Bring some kites?

I was asked if I would bring some kites...

Below is a common triage to figure out what to take and what to leave at the house. There are lots of kites, and gear to support the kites. There is different gear for sand than there is for a grassy field.

The tarp above is just kites, kite lines, and anchors.

Each bag below has several 20-foot Banners (flags).

Maggie says I can't bring this one... No worries, it would take up the whole field. Not fair to others.

It is 80 feet long. Just for the record, it does fly. It flys on 2,200 pound test double-braid polyester cord. We don't run with this... :)

Typical pack for a kite festival. We will travel a little lighter to New Canaan. But kite flying is like fly-fishing. Bring 200, use two.

The kite above takes a while to assemble. It will probably stay home. It is a Samuel Franklin Cody War Box that I made without any plans. It is a great demonstration piece in a seminar because everything on it, including the curves, is a multiple or fraction of 6, Cody's favorite number. It was designed, and used, for aerial observation in the mid to late 1800's. Mine is only 14 feet wide. Cody's War Boxes were 28 feet wide.

Taz will be with us, but Mickey flys better in light wind. Jack Lee is in charge of the wind!

By the way, Taz and Mickey are Rokkaku kites. It is a traditional Japanese kite. 'Rokka' is Japanese for six, and 'O'dako' is Japanese for kite. Put the words together and get Rokkaku, 6-sided kite. These are traditionally used for battle. We battle them too, but we do it a bit differently. Most kite string these days is synthetic. It is easily cut when another kite string crosses it. So we deliberately try to cross strings with another kite in the battle and we pull. Or we maneuver to tip the other kite. If the string is cut, or the kite touches the ground, you're out. Last kite in the sky wins. I teach these in workshops,and I have plans on the web.

The kite above will be with us. It is the John Freeman version of NASA engineer Francis Rogallo's Corner Kite. Just think of it as a Box Kite, turned inside out. I teach this kite in workshops.

I'll have one like the one above, but yellow & red. I teach this kite in workshops. There once was a company, Greens of Burnley, in Burnley, England, that made a kite they called a Mirage. They have long since gone out of business and I am trying to keep the design alive.

Someone asked about temperature... This is a frozen lake at the University of Wisconsin, Madison at an event called Kites on Ice. The two closest kites are ours. By the way, we use mountain climber's Ice Screws to anchor the kites.

Just a last thought. Kites are kites. The best thing about kite flying is that there is a kite for every ability and every pocket book.There is a kite for everyone. As an example, I offer the kite below. When my wife allows me to go to Walmart with her, I always ask the cashier for one of the larger bags behind the register. With a little tape, string, and 2 dowels, I make the kite below. It is easy for anyone to make. Plans are here. If you do not want to spend money on two dowels, you can make one this way.

We do kite making workshops with groups of all ages. They make their own kites, and we all go out and fly them.

Those are not store bags, those are Tyvek kites with fiberglass sticks. With a little care they will last for years.

These white kites are called Sled Kites. Why? Because one of their developers wanted to call them "Flexible Flyers". Are you old enough to know why he could not do that? :)