Kite Lines - Vol.1 No. 3 - KiteLife

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 ."