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