PRICE F L.SO the Antam • IS Ac • £79-95 FIZZ SPORT KITES Baildon Craft Centre,Browqate Baildon,Shipley, West Yorkshire
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ISSUE 54 - JANUARY 1993 - PRICE f l.SO the antam • IS ac • £79-95 FIZZ SPORT KITES baildon craft centre,browqate baildon,shipley, west yorkShire .----........_ bd 17 6bp. tel/fax 02721--532899 €0NTENTS Membership Increase . 4 Letters . 5 "Cheapo" Sky Reel . 9 Events '92 . 10 1993 U.K. Rokkaku Challenge . 13 Competition . 15 Flight of the Patang . 17 Observations on Tetrahedral Kites . 20 The Pin Pratt . 25 Kite Trade Directory . 27 Weymouth International Kite Festival . 37 Kite Bag . 39 Private Ads . 40 Bits and Pieces . 41 Membership Form . 44 Event News . 45 Events List . 48 STACK U.K. 51 Aerodyne . 52 M.K.F. News . 56 Roman Candle . 60 The photo on the front cover was taken at the Berlin Kite Festival, 1992 by C.Clear. It shows Herr Bruno Hollman (right) and Herr Otto Hess with Violin Kite. EDITORIAL We would like to thank all of the people who have contributed to the pages of The K.iteflier during 1992 - some regularly. The more people who contribute to these pages the better they will become. If you have something you think would interest other kitefliers send it to us - we are always looking for articles, news, tips etc. You will find the Kite Trade Directory in this issue of The Kiteflier. We had intended to also print the Group Directory but the magazine would have been even larger (this one is the largest we have ever produced - do not expect them all to be this size!). The Group Directory will appear in the April issue. Both directories will form the basis of a new information booklet that The Kite Society is producing prior to the season starting. Finally Air Born Kites have notified us that they had a break in over the holiday period and a number of expensive sports kites were removed from their premises. If you are offered a sports kite at silly prices (or are suspicious in any way) then let Air Born Kites know on 0273 676740. We look forward to seeing you on the field somewhere in 1993. Gill and Jon Bloom The Kite Society, 31 Grange Road, Ilford, Essex IG 1 1EU. i, l ~~ MBERSH ~ P : l NCR ~ASE ( •d ( t~~~~~~~$( ;. ·-:-: .... j.~~~~ The start of a new year is the time when we look at the membership fee and decide whether any changes are required. Before going into the details we thought that you might be interested in seeing the history of charges The Kite Society has made over the last ten years. Membership Supplementary Family Reduced January '83 £3 NIA NIA NIA January '84 £4 £2 NIA NIA March '87 (") £6 £2 NIA £5 January '90 £5 £2 NIA NIA January '91 £5 NIA £7 NIA (") For this period an "Update" sheet was produced during the summer months. For comparison of fees the reduced rate should be used as this would be the equivalent of the current membership benefits. As can be seen from the above there has been no change in the membership fee since March 1987. Analyzing the costs of U.K. membership in 1992 shows: Magazine £1.34 /issue Postage £0.41 /issue Envelopes £0.06 /issue Renewal Cost £0.29 TOTAL COST £7.53 /year Therefore it is regretted that the cost of membership to The Kite Society of Great Britain for renewals and new memberships made during 1993 will be increased as follows: Individual £8.00 Family £9.00 In addition we have decided to introduce an O.A.P. rate of £6.00. Overseas membership will be changed to reflect the cost of postage. Details of these will be found on the membership form printed elsewhere in this issue. From the standard membership fee of £8.00 the remaining 47p will go towards the running costs of The Kite Society. These costs include such items as stationery, membership cards, photocopying (membership forms, information leaflets etc) and responding to enquiries from the public (postage, stationery etc.). Note that the cost of telephone and fax calls are not paid for by The Kite Society. One last point - at the "AGM" held in Scunthorpe during the convention the general feeling of the members present was that the fee should rise to £10.00 for an individual. We felt, however, that this was not justified after examining the costs. LETTERS FROM JOHN WOOD My interest in kite flying began some four years ago when one Sunday morning I had a conversation over the amateur radio airwaves with a certain member of the Essex Kite Group who tows a blue "shack on wheels" to Old Warden and hangs antennae from his single line kite. He converted me to this wonderful relaxing hobby and since then I