Déjà vu - Why I fly kites (doesn't everyone ?)

[Reef Runner]

Why I fly kites (doesn't everyone ?)

Yep, this is an old topic, that I commented on, several years back. I may have even started it, I don't remember, but I thought it was an interesting subject, and with a lot of new members on the scene, these days, I thought it would be interesting, once again, to hear some new stories...............

Here is mine, should you care to read it - I would love to hear yours !!

Here goes......

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Why I fly kites (doesn't everyone ?) & how did this all get started ?

Well obviously not. Not around here, anyway. I’ve been flying kites for around 12 - 13 years now, 95% of that, while on vacation at the coast. When you mention flying kites around home, people tend to look at you, like you’re strange, but at the coast, it’s more like, okay, so what? Things seem to be a little more laid back in the resort areas, and I think people tend to expect, and/or overlook, most anything. So what’s the big deal, with a few people out there flying kites, on the dunes, or on the beach? Nobody really gives it a second though, but back home, not only do people give it a second thought, I believe that many give it a third, and maybe even a forth, thought. I’ve even noticed adults (kids not included), that will actually tend to avoid you. They will look away, and even pretend not to see you, when all the time, it’s so obvious, that they are trying, in their inconspicuous manner, just to sneak a peek, probably back to their own childhood days, but only when they think you aren’t looking, of course. This, I’ll never understand, but as the old saying goes, “People are Strange”, so why press the issue. Is it them, or is it “us”? Well, maybe “we”, the kite fliers are strange, comparatively speaking, but all in all, I think we are a pretty benign group. At least we aren’t harming anything, and for the most part, anyone, with the exception of the occasional “Newbie”, and a possible mishap. We surely aren’t using up any valuable resources, and all in all, we are just out there blowing off some steam, chilling out, relaxing, meditating, kicking back, killing a little time, and just enjoying life and the great outdoors (and indoors), and the list goes on, I suppose. I mean, what’s not to enjoy? It’s just you, your kite, and the wind, doing your thing. Actually, it’s a pretty cheap high ! So, why do I fly kites (?), you ask. That’s why.

How did I become a flier (?), well that’s a whole nother story, but common sense tells us, that the answers to both of these questions, are definitely intertwined. As for me, my passion began 12 - 13 years ago. At that time, my wife and I had been going to the NC coast, for years, mainly during the spring, summer, and early fall. We really enjoyed the NC Outer Banks, and in particular, that 20 mile stretch of barrier islands, known as Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and Kitty Hawk. Oh, Kitty Hawk, the birthplace of manned flight (how appropriate?), the Wright brother’s, and all that. “Wrong”, but close, all of that actually took place in Kill Devil Hills (it’s a common misconception), but that to, is a whole nother story. Now back to kiting.

Anyway, after years of jumping from spot to spot, roaming the beaches, fishing, sitting on the beach, reading books, and just kicking back, I finally realized that I was beginning to get bored, with the beach scene. Sure it’s a great place to spend time, but just how long, can someone sit on the beach, read, and whatever. I mean, you can’t drink beer all day. Then one trip, I decided, out of the blue, and out of sheer boredom, that I was going and get myself a cheap (I didn’t even know the name) delta kite, that I could put up in the sky, tie to the chair, and at least have something different to look at. Why not, I had seen other people flying kites? Seemed like a great idea to me. Well, I couldn’t even get that $3 delta to fly right, but I noticed a guy right down the beach, flying a much larger, 4 or 5 foot delta, with a large flowing tail. That thing was sitting up there like it was pinned to the sky, so I ventured over to find out if I could get some help. Yep, it seems that I needed a tail on my kite, for stability. Well, I didn’t have a tail, but I did have a piece of string, so I tied a small piece of driftwood to the piece of string, attached it to the kite, and straight up it went. Learned something! No more dipping over to one side and diving uncontrollably to the ground or ocean, just up, up and away, and so was I. Well, this of course, lead to some more delta kites, bigger delta kites, more expensive delta kites, and tails, plenty of tails, and then kite bags, and before I knew it, I was a kite flier. Yes, that’s how I became a flier, but the story doesn’t end there, of course.

