Education
Links Helpful to Flying Informed and the Making of Kites
There is a lot of stuff on this webpage. The sun, moon, space, time zones, clocks, weather, calendar stuff and calculators. Lots of stuff to ponder.
Drones vs. Kites
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a flying kite or its tethering line collided with a flying drone? At Bug Light Park, and at other kite flying locations, kites and drones can get along well with each other and usually do, as long as separation between the flying structures (including line and inflatables) is maintained. Think about how the FAA keeps thousands of airplanes, all flying at the same time, safe. But what if? There is a well written and interesting research article by Jim Powers, a kite flyer and kite aerial photographer, published in the Summer 2016, Volume 38, Issue 2 Kiting magazine (published by the AKA) that offers insights into drones and kites flying together. The online link to the article is no longer reachable, so find your Summer 2016 copy of Kiting magazine to read all about drones vs. kites.
This controllable camera will allow you to see the Fort Georges flag pole (and flag, in season) which sits in Casco Bay, not far off shore ( and north easterly) from Bug Light Park. Pan the camera over to the left to see the tree line that sits at the south east edge of the flying field. The camera is a unique resource for checking out wind conditions in the area.
This camera looks northward across the bay from a point south of Bug Light Park. You can't see the park in this view but you can see how the water in the bay is reacting to whatever wind is out there.
An application that shows you what the wind is up to.
Founded in 1979. A comprehensive reference source for information about kites and kite flying. Their newsletter (The Kiteflier Magazine) is wonderful reading even if it is focused across the big water.
This website is billed as the "World's Largest Kite Plan Archive" and given the approximately 1608 published plans that may be true. A wonderful area to browse around and get inspiration for your next building project.
You could spend days reading through this website as there is much to see. One of the richest reads is Gary's "Kite Sewing 101" article. The article is advertised as "Everything you need to know to sew kites from ripstop nylon." Almost like a bible for sewing on ripstop.
From a Google search - "Kites, Kite flying, and sharing the love of all things kite related! Fortuna Found is the place to either get started or continue with your passion for kites." There is so much good stuff at this website that it will take more than one visit to fully incorporate what it has to offer. Be prepared to spend some time looking around.
Best Breezes - Dedicated to the History, Science and the Art of Kites
This is a unique site and provides just what its' title suggests. Another site where you should be prepared to spend some time looking around. Be aware that a few links highlighted on the main pages or within the stories are broken and take you to non-functional webpages. That shouldn't stop you from exploring though, because most of the content is operative.