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Show Kite flyers celebrate in gusty spring winds By Cindy Robertson The gusty winds of spring have been enjoyed this year by many kite flyers, including the entire first grade of Naples Elementary School. The 110 first-graders had a kite-flying competition com-petition March 13. These children and all kite fans enjoy a sport as old as man's preoccupation with flight. Named for the kitebird, a graceful, soaring hawk, kites were introduced to the western world from China, and had become a favorite pastime by the seventeenth century. Kites were used for more than just play, however. By carrying instruments in-struments aloft the kite became an important tool for weather studies. The military even experimented with using kites to lift men in the air for better observation. These uses ended, though, with the coming of balloons and airplanes. air-planes. Today, kites are usually flown for fun and sometimes in contests as was done at the Naples school. The first-graders were awarded about 30 small prizes for a variety of categories over the two-hour two-hour period. "Some of the kites were homemade," said Miss Boyer, one of the first grade teachers, "such as the one that won the Most Creative prize. The kite was made from twigs and wrapping paper, and was very attractive." A booby prize was given for the first lost kite and other achievements were awarded prizes, such as three for the highest flying kites. Fred Spencer, a third grade teacher at Naples, used a measuring gun made by the Esta Rocket Company to estimate the flying heights. He stood about 150 feet from the point where the kite was directly above the ground, aimed the gun at the kite, and pulled the trigger, which fixed the altitude measurements in the instrument so Spencer could read it. "The same thing can be done with a protractor and weighted string," Spencer said, "but then you need to know the geometric computations. The gun has it already figured out for you, and is so easy to use that even my third graders were able to tell how how high the kites were." For those making their own kites, a few points need to be kept in mind. Kites with one flat surface will not be stable unless a tail is added for balance. Since resistance to air, and not weight, is what is needed, a few light sticks inserted into the knots of the tail will work fine. Two-stick kites have the crosspiece placed about one-seventh of the length down from the top of the first stick. If the crosspiece is bowed about ten percent of its length, the kite will be self-correcting, and can use a shorter tail. Fancy kites, such as the well-known Chinese dragon, are actually made up of many smaller kites strung together on parallel tie lines. The best wind velocity for flying kites is from eight to twenty miles per hour. More than that will make the kite hard to handle, and may even break it. A utility companies often warn, kite flyers should stay far away from power lines, and should never attempt to rescue a kite entangled in the lines. Call the power company. Cloth or nylor strings, not wire, should be used for the guideline. One final safety reminder is to end the kite flying session if the sky becomes stormy. A wet string is a good conductor con-ductor of electricity. Ben Franklin, remember, electrically charged his kite and line from the stormy clouds alone; if lightning had struck the kite, the results would have been tragic. |