have made about 20 large kites including a Cody War Kite of eight square metres (not so relaxing this). Apart from hanging aerials from the line I have ventured into aerial photography, using a (50p boot sale) Kodak instamatic 126. It goes up well on two square metres of Box -Kite. Regarding space at festivals for serious flierS of large single line kites I heartily agree with all the comments made in recent letters from Les Symons, A Harding and Lesley Gilbert. Can something please be done at future festivals! FROM SH1RLEY & DICK TURPIN There is nothing quite like children, dogs, and kites for breaking the ice between strangers. We've met many new friends through our interest in kites, and one cold, gusty November day we met two more! Having just finished building a new kite, we went to Rutland Water (Leics) to test fly it, when we thought we had been caught out. The man was coming straight for us (we hadn't paid our parking fee). However, it was our lucky day and we'd been "caught" by Bob and Josie Clinch from the Poole Kite Flyers, who were travelling around on an extended holiday. We soon found ourselves talking kites over coffee, and hearing all about their amazing lifestyle. Bob showed us some beautiful wall plaques Josie had made and hand painted, and we chatted until we swapped addresses before making our way back to our illegally parked kite-carrier. Before driving off, Bob ran after us with a gift of one of Josie's works of art. It was a plaque showing a little girl flying her kite, and the words "A KITE FLYER LNES HERE" written around the top. Needless to say it went straight up on a wall and is now a very treasured possession. We know "The Kiteftier" follows you in your travels, so thank you again Bob and Josie (our 'old age' traveller friends). We shall meet again! FROM PAT AND RON DELL - KITEABILITY A proposal for the organising kite groups at festivals. Whilst we stock spars and spares etc, we are constantly being asked to fix kites, some will juSt need a new spar, some new bridles, and some will be well past their best. Whilst we are not too busy, a fix up job is O.K., but, fair do's some times it can get a bit hectic. So we suggest that the organising group set up a 'Kite Hospital' for spares etc to help out with repairs for a small fee to go into your group funds, perhaps manned on a simple rota basis, so as not to pin any THE KITEFL/ER -JANUARY 1993 - PAGE 5 one person down to working all of the festival. We also think it would be a good public relations exercise for kiting and also a good opportunity for the local group to pass out their literature - and perhaps gain a few new members. Your comments please. FROM CECIL ELLWOOD As an aged and fully disabled Kite Flyer who derives a great deal of pleasure from the activity, and having attended a number of festivals and fly-ins I have noticed a number of other disabled persons who are also interested in the sport as like myself they have realised that it does not require a very great deal of mobility in order to participate. Also since joining the Avon Kite Fliers I have found that they have offered me every facility to make life easier for me when I attend their meetings and this year it was very noticeable at the Bristol Festival, where I was looked after like royalty. I would be interested in knowing the number of disabled kitefliers who are members. I have an idea for starting a "Disabled Kite Flyers Society" under the wing of the Kite Society of Great Britain where membership of the Disabled Kite Flyers Society would entail joining the Kite Society in the usual way and then being entitled to buy a pin that I would produce on behalf of the disabled society and keep a list of genuine members. All other activity would be via the Kite Society with perhaps a few paragraphs in the magazine when any information was required to be circulated. (Ed - We do not know how many of our members fall into the category talked about above. If you are disabled and interested in the ideas put forward then please contact us. ) FROM SIEVE GWSON KITE SITES. I would like to thank all of you that have sent me a flying site for inclusion in the kite sites booklet. The response has been encouraging enough for me to pursue this project seriously. The plan is to have the "Kite Sites" booklet out in early 1993, so there is still plenty of time to forward an entry to me. The following information is needed: Location, Ordnance Survey Reference, Approx size, directions, parking, permission needed, used by local kite group, nearest pub (very important).