FLY THE FRIENDLY SKYS
An exciting exhibit of kite-images has just been installed in the United Airline’s terminal Gates 76-79 at the San Francisco Airport.
If you are in the neighborhood you owe it to yourself to stop by, if you can figure out the “new” parking structure with out losing your mind.

Pieces in the exhibit include a woven piece that is reminisent of the giant Hammatsu Kites of Japan, a Winged floating Landscape, an intricate,delicate skeleton of a multi-winged insect, and some colorful “strands” that look like something got loose from under the microscope.

At the time of this writing the artists and the name of the exhibit were not available. If anyone attends this at a later date and comes across any more information please pick up a copy for us and send it in the mail, thanks.

VERY INTERESTING, BUT IT WILL NEVER WORK
This will be the last issue of KITE FLYER from the home base of California. The upcomming issues will be produced enroute if possible. Chicago will be the origin of the Sept-Oct issue if all goes will. If things do get fouled up I will try to straighten them out when I return. I will be having
mail forwared to me enroute so please continue to write and let me know how you are doing.

MOTOR CITY HERE WE COME
The Fifth Annual AKA convention will be held in Detroit, Michigan this year from October 7th to the 10th. Hank and Nancy Szerlag of the 5/20 Group will be the Co-chairmen (persons) for this year’s event. Registration is $50 before August 15 ($55 after) and includes two dinners and a lunch. A variety of lodging can be had at the Holiday Inn of Southfield and is the AKA Convention Headquarters. For more information on the AKA Convention contact: Hank or Nancy Szerlag, 1561 Hunt Club Drive, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236.
See you there!

THE AKA IS ALIVE AND WELL BUT YOU CAN hELP….DONATE TO THE AUCTION
One of the main sources of income for the AKA is the auction at the annual convention to be held in October. Since the AKA has acquired tax-exempt status, any items donated will be acknowledged by a “donor value” receipt which can be used as a tax deduction.
Please send all items to Auction Co-chairman: Jchn Hegg, Service Staple Co., 206 W. 6th Street, Royal Cak, MI 48067

KITE FLYER PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS
In last November’s issue of Kite Flyer we had an announcement that we would have a Photo Contest.

Due to the overwhelming response of two entries we will split the prize money and give each of our contestants $5.00 plus a one year extension on their subscriptions.

The winners are George Ham for a photo of three American flags, two of which are parafoil kites he had constructed; and Sunny Birkett for a photo of a Giant kite made by your editor and chief for a kite festival held at Golden Gate Park’s Polo Field in 1978.

A WHALE OF A KITE FESTIVAL
June 20th turned out to be a whale of a day for those attending the Annual Father’s Day Kite Festival at the Marina Green. A whale of
a THANK YOU goes to GREENPEACE, KITEMAKERS of Pier 39, KMEL radio, and all other co-sponsors of a well run and fun kite festival.
1000 kites were given away free and there was $1,000 worth of prize money that was collected by the following first place winners:
$100 Smallest Kite: Tom Caldwell $250 Fighter Kite: Chris ?
$100 Parent-Child: Jeff & Quang Moy $200 Largest Kite: Tom Henry
$100 Best Theme Kite: Carol Henry $250 Stunt Kite: Mix McGraw

Tom Caldwell stayed up until 2:30 in the morning working on his kite, which was flown for the first time on Father’s Day. Chris ? is from Santa Ana, CA but  refused to give his last name. Quang and his son Jeff had a beautiful 15 section Centipede kite with whirling eyes. Tom Henry flew a J-70 to take the Largest kite contest. Carol Henry flew a beautiful “Whale” (dragon) kite that was about 45 feet long. Mix McGraw, the Marina Green’s own,did an outstanding job with his Rainbow Stunt Kites. Of note is that 15 year old Geoffery Paris was only one point away from tying Mix for first place.

This is from the back of an envelope sent by Eric Eisack of Brookline,MA.

