General FAQ, Part 1 (of 2)
Anne Rock
Added a second WWW site (Section 2)
Added "The Aerial Eye" (Section 3) - kite aerial photography
Added IFOSK - International Friends of Small Kites (Section 3)
Added title, etc., for new book by Servaas van der Horst and Nop Velthuizen,
Stunt Kites II - New Designs, Buggies and Boats. (need review and $)
Updated information on flight simulator (Section 6)
Added pointer to archive collection of names of stunts (Q21) (Section 10)
Added Q23: telephone numbers for some mail order retailers (Section 10)
(others you think should be added, esp UK?)
Revised description of tyvek (Section 11)
And a few corrections and deletions.
****** * * * * * * * * *******
This is Part 1 (of 2) of the rec.kites General FAQ.
Section 0: Introduction, Acknowledgements, and Netiquette
A. Introduction
This is the general FAQ for rec.kites. It has two parts:
Part 1
0. Introduction, Acknowledgements, and Netiquette
1. rec.kites FAQs
2. Archives, Gateway/Mailing List, Mirrors, WWW sites
3. Organizations
4. Magazines
5. Books and Videos; AKA Publications
6. Flight Simulator software
7. Newsletters available on rec.kites
8. Kitemaking Workshops
9. rec.kites Charter
Part 2
10. Questions and Answers; Glossary
11. Materials
12. Equipment
13. Bridling
14. Safety
Comments, corrections, and contributions are welcomed. Send to
Anne Rock (ro...@netcom.com).
Last revised 11 July 1994.
B. Acknowledgements
The history of the general FAQ is undocumented, but the names
Mike Connell, Mike Barrett, Evan Splett, and Marty Sasaki have
been linked with it.
Thanks to:
Ken Ritchie for creating rec.kites and writing the charter;
Marty Sasaki for starting and maintaining the gateway and
mailing list;
Kevin Mayeshiro for maintaining the archives;
All the kite flyers who contribute to rec.kites.
C. Netiquette
1. Read news.announce.newusers articles if you're new to net news.
2. Read all available articles before posting a follow-up.
3. Many systems do not wrap lines. Keep line length to less than
80 characters and hit a carriage return at the end of each line.
4. Tips to ensure the most readers of your articles:
a. Use descriptive and concise "Subject:" lines.
b. If you branch off from the original topic of a thread,
change the "Subject:" line.
c. Include only relevant lines from previous articles;
remove headers and signatures.
d. Put a return address in the body of your message. The
gateway removes mail addresses, which prevents
some readers from knowing how to contact you directly.
If you also add your location (city, state/province), you
might meet nearby rec.kiters.
e. Use 'world' distribution to ensure that everyone gets
your article (some distributions may not include Harvard,
location of the gateway, thus limiting distribution).
Section 1: rec.kites FAQs
There are 4 FAQs for rec.kites; the last posted version of each is
available from the rec.kites archive (see Section 2).
A. General FAQ: what you are reading.
B. Address FAQ (Kite Dealers/Organizations/Clubs).
1. Kite Stores (listed by country)
2. Mail Order Companies
3. American Kitefliers Association Member Merchants (worldwide)
4. Kitemaker's Supplies (new section, Sept. 1993)
5. Kite Clubs and Organizations
Maintained by Dan Rubesh (win...@rain.org or da...@crash.cts.com).
Corrections and additions may be posted to rec.kites; Dan requests
that if you post to rec.kites you also email the information to him.
He is willing to provide area-specific listings and can usually reply
to queries within 1-2 days.
C. Kite Reviews. Andrew Beattie (and...@tug.com) has assumed ownership
of this FAQ.
1. "What kite do I buy to learn on?"
2. Explanation of symbols used in Section 3
3. Reviews and comments about many stunt kites
4. Beaufort Scale
D. Kite Plans. Compiled by Esben Collstrup, who is currently off-line,
and posted by Simo Salanne (sal...@csc.fi).
1. Stunt kite plans published in magazines
2. Books (with comments)
a. Stunt kite plans only
b. Primarily single-line with a few stunt kite plans
3. Plans for individual kites (available for purchase)
4. Kits for stunt kites (available for purchase)
Section 2: Archives, Gateway/Mailing List, and Mirrors
A. Archives are located at ftp.hawaii.edu and available via anonymous
ftp. To send material directly to the archives, use the address
ki...@ftp.hawaii.edu. Archive maintenance is usually done once a week,
so it may be several days before GIFs, etc., are available.
Kevin Mayeshiro (ke...@hawaii.edu) maintains the archives.
Path for archives is pub/rec/kites.
To send pictures: uuencode and send to ki...@ftp.hawaii.edu.
See Section C for instructions on accessing the archives via email.
File extensions you may find in the archive:
.Z Basic Unix compression
.gz GNU utility, compressed
.ps postscript
.jpg image file; use binary mode to ftp
.gif image file; use binary mode to ftp
B. rec.kites is available to people who do not have USENET access but
can receive email. Marty Sasaki (sas...@netop3.harvard.edu) maintains a
mailing list and a gateway; people on the mailing list receive rec.kites as
email and can email articles back to rec.kites through this gateway.
Mailing list requests and inquiries should be sent to
"kites-...@das.harvard.edu."
Send mail to "ki...@das.harvard.edu" to post to rec.kites.
C. Archive (ftp) access via email
Edward C. Sarlls, III (sar...@wg2.waii.com) wrote:
Send the message "help" to ftp...@decwrl.dec.com (no subject)
for information.
I used this to access the kites area of ftp.hawaii.edu via mail.