As the years came and went (actually only a couple of years), one day, I was proudly sitting there watching my beautiful delta kite, pinned to the sky, and there down the beach, was this guy flying (again, I didn’t have a clue), a kind of erratic kite. Yep, it was a dualie. Well, I’m wondering how come this guy, has this pretty kite, and obviously a very nice kite, but he can’t afford more than 80 – 100 feet of line. He was hardly off of the ground, and the poor guys kite was going everywhere. Maybe he needed some tail on that thing, just to calm it down a bit, but being new, I resisted the urge to go down and make the suggestion. I just continued to watch. Then, all of a sudden, and with the help of my binoculars, the light bulb came on. That guy’s got two strings on that kite, not very long stings, but two, so what’s up with that? Now, I did have to mosey on down, and check this out. This I’ve got to see, and as they say, “the rest is history”. Yep, the guy gave me a quick run through on flying dualies, showed me how to control it, and yes, he defiantly got my attention. He offered to let me give it a whirl, but I didn’t dare. I thanked him for the intro, and was on my way. Now my big pretty delta kite, pinned to the sky, didn’t seem quite so exciting, in fact, it seemed kind of, ho hum! So, hey, let’s go to that big kite store (Kitty Hawk Kites) in Nags Head, and look around, just look. Well, being very close to my birthday, my wife says, go pick out a kite, and she would get it for me, for my birthday. So here we go, stage two, dualies, and what did I pick out for my first real kite, a beautiful “Prism Fanatic”. Don’t laugh, this was a pretty neat kite, back 13 or 14 years ago. So back at the cottage, I finally figured out how to put it together, and out to the beach “we” went. I didn’t know about kite stakes then, so my wife became my “kite runner”. I would take off and she would run pick it up, over, and over, and over. Finally, I got to where I could keep it in the air for more than 10 seconds, giving my “kite runner” a break. Eventually, I learned about kite stakes, and now, my wife was able to get back to her beach chairs, umbrellas, and reading, and the best part, I could set-up the kite, and fly it by myself, and boredom was a thing of the past.

As the years ticked by, we continued our annual treks to Nags Head. Eventually, we locked in on the same cottage, so now, we are staying in a cottage, that belongs to a, “now”, good friend. And where, you ask? Well, just coincidentally (or maybe not), it just so happens that this cottage is located directly across the highway, from Jockey's Ridge, one of the greatest kite flying spots on the East coast, and right behind the Nags Head, Kitty Hawk Kites flagship store. We are usually there, 3 or 4, sometimes 5 weeks, during the summer, and that's when I really do most of my kite flying, but what a place to fly. It’s the beach early and late in the day, and then as the beach begins to fill, during peak season, it’s across the road, and up on the ridge, where you can fly, till you just can’t fly anymore.

So, as I mentioned earlier, I got my first real kite (a Prism Fanatic) from Kitty Hawk Kites, some 13+ years ago. I didn't know anything about flying stunt kites, and I basically taught myself to fly, and believe it or not, I've still got that kite, and it's in excellent condition, and remains one of my favorites, and one that will always stay in my kite bag. Not to say, that it didn't hit the sand quite a few times, but never with any catastrophic results. The sand dunes, do tend to be, somewhat forgiving.

But there’s more. Later on, some 8 - 9 years after the Fanatic, and some 20 - 25 stunt kites later, an on-line kiting buddy of mine, got to chatting with me one night, about this strange kite he had seen, somewhere for sale. It was called a Revolution kite (?). Again, somewhat new to me, although I had heard the term mentioned somewhere, but this thing had four lines, I thought, and I knew that I didn’t have any interest in that. I was perfectly happy with my dualies, and I really didn’t want anything to do with one of those Revolutions. Well, then one day, out of the blue, a package arrives at my home, and my buddy has sent me "nearly new", Rev 1.5 SLE. Oh NO! What am I going to do now? I didn't have a clue what to do with that thing, and yep, it definitely had four lines, and handles. I actually made two or three trips to the coast, and never even put it together, never even took it out of the bag. I just didn’t want to get into that four line stuff, but, with all due respect to my friend, he had sent me the kite, and he kept asking about how I was coming with the Rev, so I had to do something. I couldn’t keep putting this thing off, so one hot summer day, back in 2009, when it was about 95 degrees, and at least 10 degrees hotter, up on Jockey’s Ridge, I realized that the dune was basically deserted (probably the heat). None-the-less, this looked like my chance, so I took off up the hill, with my wife as my co-pilot (here we go again), but believe it or not, after a bit of fussing and cussing about the lines, I kinda got it figured out. Another day or so, and I could actually fly that Rev, not great, but at least I could keep it off the ground. My biggest problem continued to be line management, but having been accustomed to winding up my dual lines, I understood the basics of what needed to happen, and eventually, I got that figured out, kinda. Then, some guy named John Barresi comes along with these Rev tutorial videos, and there it was, my salvation, “Line Management”. Once or twice viewing that video, and problem solved. Now, if I could just get the flying part down, half so well, as the line management part.

