Issue 31: Of Royalty and Friends
You got a favorite Kite? No, not that new one you bought a couple of months ago – an OLDER favorite? You know the one I’m talking about… The one you keep hidden in the bottom of your kite-bag – the one...
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Issue 35: Conyne Kite Celebration
The World Kite Museum is sponsoring a Conyne Kite (and its derivatives) Celebration Friday, May 14, 2004. Why such an inconvenient time you are asking? It takes awhile to explain… The Kite Museum is...
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Issue 38: Ben Franklin’s Electric Kite – Part 1
To many kitefliers and to the rest of the non-flying world Benjamin Franklin is considered “The Worlds Most Famous Kiteflier” all because of his Electric Kite Experiment in 1752. My initial “serious”...
View ArticleIssue 39: World Kite Museum
What’s happening at The World Kite Museum (WKM)? Well… Actually, a fair amount! Way back in Kitelife issue # 31 (July/August 2003), we made a somewhat impassioned plea for YOU to help support the WKM...
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Issue 39: Ben Franklin Project (part 2)
After collecting all my “evidence” about Franklin’s claimed Electric Kite Flight (see Part 1 – Kitelife issue #38) I decide that I would enlist the help of kitefliers throughout the Midwest to...
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Issue 40: AKA Corner
Who has the biggest? The fastest? The longest tail? Kitefliers, like most other people, seem drawn to making comparisons and making claims. Sure, lots of people are in it for the fun and could care...
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Issue 42: Dave’s World
I’m honestly not sure how many times I have been to Berck. I was first invited back in 1990 or ’91. All I can say for sure is that the kids I met back then have grown and some are bringing their own...
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Issue 45: The Remaking of a Legend
Introduction I had been building and flying what I thought were real Eddy style kite designs for a few years. I had made a number, mostly of wooden dowels and simple materials such as drafting paper...
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Issue 46: Drachen Foundation Archives
Is a replicate Blue Hill Box kite part of the DF Archive? No. The recently built kite actually hangs at the Museum of Science, Boston. But the DF Archive contributed crucially to the kite’s...
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Issue 50: Drachen Archives
The following story tells of an interesting experiment with kites performed by Dr. Alexander Graham Bell well before his experiments with tetrahedrons and pursuit of flight. It also brings us to an...
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Issue 57: Drachen Archives – A Cody
On October 16, 1908, cowboy showman and kite enthusiast Samuel Franklin Cody became the first man in England to achieve self-sustained manned flight. To honor one of the kiting world’s most famous and...
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Issue 59: Drachen Archives: Kites in Mexico
Being A Part of Kiting History with the Drachen Foundation Drachen seems to always be writing about the past, but here is a perfect opportunity for us to talk about the history of kites and kiting...
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Issue 62: The Kite That Bridged Niagara
Mighty Niagara Falls, once known only to the local Native Americans, was being transformed. Sightseers packed the banks of the gorge, with their numbers doubling every five years. Tourism was...
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Issue 66: Drachen Archives – Gold for the Serious Kite Researcher
On a recent trip to the National Art Education Association convention, held this year in Minneapolis, MN, I was reminded of the value of walking away from the crowds and finding that special “happy...
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Issue 70: Drachen Archives – German Submarine Rotary Wing Kite
Having attended the High Altitude Wind Power symposium at California State University in Chico, I was surprised at the variety of high altitude energy systems proposed by presenters and attendees...
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Issue 71: Origin of the word “KITE”
Numismaster.com posted an article recently about the origin of the word ‘kite’. The beginning of the article is below. The article in its entirety is at:...
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Issue 72: Drachen Archives: A Collection of National Treasures
It is a bit humorous to talk about “humans” being artifacts and treasures, but such is the case with Dr. Paul Eubel , Nobuhiko Yoshizumi (Yoshi) and the infamous collection of kites, known for almost...
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Issue 73: Alox Kites and the Man Who Made Them
In terms of “bang for the buck,” not many toys could equal the Boomer-era dime-store paper kite. Ten cents for the kite, ten cents for the string, and you had an afternoon sailing the invisible waters...
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Issue 73: Hi-Flyer kites, An Appreciation
Ask me what I know about Decatur, IL, and I’ll tell you that that’s where Hi-Flier kites come from. Came from, at least, in the era when I was an ardent consumer of kites. This was from about 1960 to...
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Drachen Archives: Japanese Prints
Scott Skinner has one of the most unique collections of Japanese prints in the world because of his focus on collecting prints with kite images. This collection, however, does not have a corner on...
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History of Sport Kite Competition – Pt 1
The Wanderings of a “Kite Addict” Introduction: This History was originally written in the Gone with the Winds On-line forum throughout November of 2004. In this History I have only included my own...
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Drachen – Perusing a Kite Archive
Perhaps the following images and details from articles will spur some of you to action. Research, kite-making, or epic adventure, these snippets give you some perspective of the role of kites as...
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History and Geometry of Kites
Lesson by Jacqueline Kemp and Alan W. Pritchard What does congruent mean? What does symmetry mean and what can you do with the knowledge in real life? These are just some of the questions Jackie...
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History of Sport Kite Competition – pt 3
The American Kite Magazine National Stunt Kite Circuit The American Kite Magazine National Stunt Kite Standings system was proposed by American Kite magazine, and publisher, editor Daniel Prentice in...
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