For example, I sent the following message to ftp...@decwrl.dec.com:
reply sar...@wg2.waii.com
connect ftp.hawaii.edu
chdir pub/rec/kites/faq
dir
I got the following response:
total 125
-rw-r--r-- 1 kite ftp 39059 May 1 20:10 faq.address
-rw-r--r-- 1 kite ftp 18553 Apr 17 11:14 faq.general
-rw-r--r-- 1 kite ftp 18529 May 20 10:09 faq.kite-plans
-rw-r--r-- 1 kite ftp 44745 Apr 15 03:30 faq.kite-reviews
-rw-r--r-- 1 kite ftp 3510 May 20 10:06 how.to.contribute
D. Mirrors
There are two archive mirrors:
ftp.uni-bremen.de
ftp.funet.fi
Services available from ftp.uni-bremen.de:
1. ftp-by-Mail
Usage:
Send e-mail to 'mai...@ftp.uni-bremen.de'
with a 'Subject:'-line containing the word 'help.'
The system will answer with a detailed usage text.
Important Note:
If your e-mail access is based on modem-driven networks,
please make sure that you're allowed to contact a mail-
server like this one.
Improper requests result in network breakdowns.
2. HTML-based system for interactive event announcements.
To use this service interactively you need on-line Internet access
and an HTML-client like NCSA's Mosaic 2.0. Connect to
'http://ftp.uni-bremen.de/' (Port 80)
and follow the 'kites' links.
By starting the 'Add an Event' link you get a fill-in form that
requests the event's name, beginning and ending dates, a
description, and a contact address. If you press the 'Send' button at
the end of the form, your data will immediately be inserted into the
on-line list. (An ascii-version is also created in the kites-section
of our local ftp-server: /pub/kites/local/events.asc.gz).
When accessing the on-line list you get a brief list of all events
currently inserted. By clicking on an event's name the description
and address will be sent.
Send comments to Sven Hapke (s...@pc-labor.uni-bremen.de)
E. WWW sites
There are two WWW sites:
1. A World Wide Web site devoted to kiting can be located at the
following URL: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/Glenn/KiteSite/Kites.html
The site can be accessed by WWW client programs such as Mosaic.
The kite site contains a large collection of images of single,
dual, quadline kites and also buggies. In addition there are links
to the major FTP archives and an assortment of newsletters.
Jason Hellwege
Melbourne University, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
J.Hel...@latrobe.edu.au
2. A second URL is: http://www.ensta.fr/~germond/kites.html
or http://www.ensta.fr/~germond/kites (link to the previous one)
The main goals are, at the moment :
* to provide a list of all other web resources dealing with kites
* to provide a list of events as large as possible
Emmanuel Germond
ger...@ensta.fr
Section 3: Organizations
This section is a small subset of organizations in the Address
FAQ; those listed here are top level organizations in a country,
activity-specific groups, etc.
American Kitefliers Association:
American Kitefliers Association
1559 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852-1651 USA
(800) AKA-2550
Membership benefits include 6 issues per year of the journal
_Kiting_, a 10% discount from AKA Member Merchants (see
Address FAQ), an annual convention (stunt, fighter, and single-line
kite competitions, workshops, business meeting), membership
directory, personal liability insurance for members when they are
in the United States.
The AKA has a computerized and interactive telephone information
line, the AKA Automated Information System (408-SEE-4-AKA).
The system has information on AKA and how to join, insurance, and
convention locations, as well as stunt kite conference standings.
Membership fees (US dollars only):
Individual: $20 /year
Additional Family, per person: $4/year
1st class mail U.S.: $8/year
Canada and Mexico, add: $8/year
Overseas surface mail: $10/year
Overseas air mail: $25/year
1, 2, and 3-year memberships available, with a savings on multiple
year memberships. Mastercard and Visa accepted.
The Aerial Eye
A quarterly newsletter devoted to kite aerial photography. Available
to members of AKA (see address above or email kyt...@aol.com, Brooks
Leffler). First issue scheduled for 1994.
The Kite Society of Great Britain
The Kite Society of Great Britain
P.O. BOX 2274,
Gt Horkesley,
Colchester,
Essex CO6 4AY
Membership in the Kite Society of Great Britain brings you four
issues of _THE KITEFLIER_ plus other occasional mailings. Each
member receives a membership card entitling them to free entry
to most kite UK festivals and a discount ranging from 5% to 15%
on kite purchases from the majority of kite retailers in the UK.
Cost !8.00 per year Individual
!9.00 Family in same household
!6.00 O.A.P.
!9.00 Overseas surface mail
!12.50 Overseas air mail
Belgian Kite Association:
le Nouveau Cervoliste Belge
c/o Jacques Durieux
rue de la Houssiere 45
B-1435 Hevillers
telephone (from Belgium) 010/656200
Membership is 1000 Bef. (approx US$30) for 6 issues of the
newsletter (includes plans, dates of events, news, tips ...)
(available in French or Dutch); insurance, which covers Belgians
everywhere, non-Belgians when they fly in Belgium; and a discount
card for Belgian shops.
Kite Aerial Photography Worldwide Foundation
Michel Dusariez
14, avenue Capitaine Piret
1150 Brussels, Belgium
fax: 32 2 512 68 29 (add country code)
KAPWA has reorganized as a foundation as of January 1994, and
is no longer publishing the quarterly _News and Technique_. Leaflets
will be mailed to the disenfranchised members explaining the purpose
of the foundation.
Back issues may be available--contact Michel Dusariez.
STACK (Sport Team And Competitive Kiting)
STACK Contacts (updated May 1993)
Membership Secretary:
Patrick Bonneau +44-795-474819
1 Terrace Road fax +44-795-474819
Sittingbourne
Kent ME10 4SF
England
See the Address FAQ for country contacts.
Kite Builders International (KBI)
5555 Hamilton Boulevard
Wescosville, PA 18106
Telephone/fax (215) 395-3560
Publishers of a new (1993) quarterly journal for kitemakers,
featuring instructions and tips on making stunt and single-line kites
as well as general articles such as making a light table, designing
high performance ultra light stunt kites, geometry review. Written
by members and staff.
KBI has also produced a video for beginning kitemakers; see Book
and Video section.
Kite Builders Studio (at the same address) sells kitemaking
supplies.