Anyway, I suppose that I’d still be considered a “Newbie”, especially compared to that Barresi guy, for now, anyway, because I am definitely still learning (aren't we all), but I'm trying hard, every chance I get. So right now, after a really tough winter, I am so looking forward to a great summer, and doing something about that “Newbie” status. OBX, here we come.

So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it ! That’s how I became a kite flier. Fate, I suppose (?)

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Since the original posting of this rendition, I suppose I may have shucked my "Newbie" status, somewhat, although I am definitely still learning, and once again, after a tough winter, I am once again looking so forward to Summer, and our annual treks to the Outer Banks, and KITES !!

Now, lets hear your story.............Why do you fly kites, and how did you get started ??

[Captainbob]

Great story.....

[mystainedskin]

I got started not long ago.. 3 years tops. I saw this guy named "Barresi" also doing all this wild stuff online..then I found the tutorials..then I found Kitelife.

I lurked for awhile and finally bought a kite. A Prism Snapshot 1.2... I know, 2 lines. With no one else to teach me or fly with... I felt this a good starter. Nothing to break and learn the wind and window some before I bought one of those pricey Revolutions. After a year of buzzing the foil on the beach , I got a quad.

My original inspiration and goal was quads anyway...why wait any longer?

I purchased an Hq Mojo.. and with Johns tutorials, I was airborne.

Within a month I had an Rev Exp..within a month after that I had a B standard. I flew that for a solid year until December 2013. After a year of dedicated quad flying.....I now have 12 and don't see an end anywhere in site .....

[Wayne Dowler]

My story and progression is a lot like Nick's, from SLKs to dualies to Revs! One big difference though - my learning curve was interrupted by a stroke! Just as slack line tricks were really coming into their own! Sure, I had figured out axels and stalls, maybe a fade sometimes, but now my vision won't let me time things to develop that much farther!

So I'm down to the beach with my wife and daughter, soaking up sun, enjoying the day, when I decided to go over to the kite store across the street in Lincoln City OR. It had gone through several owners in a short time and was not the place it used to be. But someone had just bought it and it looked all spiffy and nice again, so I uttered the words that set my world back on fire - "I'm just going over to look around and drool a while. Be back in a bit." Not to be!!

I went over there and looked around and saw something new to me - vented Revs!!! Somehow in all my flying, I didn't know about or had ever seen a vented Rev!! Crazy huh? Remember at that point I wasn't on Rev's forum and had been out of the kite world for a couple of years! In fact I had dropped out so suddenly after bring a fixture at the 2 LC festivals for many years, some were thinking I had died!!

So a little back story here - I had a Rev 1 I had brought back in the late 90s, big wing, only took it out in perfect conditions - for me!! My balance had been affected by the stroke, so I was extra careful to set that big sucker up in any bigger winds! I just didn't want to do a face plant!! YUK!!

Anyway, I came running back, as fast as I run,(set your sundials), yelling - "I gotta get me one of those!!!" Talked it over with the wife, figured we could wiggle it into the budget, and voila - a full vent R/W/B SLE was up and flying!! Little did either of us know where this would go from here!

Then this other thing came up - indoor flying!! I had heard about it just before the stroke, so that went on the back burner for a while! I just wasn't sure I could still fly, let alone move enough to do indoor! Anyway down at LC, the weather on a Saturday was just awful, raining, clouds, just all over wet! So I heard that there was some indoor flying going on at a school gym nearby! I figured the beach was a washout, I'm here to see and fly kites, why not check it out. Went over to the gym and saw Connor and Watty and Litsong flying indoor Revs and gliders! Pretty nice, but I was afraid that I couldn't move fast enough to make that work for me! I happened to say something along those lines to Connor's mom Amy, and she said something like "There are kites you don't have to chase around so much, you know!)!

