Greetings From A New Kite Flier

[Sir Toby]

Hello everyone,

My name is Jeff, and I've recently (within the past year) gotten into kite flying. I am in the Portland, Oregon area, and am looking to further my experience in this new found hobby.

Last year, myself and a friend went to Cannon Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July. Trying to come up with something to do, we decided to look for, and found, a kite store. I bought a Firecracker, while my friend bought a Ignitor, both made by New Tech Kites. We immedialy went to the beach and spent the next few hours repeatedly crashing our kites. After a few more hours, we started getting the hang of it, and we were hooked. We essentially spent every remaining free moment of the trip with our kites in the air.

Sadly, after that initial trip, we have not flown our kites, despite talking about taking additional trips to the beach. That is, until recently. We took a trip to the beach again this past Saturday, with the sole intent of flying our kites. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. First, there was not enough wind to keep our kites in the air. After a lunch break, there was too much wind to control the kite, and I ended up breaking my lines.

Despite these less than ideal conditions, the kite bug had bitten me again. I bought replacement lines for my Firecracker, and headed to the beach again on Sunday, as my kite flying needs were not fulfilled on Saturday. I went on my own, as my friend already had plans for Sunday. I got a couple of hours of flying in before the wind and rain picked up, forcing me to call it a day.

Once I got back home, I started looking up kite information on the internet. In my excitement, I purchased a new kite online, the Alpha Plus by Flying Wings. Shortly afterwards, I ran into Kitelife. And that brings me to this post.

I guess my question is, what next? I don't really know how to classify my kite flying skill level. I'm to a point now where I feel I can fly as long as I want to without crashing, as long as the wind cooperates. I feel I may be ready to take another step in improving my kite flying skill, but am not certain what that may be.

It seems that going to the beach is a long trip for flying kites. I'm hoping that there are closer fields in the Portland area than going to the beach. I've read some online posts referring to Delta Park, but am not sure if that is still a viable field. I'm also hoping there are local groups, or people in the area, that I can get together with for kite flying, to share the hobby with, and learn from.

Thank you for your time for any assistance you may offer.

[cdcflyer]

Hi Jeff,

Delta Park is a viable field and alive with kite fliers! It is the home practice field for the sport kite team TKS Mid Air and we fly there every Sunday that we are not competing. Spontanious flies occur during the week as well on Wed. Thurs. Fri.

Team TKS Mid Air is composed of John Barresi, (editor and master of this very site), Scott Ralston, who along with Theresa own and operate one of the premier sport kite shops in the country, The Kite Shoppe, located across the bridge in Vancouver, and two other fliers Moon Kushner and Jim McPherson.

All of us have one common interest... The Kiting Community! There are many fliers that regularly show up and the skill levels are all over the map, interacting and learning from others is a regular feature when we are there.

The shop always brings a bag full of kites for everyone to fly and we are talkin serious kites... The best you can find anywhere and what we don't have... some of the other fliers do.

We will be there probably both days this weekend tuning up for the next event. John wont be there because he is flying individual in, and covering a National event for Kitelife. But come out, introduce your self and see what kind of flying we can get done.

Hope to see you there.

[Sir Toby]

Hi cdcflyer,

Thanks for the reply. I'll try to check out Delta Park this weekend. It's looking like Sunday afternoon will be the best for me. If I'm lucky, I may be able to bring my friend I've been flying kites with.

[Rootus]

Hi cdcflyer,

Thanks for the reply. I'll try to check out Delta Park this weekend. It's looking like Sunday afternoon will be the best for me. If I'm lucky, I may be able to bring my friend I've been flying kites with.

Greetings, Jeff.