transformed by flight

[SHBKF]

I have come to the conclusion that kite flying has transformed my life. I have pursued many hobbies & past times previously but this one is probably going to have some staying power. Take this weekend for instance. Loaded eight kites into the van which covered the range of all possible flying conditions I might encounter on a trip to Eastern Tennessee. They were, in order of wind speed, Zero G, Wala, 4D, Shadow, Zephyr, Rev SLE, Micron, Rev 1.5B mid-vent. Pulled out of the driveway at 3:50 P.M. & headed for Pigeon Forge. Got to our site at the campground next to Patriot Park, set up a few things, ate supper & ran around town a bit. After dark I tried my first ever full night time Zero G flying in the park. The ground was wet & the string was hard to see but I had fun for hours. The next day we went to Knoxville & I flew the Wala & the 4D at West Town Mall parking lot on short lines. Security did not seem to mind & even watched for a while. A young man at a stoplight noticed the kite activity & came back to talk to me. I told him about the kites & encouraged him to fly the inexpensive one he had recently purchased. The major thing I helped him with was how to pick a spot to fly kites. Went back to the campsite & flew the ZG after dark in a complete calm. Sunday we went to Cades Cove in the Smokies. Of course I found a beautiful spot in which to fly & spent two hours flying, first the ZG, then the Shadow & the Revolution SLE. The winds were minimal but my experience flying in light winds has added up & made flight possible. My wife flew the ZG & we had many spectators. One lady had seen us from a great distance & thought that the gray Shadow was a hawk until she got closer & realized it was a kite. I guess I now have some kite flying videos out there somewhere. I would say that possibly hundreds of people saw a Rev for the first time that day. I seem to find time to fly most every day now & the intensity is picking up.

flight location in Cades Cove 35 36' 19.07" N 83 49' 55.60" W

[West Australian]

Thanks for the story.

Great to read about your experiences.

I do hope you keep the kites going.

It helps if you fly regularly with others.

[RobB]

I have come to the conclusion that kite flying has transformed my life. I have pursued many hobbies & past times previously but this one is probably going to have some staying power. Take this weekend for instance. Loaded eight kites into the van which covered the range of all possible flying conditions I might encounter on a trip to Eastern Tennessee. They were, in order of wind speed, Zero G, Wala, 4D, Shadow, Zephyr, Rev SLE, Micron, Rev 1.5B mid-vent. Pulled out of the driveway at 3:50 P.M. & headed for Pigeon Forge. Got to our site at the campground next to Patriot Park, set up a few things, ate supper & ran around town a bit. After dark I tried my first ever full night time Zero G flying in the park. The ground was wet & the string was hard to see but I had fun for hours. The next day we went to Knoxville & I flew the Wala & the 4D at West Town Mall parking lot on short lines. Security did not seem to mind & even watched for a while. A young man at a stoplight noticed the kite activity & came back to talk to me. I told him about the kites & encouraged him to fly the inexpensive one he had recently purchased. The major thing I helped him with was how to pick a spot to fly kites. Went back to the campsite & flew the ZG after dark in a complete calm. Sunday we went to Cades Cove in the Smokies. Of course I found a beautiful spot in which to fly & spent two hours flying, first the ZG, then the Shadow & the Revolution SLE. The winds were minimal but my experience flying in light winds has added up & made flight possible. My wife flew the ZG & we had many spectators. One lady had seen us from a great distance & thought that the gray Shadow was a hawk until she got closer & realized it was a kite. I guess I now have some kite flying videos out there somewhere. I would say that possibly hundreds of people saw a Rev for the first time that day. I seem to find time to fly most every day now & the intensity is picking up.

flight location in Cades Cove 35 36' 19.07" N 83 49' 55.60" W

Awesome... I hope you get some pictures to share once you're back at home base. Kiting is great, it's the only diversion I have anymore, as my time is so jammed up with work & 3 kids at home. The few hours a week that I get to spend with my kites is probably the only thing that keeps me sane. I've flown for 30+ years, but only on a serious level for the last 10. I used to have a number of expensive hobbies, but kiting is the best bang for the buck that I've found so far.

[Hasek]

Pigeon Forge is an incredibly awesome area DayHiker. That's great you also were able to fly a bunch and had a tremendous time.

You nailed it Rob with "... but kiting is the best bang for the buck". I have/had more expensive hobbies as you have. The beauty of kiting is once you have the kite, you don't have to lay out cash as with other hobbies to keep the interest going. Before it's said, yes, more kites can always be had...lol

[John Barresi]

You rock Day, beautiful sentiments!

It's surely changed my (kite)life.

[Wayne Dowler]

What to say - kiting has given me back a life! After a stroke and being forced by the after effects to give up almost everything that made up my personal identity, I was seriously lost! Finding kiting and the fact that I have a future in it, made living a worthwhile thing for me! I don't know how many understand the importance of seeing some kind of future for yourself, in my case it is an absolute necessity!

Transformed by flight - you bet!