UP ON KITES - Time To Fly

As we all know, Memorial Day is the unofficial start to the summer season.  With a little luck, we all will be able to visit the beaches, parks and trails of our choice.   Two of the things I like best about kite flying are the many different types and styles of kites that can be flown (single line kites, dual/sports kites, and quads) and the many different places where they can be flown.  While there are
few suitable open fields in our area, we are fortunate to be close to beaches
which are ideal for all types of kites.

A great place to enjoy kite flying is to visit a kite festival.  Once there, you will meet many interesting people who love to share their knowledge of the hobby.  I have been to several festivals, and I can honestly say that I have returned knowing more about kite flying than when I left.  You are probably wondering what  there is to learn about flying a kite!   Once you get hooked, you will realize that there is more to the art than meets the eye.

Most of the festivals are held during a two to three day period with different activities each day.  You can do your own thing or participate in activities with other kiters. Usually, festivals will host national competitions where people will compete by flying dual and quad line kites to music.  This Memorial weekend
an event is being held at Wildwood, New Jersey.  The New Jersey beaches are great for kite festivals due to their size.   You can see other upcoming events
by visiting the American Kitefliers Association web site at www.aka.kite.org. Click on their calendar of events.

I recently attended the Maryland International Kite Expo in Ocean City.  Unfortunately the wind conditions were not the best, but my wife and I still had a great time.  I put together a video which I think captures the difficulty we had with varying winds.  Go to You Tube and type in “Maryland International Expo – 2012” or use the following link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LzWPSUXiSc

You can join local kiters at Sherwood Island State Park on Wednesdays at 5:00pm
from now until the end of September.  Wind conditions will be reported on Twitter at USAKiters at 4:30pm.

Until  then, it would be great to hear from you.

Ray (USAKiters)