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Progcraft

I just caught this on 'Daily Planet' on the Canadian Discovery Channel:

2300 meters long!!!
Japan,
flew last friday
Bamboo and cloth,
1.5 hours to launch
It was really nice. Most of the kites were small, 4 - 6 inch, hand painted squares. The ones close to the ground were the full dragon kite-train type Big head and all.

I MISSED THE TOTAL NUMBER OF KITES!! Sad

Anyone know about this kite?

Cheers,
P.
_________________
There is no box.

smarties · Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:43 am Post subject:

I saw it on the news about 2 days ago but I don't remember the numbers. Embarassed

It was long and beautiful. Lots of work.
_________________
Smarties Razz

http://smarties42.webpal.info/index-en.html

To boldly go where no imagination as gone before! Very Happy

KiteSquid · Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:57 am Post subject:

Now that is one LONG kite!!!!!!!

2.3 KM!!!!!!!

We neeeeeeeeeeeed more details!!!!!!!
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA

P.S. Yet another post by the Squid..... Shocked

Doesent he ever shut up???

P.P.S. The wind is like the air, only pushier.

Al Hargus · Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 100 Location: Columbus, Ohio

Hi Everyone,
I've saw the post about the Mystery Kite Train and being a train Guy myself, I got REALLY curious. And I do "Love the Hunt" so I started to check around.
First I checked at Daily Planet - nada?
Bunch of other places - nada?

Then I did a Google news search and got an article from WPVI in PA http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/11012004_bb_bigkite.html#

The report states that a 2504 yard long kite was flown (no date given) at Qingzhou Shandong, China. The report is "kinda" confusing, as they comment on an attempt to get the kite (not plural kiteS, but single - kite) into the Guinness Book for the "Longest Kite". The site also has some pictures of the kite (which by the way looks like someone took a picture of a TV screen) and when you view this "Longest kite" you see (barely/blurry) individual kiteS, as in a Kite Train. And strangely enough the Train has what appears to be a centipede head at the anchor end. BUT the kites are definitely "single line" and not a centipede!

The facts about length match the 2300 meters (2504 yds = 7512 ft./ 2300 meters = 7544 ft) So I think the pictures are of our "Mystery Kite Train"
BUT wouldn't you know it, no number of total kites is mentioned in the article.

Kite Worlds records are kinda shakey right now. Without Val Govig and KITELINES being the "Authentication Authority" Guinness will accept anything or nothing at all. Remember Peter Lynn had some troubles with China Kitefliers in 2003 about the Worlds Largest Kite. Currently Peter is winning. (see pictures elsewhere in the Forum. )

Guinness claims they only accept records from "Official Sources" but I guess that I'm curious who the Official Verification Organization is for "Duration Underwater Pogo sticking?" Just keep in mind that Guinness really isn't Official anything, they just publish "Sanctioning Orginizations" records, which kinda now means that there are no "Official" kite records! (maybe we should do something about that??)

The last "verifiable" Most Kites on a single line (verified by Guinness and KITELINES) is way back from 1978 when Kazuhiko Aasaba flew 4128. I might be wrong there. But if you use his "distance between kites" at 1 foot (which it was) that would mean the China entry would have nearly 7500. Of course they had to get them all back, who checked?, documentation?
I have my "Spies" out searching and I'll let you know what the final count might have been??

One way or the other my personal "Most Kites on a Single Line" record is a "Tiny" 326 kites, (18" X 18" kites - approx. 975 feet long) which wouldn't even have worked as the "Lifter Kites" for a train 1.4 miles long

Sorry everyone, you just got your first taste of a "Short Note from Al" Razz

More later
_________________
GOOD WINDS

AL
Columbus, Ohio
USA

Progcraft · Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 6:40 pm Post subject:

Hi Al!! Weclome to kitebuilder. It's great to see you here Smile

Your 'short notes' will always be most welcome if they continue to be so well formed. Very Happy

Thanks for your help. The pictures do seem to be from the same video I saw last night.
BUT!! I am 100% postive that they said the kite flew on Friday, in JAPAN.
Can't wait to have this mystery solved Smile

Cheers,
P.
_________________
There is no box.

CJQ · Posted: Tue Nov 02, 2004 7:00 pm Post subject: Kite train

Hi Al Hargus, did I see You Fly a train in Dayton at lastyears AKA convention?? If it it was you were quite impressive, it wasent an easy task.

Al Hargus · Joined: 29 Oct 2004 Posts: 100 Location: Columbus, Ohio

Yep, that would probably have been me (or could have been Lee Sedgwick, too), I flew some of my trains at the Nationals in Dayton. I did fly a lot at the night fly (Flew an all Red mylar train I call "The camp Fire")
I spent much of my daylight hours "Announcing" for the Sport Kite Comps, another "Passion" in kiteflying. Must have something to do with Long notes Razz

as well as Big mouths Surprised

As you've noticed the last was my first post. I do like to write (talk) but I've spent so much time the last week just reading all of what everyone has been posting, I've been pretty busy! And I thought that I "talked" a lot Smile

Just figuring out how to get pictures into the albums (public and private) with shots of some of my trains, home made quads and other "stuff."

Sorry, no picture of "My Personal record Train of 326" I flew that back in 1989 in Manistee, Michigan. Cris Batdorff was there then. We were both "kinda" drunk and Cris kept saying, ".... more, you gotta have more, how about just a couple more, don't you have any more ..." Fortunately I ran outa kites, or one of us would probably have gotten hurt Smile

More on the "Great Record train Mystery" if I learn anything!

This is a GREAT forum, now I know why everyone was "raving" about it for so long! Glad I joined!
_________________
GOOD WINDS

AL
Columbus, Ohio
USA

KiteSquid · Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:35 am Post subject:

Al,

Welcome to the best forum for kite builders!!!!!!!!

Your comments are wonderfull (so dont ever leave us!!!!)

BTW I have a copy of 3 diffrent "No Secrets" handbooks. Great stuff there!!!!!!
_________________
VR/
KiteSquid
AKA TakoIka
AKA Harold
King George VA

P.S. Yet another post by the Squid..... Shocked

Doesent he ever shut up???

P.P.S. The wind is like the air, only pushier.

smarties · Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:58 am Post subject:

Thanks Al for the information.

On the pictures, the line looks quite thin although the resolution is not very good. I would imaging that a train like that would pull several hundred pounds on the main line. Question

What kind of line do you use on your train?
_________________
Smarties Razz

http://smarties42.webpal.info/index-en.html

To boldly go where no imagination as gone before! Very Happy

Progcraft · Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 9:06 am Post subject: