the kite, you needsome place, a wind for that particular kite,some place between four to six knots ., and thatis a fair breeze ., and in the presence of theslightest breeze, this kite, the mass of this kiteis so slight and the area so big, even a matterof one or two miles per hour would move it .There is a probability of my taking a stepthere and winding up down in China, but it isawfully small . It is just extremely small . I can'timagine, especially if you have flown a kite andyou say the string breaks . well, kites fly on dragand consequently when the kite is let loosefrom the string and one can do this, onedoesn't have to break the string You just letgo of the string and the kite just floats down,stretched full length . It doesn't go down headfirst . It just floats .We have lots of kite festivities here by theWashington Monument . Did I answer yourquestion . sir?Chairman Byington : Yes . Are there any otherquestions by a member of the Commission?(No response .) Okay . Mr . Alonso, we thank youvery much for taking the time to come downhere and to discuss this with us . and we thankenforcement counsel as well, and this hearingof the Commission is adjourned .(Whereupon, at 3 :27 p m . . the hearing wasadjourned )The transcript above was slightly abridged forspace . However, readers wishing a photocopyof the full original 41-page document mayorder it for $26 .85 from Acme Reporting Co .,1411 K Street, N .W . . Washington, DC 20005

AddendumisenforcementdismissedJust before going to press, Kite Lines learnedthat a letter from the Secretary of the Commissionwas sent to Francis Alonso, Sr ., datedSeptember 16, 1977, stating that it was orderedthat the notice of enforcement issued in thisproceeding was dismissed .The reasoning behind this action (or inaction)was that the case should properly have beendecided under the Federal Hazardous SubstancesAct rather than the C .P .S .C . becausethe F.H .S .A regulates toys and the kite wasfinally judged a toy, over which the C .P.S.C .has no jurisdiction, Changes in the laws and inCommission members over the two-yearinterim starting May 1975, caused the realissues to be ignored and the case to be resolvedon an extraneous, jurisdictional point .The consequences are : (1) kite manufacturersdo not have a final decision to guidethem even on this one product, aluminizedlong-tailed kites ; (2) later action may beinitiated against aluminized kites, with or withoutsizerestrictions, under a number of existingstatutes or new ones yet to be created orfavored ; and finally (3) the Alonsos and MylarStar Kites are now free of all the requirementsof the original consent agreements that boundfour others to recall and replace or refundall their hazardous kites .Notice ofIn addition, it is the opinion of the editor thatthe evidence against aluminized kites of whateverdimensions is still insufficient to draw upbinding orders . Kite safety is a complicatedsubject, the sort for which piecemeal approachesare always frustrating .In this instance it's hard to decide whetherto weep, giggle, boo or applaud . The stringsof legality and bureaucracy have tangled theparties as thoroughly as monofilament strewnon a kite field . Whatever your opinion of theresult, you can probably agree that it occurredfor the wrong reason .

Flying withThe Old ProBy Bob IngrahamFounder, American Kitefliers AssociationIf you had been flying with the OldPro these past months, you wouldn'thave done much flying or learnedmuch . Due to circumstances beyondmy control, my flying has been limitedmostly to testing and dreamingabout it .One of the reasons during the midsummermonths was the constant threatof thunderstorms which I as a kiteflierfear more than any other weathercondition . This isn't fear for the kitein the air but for the flier far out in theopen and a likely target for lightning .Remember that hazard when you aretempted to go out and fly though thestorm seems far away. Storms oftenmove in fast .One of the few flights I made wasinteresting . Having made a delta ofblack nylon taffeta, I took it along ona short stay at Hawley Lake in northernArizona . The elevation there is 8500feet above sea level . On the lightestof winds (about two to three miles perhour), I sent the delta out about 800feet and about 200 feet in the air, overthe lake . When the wind dropped off,the delta began a long glide towardme with no stall dives, just a long slowglide . I kept the slack line up but didno pulling and the kite came in to landjust in front of me on the grass .I was delighted with the performancebut could assign no reason for it,since the kite was identical in configurationwith all others I've made .The only thing I can believe is thatthe material, which is more porousthan most nylon, might have been astabilizing factor. I built another kitewhich performed the same way . Otherdeltas will glide toward you when thewind stops, but the glide is usually aseries of stall dives .While at the lake, I determined totry flying from a boat . There wasn'tenough wind to launch without rowing,so I had the job of getting the kite inthe air and rowing the boat at the sametime . At a very slow rowing speed,the delta lifted nicely and flight wassustained at a wind speed of about fouror five miles per hour. Then thefun began .Out of nowhere came a big falcon tochallenge my black kite's right to flyover his lake . He made some swiftpasses very close to the kite and wasjoined by about 50 small sharp-wingedbirds which I assumed to be insectcatchers. For about five minutes wehad an aerial dog fight going on overheadwhich everyone around the lakewatched with interest .Since I couldn't row the boat to keepthe kite flying and handle the kiteline at the same time, I didn't stir thekite . I am certain that if I had the kitewould have turned on the birds,showed some fight and created someadditional excitement . My conditionsdictated my limits .One of the most perplexing problemsin making determinationsregarding a kite's ability is thevariables . Regardless of the windvelocity when you launch a kite, therewill be variations for almost everyfoot of rise as the craft climbs to thelimit of its lift capacity. In a recentfriendly argument, a friend insistedthat if you wish to determine how muchweight a kite will lift, all you have todo is add weight until the kite can nolonger rise with it .Offhand this would seem simpleenough, but anyone with kiteflyingexperience knows that the differencesbetween winds at ground level andseveral hundred feet in the air can beconsiderable . Those with calculatingability and engineering knowledgecan arrive at certain determinations,but at best the results remain generaland not specific .It is the real-world factor and theever-changing configuration of mostkites while undergoing confrontationwith variable winds that have madesome kiters abandon a kite as worthlesswhen under different wind conditionsit might prove to be a worthy craft .Kite performance cannot be basedon wind velocity alone . There areother factors we seldom consider . Airtemperature is one . I find that coldair supports flight better than warmair. Elevation above sea level can havea slight but positive effect . An anemometeris conclusive in only one respect .It establishes the required groundlevel velocity required to loft a kite .It does nothing to determine what thewind may be 200 or more feet above .Humidity is also a factor . It affectsthe kite's composite parts, makingfabrics heavier or lighter, spars moresusceptible to warping and kite linesheavier or lighter, depending on thepercentage of moisture content of theair in which you fly. Air at highelevations has a lower density, but therange of humidity variation is as greatas elsewhere .There is no doubt that kite performanceis puzzling at times . Onecannot help but wonder way a favoritecraft will fly on a five mile-per-hourwind at one time, serenely and well,and at another time in a slightly betterwind, appear sluggish .Unless you are an old fussbudget, behappy if your kite flies at a reasonableangle most of the time . Avail yourselfof different types of kites, each of whichhas its own advantage under certainatmospheric conditions . And don'tforget that various line weights canadd or detract from performance . Thekite that flew so well on a 30-poundtest line in yesterday's eight mile-perhourwind-and won't today-mightsurprise you if you cut the line weightand give it a chance to contend withlesser winds . 0

News From Here &There(Continued)housing development and it wasn'tjust rain . Although gray clouds hoveredthreateningly in the background,hundreds of kite enthusiasts happilytangled lines together in what lookedlike the dawn of a new phase in kiteflying.The third midzomervliegerfeest(midsummer kite festival) was organizedby the Amsterdams BallonGezelschap (Amsterdam Balloon Company),promoters of "soft aviation" whohad spent the previous day erectinglarge tents, stands, wind socks andwhat-have-you to accommodate thebands and theater groups .People like myself, who had wanderedinto last year's festival unpreparedand were thus forced to be helplesswitnesses, were back this yeararmed with Cody war kites, Parafoils(including a man-lifter on which somebodyhad spent 300 hours of sewing),deltas and every other conceivablekite . Cameras were sent up and downlines and pay-loads were dropped atcertain points .A group of people from the EnglishKite Shop Ltd . struggled with sixstubborn Cody war kites, each standingapproximately three meters high andlofted on a 12-miḷ -thick nylon cable .Tom Van Sant, the American artistwho had a current exhibit in Amsterdam'sStedelijk Museum, was flyinghis huge centipede .Size, though, was not the only goal ;many people had spent a lot of attentionon detail and new design . Therewas, for instance, a man flying-whatelse in Holland-a kite in the shapeof a windmill with turning sails .The festival was also a source ofinformation for those who had beenattracted to all those kites and wereas unprepared as I had been last year .Addresses were exchanged and advicewas given as to where certain materialscould be acquired . A translation ofDavid Pelham's The Penguin Book ofKites was available in most book shopsas of three weeks before and its influenceon the festival was apparent,judging by the designs . Hard-to-getmaterials such as rip-stop spinnakernylon are now easier to find . TalStreeter's book The Art of the JapaneseKite is suddenly a household wordamong kitefliers . Also the attentionthat kites are getting by means ofexhibits such as Tom Van Sant's aresigns that interest in kiting is backfor Dutchmen, too .Even though the rain did finallyextinguish the goings-on at thefestival (save for a few die-bards), itis certain everybody will be back nextyear and will bring their friends . Ifthe population of the most denselypopulated country in the world decidesto go fly a kite, things might just getout of hand .NEW ZEALANDThe Waikato Kitefliers Club in Hamiltoncontinued to be active, judging byits newsletter, which is also called"Kite Lines" (a coincidence ; selectionof the name was independent in bothcases) .At the Waikato Campus Kite Day onJuly 31, rain interrupted the activities,but a little paper tumblebug kite flew"through rain and all and it never sank,water and all," according to thenewsletter .Plans are underway for more kitefestivals, and the New Zealand kitemarket is growing . 0

THEVIETNAMESEKITEfish, a moth, a bird, a bug ; inspirationand variety come naturally .Tail streamers add beauty and movementplus stability They can be placedaccording to the character of the kite(fish or fowl?), the basic rule beingbalance - the same for each side . Thearrangement shown is four strips ofcrepe paper, each measuring one inchwide and four feet long . Tails couldalso be of colored cellophane, scrapMylar, plastic wrap or paper, evennewspaper, for the completely recycledkite .MATERIALS for one Vietnamese KiteO t2" square of covering material (seearticle for choices)Matchstick bamboo reed (selectedfrom window blind)O Y2 "-wide cellophane tape for Mylaror cellophane kite ; or rubber cementor paste for paper version022" piece of lightweight string forbridleTail streamers (see story for choices)8 . Add tails, as described in story, keepingthem balanced on each side . (Keepsome extra tail on hand for when you goflying .)INSTRUCTIONS for paper versionAll the steps are essentially the same asfor the plastic kite except that you maysubstitute glued paper strips for tape .(See drawings .) This method will giveyou a more classic version of the Vietnamesekite. The side corner flaps can beglued down directly without addedstrips . (The easy way is to glue one sidefirst without trying to hold the arch inplace, then glue the other side .)FLY!The Vietnamese Kite does best in lightto medium winds . If your kite dives orspins on the end of the line, add moretail - and enjoy IBy Margaret GregerI first met the Vietnamese kite in a sixthgrade class when I w as showing thechildren how to make the Siamese snakekite . After things were under way,Leroy, recently arrived tool Vietnam,came up with a piece o` bamboo reedin his hand . "Can I show You the kitewe make in Vietnam?" he asked .I learned about a new kite that day, alittle jewel among kites, easy, inexpensive,fun to fly. Children can have a partymaking these kites around the table froman assortment of material=: .Leroy made his kite of news papersquaring it it with a diagonal fold, eyeballingrather than measuring Preciseproportions are not critical (thou ghsymmetry is) . Instead of newspap er,you' covering can be art tissue, cellophane,Mylar or clear roaster wra p(such as Reveal) which can be coloredwith marking pens . Or you can use predecoratedcovering of paper towels,large paper napkins or light, ,printed wrapping papers . One 1 .class made kites from ironsChinese newspapers which camepacking in an order of kites .The best technique for decorating aclear kite is to draw the design on whitepaper, lay the kite on top of it, fill in thecolored areas and then do the black outlines. The basic kite shape suggests aTOOLSScissors, pencil, ruler and nail or needlefor punchINSTRUCTIONS for plastic version1 . Fold and crease the kite cover asshown . (Measurements are approximate ;variations fly well .)2 . Measure matchstick reed to fit thecen ter crease from tip to folded baseline - this reed to the kite to form aspine, covering the reed completely .Bring bottom flap up over the reedand tape the edges down . Fold thecorners of the tape to the outside noseas reinforcement .3 . Me, reed for the arch. Be surethis is a g reed with a good symmetricalcurve .4 . Tape the arch reed in place at the tipsand the intersection with the spine. Coverthe reed with tape in 2"-3" segments .5 . Fold side flaps over the reed andtape there down.6 . Turn the kite over .7 . Poke holes for the bridle close to thereed . Tie the bridle string as shown,over the intersection of the reeds andover the spine 2" up from the base of thekite. Set the bridle by tying a loop . Tofind the correct angle, hold the kite byits string over your table . The spineof the kite should hang nose upwardat about a 15-degree angle from thehorizontalMARGARET GREGER is a teacher,kitemaker and kite author in Richland,WA. Her kite teaching experiencesresulted in a book, Blown Sky High,1977 Margaret Greger, from whichthe Vietnamese Kite design was excerptedby permission .

Services and products are listed as a service and listingdoes not imply endorsement by the American KitefliersAssociation . Publisher reserves the right to reject any adnot in keeping with publication's standards, and toabbreviate to save space . Rates : 20C per word, $2minimum . Post office box numbers and telephone numberscount as two words, abbreviations and zip codes asone word . Check or money order, made payable toAmerican Kitefliers Association, must accompany copyand be received prior to closing date (as given onmasthead, page 5) . Send to Kite Lines Classifieds, 7106Campfield Road, Baltimore, MD 21207 .WANTEDCLIPPINGS : News and articles of kite interest are activelysolicited by AKA . First person to send an original withname and date of source will receive a small reward .Later duplicates received will be returned if sender suppliesstamped, self-addressed envelope . Send clippingsto American Kitefliers Association, 7106 Campfield Road,Baltimore, MD 21207 .GOING OUT OF BUSINESS? Close outs? Discontinuedmodels? We buy them (kites and accessories) . BenFranklin Kite Shoppe, One-Half Pearl St ., Mystic, CT06355 .ANNOUNCEMENTSWINNERS of the 1977 Kites Kites Kites Spring KiteContest are : Ted Norton, Santa Ana, CA ; Carl Wilson,Whittier, CA ; Mary Mishort, Albany, CA ; Hank Szerlag,Grosse, Pt . Woods, MI ; and Robert Kimmel, College Park,MD . Thanks to all who participated .FOR SALE-KITESNEW MODELS : The New England Kitecrafting Co .announces the availability of 3 new kites-all made from1 .5-oz . rip-stop nylon : (1) a giant delta with 9' wingspanand fiberglass spars, $30 ; (2) a 40" French military withkeel, $20 ; (3) a 36" French military with bridle, $18 . Seeour full-page ad on page 16 for construction details andfor information on ordering .KREZY KITES : Professionally hand-crafted ready-to-flyIndian fighters . PLASTIC : large size, $4 .50 ea . ; PAPER :assorted solid colors, $2 .50 ea . ; PATTERNS, $3 ea . ;GLASS-COATED cutting string w/spool, 1500 ft ., $9 .50ea . ; plus shipping charges. Order from : Mukesh Opticals,Box 650582, Miami, FL 33165 . Florida residents add4% sales tax . 'FOR SALE -MISCELLANEOUSFILM : "How to Fly a Kite," 3-min . black/white 16mmsound movie in "silent" style . Lightly educational, definitelydelightful . Prints $25 . TLM Productions, 8 CharlesPlaza, #1807, Baltimore, MD 21201, (301) 332-1619 ."BLOWN SKY-HIGH"-the kitemaker's manual . How tobuild 14 paper, plastic and fabric kites . Simple methods,generously illustrated . For individual and classroom use .$4 + 50¢ mailing. Margaret Greger, 1425 Marshall, Richland,WA 99352 .AKA EMBLEM PATCHES now available direct from AKA .Washable, red-white-and-blue, 2½x2½", $1 .75 ea . (2for $3 .25, 3 or more $1 .25 ea, all postpaid . (Foreignorders add estimated postage .) Send check or moneyorder to American Kitefliers Association, 7106 CampfieldRoad,-Baltimore, MD 21207 .SHOP FOR SALE : Windy City Kite Works . First and largestkite store in midwest . Excellent opportunity . Call (312)348-1630 .ALUMINUM SPAR material, %" diam . up to 84" long .Specify length . 