I went to my 1st indoor fest that fall and she set up a Skate, gave the line to me and said "It's all yours to use, all day if you like!)! I was in luck that day too, as Paul, the designer was there, and he helped adjust the nose weight for me! Remember this was my 1st time indoors, absolute "noob"!! By the end of that day I had that thing dialed in pretty good! Was getting the hang of it, the gliding, the stepping to the side to create a bit of angle to turn it! Yep, I was enjoying indoor and found I didn't have to run!! Got invited to join in on the "Mystery Ballet", didn't have any clue what that meant, and found myself leading off the whole thing, first time flier, first time out! Scary as h$$l!! Lucky I knew the song and just sang along with it as I flew! YEAH!! Had a great time! But AMY DID SOMETHING ELSE - after the ballet was over, she asked me if I wanted to try an Indoor Rev! Now this was a bit of overload, but being game I said sure, why not! HOOKED AFTER ONE GO!! I couldn't fly for beans, but Damn that was fun!! I gotta get one of those!

Well you know the rest of the story - I fly everywhere, anywhere, just about anytime now! Gear has gone though a sort of refining process and I've found what works for me! If you stick with this, you will too, believe me!

PS: I call outdoor flying - Wind Therapy - good for what ails you!! Indoors, I like the saying from the Glider Geek page on FB - "We don't need no stinking wind!"!

[Reef Runner]

Great stories, all

Please, everyone join in. Add your own personal message

We would all love to hear, just how you got yourself, into this MESS, that we call Kiting !!

[SkyPuppets LimitVoodoo]

I love these stories!

My kite story begins with cabin fever.

I gamble for a living. About 6 years ago I switched from playing live poker to playing almost exclusively online, as the logistics involved in live play were really starting to grate on my cheapskate nerve. At first, this was fantastic! But soon, I was staying indoors for days on end, not leaving my house at all, not getting any sunshine or fresh air... It took a couple years, but I began to get sick, and it wouldn't go away- sick in my body and sick in my head. I went and saw a couple of doctors, and after some tests, they told me I was vitamin D deficient and just needed some sunshine and/or vitamins. This would help my mental state as well, they told me.

Well I took up R/C hobbies, as I had a friend who was just getting into it, and now I could afford to (I used to drool over R/C when I was young). Had lots of fun, got outdoors, felt better. Cars, then boats, then planes. Starting pricey, and getting increasingly spendy... Then R/C helicopters. Oh my. Costs went exponentially up here, due to the costs involved with crashing. I remember thinking, often, how I could fly it better if I just had some feedback through the sticks...

My Buddy Roger tore up his tires one day, so I stayed at the track with our cars while he went for parts. He came back with a kite, a Prism Snapshot 1.9. I made fun of him for probably an hour straight. He struggled with it for more than 2 hours that day (less than 4 mph wind). So Roger calls me up one day and says the wind is strong enough to fly this kite (it was 10 mph) and he can show me how to fly it. He tells me how I'm going to love this, as it will appeal to my athletic nature. I get down to the park and see this parachute looking thing flying for a couple seconds at a time. It looked BADASS when it was up! He shows me how to fly, and within a couple minutes I'm tearing up the park- low ground passes, crazy fast spins, I actually "whooped" out loud uncontrollably a couple times! I loved the feedback the Snapshot gives, and a connection to it that I could FEEL through the handles. I hadn't enjoyed myself like that in YEARS. I bought my own the next day. I basically quit my R/C hobby a year later, when I was introduced to the Revolution kite, again by Roger. Roger doesn't fly at all anymore, due to health concerns I was introduced to the kite community when I went online looking for a way to avoid snagging my lines on my handles and found the Rev forum

4 years later, I'm a daily flyer. I have a deep appreciation for kites and kiting. It has changed my life, and for the better. I have found my passion. I love the kite community too! I will always be flying some form of kite, not matter how far into the future you look me up! And I will always be seeking out others who do the same

[Hasek]

What a great thread this is and will continue to be I am betting! I believe there will be a lot of commonality between certain people's stories as well as unique aspects to each.... what a tremendous thing.

My kiting journey began in like '90 or '91. A close friend of mine had gotten into dualies and we were down at the park for him to fly and introduce me to flying. Phil handed me a Trilby (a small plastic sailed diamond kite dualie). He gave me the 411 on how to fly. I romped around for a bit with it while all the time wanting to check out his real kites. When he was confident I wouldn't immediately lawn dart his Team Hawaiian, he left me fly that beast! At some point during this time I unfortunaley bashed some guy in the face with the Hawaiian. He was okay thankfully.

