Date:	Wed, 13 Apr 1994 12:14:00 -1000
From:	FREIBERGER_PHILIP/HP2000_BC@idacom.hp.com
Message-Id: <_dc95GJk0000w'L5w*_@MHS>
Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Subject: Enough Lurking

Hello Everyone:

After lurking in the background for quite some time now, I finally was
able to get enough spare time to post a message.

Firstly, I have enjoyed reading all of the articles that come to me via
my E-Mail connection, and would like to pass a much deserved thank-you
to Marty for administering this service. This is a great way for us to
exchange ideas between festivals and competitions, and hopefully will go
a long way to standardize such things as the nomenclature of the tricks
that we all enjoy doing with stunt kites.

I got into kiting after moving to the "wimpy"(NOT) West Coast 4 years
ago, and saw all sorts of people flying these realy fantistic dual line
kites. During the 1993 season I competed in IIP and IIB in the Pacific
North West League (now disbanded), and I was also part of team Air
Xpress, based out of our home town of Richmond, BC, Canada. For the past
2 years I have been making my own kites, and I really enjoy the
flexability that this gives me controlling the end result.

Of particular interest to me are the recent articles on "spar data"
which are all very interesting. It seems, to sum them up, that the ideal
rod would be as strong as steel, light as a feather, and cost nothing!!
Given that the aforementioned rods are not currently available (!?), I
use my price/performance selection rule to pick the right rods for my
kites. In other words, lowest initial cost (and replacement cost,
because any rod will break!), and maximum stiffness to minimum weight
ratio I can find in a given price range. In the performance area, I also
consider durability, because it doesn't make sense to me to put rods
into a kite that will break with the first gust of heavy wind to come
their way.

This formula is strictly the result of personal finances and the
laziness of not wanting to rebuild a kite after a rod breaks, when that
time could be better spent flying.

ttfn


Philip_Freiberger@hp2000.desk.hp.com
Delta, BC, Canada



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