Annual membership $20 for 4 issues
The Kitemakers Connection
923 Stanley
Ardmore, OK 73401
Telephone (405) 226-0285
The Kitemakers Connection's goals are to provide
kitemakers/artists with information on shows and exhibits and how to
get kites accepted into shows; to stress importance of originality
in design; to start a slide collection that will be used to promote
art kites; to share techniques, resources, ideas through a quarterly
newsletter; to find sponsors for scholarships to enable kitemakers
to travel to festivals and workshops; to promote kiting as an art
form; to develop goodwill between kitemakers worldwide.
Founded by Janene Evards in 1993.
$15.00 per year.
IFOSK - International Friends of Small Kites
IFOSK is a club in formation now, a loose "company" of those in
different countries of the world, who like to make, fly, collect
or just read about small kites.
IFOSK tries to hold contact between members by issuing a simple
newsletter with drawings, diagrams, photos, etc.
The language of IFOSK is English, but IFOSK will promote translation
in and from other languages.
Join the IFOSK by sending a homemade small kite to:
Harm van Veen
J. Rontganstr. 2
2551 KT the Hague
NETHERLANDS
or by sending 4 international reply coupons to the same address.
Every member will receive 4 newsletters and is expected to send
contributions for subsequent newsletters.
Cofounder is Charles A. Sotich of Chicago, Illinois, USA.
(from the first issue)
Section 4: Magazines
This section lists magazines published independently of organizations
and clubs. Most of the magazines include a calendar of events.
Kite Lines, Quarterly Journal of the Worldwide Kite Community (English)
P.O. Box 466
Randallstown, MD 21133-0466 USA
(410) 922-1212, fax (410) 922-4262
$14.00/4 issues for U.S. and possessions; $18.00 (air) elsewhere
American Kite (English)
P.O. Box 699
Cedar Ridge, CA 95924-9984 USA
Telephone (916) 273-3855, fax (916) 273-3319
$14.00/4 issues for U.S. and possessions; $24.00 elsewhere.
Drachen (German, with occasional bits in English)
Fruchtallee 13
D-20259 Hamburg 20
Germany
Telephone 040-439 56 67, fax 040-439 53 77, email r...@wi.maus.de
DM 32.00/4 issues
U.S. subscriptions available through American Kite (see above),
$20/4 issues.
Sport & Design Drachen (German)
Fremersbergstr. 1
Postfach 11 28
7570 Baden-Baden
Germany
Telephone 07221/21 07-0, fax 07221/2107-52
DM 36.00/4 issues (Germany)
Vlieger (Dutch)
Postbus 53505
2505 AM Den Haag
The Netherlands
Hfl 17.50 for 6 issues (all subscriptions run January - December);
foreign subscriptions Hfl 25 (moneyorder), Hfl 17.50 for Belgium
and Luxemborg. Additional Hfl 11 for Eurochecks.
Section 5: Books and Videos; AKA Publications
A. Books and Videos
Andrew, Hugh J.G. S.F. Cody's War Kites. !9.99 (approx US$20)
If you're thinking of making a Cody kite, get this book. A few
pages of history and background, but the bulk of the book is a 23-step
set of instructions with many detailed illustrations.
Not yet available from Kite Lines; try Bristol Kitestore, 1B Pitville
Place, Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6JY England. tel (0272) 745010.
Cottrell, Mark. The Kite Store Book of Kites. 1988. $13.95
No ISBN. The Kite Store Ltd.
From the preface: ". . . if you feel like making a few of my stranger
kites (some are quick to build, others can take weeks) most of
which fly quite well and reading about my thoughts on certain
types of kite design this book may be of interest to you."
Plans for double and triple sleds, swept wing box kite, 2 ramfoils,
keeled hexagon, multi-jib, Flaix family of kites, Whole World Kite,
Cross Tail box, mega multiflare. Plans are not overly detailed.
Also a chapter covering rules for flight, designing swept wings and
deltas, lift capabilities and line strength, and altitude (height
records, determining height).
Book also includes diskette with 5 BASIC programs; listings for
4 programs in the book (evaluate side and lift area of flaix type
kites; evaluate minimum size of kite to lift a given load in stated
wind; estimate maximum height attainable by single kite system;
evaluate size and shape of keel for swept wing designs).
*Cottrell, Mark. Swept Wing Stunt Kites. $11.95
Whether you build stunt kites or not this makes you understand
the anatomy of a stunter. Plans for LiteFlite kites.
Cottrell, Mark. Kite Aerial Photography. 1987. $10.95
No ISBN. The Kite Store Ltd.
Discusses suspension systems, cameras, cradle, and remote control
systems and provides plans (not detailed) for several lifting kites:
parafoil, delta, Peter Lynn Tri-D.
A good overview, but some information, such as camera choices, is
out-of-date. Author had been doing kite aerial photography for 9
years at time of publication.
*Eden, Maxwell. Kiteworks. $14.95
ISBN 0-8069-6712-9 (hardcover, there is a paperback version now)
A collection of kite plans (98% single-line) from many kitemakers.
There are a number of errors: think the project through first. Not
recommended for the first kitemaking book, but it does show many
different approaches to kitemaking with many detailed illustrations.
Gallot, Philippe. Fighter Kites. $12.95
ISBN 0-312-03964-6
Plans and instructions for 29 fighter kites. Use the metric
measurements.
*Gomberg, David, editor. Stunt Kites! $8.95
A basic flight manual for dual-line kites. 4th edition 1993.
Gomberg, David. The Fighter Kite Book! A Complete Flight Manual for
Single Line Maneuverable Kites. $8.95
Greger, Margaret. Kites for Everyone. 1984. $12.95
Library of Congress # 84-90383
Plans for about 48 kites (Vietnamese and snake, Dutch and dragon,
sled, bullet, square, eddy, delta, box, corner and facet, flowform)
and tails, bags, and drogues. Instructions written for various
papers, plastics, or ripstop. Chapter on classroom kites.
Greger, Margaret. More Kites for Everyone. 1990. $9.95
ISBN 0-9613680-1-4
Plans for about 17 kites (sled, delta, eddy, facet, Peter Lynn Tri-D,
delta-conyne, Goble starbox, others). Materials called for are
various papers, plastics (tips on heat sealing plastic), ripstop.