A couple other flying times down at the park and we headed to our long gone now local kite shop. I picked up a Kite Company Crystal which I believe Wayne has familiarity with. Within a year or two I picked up a couple more dualies and had a crap ton of fun flying them. Then Phil busted out a Rev 1. He explained how quad is different from dualie in how to control it and gave me the handles. Phil was pretty amazed at my quick transition in being able to pick up on the difference between dualie and quad. Evidently it took him a bit to forget the dualie muscle memory while flying quad. Another trip to our kite store and I had my first Rev.... a Rev II, which I still have and even though I now have five Revs, the II is still my favorite to fly. I picked up a dualie or two since I got the II, but quad is my interest and has been since I got II.

Why do I fly kites?

Even though I have been flying for a lot of years, sadly I haven't flown a lot of hours in a long time. I made a decison this past fall to make sure I get out a lot more in the future. Interests/hobbies are a way for me to move my mind from reality to relaxation. I've had numerous interests throughout the years and kiting is relatively inexepensive compared to many other hobbies. I flew rc planes for a few years and as SkyPuppets mentioned above, it gets expensive. Model Railroading is also expensive; I still have and work on my layout, but it is an on and off venture. As already mentioned, kiting is relatively inexepensive. Lay out three to four Franklin's and you are good to go for years with care. An occasional spar replacement or new line set, not a huge problem in the grand scheme of things.

My reasons/enjoyment of flying has altered a bit throughout the years. Back in the early days it was just plain fun and relaxation. Now, standard work policies have changed my flying preparation and the availability of technique topics gives me things to work on (thanks JB!). Back then I'd "prepare" and just get lost in flying, clearing my mind of reality. Today and the past bunch of years, I can no longer "prepare" yet I also have goals to accomplish. I no longer just go out and fly around 100% with 100% enjoyment. Now I also work on specific skills and when that gets frustrating, I fly around. With that, for the last bunch of years I get the challenge and satisfaction in leaning new skills/techniques as well as secondary - flying about.

[Reef Runner]

More Wonderful Tales of Yesterday !

Please, everyone join us. Tell us what got you hooked !

How did this happen to you ?

Why do you fly kites ?

[mystainedskin]

I guess I missed the why I fly part. It started as yet another hobby.

Now I know it is way more. Physical,mental..etc. Not to mention the people and the environment when we all get together. Priceless.

[Reef Runner]

Okay, there's got to be many more great stories out there !

Come on, tell us what got you hooked !

How did this happen to you ?

Why do you fly kites ?

[SparkieRob]

3 Christmas' ago (just over 2 years) I took the kids across the road to fly "our" jellyfish kite. You know the type. Cheap, neon yellow but kids love them. Well I was working it up and down and the kids were having fun chasing it. FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES!!! Then the just walked off. That night I thought there has to be something better. A bit of googling led me to a "sport wing". That was intriguing. I click on the YouTube link and that takes me to the clip of the B2 release. I must of watched that clip about 10 times in a row. I had to have one. About 2 months after that I had a Lime & Blue EXP RTF package. Fast forward to now and there isn't a wind in Perth that I can't (or won't) fly in. Except for a cyclone, even then I'd bridle a frame and have a crack. I even have some dualies, a Rok and a glider.

So for 35 odd years my kiting history went from flying an SLK from a fishing rod to flying Revs and Dualies.

And Lovin' it!

[Reef Runner]

But what happened to the "Jellyfish" ?

[SparkieRob]

But what happened to the "Jellyfish" ?    

Still got him. My boy runs around with him at the park. With no fishing rod in sight!

[Reef Runner]

Ok, who's next..........somebody has got to have a good story about how they got into flying kites. Let's hear it

[RobB]

Who remembers the Bat kites with the bloodshot eyes ? Yeah, that was my first kite, in the 70s. Flew the wings off that one ! My first experience with 'real kites' was randomly walking into the Into the Wind store in Boulder in the mid-80s. I bought a Sun Oaks DC there, and something from their catalog just about every year since. I didn't get into controllable kites until around 2000, though, even though I had drooled after the excellent selection of them in the ITW catalog for years. Yeah, so it was all downhill from there...

[dragonfish]

Those Revs are really good at hooking people aren't they?