55¢/foot + $1 .50 shipping . Quantityprices available . Lawrence W. Hasiak, 26 Walton Dr .,New Hope, PA 18938 .CLOSE OUT on Kite Craft books . Only $4 .30 each whilethey last . Send check or m.o. to Bob Ingraham, 315 N .Bayard St ., Silver City, NM 88061 .KITE TALES BACK ISSUES : Last left are Vol . 8 No . 4 ;Vol . 9 Nos . 1, 2 and 4 ; Vol . 10 Nos . 2 and 3 . Only3 copies left of Vol . 9 No . 4 . Send $2 each to BobIngraham, 315 N . Bayard St ., Silver City, NM 88061 .SHOP FOR SALE : Well-established kite store in VirginiaBeach . Does business 10 mos . of year. Call (804)422-5483 .SLIDE SHOWS : Two educational 80-slide shows, "AllManner of Kites" (about 14 min . on history and varieties)and "How to Go Fly a Kite" (about 9 min . on flyingtechniques, contests), with synchronized tape cassettes.Write for order form to Maryland Kite Society, P .O . Box10467, Baltimore, MD 21209, or call (301),332-1619 .RETAILERS LISTINGAbove & Beyond, 1510-G Walnut Square, Berkeley, CA94709 .Ben Franklin Kite Shoppe, One-Half Pearl St ., Mystic,CT 06355 .Fish Creek Kite Co ., RR 1, Box 205, Hwy. 42, Fish Creek,WI 54212 .Heavenly Body Kites, 409 Green St ., Key West, FL33040 .High as a Kite, 131 Water St ., Vancouver, B .C ., CanadaV6B 4M3 . Mail order catalog available .The Kite Kompany, Inc ., 33 W. Orange, Chagrin Falls,OH 44022, (216) 247-4223 .The Kite Loft in 3 locations in the kite capital of theworld -Ocean City, MD : 2nd St ., Shantytown, Village ofFenwick .The Kite Store, Carol Hamilton, 973 Grand Ave ., PacificBeach, CA 92109 .Marblehead Kite Co ., 1 Water St ., Marblehead, MA 01945 .Riverwind Kite Works, 612 N . 2nd St ., Lacledes Landing,St . Louis, MO 63102, (314) 421-0299 .West Sport & Game - over 40 styles of kites-Westport,MA, (617) 636-8755 .Wind Play, 212 N .W. Couch, Portland, OR 97209.WHOLESALERS, MANUFACTURERS ANDMAIL ORDER BUSINESSESAirplane Kite Co ., 1705 W . Alameda, Roswell, NM 88201,(505) 622-7529 .Ben Franklin Kite Shoppe, One-Half Pearl St ., Mystic,CT 06355 .Bennett Arnstein, Super Plastic Deltas-Plans, 3049 W .8th St ., Los Angeles, CA 90005, (213) 388-3517 (evesand weekends) .Explorers, 21 W. Micheltorena St ., Santa Barbara, CA93101, imported kites, wholesale only .Flying Tiger Associates, P.O . Box 48634, Los Angeles,CA 90048.High as a Kite, 691 Bridgeway, Sausalito, CA, 94965,(415) 332-6355 .Kite & Gift, Inc ., 333 Jefferson #7, Fisherman's Wharf,San Francisco, CA 94133, (415) 885-5785 .Marblehead Kite Co ., P .O . Box 961 A, Marblehead, MA01945, dealer inquiries as well as individual mail order .Shanti Kite Spools, 210 Chattanooga St ., San Francisco,CA 94114, (415) 648-2621 .Sky Scrapers (at the Platte), 2563 15th St ., Denver, CO80211, (303) 433-9518 . For that Rocky Mountain flavor,wholesale-retail .Ultra-Kite, 904 Century Bldg ., Pittsburgh, PA 15222 .

