From: reich@nosc.mil (Ronald S. Reich)
Subject: Re: Street Kiting!
Date: Wed, 15 Dec 1993 21:32:03 GMT

>From: R.J.Green-SE1@cs.bham.ac.uk (Robin J Green)
>Anyone mastered wingtip drags with a big Flexifoil? I need  more 
>practice,  but  it's  dead  impressive  at  speed. 

>impressive    when   you   over-cook   it,   like    "Swoooosh.. 
>Krrkrkrkk<Flop>")
     Mine  sound  just like that.  I have mastered  flipping  the 
flexi about its leading edge but tip drags still elude me.

>Anyone  else  experimented with flying past a  street-light  and 
>wrapping the strings around it, using it like a dog stake?  Sort 
>of  the  Kiting  equivalent of Street  Skateboarding  'thrash  + 
>trash'!
     Smooth  metal light poles work best especially if there  are 
no  metal  signs attached.  Football goal posts  also  work  very 
nice.   Another stunt with these smooth poles is "Pasting."   Fly 
the  kite on a ground pass toward the pole and then  execute  the 
push/push stall turn and alow the wind to press the kite  against 
the  pole.   I like  to then ask some young kite  passing  by  to 
shake  the pole to help me get my kite down.  Some actually  fall 
for it.  Another Sidewalk stunt is to wear roller blades and hold 
the kite by the bridle as a sail and allow the wind force on  the 
kite to push you down the sidewalk.

     I  also  like  to land in the tree  tops  and  on  unocupied 
picknic tables.

     Tip drags on a body of water are also impressive.  I use  an 
old kite to land on the water and let the kite sink out of sight.  
Then  pull it up and turn it so that only one wing tip is out  of 
the  water.  The appearance is that of a shark dorsel  fin.   The 
old  style  Skynasaurs are great for diving head first  into  the 
water and continuing out of sight.  Make the turn under water and 
the bring it to the surface and launch.

>OK,  so  you're all blase total experts about tricks,  but  I've 
>never  even  SEEN anyone else flying around where I live,  so  I 
>improvise.  It's just nice to know are people out there who  are 
>as obsessed as me. :-)

Don't dispare.  Just start flying more than one at a time by your 
self.   You can easily be your own pairs team.   Practice  flying 
one kite with your hips and follow that one with the one that you 
fly with your hands.  There are two other methods I can tell  you 
about if that one doen't work.

Well that should give you something to think about for a while.

Until the next line becomes tight,

                            Ron Reich
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