Chapters on kites in the classroom and at camp (Margaret has been
teaching kitemaking for over 15 years).
both are self-published (and available from many kite retailers)
Margaret Greger, 1425 Marshall,
Richland, WA 99352 USA
Margaret Greger's books are the ones recommended for beginning
(to expert) single-line kitemakers. "More Kites for Everyone" is
newer, has more current background information.
Gross, Dodd. Flight School Video. DJ Sport Kites ( 1-800-296-KITE ).
Dodd's instructional video was actually pretty good in that it starts
with the very basics and gets into tricks like the 'axel' by the end.
My only complaint is that he describes how to execute a maneuver while
holding a kite indoors, then shows a kite doing the maneuver outdoors.
Sometimes you see his hand and arm movements, sometimes not. Also, his
axel technique seems to be different from what I saw on the West Coast,
though his axel launch and coin flip look real nice on the tape. All in
all, a video like this should help new flyers and others who want to
know how to do new tricks.
Mark Virgilio (uspe...@ibmmail.COM)
Dodd is a real rare individual. Aside from his obvious competitive
talent, Dodd is an accomplished instructor.
Dodd's new Flight School video tape ... includes an introduction to
Roller Kiting, Buggying, and Indoor flying in addition to dual-line
flying tips, tricks and techniques.
For those of you who read some of these posts, regarding buggying,
axles and coin tosses, and have no idea about what we're talking
about, ... call and order this video.
If you've already seen these tricks, or have been flying for some
time, now is the chance to improve your skills. If you're new to the
competition circuit, this tape will give you the edge you need.
If you're a casual weekend flier, you'll have some new stuff to show
your friends. And if nothing else, you might get to see some really
cool flying demos.
Jason Benedict (jben...@law.fordham.edu)
Hart, Clive. Kites - an Historical Survey. 1967. $14.95
ISBN 0-911858-38-5 (paperback)
The best general history of kites (in English).
Hosking, Wayne. Kites To Touch the Sky: A Guide to Making and Flying
Plastic Kites. 1993. $9.95. No ISBN.
Detailed plans for 32 kites, ranging from sleds to eddy to seven
sisters to boxes, tretrahedral, and facet. Introductory chapters
covering terms, components of kites, how to fly, and working with
plastic.
Ito, Dr. Toshio and Hirotsugu Komura. Kites - The Science and the
Wonder.
1983. $11.95 ISBN 0-87040-526-8
The authors "applied scientific theory and scientific technology to
the study of kites, their manufacture and operation." Chapters on
Aerodynamics - Kite Stability; Aerodynamics - Kite Dynamics; Kite
Making Materials; Development of the Basic "Original" Kite;
Various Basic "Original" Kites. Translated from Japanese.
Kite Builders International Workshop Video #1 - Beginning kitemaking.
60 minutes. $23.00
Discusses properties of different fabrics, how to prepare fabric,
cutting, basic hems, different seams, leading edge construction,
pockets and sleeves. Applique covered briefly (video #2 will
focus on applique). (Address listed in Organization section.)
Lynn, Peter. Buggies, Boats & Peels. $6.95 or in the archives
(pub/rec/kites/info/buggies.boats.peels) (thanks to Andrew Beattie).
History, theory, how to start buggying, etc., and information on
Peter Lynn Peel kites. For traction enthusiasts.
*Moulton, Ron and Pat Lloyd. Kites: A Practical Handbook. 1992. $27.95
ISBN 1-85486-050-X
Good introduction to kite aerial photography and the best section
around on parachuting fauna. Also chapters on making kites; lines,
bridles, knots, and reels; rokkaku fighting; dual and quadline kites,
with plans for 9 kites; plans for 11 single-line kites, plus a few
others scattered throughout the book. A general broad introduction
to the world of kites today.
*Pelham, David. The Penguin Book of Kites. 1976. $12.95
An excellent reference, often called the "bible" of kiteflying.
Good section on history, with many photos. Construction, including
fastenings, joints and frame materials, cover material, knots, reels,
and line (some information not current). Flying/aerodynamics,
including lift and stability; bridles, keels, and rudders; tails and
drogues; location; launching, control, and landing; wind conditions;
rating a kite; measuring altitude. Kite patterns: over 100 plans,
which are scaled drawings, not detailed instructions.
The Prism Guide - Prism Design. $8.00
Included with each Prism kite, available separately from Prism
dealers. Considered a little more advanced than Gomberg's book;
a very small amount relates only to Prism kites.
Reich, Ron. Kite Precision: Your Comprehensive Guide for Flying
Controllable Kites. 1994. Tutor Text, P.O. Box 1605,
Ramona, CA 92065-0895. ISBN: 0-9639010-2-8
First the disclaimer: I consider Ron a friend (he considers me a
friend, we've conversed both in person and via email . . .). He has
helped me and my team on numerous occasions.
The short review: Buy the book. It is full of solid descriptions and
good photographs and drawings. When you buy it, tell them that I
sent you.
The long(er) review:
The book begins with detailed descriptions of setting up a kite,
posture, safety, and basic flying. The description of the different
types of turns and speed control then follow. In my opinion, these
two chapters are worth the price of the book.
There are sections that describe in detail several tricks and utility
moves, including leading edge and nose down launches. Sections
on dog-stake flying and multiple kite flying are also clear and easy
to understand.
There are sections that talk about the Flexifoil and Revolution kites.
I especially like the team flying sections and the discussion of some
of the stunts. One part titled, "Flying the Space," will be required
reading for Storm Front members.
There are 3 complete ballet routines (an individual, a pairs, and a
4-person team).
The many photographs and drawings really help with showing how
things are done. The text is clear and would be useful even without
the graphics.