William M . Allison files first sled-type kitepatent, 1950Festival of Ascending on High, traditional dayin China for flying kites to send away bad luckand sickness for the year .Will Yolen is arrested for advertising Lindsayfor Mayor by kite in Central Park, New YorkCity, 1963 . (Later the ban was repealed .)Fall Fly and Meeting, Maryland Kite Society .Burtonsville Recreation Center, Burtonsville,MD . Contact: Maryland Kite Society, P 0 . Box10467 . Baltimore, MD 21209, tel : (301)332-1619 .5th Annual Windsor Hills Neighbors Fall KiteFly, Crimea area, Leakin Park, Baltimore MD .Sponsor and contact : Windsor Hills Neighbors .Inc . (c/o Bruce L . Godfrey) . 4202 PrinceGeorge Road, Baltimore, MD 21216 .. tel . (301)542-7562 .Birthday of the American Kitefliers Association .,the date the first journal was mailed to the originalnine members .aGrape Pickers Kite Fly, non-competitive, atWil-Ho Lake ., Geneva, OH . Sponsor and contact: Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites(c/o Tom Rask Pres .), 2687 E 128th StCleveland, OH 44120, tel : (216) 791-6563 .First Annual Yachats Kite Festival,on thebeach in Yachats, OR Sponsored by theYachats Chamber of Commerce ContactMike and Susan Stone . P .O . Box 522 .Yachats . ORChesapeake Appreciation Days, non-competitivekiteflying . Sandy Point State Park, nearAnnapolis, MD Sponsor Chesapeake Appreciation. Inc Contact. Maryland Kite SocietyP 0 Box 10467 . Baltimore . MD 21209, tel(301)332-1619First photograph by kite of New York City takenby G T Woglom and George E . Henshaw .1895,Autumn British Kite Flying Association Festival,Old Warden Aerodrome ., Bedfordshire .England . Sponsor and contact : British KiteFlying Association (c/o Ron Moulton), P. 0Box 35 Bridge St, Hemel Hempstead, HertsHP1 1 EE, England, tel 0442-42501Bikes, Kites and Bluegrass, a day in RockfordPark . Wilmington, DE . Sponsor Delaware KiteClub . Contact Floyd S . Cornelison, Jr., M .D . .Suite 14, Professional Bldg ., Augustine Cut-Off,Wilmington . DE 19803, tel : (302) 654-8351 .Kitemaking Made Simple Workshop, UniversityHeights, OH . Public Library. Sponsor andcontact : Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites(c/o Tom Rask, Pres .) 2687 E 128th St .,Cleveland . OH 44120, tel : (216) 791-6563Robert H . Battersby files first keeled kite patent,1901Edwin L . Grauel files Bullet Kite patent.. 1971 .Toto Santos, All Saints Day, Santiago de Secatepequez,Guatemala, traditional kiteflying overhillside graves to assist the souls of the dead .Manlift and Fun Fly by the Maryland KiteSociety, Harford Mall, Baltimore, MD Sponsor .Hochschild/Kohn department store ContactMaryland Kite Society ., P . 0 . Box 10467, Baltimore,MD 21209 . tel : (301) 332-1619Shoot the Breeze Benefit, fundraising partyfor the Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites,Chagrin Falls . OH . Contact Tom Donelan,1313 Winston Rd ., South Euclid OH 44121,tel : (216) 381-0043Lawrence Hargrave, inventor of the box kite,lifts himself by a train of four kites, New SouthWales . 1894 .4th Annual Autumn Let's Fly a Kite Festival,a non-competitive fly. Venice City Beach atWashington . Venice, CA . Sponsor and contact :Let's Fly a Kite (c/o Gloria Lugo) . Fisherman sVillage, 13763 Fiji Way, Marina del Rey, CA90291, tel (213) 822-2561

Deadline, 1896, for Boston AeronauticalSociety's $100 Chanute Prize, won by Prof .Charles F. Marvin (1850-1943) for his paper'The Mechanics and Equilibrium of Kites .'Turkey Time Fly, non-competitive, OrangeSchools Playing Field, Orange Village, OH .Sponsor and contact : Ohio Society for theElevation of Kites (c/o Tom Rask, Pres .), 2687E . 128th St ., Cleveland, OH 44120, teh : (216)791-6563 .Francis and Gertrude Rogallo file first nonrigidkite patent, 1948 .Floyd S . Cornelison . Jr, M .D ., files circular kitepatent, 1974 .Alexander Graham Bell flies Army Lt . ThomasE . Selfridge from the Cygnet, his gigantic3393-cell tetrahedral kite ., on Baddeck Bay.,Nova Scotia . 1907.Guglielmo Marconi made his first wirelesstrans-atlantic reception from Poldhu, CornwallEngland, to St . Johns . Newfoundland . using anaerial suspended by a kite ., 1901

