Me, kites, and other ramblings.....
My interest in kites started about 20 years ago, during a period of enforced unemployment. I had little money, loads of time, and my hobbies at that time were all expensive ones! I needed something that would consume more time than money; kites seemed to be the way to go - so off I went to the local library, returning with several books on the subject.
My first effort was a Conyne, which for the uninitiated is a sort of triangular box kite with wings. It was made from 1/4" dowel and cotton fabric (an old sheet). Building it took quite some time, as I had little idea what I was doing - followed by many hours in the local park getting the thing to fly. I eventually got it sorted and it flew superbly - until that is, the upholstery thread "flying line" parted and the kite 'went on it's holidays' - never to be seen again! It was at about 500' at the time, and I can only hope that wherever it landed, it caused no harm - and perhaps someone else gained some pleasure from it. I think it was around that time that I thought, "This really needs to be done properly!"
Over the years I've built many 'single liners' - some flew well, some not at all, some barely qualified as kites! All have been test flown in the local park - where at times I have been considered a fixture. Now, unemployed again, I don't get to fly as often as I'd like (spend too much time sat in front of a PC) but still manage a flying session every week or so.
Kite designs have changed, materials have improved, but the one thing that has remained constant is the flow of comments from passers-by! I could write a book (perhaps I should) about the encounters I've had with people in parks.
One of my favourites has to be the time I had just completed my first (and only) 'fighter' - it was a kit from "The Highwaymen". Having no experience of fighters, I was trying to trim, and learn to fly it, at the same time - a bad combination! Anyway, whilst I am trying to get the kite to stay in the air long enough to figure out how to fly it - a chap of about 60 strolls up: "You need a tail on that, to stabilise it!" "Pardon" "You'll never get that off the ground without a tail - I used to fly kites when I was a kid!" There then followed a fascinating discussion, me trying to explain that fighters do not need tails, and in fact are supposed to be unstable - and him trying to convince me that no kite will fly without one! This lasted about twenty minutes, and ended with him wandering off muttering, "Needs a tail, that does"................ I did eventually master the basics of controlling a fighter - I wonder if he's still lecturing on them?
Then I had one of those wonderful encounters with a dog owner: Picture the scene - Memorial park - first sunny Sunday of the year - people all over the place - me with a 9 foot "box delta" - no wind! As I'm trying to coax the thing off the ground, a woman with two dogs wanders over, saying: "They are scared to death of kites, I'm trying to get them used to them." At which point she drags said dogs into my path! So now we have me frantically trying to avoid falling over two silly Labradors and their silly owner (the dogs being nervous to start with) - whilst trying to launch an uncooperative kite, in no wind. No matter where I go, she drags the dogs - apparently with a view to making them less nervous! The phrase "Please go away Madam" (or words to that effect) kept trying to force it's way out of my lips ............... Fortunately she eventually took the hint and went away - the dogs' now scared of kites, kite-fliers, size ten walking boots and, if they've got any sense - their owner!