There are a few things missing: I would have liked to see a
discussion about the speed of doing moves, i.e., snapping turns
can be radically different than easing turns. The excellent
discussion about geometry and team flying that rec.kites readers
saw is missing from the book.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in flying dual
line delta stunt kites. It will open the eyes of novices. More
experienced flyers will benefit from the philosophy and way of
thinking about flying.
Marty Sasaki (sas...@noc.harvard.edu) March 1994
Rieleit, Peter. Leistungsstarke Lenkdrachen zum Nachbauen. (Efficient Stunt
Kites to Build) Ravensburger Verlag, 29.80 DM. ISBN 3-473- 42286-X
96 pages, lots of color pictures and photos
This is the first book by Peter Rieleit. Peter owns a kite shop in
Duesseldorf, Germany, and seems to be well known at least in this
area. His book is called "Leistungsstarke Lenkdrachen zum Nachbauen"
(Efficient Stunt Kites to Build). The book contains plans for seven
stunt kites, three stunt parafoils and three so-called sculpture soft
kites. You also find the usual chapters on kite material, working
techniques and some words about flying and landing stunt kites.
The plans are all accompanied by lots of color pictures and some
drawings.
As usual, I cannot say much on the stunt kites in the book. They are
all based on the same outline. The only thing that differs is the
aspect ratio (width/height) and the size. They all have two spreaders
and no-stand offs. The plans are detailed and seem to contain all
the important information that is needed to build the kites.
In the second part of the book Peter introduces a new kind of soft
stunt kites. The new thing with this sort of parafoil is the profile
and the bridle. Peter proposes a self-stabilising profile which
results in the fact that you only need one point at the profile where
you attach the bridle line. Contrary to earlier parafoils or the
paraflex from Wolfgang Schimmelpfennig, Peter's profiles are flat
on the top and curved on the lower part of the profile. In addition to
the profiles that go from the leading til the trailing edge, Peter
uses one or two short (approx. 20cm long) profiles between the long
ones to stabilize the most efficient forward part of the profile. The
first plan of a soft kite is accompanied by 22 (!) color pictures that
show how to cut and sew the profiles together. The only thing that
could have been done better in this part is that he uses the same
white ripstop for profile, lower and upper panel of the parafoil. It
is therefore sometimes very difficult to see on the pictures what he
is really doing. The other two plans are mostly a variation of the
first one with respect to size.
The last part of the book deals with so-called sculpture soft kites.
Peter has built some really exciting soft kites, comparable only to
the octopus of Peter Lynn or "Jake the Snake" of Wolfgang
Schimmelpfennig. One kite, the super-fly, is a big eye catcher in
any case just because of its size: four wings (3m x 2m), two on each
side of the 15m long tail!! The other two plans describe how to build
a banana and a pteranodon. All sculpture kites are based on the
parafoil principle and are planned as stunt kites. Funny thing about
the super-fly plan: Peter mentions in the plan that 48m ripstop in
different colors are needed for it. As I wanted to build this kite, I
recalculated the ripstop and finally ended up with at least 65m
(15m tail not included)! Peter also mentions in some introductory
sentences to this chapter that only experienced kite builders should
try to build these kites, especially as not all dimensions and
measures are given in the plan.
I can very much recommend this book. The section about the ordinary
stunt kites does not contain very much that is new, but the two
chapters that deal with soft kites and sculpture kites make this book
an absolute "must have!" The many excellent photos in the book make
it also useful for those who do not understand German. And if there
are enough requests for an English version, perhaps Peter will produce
one?
(review by Bernhard Malle, November 1993)
*Rowlands, Jim. The Big Book Of Kites. 1988. $12.95
ISBN 0-312-02047-3
Plans for plane-surface kites (roller, flare, others); 9 deltas;
7 corner kites; facet kites; 2 stunters (a diamond and a delta)
plus a train of diamonds; 4 sleds; 2 parafoils, Sutton flowform;
rotor kites; tails. Most plans are written for ripstop nylon, others
for tyvek, plastic, mylar, or paper.
Rowlands, Jim. One-Hour Kites. 1989. $12.95
ISBN 0-312-03218-8
Paperfold kites, sleds, deltas, flexible kites, bowed kites, box/
3-dimensional kites, stunters. The instructions are written for
tyvek, paper, sheet plastic, mylar, etc., little or no sewing (tape
is the primary fastener). Chapter on decoration.
Rowlands, Jim. Soft Kites & Windsocks. 1992. $14.95
ISBN 0-312-08986-X
Sleds, parafoils, flowforms (Rowlands/high aspect), inflatable
kites, windsocks, drogues. Introductory chapters on materials,
different seams, construction.
Schertel, Christine (text, plans, drawings). Skywork Experience II.
Bernhard Maas (illustrations). 52 pages, 19.80 DM
self-published by skywork-agency, 20144 Hamburg
This is the second book from Christine Schertel. The first was
completely devoted to stunt kites, with plans for a speed revolution
for example. The new one contains plans for 9 stunt kites and three
single-liners.
Stunt kite plans are arrow, elegance, nodronte, flitz jr.,
wolkenstuermer 101, hunter, lite flite s, bombus, stunt starte
Single-line kites are hargrave box kite, revolver, and cody.
The speciality of both Schertel books is that they do not contain a
single photo, but that each kite is drawn as an aquarelle by the
well-known German photographer Bernhard Maas. Another speciality
is that it is one of the rare books where you will not find the 500th
introduction to sewing techniques and other introductory general stuff.
I am not a stunt kite expert as Esben, so I cannot classify the
different kites (most of them are said to come from German designers).
The plans and drawings are quite good; I have not tried any plans yet,
but it is also said in the introduction of the book that not every
single step is shown. Nevertheless I think the instructions are quite
clear.
Something that I am missing in the book are a few words about each
kite, for example about the history (no explanation of the cody!!!),
flying characteristics or tips for the adjustment of the bridle.
As someone said earlier in rec.kites, the book should be available
from the Kite Lines bookstore...
