Date:	Sat, 16 Jul 1994 23:29:38 -1000
From:	gast3@digi.de
Message-Id: <199407170929.AA02208@digi.DIGI.DE>
Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Subject: My introduction


Hi my name is John Mitchell and I live in Munich, Germany.

I would have been on-line years earlier if I new rec.kites
existed, however I just found out last May.
I have been playing around with kites for a very  
long time.
I remember going to the local grocery store in
Southern Illinois in the very early 50's and
buying beautiful white eddy kites with a rainbow
on them, made of paper and wood for 15 cents.
We would pinch one of Mom's white sheets and
shred it for tails. Of course Dad would tan
our bottoms good when he found out. We would
get spools of cotton line and keep tying 
lines together with the kites flying so high
that we could hardly see them anymore. My brother
came home one day with out his kite. He said 
that a airplane flying by cut his string. 
I really think he was bragging and the string 
broke or it slipped out of his hands. He had 
to say something to keep from loosing face, 
when he came home without his kite.
I stayed with the 15 cent paper kites for 
many years as I moved aroung the country
on to Europe and finally settling down in 
Southern Germany in 1977.
In 1977 while in Rosenheim shopping with
my landlord, we visited a toy store and
bought plastic box kites for our 4 year
old daughters. Well you know who flew
the kites. I went back to the toy store a
month or so later and checked out the
kites and found a 2-line stunter. I had
never seen nor heard of 2-line stunter
in my life. Wow, 2 lines and you can steer
it through the sky, you can do loops and all
kinds of wild things. The money in my pocket
was burning red hot, so I bought it. It
was a 70cm ACE-1 (also known as a Trilby). Along
with my 4 year old daughter we set out out to
fly this thing in the field. Wow, I hadn't had
so much fun in ages. Being a small Ace, it required
a bit more wind then the standard 90cm Ace-2's,
that I later found out existed. The ACE-1 required
a bit more wind thus I could not fly it so often. 
I wanted another one to stack them. I asked at the 
toy store for another, no luck and they forgot 
where they got the ACE. I wrote many times to ACE
in England, but never got an answer. Years later while in
England I visited a huge toy store in downtown
London and found tons of ACE stunters. I bought
a stack of three. Back home in Munich I had a 
ball flying these, shreding in time the plastic
sails. In time I found a hobby shop in Munich 
that had stunt along with spinaker nylon
for kites and a kite catalog where I could
order kites and materials. From this catalog I
was able find a lot out over kites, books and
kite events. I ordered spinaker nylon and
a book from Werner Baches, who became later a
very good friend of mine. Werner has written
five books over kites which have been translated
into various languages. I built over 50 ACE's 
over the next couple years. My train of 18 ACE's
each with a differant flag in Europe was seen
at various kite festivals in Europe in the late
80's. In 1988, I built my first delta stunter, 
a 3/4 size spinoff. In 1989 while California I 
picked up a Fire Dart. I built 6 copies in 89/90 
that look somewhat like the Chicago Fire Bee, 
but of course before their time. Five are yellow
and one is black. I still fly all six together.
My first Phantom I ordered direct from England in 
1990, which I made several copies just for myself.
My First Revolution I, I purchased in October, 1990.
A dog shredded the sail when I was learning to
fly the following day in a park in Anaheim, Ca.
I repaired the sail when I was back in Munich.
The following month, I flew to Fuerteventura with
my girl friend, where I learned to keep the
Revolution in the air. For me it was really hard.
Over the years I have built many types of kites
snow flakes, a train of 35 children based of the
Ohashi design, deltas, fighters, flexifoils, Sanjos
Genkies from 50cm to 4 meters, a train of Geisha Girls, 
and who knows what.
I fly practically anything from 1 to 8 lines, meaning
1,2,3,4 and 8lines. I have skied behind kites in
the sand dunes of Fuerteventura. 
I don't build box kites, why I don't know, just no
time left I guess. I still dream to this day of
building a double-decker Cody. 
I don't buggy at all. 
My main kite is the Revolution of which I own over
10, only half have spars.
In 1993 I trained well over 500 hours with the Rev.
This year I already have over 200 hours. I designed
and built one of, if not the first vented Revolutions
in August, 1993.
I have placed in both 2 and 4 line competitions.
At present I fly only 4-line on the competition circuit 
and for demonstration. 
I build about 950f my kites, myself.
I have also designed 2-line stunters, one of which
side-slips very well and can spin on a dime. I don't
sell it.
I infected many people with kites the most heavily
infected being my brother who has just completed a
book on the design of stunt kites. He holds a masters
in mathemateics, was an U.S.Air Force Pilot and
designed and built his own private airplane.
The book is called "Kites are not Airplanes".
I am sponsored only by myself at the moment.
My primary interest in kites at the moment is:
- 4 line stunters
- single line trains
So that is the kiting side of John Mitchell

Over-the-Rainbow,

John Mitchell
Munich, Germany

Do not reply to the address sending this mail.
kites@das.harvard.edu is not forwarding email
>From my personal address at this time, reason unknown.
`
please reply to:
john@multinet.de


Over-the-Rainbow,

John Mitchell
Munich, Germany


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