First Fly Day.

Well, we got our first day of flying in today, after the really poor showing yesterday. It's hard to fly a kite in literally no wind.
Of course, our new Horvath .200 zero wind kite came today. Figures.
More on that later.
Today was a different matter.
With a decent wind from the east, running about 15 mph, it did two things.
One, it got us in the air.
Two, it dropped the temp to around 28 degrees with the wind chill.
Which all told made for a kind of short flying session.
I did get to try out the new Xkites Stunt Diamond.
One word describes this kite.
Fast.
Ok, it spent a lot of time on the ground.
But it got there really quick.
Guess I am gonna have to spend some time with that one.
I must say that Xkites builds them tough.
If you get a chance, add one of them to your collection. I just happen to know where you can get one.
Hint.Hint.
On to the new Horvath Zero Wind Kite.
I got it into the air briefly out in the front yard before we went to the kite field.
This one just wants to fly.
Literally.
Can't wait till the next no wind day.
When was the last time a kite flyer got to say that?

Let It Fly

Our first flyer..will be getting them printed this week. Look for them on a car window near you.

All Over The World.

In my almost never ending search for kite info and ideas on the Internet, I came across this great blog entry by a very nice fellow kite flyer from India.
I am re-posting part of the entry here and invite you to visit his blog for more. It has lots of great information on kites from India as well as a section of awesome color graphics that are used for Traditional Indian kites.
This entry proves that kite flying is a universal love, transcending political and national borders. The sky truly is the domain of all of us.
Here is a taste:

"Some of the fondest memories of my childhood are related to kite flying. I don't know when I took to it, but it was one thing I really loved and spent, more or less, all my pocket money on. There's something about kite flying which makes it so addictive so enjoyable?? ..."

Sounds familiar doesn't it?
Here is the rest:

http://lalitsingh99.blogspot.com/2008/08/kite-flying.html

Take a few minutes and go have a read.

And thanks Lalit for your contribution to my page.

Thought for the day.

Taken from a list of "rules" about flying an aircraft, it is what flying a kite is all about...


No one has ever collided with the sky.

How Windy Is It?

Ok,I admit it, I am addicted to wind. Without it, what I do for fun would be about as interesting as watching paint dry.
Because without it, a kite won't fly.
Then I have to go break out the frisbee and my dog just don't get the whole bring it back phase of that game.
So how windy is it?
Each kite has a wind range where it flies and performs best. Now I have an electronic wind gauge. (it's called an anonometer) but unless you are really serious and are willing to shell out about a hundred bucks for a decent one, you are kind of left out of the loop.
Here is the solution.

THE BEAUFORT WIND SCALE
One of the first scales to estimate wind speeds and the effects was created by Britain's Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857). He developed the scale in 1805 to help sailors estimate the winds via visual observations. The scale starts with 0 and goes to a force of 12.
The Beaufort scale is still used today to estimate wind strengths.

Here is a link to the wiki article on the whole thing. The Chart shown is the best I have found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

Take a look, learn the "Land Conditions" section and soon you will be able to gauge and measure wind speed as well as anybody with a fancy gadget.
Then when somebody asks if it is a good day, you can say "Sure is, looks to be about 3 on the scale. Time to break out the diamond"
Makes you look really cool.

The Kite Gets Drafted.

If you ever wondered what would happen to a kite if the military got a hold of it, wonder no more.
The US Navy actually used kites as aerial gunnery targets during World War 2.
They were designed to be flown off the sides and stern of warships to give gunners training in how to lead and track a moving aerial target.
The kites themselves were actually mass produced and came in a "easy to assemble form"...
here is a link to a great site covering the history and use of these rare kites.
As a veteran, I can appreciate the "technical manual" that goes with it...it actually has some great points we can still use...well, maybe not the part about where to fly the kite from a battleship.
here is that link...
http://robroy.dyndns.info/targetkites/Edition-1/five-foot-kite.html

Announcing!

The Airsport Shop accessories store is open for business over at Cafepress...
Hats, mugs, shirts, and even a dog shirt is available...
how great is that?

Stop over and see...

http://www.cafepress.com/digitalair/6531350

The Larks Head Knot

If you have to learn one thing about kites, it is this...
The Lark's Head or Kiter's Knot.
It is used to connect the control line to the kite bridle in a easy and secure fashion.
There are a lot of ways to tell you how to do it, but this neat graphic is by far the easiest and best one I have ever seen.
Check it out..
http://www.marinews.com/Larks-Head-510.php

Gone Fishin'

Procedure:
1.
Make up components as individual units, dropline, bottle, bait and trace etc. Use snap swivels for easy attachment.
2.
Set up kite and adjust bridle ring until desired angle of attack is achieved. You do this by loosening the larks head knot and sliding the line through the ring and then tightening the knot again. Shortening the left-hand bridle line will make the kite tack to the right and vice-versa. Make small adjustments and fly the kite and keep adjusting until you are satisfied. Let out all the kite line and remove the line from the reel and attach a snap swivel on the end.
3.
Now clip the kite line onto the 3-way swivel, which in turn is attached to the fishing reel, drop line, bottle and bait. You will now be controlling everything from the reel.
4.
Begin to let out line from the fishing reel taking up the slack from the drop line until you can release the bottle. This is a good time to check that the kite is behaving properly.
5.
Keep letting out line from the reel until the bottle, and bait, is the desired distance from shore, this is usually 200m - 500m (650ft - 1,650ft).NOTE: Don't make the drop-line and trace longer than you can back up on land, otherwise you may not be able to get the fish close enough to gaff. Kite fishing alone is not easy so have a helper at hand.


Have not tried this, but I will be giving it a go this summer.
The kite would have to be a fairly big lifter, not a stunt or diamond. I would use either a parakite or a war kite (box kite). The other problem is that most large bodies of water have the breeze coming on shore rather than blowing off shore. Maybe a small lake or pond...I would want to practice holding a steady altitude first above dry land, as contact with the water would be less than pleasant...
I would also of course check with a local fish and wildlife office to see if this kind of fishing were legal, as I know there are rules against gaffing fish...and as always, be safe if trying someting new like this.

Something To Hold You Over.

To get you started, here is a link to a great site that will offers free, (yes, I said free) downloads of some time honored and proven paper airplane designs.
Just print out and fold and fly!
(For those of us here in the States, there is a page available to fit our smaller paper format, so just click on that option when you see it.)

http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/index.html

Spring is just around the bend and like me, I am sure you can't wait to get outside after a long winter spell. While I can't speed that up, These simple to make and fly designs will help pass the time until we can all get out in the wind and sun again.
Enjoy.

Welcome.

Welcome to the official blog site for AIRSPORTSHOP.COM., the latest and hope to be greatest source for all your "wind powered fun".
Here you will find the latest in news, ideas, hints and funstuff in the areas of summer time outdoors flying fun.
From kites to frisbees to gliders to paper airplanes to windsocks and decorations, if it uses the wind, it will be here.
Some will be serious, some will be light hearted, but all will inform and entertain.
So stop back and see what we have to offer.
It will be a hoot.