(Review by Bernhard Malle, November 1993)
*Schimmelpfennig, Wolfgang. Lenkdrachen Bauen und Fliegen (Making &
Flying Stunt Kites). $13.95 (German text). ISBN 3-8068-1011-7
Plans for 4 deltas, 3 diamonds, and the Paraflex (a foil). Good
details.
Schimmelpfennig, Wolfgang. Drachen bauen und steigen lassen (Making
and Flying Kites). ISBN 3-8068-0767-1
Falken Verlag, Germany, 19.80 DM
79 pages, lots of color pictures, drawings and photos
This is the second book by Wolfgang Schimmelpfennig. It is called
"Making and Flying kites" and was published for the first time in
1987. There exists a new edition since 1991. Wolfgang is well- known
in Germany, and I think also in the world-wide kite-community. He is
one of the organizers of the "International Kite Flyers Meeting" in
Fano. He has also published some other books on a) stunt kites, b)
kites for children, c) a book mainly with wonderful photos from kites
all over the world with many kite developers and d) since November
1993 a new book on single-line kites and stunt kites.
This book mainly deals with single-line kites. It is divided into 4
chapters about the history of kites and kite building, materials, plans
of kites and some tips on why kites fly. You will find plans for 19
kites and kite trains.
The chapter about the kite history starts with kites from China,
Japan, Thailand, Korea, and Bali. Wolfgang then mentions among others
Bell and Cody and finishes the chapter with some remarks about F.
Rogallo. The chapter about material and sewing techniques covers the
usual techniques about ripstop, bamboo, carbon and wood spars, knots.
You will also find remarks about sewing and painting of tyvek.
In the plan chapter, there are plans for single-line kites: eddy, eddy-
train, hexagonal-kites, train of hexagonal-kites, delta, flare, flare-
train, multi-flare , nagasaki hata, indian fighter kite, sanjo rokkaku,
janggaan, wau bulan, parafoil, spinning windsock, conyne-type delta
and snowflake. The book also contains plans for a peter powell and a
stunt kite called vector. The plans are detailed enough to be able to
build all the kites.
In the last pages of the book Wolfgang explains why kites fly and how
one can increase the stability of kites. The book is finished with some
information about stunt kite flying, on how to make pictures of kites
and safety of kites in general.
As a conclusion I can very much recommend the book. This was the
first book on kites that I bought and I have built the snowflake,
spinning windsock, the delta and a sanjo rokkaku from the plans with
no difficulties. If you are a more experienced kite builder, you might
be looking for a some more complicated or modern kites, but this book
is perfectly suited for beginners.
(Review by Bernhard Malle, December 1993)
(This book may be out-of-print)
Schimmelpfennig, Wolfgang. Neue Lenkdrachen und Einleiner (New Stunt
Kites and Single Liners). Text in German.
Falken Verlag, 24.80 DM. ISBN 3-8068-1353-1
80 pages, lots of color photos and drawings
Since a few weeks, there is a new book from Wolfgang Schimmelpfennig
available called "Neue Lenkdrachen und Einleiner" (New Stunt Kites
and Single Liners). Wolfgang has already published one book on stunt
kites, one about single-line kites and one about making kites with
kids (all of them available via the Kite Lines bookstore).
In his new book you can find plans for six stunt kites (Solar Fire,
Bel Air, Relax II, Scanner, Heavy Duty and Paradox) and three
single-line kites (Samurai, Starflake and Starbird). The book resembles
very much his other books: there is an introduction, a chapter about
how to be creative with colors and forms when building kites, one
chapter about materials and techniques. The book contains a lot of
nice color pictures, but the names of the creators and kite builders
(Peter Lynn, George Peters, Peter Malinski or Schimmelpfennig himself)
are very rarely given.
The plans themselves seem to be as detailed and good as in all the
other books by Wolfgang. As I am not an expert of stunt kites I
cannot say much about the different kites. Nevertheless I have the
impression that most of them are already well known and not really new.
As Wolfgang never mentions any inventor or original designer of the
kites, I get the impression that he has invented them all by himself...
There is one kite that is a little bit extraordinary: the paradox is a
quadline kite. It is built like a box-kite and consists of seven
panels. Wolfgang mentions in his description that the kite can also be
used as single-line kite if you add a tail to it. It seems that
Wolfgang thinks that everyone knows which handles to use for a
quadliner, which length of kite line and which flying technique.
The chapter about the single line kites is introduced with a
two-page picture of Wolfgang's soft-kites "Big Boss" and "Jake the
Snake," two stunt kites. The Samurai is based on an ordinary genki,
but a little bit modified to better fit the design of a samurai. The
Starflake is kind of facet kite and if I remember right, I have seen
the same design also in a book of Jim Rowlands or Margaret Gregor.
The last plan in this book describes the Starbird. This kite is a
combination of flat star kite and an Eddy in the lower part of the
kite.
The book ends with some very general tips about tuning a kite and
some safety rules.
As a conclusion I am disappointed by the book. There have been so
many advances in kite design in the last years and I have the
impression that none of them are reflected in this book. Wolfgang, who
has developed "Jake the Snake" (softkite), a new paraflex (soft stunt
kite), who seems to be a good friend of Peter Lynn and other well
known kite builders, could have put some more effort in finding new
and interesting designs.
(Review by Bernhard Malle, November 1993)
Smith, H.D. "Skip". The Illustrated Guide to Aerodynamics. 1992. $18.95.
ISBN 0-8306-3901-2
Marty Sasaki wrote:
A reader of rec.kites who understands aerodynamics recommended
[this book]. The first few chapters provide a great deal of insight
into how things work. There are also chapters on control and stability.
Reading the book caused several light bulbs to go on above my head.
I've got some serious experimenting to do...
Synergy, Richard P. Stunt Kite Basics: Making All the Right Moves. 1993.
$15.95. 142 pages.
Dave and Sherrie Arnold wrote a review of this book for the
Summer- Fall 1993 issue of Kite Lines, and the book sounds like a
very good choice for novice to intermediate stunt kite flyers,
especially those interested in precision flying and competitions.
Covers safety and courtesy; line selection and care; bridling;
descriptions of precision figures; precision flying and competitions.