The C.P.S.C. vs .the Aluminized DragonEXCERPTS FROM THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HEARING OFMYLAR STAR KITES BEFORE THE CONSUMER PRODUCTSAFETY COMMISSIONHow can your discuss the behaviorof a kite without having flown t'?June 15, 1977, Washington, DC . Docket No . 75-16 :Chairman Byington : If we may proceed, weare here this afternoon for the oral argument. . . requested by the respondent and orderedby the Commission on May 3, 1977 . It is partof the appeal process from an initial decisionby Administrative Law Judge Paul N . Pfeifferfiled on June 21, 1976 .Judge Pfeiffer found that kites made fromaluminized mylar contain a substantial producthazard within the meaning of Section 15 ofthe CPSA, and that the public interest requiresthe respondent to warn the public of the hazardand either repair or replace or refund the purchaseprice of such kites as the respondent sold .Mr. Alonso : My name is Frank Alonso . Ihappen to be the father of Francis Alonso,and I live at the address, the Encino addressthat you have . . I want to go over a bit of thetesting that was performed The kite wasdraped over some power lines, I don't re- member . five or six feet apart Several thousandvolts were switched on to the line . Thekite vaporized in a matter of milliseconds, andan ionized path was formed . There was an arcthat remained for nine tenths of a second .The kites in question that the events thatoccurred in San Francisco, the considerationsthat led the staff to assume that the two eventshad been caused by the kites were because alady, Jeanne Sullivan, saw a metallized kiteflying in the vicinity of the area where the eventsoccurred, and after the events occurred, shewandered around and found the remains ofthe kite, in a police car as I remember, sheinquired about it, and said this is what caused it .Now the tests that were performed by theGovernment at the San Ramon facility ofPacific Gas and Electric demonstrated clearlythat the kite under those circumstances selfdestructs. The portion of the kite that wasbetween the wires vaporized immediately . Thebalance of the kite caught fire and it burneditself out on the ground .It seems to me-and the wires, the arc, therewas a trace taken of the arc . It contained 100amps . The circuit breakers were set at 200 .The event did not cause the circuit breakersto recognize the fact that in effect a short hadbeen created across the line . The current wastoo low for the circuit breakers to acknowledgeit, Consequently they did not trip, butthe kite completely destroyed itself .Now one looks at a kite sitting on the ground .In the words of the witness, it was wrinkledand scorched . Wrinkled-any kite that getswrinkled because of the movement in the air,and what scorched meant I have no ideaexcept that in the test it indeed did completelyself-destructNow the question immediately arose, well .,the lines were too far apart and consequentlyhad they been closer together, the arc wouldhave been much hotter and would have cutthrough the wires .Well, all of this is purely qualitative . Thereis no analysis, no tests, purely qualitative andhypothetical Had the people that ran the testat the time in San Ramon, California, consideredthat it was important to run this testwith wires much closer together (I think theminimum distance is 17 and a half inches forthat particular voltage), a few manhours and afew dollars, and a few dollars of material wouldhave permitted the test to be run . . .Now in the discussion . and I believe I explainedit to some detail in one of the briefs,the kite operated in the fashion that theGovernment operated it is obviously, isobviously a fuse, a plain, old, everyday fuse .If you put it across high power, lots of currentgoes through . The thickness of the aluminumis in the millionths, two millionths . It actsimmediately like a fuse and vaporizes, andthat is not bad . That is not bad . That is a goodattribute .We had in Los Angeles very recently a verytragic event . If you will give me a second, hereit is . On the 16th of April, this year, at 7 :08 inthe afternoon in a suburb of Los Angeles calledNorth Ridge on the corner of Van Alden andParthenia, a little boy, age 13 I think it is ., age13, was flying a non-metallized kite in thisgeneral vicinity . The kite got entangled in thepower lines . The child climbed the power line,fell on the wires, and electrocuted himself . . .Had that little boy been flying an aluminizedkite, he would still be alive today because thatkite would have