My story starts at Berkeley Kite Festival 2009 after a failed attempt to go to the festival the year before (involving work Saturday morning and a friend's car breaking down ). In 2009, I made it down to the festival with a group of friends, one of whom had a small Prism Snapshot and was teaching the rest of us how to fly it. Meanwhile, his friend had set up a Rev SLE, and eventually I got to learn how to fly that as well. Fast forward a few months, and I found myself still flying the Rev in my head while daydreaming. This is when I realized I had to get one for myself. I finally did early in 2010. At some point, I found out about Kitelife and the Rev forums. I found out about the Bay Area Sport Kite League and attended some of their clinics. I met other fliers at my usual flying spot (which lucky for me is a popular place for flying kites, and the same location the festival is held). For a few years, I just wanted to fly around and play, and I really only wanted to fly Revs. I went to some festivals as a spectator, sometimes flying a little, far away from the marked off fields or after the official end of the festival.

In late 2012 though, I picked up interest in competition, started flying a lot more seriously and frequently, joined the AKA, and really jumped into the kiting community. In 2013, I started competing with BASKL, flying individual and pairs multiline. I went to festivals as a kiteflier and started flying demos. I gained interest in other types of kites, including single line gliders and dualies, which I now also have and fly. Who knows what the future will bring.

[Reef Runner]

Sounds like you got hooked, pretty quick........great story !

[Reef Runner]

Okay, somebody else has got to have a great story to share..............

[SHBKF]

This is my story of my first serious kite. There is a good chance I'll be corrected on some of this. And I am reaching back through thirty years of memories too. In the eighties I walked into a little store called Kitty Hawk Kites to buy my first high dollar kite. In those days I was making $4.50 an hour in food service & did not have a big budget. After a bit of time the helpful sales guy saw me eyeing the two line stunt kites hanging from the ceiling. Not knowing much, Know Eye Deer, I asked many questions. But really I was shopping to a price point, less than a hundred bucks. I settled on a kite that was a bit smaller because it seemed like kites were sort of priced like pizzas, larger was more. The salesman said that I had picked out a three quarter sail, a 72" wide delta. The full sail was 96" wide & cost was over my budget. He said I should be able to fly it with no problems. I made the purchase of $79.99 plus tax & was no doubt beaming ear to ear. As I turned to leave he said, "You're going to need some lines too, aren't you?" My smile faded as I knew I was not trading down on the new kite & now was faced with more cost. My first encounter with the cost of quality lines stripped me of all available cash. Shanti Skybond Kevlar lines, a spare spool of line, Sky Claw handles & winder were what I bought. I overspent the budget by 50%, a trend that would continue to this day.

So what's this have to do with why I fly kites? The first day was monumental.

So we're at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, probably one of the best places in the world to fly a kite. We have a small pamphlet that tells how to fly our new kite. No one to advise us plus we were the do it your self people anyway. The beach was wide, the sand was soft & the wind was honkin along, at least twenty out of the North. I assessed it as a good day to fly the new kite & I was eager to get it in the air. Unwound the standard length 150' line set & had my wife hold the kite while I took hold of the handles. Launching from the ground was going to wait until I got in a flight or two. Ground stake, never heard of that either. So my wife bravely holds the kite & gives it an upward toss stepping back at the same time. Up I go about ten feet & 180 back into the sand, over & over. Hmmm, a bit trickier than I was expecting. Finally she says, "Maybe I can do it." Well she did on about the third try. To this day she claims she taught me how to fly kites. She flew around in the strong wind laughing & scudding down the beach. She figured out that flying to the side of the window reduced the pull & finally handed off the lines to me when the kite was up high. I was flying. After several, well many crashes, we had started to get the hang of it. We left some long furrows in the beach that day when we got used to the power of the 3/4 sail. I did not know I should have started on a lighter wind day. The kite survived & is still flown from time to time. Except now it's with a little tear in my eye. Kites can give you so much.

[Reef Runner]

Great story Ralph...........I'd have loved to seen that. Sounds like my first day - I thought (lots of) wind was good

[Reef Runner]

Somebody has got to have another great story, to share with us all.........

Come on ! How did you get hooked on flying kites ? We want to know !

[SparkieRob]

Thinking out loud here,

This could be a sub article on Kitelife. Introduce new and old flyers and give a little background on them/us....

[Reef Runner]

Yep, but I think it's just great to hear exactly how, so many different people, got involved with so many different kites. There must be a ton of stories out there, if people would only share them (or could find the time to write themt in). It can be simple, or it can be complex, but whatever the case, what a collection we could accumulate !

[makatakam]

I fly because I can.....doesn't everyone?

[Reef Runner]

I fly because I can.....doesn't everyone?

Oh come on Mark - details, details, details. Tell us how you got started It's got to be a good story !