Kite aerial photography gives us a new conception and understanding of the universe. It is a unique tool in many fields of endeavor, both scientific and commercial. It has as well great esthetic impact. KAP, as the technique is called, is a superb hobby, pastime, passion, business—-with so many facets it has something for everyone.

After graduating from college, Pennsylvanian Sarah St. Vincent explored her newly discovered Web-browsing interest in kiteflying by traveling to Cambodia for a bare bones research trip. The trip was partially funded by the Drachen Foundation. She spent ten months in Phnom Penh, finished off with brief kite research visits to neighboring Vietnam and Laos.

It might be better for me if I didn’t talk about this. It was a bad mistake, but on the other hand, maybe I can slip a bit of positive spin with this version.

“Some of the best kites you’ll ever see,” says Scott Skinner, president of the Drachen Foundation. “It’s like Hamamatsu in Japan, a huge community kiteflying effort. Unique.” “One of the seven wonders of the kiting world,” says Ali Fujino, director of the Foundation. “The festival, mixing Indian and Catholic cultural traditions, is both fascinating and cute.”

Want to find out where the nearest kite shop in the U.S. is located? A great place to fly? A nearby kite club? WWW. Mapmuse.com is interactively mapping all three categories. They are works in progress and editorial contributions to them are invited…….Because certain types of kites, often Asian, are by tradition made with paper sails, interest in handmade paper has spread around the contemporary kite world. Anyone concerned to further his knowledge of this ancient craft is well advised to visit the Research Institute of Paper History and Technology, in Boston.

I felt a little like a Kansas school teacher when Darwin is mentioned; my faith was challenged by a new set of facts. So it was when I read Tom Tucker’s Bold of Fate: Ben Franklin and His Electric Kite Hoax. Could it be that the patron saint of kitefliers, Ben Franklin, never flew that famous kite? Could all the images on paper, ceramics, plaster, and bronze be inspired by myth? Could Ben have created this “experiment” out of whole cloth?

Favorite place to fly? Internationally, it’s Cervia, Italy. The weather in early May is almost always beautiful and the people are inspiring. In the U.S., I really love Brenton Point in Newport, Rhode Island. Lots of bushes and trees to separate groups of people. With hundreds of kitefliers around you, you can feel like you’re alone. Best ever kiteflying companion?

Being a major collector of kite prints from Japan has led Scott Skinner, president of the Drachen Foundation, into rewarding scholarship. His recent acquisition of a charming woodblock print titled Kite Time by the American artist Helen Hyde provoked him to wonder exactly who she was and what was her history. He decided to find out.

Istvan Bodoczky chose one of the worst years in the 20th century to be born— -1943. Budapest was occupied by the Nazis and his family had lost home and fortune. Two years later things took a turn for the worse: the Russians arrived. His father, a judge, was forced to become a Communist to keep his job, and Istvan at one point was quizzed by police as to his father’s loyalty. Already carefully briefed by family, the boy said nothing.

Orlando, Florida, draws more tourists in a year than any city in the world, including Paris. Its visitors (49 million claimed in 2005 for a three-county area) come for the area theme parks pioneered by Disney and for associated other attractions that dot the city and surrounding counties. With are so many tourists seeking things to see and do, Orlando is a magnet for small entertainment entrepreneurs. One such is Bruce Flora, who flies kites.