Kite Lines - Vol.1 No. 3 - KiteLife

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