2nd and 3rd place winners of each catagory were given merchandise donated by various businesses or groups such as the Ocenanic
Society and High as a Kite
(Sausalito).
Mick Rega from the Pier 39 Dive Show was the MC, Sash Lulla from Sunnyvale organized the Fighter Kite Contest, Steve Edeiken was on hand to help with the Stunt Kite Contest, Carl Brewer from. Seattle (AKA Vice Pres) and Big George Ham helped with the Largest Kite and Leland Toy and Tom Henry judjed the Smallest Kite Contest. The spectators chose the best Child-Parent Kite.

Being that California is the land of the stunt kite, we were treated to an aerial ballet by Mix McGraw and John Pecora. These two really put on a great show for the spec-tators with some nicely executed manuvers which involve exacting control. To top off the event Mix flew 51 Rainbow Stunters to break a world record for Most Stunt Kites flown by a single person.

Many thanks go to Greenpeace and Kitemakers of Pier 39 for a great day of kites on the Marina Green.

TEN ORIGINAL PAPER CUTOUT KITES
David Pelham, author of the Penguin Book of KITES, has a new book of paper kites out: KITES TO MAKE AND FLY. The book is 14″x18″ with ten tear out pages that can be trans-formed into wonderful sculptured kites with the help of a sharp craft knife, some glue and some thread and a lot of patience.

The construction is some what complicated on some of the kites and a third or fourth hand would have come in handy. On the test flight day, there was too much wind and only the sled and the “High Jack” kites were able to get some what off the ground.

The book is truly unique in opening a new type of kite to be explored: Paper Cutout Kites. If you wish to try your hand at these the book
is available from the publisher for $14.95 +$1.O0 postage.
“Kites to Make and Fly” c/o
Penguin Books, Dept. DAF, 625
Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10022

The American Precision Areobatic Control Kite shop is located in San Leandro, CA. Mark Worsham and his father Lynn the inventor of the A.P.A.C.K. kite opened up shop in September of 1981.

The twin tailed kites have been flown in various corners of the world but can be seen on almost any Saturday or Sunday at the
San Leandro Marina, a great place to fly kites of any type.

A.P.A.C.K. kites are distinguished by their characteristic wiggle of the 80 foot long tails that really trace out the figures preformed
by the flyer. The kites are not as fast as the Rainbow Kites but the single APACK is a good beginner stunter … I finally have the ‘audio’ supplement to my big kite working and anxious to show it to you… Summers are usually light wind if any, so kites that fly on thermals are “IN”…next phase is aerial photography from big kites… I was

APACK kites range in price from $7.50- $12.50 depending on the complexity of the hand painted designs on the kite skin. The $7.50 model is blank and can be painted with magic marker inks. The kites come complete with lines, Plant US Bound drive and came up handles, tails and two sheets of detailed with a delta kite train…topped it instructions on flying. The kite skin off with a red/white/blue eagle for is made from polyethylene and spared the lead kite…I am sending you a with wood, making it somewhat fragile. plan in case you would like it in

If this sounds like a kite for you contact Mark Worsham at APACK,13828 Doolittle Drive, San Leandro,CA 94577 Phone (415)483-7389.
While visiting the shop I was shown a giant (4x) sized APACK kite that was rigged for nite flying with L.E.D. lights and a strobe. The lights were programed to trace a pattern around the kite and then pulsate the strobe light in the center. It ran off of two “D” cell batteries attatched to the kite frame. Although this kite was not for sale, Mark assured me that one could be custom built for around $500-$600.

CARDS AND LETTERS
We_ sure do enjoy your newsletter. First heard of Nishi’s new book there and the new kite pattern for the six sided star kite…We just took down 39 of our kites after a week long show at the Senior Citizen Center for the 34th annual Hobby Show. We got many favorable reports and talked to a lot of future kite fliers…COCA (Central Ohio Kite-fliers Association) flys on even-calander numbered Saturdays at Sharon Metro park all year round, anyone is welcome to join the fun.