Thomas, Carol. Kite Crazy. $29.95
ISBN -
History, theory, construction of four kites: a kiskadee, a rokkaku,
a dual-line and a quad-line stunt kite.
Kite Crazy video - SOMA Film and Video. $29.95
Demonstrates construction of the kites covered in the book.
*van der Horst, Servaas and Nop Velthuizen. Stunt Kites to Make & Fly.
$21.95. ISBN 90-6868-052-8
THOTH Publishers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 96 pages, lots of
color photos and drawings and some really nice cartoons
This is the English translation of a completely rewritten and vastly
extended version of 'Stunt Special' from the Dutch magazine Vlieger
(Kite), as it appeared in April 1989. At least Nop is well known as
one of the people from the shop Vlieger Op in Den Haag and as "crazy"
buggy pilot.
The book is completely devoted to stunt kites. It is divided into 3
sections, "contents," "construction plans," and "appendices." It
contains plans for 9 stunt kites: shuttle (a variant of the well known
Ace), speed wing (a copy of a German kite), team-light (a
featherweight variant of the hawaiian), standard-200 (sort of spin-
off), kwat (a quadliner with the shape of two combined hexagons),
speedfoil (an extremely fast cousin of the English flexifoil), sputnik
1 and 2 (enhanced versions of the paraflex, a sparless German kite),
gizmo/cicada (two Dutch variants of a modern French design "Big
Brother") and dykehopper (in the text the authors admit that "if you
really think that you have mastered the art of building stunt kites,
then this is your test case"..(whatever Nop will say with this....).
The first section deals (like any other kite book) with the history of
kites, kite material, lines, different types of kites and some basic
sewing techniques. Different from some other books, Servaas and Nop
also explain different bridle adjustments, grips, control bars and
harnesses. If you are new to quadliners, you even find some good
information about steering this beasts. Some pages about team flying,
training and figures lead to the presentation of the plans in the book.
Additionally to a lot of comprehensive pictures, you find also some
really nice cartoons in this chapter.
The plans for the kites seem also to be comprehensive and clear. I am
just building a speed wing, and there are absolutely no problems with
the instructions. As already explained, there are plans for 9 different
kites. Only the speedfoil, the Gizmo/Cicada, Sputnik and the
dykehopper seem to be new designs. What is missing at some places
are references or hints to the original inventors of the "old" designs.
In the appendice there are additional instructions on how to build a
kite sack, a folding device, foam grips and whiskers. There you can
also find a short listing which can be used to calculate variations of
the profiles for the sputnik with the help of a spreadsheet program.
When I ordered the book at our local book store, I had to wait three
months for it to come. But when it finally had arrived, I found the
book very useful, with some new plans, clear instructions and some,
let's say, unconventional, cartoons. In accordance to the normal
phrase in "KiteLines": Not only if you are a real kite enthuthiast,
this book may not be missing in your personal library.
(Review by Bernhard Malle, December 1993)
van der Horst, Servaas and Nop Velthuizen. Stunt Kites II - New Designs,
Buggies and Boats.
ISBN 90 6868 085 5, THOTH Publishers, Bussum, The Netherlands
Available in German, English, and Dutch.
No review yet. Book includes 720K floppy with KiteFlight
(in 2 different flavors), a full length routine by the Dike
Hoppers (6 kite team) and by Ron Reich (from his new book
'Kite Precision') and a complete set of STACK/AKA compulsories
coded by Simo Salanne (STACK Finland).
The floppy also contains 2 other programs by P. Ruinard which are
related to building kites described in Stunt Kites II: plans for
many of the kites in the book can be printed actual size on most
types of printers. Large designs are "plotted" on multiple pages.
Kite Lines Book Store
P.O. Box 466
Randallstown, MD 21133-0466 USA
(410) 922-1212, fax (410) 922-4262
Carries almost all kite books in print, ships worldwide, and allows
you to return any book within 10 days if you're not satisfied.
* Books also listed, with more extensive comments, in Esben Collstrup's
Stunt Kite Plan Bibliography.
B. AKA Publications
Publications may be purchased by non-members for the second (higher)
price listed. Descriptions provided by Brooks Leffler (kyt...@aol.com),
Executive Director of AKA.
Books may be ordered by mail through the Rockville address; by phone or
fax; or by email to Brooks (kyt...@aol.com). Members may also use the
AKA Store, listed in _Kiting_. Prepayment preferred, Mastercard and Visa
accepted. See AKA listing under Organizations for address, etc.
International Sport Kite Competition Rules, Third Edition, First printing,
August 1993. 78 pp. $5.00 $7.50
This is the latest iteration of the rules by which all recognized sport kite
competitive events are run worldwide. This edition contains 30 pages of
rules, diagrams of 36 maneuvers for individual precision events, 14 team
diagrams, sample scorecards and worksheets, job descriptions, and
examples of specific judging criteria.
AKA Rules & Guidelines for Comprehensive Kitemaking Competition.
First edition, 1991. 28 pp. $5.00 $7.50
These rules were developed primarily for the comprehensive judging of
hand-made kites conducted annually at the AKA Grand Nationals. In
comprehensive competition, kites are categorized by design, and judged for
craftsmanship, structural design, flight, and aesthetic appeal. Included are
category definitions, recommendations for qualification of judges, judging
procedures, and scoring.
AKA Rules and Guidelines for Fighter Kite and Rokkaku Competitions.
AKA Fighter Kite Committee. 1992. 20 pp. $5.00 $7.50
A companion piece to the AKA Sport Kite and Comprehensive Competition
Rules, this booklet includes rules, safety guidelines, suggested field setup,
and judging criteria for individual and team single-string kite fighting.
AKA Manual on Kiting Events. H. B. Alexander and Ellen Rubenstein
Chelmis. 1992 Revised Edition. 36 pp. $6.00 $8.00.