vaporized . They would haveseen an arc . . The kite would have disappeared,and that boy would be alive today .Now the argument that this kite, especiallythe long-tailed kites, are dangerous . and thatis because if you can imagine two wires goingthis way, that the kite will come and drape itselfover one wire, the hot wire, not a neutral wire,and then the child in his anxiety to retrieve thekite, would run and grab it and be electrocuted-I had a lot of trouble explaining this was notpossible, and in reading the material gettingready for this trip ., a statement that the Judgemade tipped me off to something that I hadn'trecognized . He said . "I would be afraid to flythe kite ." . . The kite was tested at San Ramon .The measurements were made All kinds ofthings were done,, with the exception of one .It never occurred to anybody to go fly the kite,so how can you discuss, how can you discussthe behavior of a kite without having flown it?. Now at the beginning of the hearing . . Ipointed out that the simplest thing for me todo, for my son to have done, was simply to signthe consent agreement-would have beenvery cheap-and that would have been theend of it, but in this country there are todaymanufactured 50 to 60 million kites, and as faras I can tell there is no design criteria, andsomebody told me, I think it was a judge, thatI was asking the Government to tell me how todesign kites .I have been designing aircraft for 36 years . Idon't need the Government to tell me how todesign kites, but there should be a designcriteria . . . It says what to design to . Suchthings don't exist .. I talked to a Mr . Glenn, head of the SafetyDepartment of the Los Angeles Water andPower, to see how many (kite) incidents theyhad, and in June of '76 they had reported incidents-wedon't know how many were notreported-but at least 100 incidents thatmonth, and in that month they had three tofour power outages . These were not aluminizedkites .This is a people problem . I am very familiarwith aircraft, so I will quote some statisticsfrom there . In the neighborhood of 80, 85percent of aircraft accidents are not causedby defective material, They are caused bypersonal error. either air crew or ground crew .The biggest problem in aircraft safety is notdesigning the aircraft . It is in teaching boththe air crew and especially the ground crewwhat to do .It is a people problem, and I proposed thatthe Commission give me tangible encouragement. How the staff twisted the words tangibleencouragement into I want money beats thehell out of me . but that they did . All I want inthe form of tangible encouragement is a letterfrom the Commission that says that you seethat this is a fruitful thing and you encourageus to set up a committee of people in the kitebusiness to enhance the safety of the operationof the kites .. . Now safety campaigns .. and I have seenmany of them . usually failed . . because theyhave no guts . . They say don't . They nevertalk about the consequences . . There is noreason not to tell a child that if you do this youare going to get electrocuted . There is noreason not to . . You have got to look at thetotal system . and people are part of the system .Environment is part of the system . This is whatI have in mind . .Ms . Rubenstein : Chairman Byington, membersof the Commission, I am Enid Rubenstein,staff counsel in this matter . With me atcounsel's table is Catherine Cook, who is myco-counsel in this proceedingTwo hundred years ago .. Benjamin Franklinused a kite with a small metal key attached toit to prove that lightning conducts electricity .He was lucky to survive that experimentRespondent Francis Alonso, Jr., manufacturedand distributed thousands of largekites, some with tails 45 feet long, coated withaluminum,, one of the most conductive metalsknown to man .Before Benjamin Franklin's experiment isaccidentally repeated, with less fortunateresults, we urge the Commission to find respondent'saluminized kites present a substantialproduct hazard and to order theirrecallMy argument will cover three major points .First, that a substantial product hazard doesexist, second, the scope of the hazard . thatis, it is present in all aluminized kites, boththose with tails and those without tails : andthird .. the appropriate remedy . .First, Mr Alonso referred to an incident that(Continued