We had our big Metro fly in April but got rained out…Miller and I had a full page color spread in the magazine section of the Col. Dispatch in March so the work is getting out. Happy flying and keep that KITE FLYER coming:
Betty and Miller Makey,SR. , Grove City Ohio
your bird collection…Margaret says hi …thanks for the Inter-galatic card for universal flying…inter¬lacing the rings of Saturn with kites is my thing.
Greg Greger, Richland,Washington

GOOD BYE MARTY WE’LL MISS YOU
Marty Dowling has been transferred and promoted to a Law firm in the San Diego area. Marty has been a faithful and long standing member of the Marina Greeners and we’ are sorry to see you leave the area. We hope that you are happy where ever you are and don’t forget us up here at Bagdad by the Bay. Perhaps you’ll meet up with Vic Hereria of Vices fighter kites and come back up to win a kite fighting championship…

THE NISHI SLED KITE
This month’s kite plan is from Takeshi Nishibayashi’s 1978 book of kites, as built by Jeff Paris.

This sled kite has a back canopy that is quite loose. Once this kite is in the air it is an efficient and stable flyer. It can be flown in winds from 7-15+ mph. Although this book is not currently available, his most recent efforts “Create a Kite” is,for $6.00 at AIRTIME MFG. 2978 Teagarden, San Leandro, CA 94577 Ph.(800)227-2398. All money goes directly to Nishi in Japan. Thank you Gordon for spreading Nishi’s ideas.

THE GOOD WITH THE BAD
Two articles about kites have appear-ed in the June issues of “San Fran-cisco, The Magazine of Northern Cal-ifornia” and “Smithsonian”.

The article in S.F. Magazine entitled Kite City was written by Paul McHuge and is little more than a stroll thru the Yellow Pages in exposing where to buy a kite in San Francisco. There were several photos of the kites of George Ham but no mention of his name appeared anywhere in the article or the photo credits. Two of the photds were in color and by far the most interesting items in the article.

It’s too bad with such a rich col-lection of excellent kite artists in the Bay area that Paul could not have done his homework a little bit better. Every crowd has it’s silver lining and there was a nice insert on “Where to Fly in the Bay Area”.

SUPER TUNING YOUR RAINBOWS __________

Are your Rainbow Stunt Kites running a little ragged, is the trailing kite flying with a mind of it’s own, are your hands tired of the same old grips? Well,perhaps its time for a TUNE UP on your kites with some tips from the 1982 Stunt Kite champions. Mix McGraw, Jeff Paris and John Pecora have been flying for quite some time and have a few tips on maximizing your kites preformance if not yours.

1) Shortening the train lines when flying 3 or more kites in train. The stock train lines are approximately 30″ and all equal. We recommend that the outside lines measure 14-1/2″ and the middle line at the bottom of the kite measure 14″. These lengths are good for up to 12 kites in a train. The clips used to connect the kites should be replaced with a #3 fishing clip-swivel assembly with the swivel removed. You only want the clip and it should be the self-locking type.

2) When making the train lines you can save yourself some time by making a simple jig with three nails and a piece of wood.

3) If the lead kite is sagging you may want to increase the length of the spreader by about 1/4″. Use a length of leading edge spar and cut it to length.

4) Kevlar flying lines. These lines will not stretch. The problem is with knot strength. The Kevlar should be “sleeved”‘ in a casing of Nylon or Dacron. This can be done by removing the core of a larger diameter line and then string a small wire thru to fish the Kevlar thru. The line can then be tied with a cushion for the Kevlar.

5) Put some foam bicycle grips on your stock handles. The grips must be cut in half and then slipped on either side of where the flying line is attached. You may have to use a little soap and water to get the grips on.