This manual is designed to help you design, organize, and run a kiteflying
event, and provides comprehensive guidelines for setting date, program,
and site, as well as discussion of competitive vs. non-competitive events,
organization, sponsorship, public relations, staffing, judging, safety, and
repairs. Includes sample field layout and forms.
Kites in the Classroom. Wayne Hosking. 48 pp. Revised 1993 Edition.
$5.00 $7.50
This is a guide for teachers, and includes some history, terminology, simple
aerodynamics, discussion of materials and tools, instructions and plans
for15 kites, brief lessons in flying, and notes on conducting a kite
workshop.
Kite Club Organizer's Handbook. Victor Walton. 28 pp.
Second printing, 1993. $5.00 $7.50
A compilation of ideas from kite clubs across North America, this handbook
is intended to be a useful resource for kiters who wish to bring a bit of
structure to their kiteflying activities, while avoiding the pitfalls others
have experienced. Topics include leadership, formal and informal structure,
incorporation, by-laws, newsletters, and event ideas.
How to Fly a Kite: A Kiteflier's Manual.
Miller S. Makey, Robert M. Ingraham, and Jeff Reed. 1992. 66 pp. $2.00
$3.00
AKA Founder Bob Ingraham and Former President Miller Makey have
joined forces with artist Jeff Reed to produce a compact primer on kites and
kiteflying, written especially for those who say, "I never could get a kite to
fly." Topics covered include types of kites, brief history, anatomy of a kite,
simple aerodynamics, how to fly a kite, kite safety, and a glossary.
AKA/STACK International Stunt Kite Competition Rules, $1.00 $1.00
1990-1991 edition
Although this book was superseded by the 1992 Rules, and again by the
3rd Edition above, the differences are mostly organizational. This book shows
all but eight of the maneuvers now in use, and describes most of the dos and
don'ts, so it's still useful for the neophyte flier. 36 pages, 28 individual
figures, 14 team figures.
Professor Kite and the Secret of Kites. Corey Jensen & Glen Ciccarelli.
Available only in bulk: $8.00 per 100; $44.00 per 1000, ppd.
This is a tri-fold leaflet on the basics of kite flying and kite safety.
Good handout for festivals & workshops.
Section 6: Flight Simulator Demonstration Software - KiteFlight
Computer flight simulators are well-known entertainment in
computer games, but KiteFlight is not a toy. It is a design and
animation tool to create sport kite flying figures and routines. It
will also create diagrams to be printed on paper. And, it's not only
one kite, but you can simulate the whole team! That's the real power of
KiteFlight, originating from the Dutch six-person team Dike Hoppers,
which has successfully used it to design and learn their top class
routines.
KiteFlight can be used for:
- teaching stunts to flyers
- training judges
- informing event audience about compulsory routines
- designing routines for individuals, pairs and teams
- printing stunt diagrams
The author of KiteFlight is Peter van den Hamer
(vdh...@prl.philips.nl) from Holland.
KiteFlight was published in June 1994 together with the new
stunt kite book by Servaas van der Horst & Nop Velthuizen (floppy
is also sold separately from book).
A demo version of KiteFlight and simulations for the rule book
compulsory figures (by Simo Salanne) can be found in rec.kites
archives .../simulation/kfd.
KiteFlight supports all major PC color graphics modes (EGA,
VGA, SuperVGA), prefers a 386 or better (but works on antiques
too). Note that the speed of flight is NOT influenced by the speed
of your hardware (real time!): slower machines sometimes produce
somewhat jerkier motions than faster ones. KiteFlight runs on
DOS, Windows not required and not recommended.
Simo Salanne (sal...@csc.fi)
Peter van den Hamer (vdh...@prl.philips.nl) posted an article
on July 6, 1994, which provids more information about the
simulator. Check the archives for this article. Also noted
in the article is a KiteFlight compatible program, XKF, that
runs on UNIX workstations and supports almost all KF1 constructs.
XKF was written by Lee Hetherington (i...@lcs.mit.edu).
Section 7: Newsletters Available Electronically
Back issues of newsletters can be found in the archives:
pub/rec/kites/newsletters
Buggy News
Buggy News is the official publication of the Buggy Pilots of America.
Thanks to Dan Rubesh, Buggy News is available on Internet (rec.kites).
The rec.kites version does not include graphics/photos.
Subscriptions (minimum of 6 issues) are US$5/year (or more, if
you feel like it). Contact (see on-line Buggy News for details):
Corey Jensen,
Windborne Kites
585 Cannery Row #105
Monterey, CA 93940 USA
telephone (408) 373-7422
KiteSki News
Kiteski is a kite-powered system consisting of a Banshee kite
(20-foot wingspan, 70 square feet sail area), waterskiis, and
control bar, with optional reel and brake for unassisted water
launches.
Thanks to Dan Rubesh, KiteSki News is posted to rec.kites.
For more information, a print copy of the newsletter, or a demo
video, call (800) 548-3754 or (800) KITE SKI, or write to
5555 Santa Fe St., Suite E, San Diego, CA 92109.
Section 8: Kitemaking Workshops
Many festivals offer kitemaking classes for both children and adults,
and clubs often schedule workshops and classes. In the United States
there are also several kitemaking retreats, most held in January,
February, March, and May. Information about 1995 retreats will be added
when available.
Section 9: rec.kites Charter
The following is the rec.kites charter. It was written by Ken
Ritchie (lep...@watsci.uwaterloo.ca)
CHARTER
The group rec.kites will, as its name implies, deal with discussions of
kites and kiting. The discussion will deal with any and all aspects of
kiting with no limitations as to specific types of kites. In general,
possible lines of discussion could be about:
1) Plans and ideas as to how to build kites.
2) Information as to the best places to purchase materials.
3) Tips on flying different kites, and their pro's and con's.
4) Ratings of commercially available kites.
5) Safety and kite flying laws in effect.
6) Anything else to do with kites...
This newsgroup will be of interest to anyone who is interested in
kites and kiting, no matter how serious they are about it. The group
is not to be limited to those who are already experienced in the
sport. It will partially be set-up to introduce people to kiting.