Kite Flying... a springtime ritual in Maine (Penobscot: condo, shop)

[Maineah]

I don’t know why I like kites…I just do. Flying a kite is something I’ve looked forward to doing every spring since I was a kid. I’m 49 and I still fly one when ever the mood strikes me. As soon as the field is dry enough to walk in I wait for that warm breezy afternoon and pick out a kite for flying. I have several kites, all single string types, I never got into “combat kites” or “stunt kites” just simple single line kites. I have built kites, and made line reels out of cherry in my shop. I have some traditional Diamond shape kites, some Deltas, a Parafoil, a big “Sled’ that uses 300 lb line to fly, several smaller “Bat” types, and a couple of paper ones my wife brought back from Japan.
My favorite kites are traditional Box kites. They’re hard to find these days. I have made them in the past with some successes and some that just wouldn’t fly well. Everyone remembers going to the local corner store in the spring and for .50 cents you could get a Gayla kite and all the string you could possibly use. We would always try to see how many spools of twine we could string together. Sometimes those little kites would sail nearly out of sight! Gas stations, bread companies, car dealers, and other places used to give out kites as a promotion. Even the Jolly Green Giant kite was available by sending in a few box tops and a couple of dollars. Tell us your kite stories!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I worked in Canada for a few years. While up there on frequent one week trips I would fly a dual line stunt kite on some big lawn I would find. The kite was about 7 feet across. I went to a hospital front lawn one time and flew the kite for an hour. Around sunset the wind died down and as I wound up the kite string onto a spool a nurse came running out.

I figured, Oh oh; I guess I won't be back here again. I guessed wrong. She thanked me for putting on a show and said the patients loved it. Come back any time. When I ordered my first kite over the phone I told the catalog guy I was going to fly the kite on a frozen lake while on ice skates. Most kite dealers are in places like Florida. There was a big pause. He said, "I'm going to send you the BIG training video. Don't kill yourself."

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

I worked in Canada for a few years. While up there on frequent one week trips I would fly a dual line stunt kite on some big lawn I would find. The kite was about 7 feet across. I went to a hospital front lawn one time and flew the kite for an hour. Around sunset the wind died down and as I wound up the kite string onto a spool a nurse came running out.

I figured, Oh oh; I guess I won't be back here again. I guessed wrong. She thanked me for putting on a show and said the patients loved it. Come back any time. When I ordered my first kite over the phone I told the catalog guy I was going to fly the kite on a frozen lake while on ice skates. Most kite dealers are in places like Florida. There was a big pause. He said, "I'm going to send you the BIG training video. Don't kill yourself."

That's cool! did you ever fly it with skates on?

[7th generation]

On a recent Bill Green's Maine was a segment on ice kiting. These people were going over 40 MPH and wore body armour on all parts of the body they figured would get hammered if and when they fell. In western Maine a gentleman started selling the kites last fall and the neat thing is you can use them on snow, ice or water.

YouTube - Snow-ice-kiting Podersdorf - Neusiedlersee Austria

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Yes I did. You can get a tractor kite that has no frame. It's like a miniature parasail that hang glider pilots use. I have used one to tow me in a canoe. I also used one to tow me in a kid's plastic toboggan on a lake.

[flycessna]

My wife, 3 boys, and I, go to portland head light to fly kites every summer. We go at least twice but we love it so much we always talk about doing it more. My 4 year old a few summers ago when he was 2 (and my 2 year old this summer), I love the look on their face when they first take hold of that string and see that they are flying somthing way up in the sky. It's probably the same look on my face . And your right Maineah, It still makes me feel like a kid.

[island mermaid]

My family tradition has always been to take my kids down to Popham Beach every Mothers Day for a picnic and KITE FLYING!!! Even as they became way too old to want to go, I would still insist. It was MY day! We always went down near the fort, not the state park. I rememer a few Mothers Days when it was way to cold to be out there, but I also remember a couple where I actually got in the water!

I always bought cheap kites with many extra spools as we would just tie one on to the other as the spool ran down. We lost a few that way, but we also managed to hang on to a few too. Often we would lose sight of the kite as it dissapeared way over Fort Popham. My kids and I always adored that special day. Alright, maybe it was just me that adored it.

[island mermaid]

Are they doing this in Maine yet? I haven't seen it, but Penobscot Bay doesn't warm up much, even in August.

I watch these kite surfers in front of my condo all the time. It's amazing to watch and I have always wanted to try it. I've heard that it requires an amazing amount of upper body strength to even hang on to the kite, let alone ride waves with winds exceeding 25-30 mph. Sometimes I swear they're going at least that fast when they whip by me.

The ice board kiting also looks like fun, but a little harder landing surface for sure. I've seen guys up on the pond on the island do it on boards and big sails on the ice, like wind surfing, they get going really fast too.



YouTube - Kite Surfing in Florida 3

[CapeCodder]

I love flying kites! I tried a little stunt kite on the Cape a few years ago and liked it very much. Something about that sound ripping through the air...it almost pulled me off my feet. Fun!
Nothing prettier than seeing a bunch of kites flying against the sky.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

Are they doing this in Maine yet? I haven't seen it, but Penobscot Bay doesn't warm up much, even in August.

I watch these kite surfers in front of my condo all the time. It's amazing to watch and I have always wanted to try it. I've heard that it requires an amazing amount of upper body strength to even hang on to the kite, let alone ride waves with winds exceeding 25-30 mph. Sometimes I swear they're going at least that fast when they whip by me.

The ice board kiting also looks like fun, but a little harder landing surface for sure. I've seen guys up on the pond on the island do it on boards and big sails on the ice, like wind surfing, they get going really fast too.



YouTube - Kite Surfing in Florida 3

I think this would be a blast! I saw a piece on one of those video disaster shows of a guy that got lifted 300 feet in the air and then crashed down in a bunch of trees. He got pretty beat up from the fall. Besides I have the upper body strength of a pillow at this point so hanging on might be a problem. I have a big 6 foot sled kite that would probably pull me along on skates or something but with my luck I'd get going about 100 with no way to stop.