Articles: My Stories, Opinions, & Advice

How I Got Started in Kiting:

I guess I started enjoying kites when I was in elementary school in Atlanta, Georgia. They used to have a kite day each spring, and each year I'd go buy some new plastic delta or dragon, and I'd fly it till it broke, and next year I'd do it all over again. I remember seeing a guy flying a six-pack of what I now know to be Trilby kites. It amazed me to see him fly those things, and I said one day I was going to do that!

Then I didn't fly again, because I was grown up I guess. I met my husband in Houston, and we moved to Dallas in '99. One day we saw some kids flying their plastic kites in a park near our apartment, and we started talking about kite flying and our memories as kids with kites. We decided to buy two cheap kites and go out to that park, kid or not! I remember mine was a plastic kite with Winnie the Pooh on it, and my husband got a plastic sled with Sammy Sosa on it. I have to admit, mine looked prettier, but his flew better!

Out of our frustration with the cheap kites, but enough enjoyment to make us want to do more kiting, we went online and found Into the Wind. We ordered three kites and loved them. But we still thought kites were for spring time. And in Dallas, that was probably pretty true at that little park. But in '03 we moved to Plano, and they've got wind up here!

I purchased my first dual-line kite, a stunt kite, in March of '04. Flying it was wonderful, but frustrating because it really wasn't a good kite for a beginner. I went online and found a local kite club in my area, DAKO, and joined. I also found an email group for kiters in Texas at Yahoo called TexasKiters@yahoo.com. They gave me great support by providing information, answering my questions, and telling me about kite events in my area where I could meet them and try out some of their kites. Some members also told me of a great online community called Gone With The Wind Forums.

I attended my first kite event, The Great North Texas Kite Festival, on April 3 & 4, 2004. I had an absolute blast! My mom, who had no interest in attended but came anyway, got to fly a stunt kite for the first time. She was also bitten by the bug and that night we went home and ordered a kite for each of us! A week later, this web site was created.

So, have you flown a kite as an adult? What are you waiting for! Kites aren't just for kids! Kites have come a long way... you'll be amazed at how different they fly (and how easy, no more running like a fool trying to keep it aloft!).

Selah (April 2004)

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My First Kite Season:

Well, it's been an interesting kite season so far, but my purchasing is over for this year (although, I still need a kite bag and some other odds and ends).

Quick overview of my first kite season/first year...

  • March - Purchased a Goblin for $16. Hated the kite, loved flying dual lines.
  • April - Flew a Pyro and loved it. Bought one for me and one for my mom for an early Mother's Day gift. Also purchased a 6-pack of Trlbys.
  • May - Purchased a Desire UL because the winds disappeared, two Shivas for mom's Birthday for us to fly pairs, and was given two amazing kites by Debbie.
  • June - Wind came back with avengeance, so bought a Yin Yang for mom, and a High Level Vented for me. Bought a Big Bang to learn tricks with.

So... 4 months... 12 kites (2 as gifts and 4 used; 4 for mom and 8 for me)... over 550 posts... 2 kite club memberships... 2 fun flies with local club... 2 local kite fests... 2 tents... and next weekend we're actually driving to another state to spent 2 nights in a hotel to be at another kite fest... and 4 more kite fests on our schedule for this year.

Wow!

Selah (June 2004)

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Things to Take to a Kite Festival:

Kite festivals can be a wonderful opportunity to meet other kite fliers from your area and from around the country (maybe even the world!). Don't be surprised to find kite fliers willing to teach you new tricks, introduce you to others, and let you try out their amazing kites. Many seasoned fliers recommend attending a kite festival or local kite flying group's fun fly so you can try kites before you spend money buying one you may hate, or that may not match your flying kills and desires. I was very nervous accepting offers to fly kites that didn't belong to me, but I quickly learned that it was a tremendous help in my kite buying endeavors. It can also be a good way to find out if people have used kites which can save you a lot of money and help build up your kite bag.

So, what should you take to a kite festival? Here are some suggestions:

  • Kites for many wind ranges; toys (like Frisbees, Yo-Yo's, Air-Yo's, etc) for when the wind doesn't cooperate
  • Water to stay cool and hydrated (bring a cooler with ice, too!)
  • Non-heat-sensitive food snacks
  • Money, in case you forget any of the above!
  • Sunscreen (the wind can make you unaware of how sunburned you may be getting!)
  • Sunglasses
  • Hat (helps keep you cool, helps avoid facial sunburn, helps make you identifiable in a crowd, and helps your eyes when you are flying towards the sun)
  • Music & Headphones
  • Chairs or blanket to sit on
  • Source of shade and resting area (tent, umbrella, canopy, etc)
  • Change of clothes or extra shirt (in case it rains or is so hot that you need to change clothes)
  • Spare parts and repair kit items for kite
  • Extra line sets in case your lines break, get cut, or are too long for the limited space available at crowded kite festivals
  • First aid kit, bug/mosquito repellant, and bug-bite remedies
  • Camera and extra supplies (film, batteries, memory cards,etc)
  • Cell phones and/or family radios to help keep in touch with others who attend with you
  • Business cards or scraps of paper with your contact information so you can give out your phone number and/or email address to folks. Pen and paper so you can write down other people's information.
  • If you bring people who don't fly, or don't fly as much as you do, bring them books or handheld games so they aren't bored and don't cut your day too short
  • Toilet paper, pre-moistened towelettes, paper towels

I found it helpful to assemble a "kite flying backpack" which has most of these items. Then I can grab that bag for other fun flies or local group flies. I also use a collapsable rolling cart (looks like a milk crate with wheels and a handle) to help me get all my equipment from the car to the flying area at festivals.

Selah (Aug 2005)

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My Second Kite Season:

My second kite season was very different from my first kite season!

In Aug 2004 my uncle came to live with us after he was diagnosed with lung cancer. We had little time to fly and attended no kite festivals or club events. For Christmas I was able to buy three used kites: a Prism Quantum, a set of 3 stacked Prism Adrenalines, and a set of 5 stacked Prism Microns. In March 2005 we purchased a our first home, and several financially broke and physically exhausted months followed. We were able to attend one local kite event, the LifeNet Texas Charity Kite Festival at which the current "world's larget kite" was flown. It was an awe-inspiring kite, but the weather wasn't very cooperative. I felt out of touch with the kite world, and rusty at my flying abilities.

In December 2005 we had time to fly around Christmas, when the weather was unusually warm and windy. I had a chance to fly some kites I had purchased at the end of 2004's kite season but hadn't had a chance to fly in appropriate winds. I had an incredible time flying my NTK Big Bang, L1 High Level Vented, and Prism Quantum. I still haven't flown my stack of Adrenalines yet, and I have only had one afternoon with my Microns this year.

I'm hoping 2006 will be a better year with less stress, more time for kite flying, and more time to spend with other fliers.

Selah (Dec 2005)

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