Category: Carolina Kite Club

Catching Up For Lost Time and Lost Wind

It was pretty frustrating having no wind at the festival and then finding out that there was wind for the kite club fly at home.  So to make up for it, we went to the kite field more than usual this past week and a half.  The fact that the temperature moderated at a very comfortable level was a bonus.  It was so relaxing.

The winds were actually a little strong the first evening we went to fly.  I had just gotten the Brasington Central Station train and had yet to fly it.  So I put it and my Waif train up,  You will notice that the Waif train has five kites and the Central Station train has six.  Well, the Waif train I made at a Brasington kite building workshop and I have yet to finish it.  The sixth Waif is on the table waiting to be sewn.  Guess I had better get to it now.  John put up his Vertical Visions Malay kite.  I’m thinking of getting this same kite in the opposite color scheme.  It is so easy to fly and looks great.

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Vertical Visions Malay Kite by Into The Wind
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Brasington Central Station Train by Into The Wind
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Brasington Central Station and Waif Trains

The weekend arrived and it was time for the Carolina Kite Club fly.  Several of the Critter Kites by Skydog; the Wolf, the Tiger and the Bumblebee, flew as well as the Central Station train and the Vertical Visions Malay kite.  We also put up the Triton Kite.  This is a modified genki design which pulls like a tank.  It is a steady flying kite, even in the gusty winds we had that day.  This will be a good kite for lots of line laundry.  Especially I’m thinking our red wiggly worm and yellow little man.  Haven’t had them up in a long time.  There were a couple of new people who joined us to fly a stunt kite, a delta kite and the EO Atom by Prism Kites.

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Critter Kites by Skydog Kites
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Triton Kite by Into The Wind

Today was a day we just couldn’t pass up.  It was at least ten degrees cooler than the past few days and the winds were steady at a moderate 11-12 mph.  So when our errand were done, off we went to the beach.  We put up two of our own Critter kites and I practiced with one of my Revs.

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The Tiger and The Panda Critter Kites by Skydog Kites

It had been a while since I had flown the Custom B-Pros and this was the perfect day for a mid-vent.  I spent the time working on hovering and reverse diagonals.  Still haven’t figured out the inverse hover but I think it will come eventually.  There was practically no one on the beach which made for a very quiet, pleasant stay.  Then the sun began to go down and the park rangers wanted to close the gate.

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Custom B-Pro Mid-Vent Revolution Kite
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Yes, That’s Me and My Revolution

So now we’re home getting ready to go on the road and no telling when we’ll get to fly again.  Hopefully it won’t be too long.  It all depends on our new granddaughter.  She is due next week and we are pretty excited.  So until then…

Fair Winds All.

Busy, Busy, Busy (part 2)

The kite flying weekend continued with the regular Carolina Kite Club fly.  We almost decided not to try to fly in the 2-3 mph winds.  However, when we arrived at the beach, there was a large delta in the air with a spinner trailing behind it.  Logically, this kite should not have been flying in those light winds, especially with the drag of the spinner.  But there it was.  So we gathered up our light wind kites and went to join the other flier.  To add to the amazing flight of the delta, it was flying on heavy line which was adding to the drag.

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Not to be outdone, other members of the club put up a RWB delta with tails and a couple of the Critter kites by Skydog, the Penguin and the Elephant.  I got out a small six-sided kite that I made some years ago and my light wind Fled.  It took some work to get the kites up but once they were high enough, they flew pretty well.  The Fled almost got away from me when a sudden gust of wind came up.  There was not enough sand in the bag anchor and the kite started dragging it across the beach.  Then the wind dropped and they all fell down.  Except for that amazing delta kite.

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The Elephant Critter Kite by Skydog
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USA Levitation Delta by Into The Wind

Before leaving, Don from the Kites Unlimited Kite Shop brought out a small light wind stunt kite from Into The Wind called the Wisp II.  This kite was just right for the 2 mph wind we had.  At first it seemed too fast and twitchy.  But once I lightened up on the lines, it was a blast to fly.  For a small light-weight kite, it tracked across the sky surprisingly well and only needed fingertip control.  I guess you could say it was love at first sight.  There is one of these on order for me and it will be a red one.

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Wisp II by Into The Wind
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The Wisp II and my Fish Kite

Fair Winds All.

Busy, Busy, Busy (part 1)

This past weekend was one of the busiest we’ve had in a while.  The Carolina Kite Club was asked to participate in Kite Day at Sturgeon City Park in Jacksonville, NC.  The Parks & Recreation Dept. sponsored this activity to promote family fun.  The club was invited to put some kites in the sky and help those attending with their kites.  Small diamond kites were provided for the kids to decorate and fly.  They could also bring their own kites.

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Weather-wise, it was great.  The temperature was not too hot and the sky had scattered, puffy white clouds.  Wind-wise, it was a different story.  There was no wind for most of the morning.  The club members positioned themselves at the top of the hill in order to find what little wind was available.

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Kites went up and kites came down.  Kids ran around pulling their kites behind them.  There were even a couple of optimistic souls trying to fly stunt kites.  Despite the lack of kite-flying success, everyone seemed to be having a good time at the park.

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More flying to come.

Fair Winds All.

 

Five At Once

My acquisition of new kites has continued.  I obtained two more White Bird dragons on eBay this week.  Months and months go by and White Bird kites are hard to come by.  Then there is an influx of them as people empty their kite bags for one reason or another.  So the latest additions to my collection are a 25 ft. Rainbow dragon and a 25 ft. Sun Face dragon.

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White Bird Sun Face Dragon
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White Bird Rainbow Dragon

The Rainbow dragon completes a set of Rainbow dragons of varying sizes.  Putting them up at one time should look pretty impressive in the sky.  The Sun Face adds another unique sail design to my collection.

The hard part about getting new kites is not being able to fly them when they arrive.  We had house guests for the weekend and we missed the weekly kite club fly at Fort Macon State Park.  This seems to be happening more and more often lately.  Though I’m not complaining, I do have to get my kite fix or suffer withdrawal.  So this afternoon I went to the beach and flew all of my latest White Bird additions.  Five dragon kites in the sky.  What a wondrous sight.

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Five At Once

The two on the left are the latest additions.  The middle kite is the White Bird Golden Gate dragon.  The two on the right are both White Bird Friendly Dragon dragons.  I think of them as the brothers and, true to form, they fought in the sky, tangled their lines and brought each other down.  I had to separate them.

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White Bird Friendly Dragon Dragons (The Brothers)

It was a great day at the beach.  The wind was not too strong and the temperature was not too hot.  I would have liked to stay longer but I was given a dinner invitation that I couldn’t refuse.  It meant I didn’t have to cook and I didn’t have to do the dishes.  And if you’re wondering how one person flies five kites at once.  Here’s our secret (which is not really a secret at all).  Sand bags made from inexpensive nylon backpacks.

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Fair Winds All.