6) If the back or trailing kite cover seems loose you can tighten the cover tension by spreading the nose cone a bit. This can be done by removing the “kite skin” and then using a. leading edge spar to gently increase the angle on the nose cone, you should work close into the nose cone to avoid breaking the wire. Both sides of the cone should have equal tension. You should have an extra nose cone if you have not done this before as there is a good possibility of damaging one or two before you get the hang of it.

7) Use electrical tape to secure the front kite’s nose cone from separating from the the leading edge spars. This is to prevent the lead kite from “failing” while under flight. It will also pre¬vent the loss of a nose cone if you crash land.

WARNING: KITE FLYING IN POWER LINES CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
Please avoid injury or death by not trying to retrive kites from elec-tric power lines. If you do get a kite caught in the lines, call the utility company for help.

Recently two California men were electrocuted while attempting to retrive kites from power lines. Another kiteflier who should have known better has lost an index finger but at least he’s still alive (from Seattle). The deaths are unfortunate and would not have happened if the men had remembered one of the most elementary rules of kiteflying: NEVER TRY 70 RETRIVE A KITE FROM A POWER LINE.

Kite Flyer suggests that it’s readership contact their local power companies to see what they can do to spread the word to the adult community about the dangers of accidental electrocution. P.G.&E. has a newsletter that is sent out with each billing and has expressed interest in running an article on kite safety in their March issue.

QUANG MOY’S CENTIPEDE KITES

Quang Moy and his son Jeff delighted the crowd at the Father’s Day kite festival with a 15 section centipede kite that had spinning eyes.

Quang’s kites have gotten quite a bit of attention lately when they were featured on KTVU after young Jeff had called the station to let them know that his father could make a better kite than the ones he had seen on another program. By the audience response at the kite festi¬val we would tend to agree.

Quang’s centipede kite is constructed from bamboo and paper with strips of nylon for the “feathers” attached to the legs. The kite is perfectly balanced and needs no other stabiliz¬ers in order to fly. Quang says of the design that it is a combination of the Chinese and Japanese kite but he could not say exactly what features were which.

Quang has a unique way of launching his creations. First he carefully stacks each section on top of each other with the head of the kite on the top. After attaching the flying line to the two line bridle he runs it thru an open hook attached to a 7 foot long bamboo pole. He uses the pole like a fishing rod to get the kite up into the wind above his head and once the kite is riding on the wind he drops the pole and takes the flying line directly. He usually has a helper to pay out line when he is launching but then flys single handed once all is well.

Quang has spent over 100 hours in making some of his kites. But he enjoys the time spent and the joy it brings to others who can appreciate his efforts to make some paper and ‘ bamboo come to life in the wind.

We certainly hope to see more of your spectacular kites on the Marina Green.

For those of you who might wish to try their hand at making a centipede kite, Ken Conrad of Great Winds Kites has a kite kit available for about $34.00 It contains all you need to construct a 15 disk Centi¬pede kite. The kit contains some preformed parts for easier construc¬tion. For ordering or information GREAT WINDS, 1518 First South, Seattle, WA 98134

STUNT KITE CONTEST FIGURES
The following figures were the ones used in the Father’s Day Kite Festival., Contestants were judged on smoothness, completness and sharpness of the figures. There was a panel of three judges, using a 10 point system to score each contestant. The contest started with approximately 16 entries using a variety of stunt kites that are available on the market. Only the Rainbow Stunt Kites made it to the finals.

Kite Flyer’s flight pad is located at the San Francisco Marina Green. We are usually gathered near the monument at the mid-length of the Green.
There may be contests for the October 3rd kite festival, we’ll try to keep you posted. All other flys are in-formal and unstructured. All flyers and guests in attendance are eligible for an I.A.K.U. card (Inter-galactic Association of Kitefliers of the Universe) just ask George Ham (Mayor of the Green) for yours.

By way of standard reference–KITE FLYER NEWS is available six times a year (weather permitting) at the minimal cost of a trip to Doggie Diner–$5.00 a year. Send all money, trading stamps or gold bars to 1883 Grand View Drive, Oakland, CA 94618.