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| My dad and me... |
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| Davis Bay Road 1961 |
It's the early 70's I was around 11 or 12 yrs old..I had read somewhere about hang-gliding...a relatively new sport that was catching on in the States....using mostly the Rogallo design. I looked at the picture and thought.."cool...I should build one of these things and go flying" ( what could possibly go wrong?...as you will see is a common theme)
Quick review..no tools, no construction skills ( of any type ) no feasible construction materials and no scale drawings. So in other words I was pretty much set to go and build a kite big enough to carry a human into low orbit.
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| I always loved flying machines |
The budget ...hmmm ..gonna need financing to get this baby airborne. I'm gonna be the only 11 yr old hang glider pilot in these parts no matter what. I approached my dear old dad who had his weekend "glow" on and told him that I wanted to build a huge kite and might need some financial backing. I might have neglected to tell him that I planned to fly over the house in it...but I didn't see how that was important at the moment and left that detail out of the equation.
I don't remember which part of my pleading finally sold him on this scheme...but before too long we were on our way to the building supplies to get flying machine parts. Now when I got to the building supplies (this same place will return in several stories)...being 11 yrs old I had absolutely no clue what materials I needed for the project. The yard man asked what we were looking for...my dad gestured to me. I said I didn't know and proceeded to wander the lumber rows looking at piles of lumber. I couldn't really tell the guy that I wanted to build a kite big enough to fly around in... could I ? No I don't think so.
The yard guy was getting a little pissy at my window shopping and secrecy...and truth be told I think that dad's booze buzz was wearing off at the same time...things were sliding away fast. I came to a pile of 2x2 lumber. This looks promising....very long, very lightweight skinny pieces of wood. Score! Things are looking up. High altitude flight here I come.
The yard guy asks exactly what it is I'm building....maybe this isn't the right stuff. I assure him that it is and pull some 2x2 's off the pile. The first thing that the long ones do ....is instantly break at the first knot-hole. Ooops
Embarrassed and flustered I announce that it'll be OK because I going to glue and screw several layers together to add strength. ( It'll come in handy for high G turns on the test flight...better to over -build it and be safe ...right?.)
I fumbled my way through telling the guy how much wood I wanted to buy and moved on to shopping for the fabric covering for the mega kite. Having no clue what I might need for the task I decided that a roll of heavy-duty black poly was the answer. how did I decide this you ask?.... well it was easy...it was all they had. A few minutes later having added screws and glue to the mix we are on our way into the history books ...and not a moment to soon as my dad was in a bit of a beer with-drawl emergency.
Safely at home,my dear old pop sped to the fridge while I unloaded flying machine parts from the pick-up truck. This is gonna work...this is gonna work!...I'm just a few hours from being the first kite aviator on the block...hell the first one in my known universe.
Dear old dad took to "socializing" with the neighbors and I went work in the back-yard with a handsaw, a pair of scissors, a manual powered wood drill (brace and bit) and a crescent wrench. Having no clue how to use each tool and perform each task was a bit of a problem. I found that using liberal amounts of black electricians tape to reinforce the less than perfect joint work worked wonders and actually looked pretty cool.
I made a good engineering decision and wrapped the black poly plastic sheet around the 2x2 frame to prevent high speed separation of frame and skin...and then firmly stapled it all together. Yup...stapled. Reconsidering this ...I added short bolts through the frame to squeeze the layers together for extra safety. It was becoming a monster..it was huge. My dad's friends commented that it was the stupidest tent that they had ever seen...I replied something to the effect that I wasn't quite done yet. ( no sense in debating with tipsy loggers on the fine points of aircraft design )
It looked like the real thing...it was going to work I could feel it.
I lifted the nearly complete frame and skin off the ground...it creaked and groaned and bent and wobbled....flexibility...it's got lot's of flexibility.That's got to be good right?...did I mention that it way heavier than I would have guessed a true flying machine to be...
I estimated a center of gravity and went about adding the cross member that I intended to hang from on the maiden flight later in the day....more black tape and screws....well actually quite a bit of black tape and three screws...that was all I had left.
It was time...the time that every aircraft designer loses sleep over...frets over ...gets sweaty palms over....well you know what I mean.....the test flight.
I lugged the monstrosity to the local park in Davis Bay....getting more comments on the stupid looking tent along the way....
I ignored them....I could smell victory in the air today.
I went to a small rise in the field and turned into the wind...nervous..excited....what if I go too high....how do I get down...If I yell for help will they know to look up in the sky?...
I grabbed firmly on to the cross bar....I'll just do a short hop...no harm in that...slow and easy. Sneak up on full tilt flight.
I ran slowly, full of purpose and determination...I could feel the massive kite pulling against my arms....it was trying...it was trying to lift me ...I felt it ...it wanted to fly and take me with it! I gave an extra little boost of speed and then a hop...
Nothing...
Not a hop...not a glide...not aloft in any way shape or form.
The answer was obvious...more speed....off a bigger hill. I didn't come all this way to fail now. I tried and tried...it strained against my young arms but would not carry me in to the sky....
Shit..Shit ....Shit and double Shit...
The neighbors tsk tsked at the boy who was so angry at the huge stupid looking tent.
I refused to believe that my baby would not fly...someway, somehow I had to unlock the secret. Obviously I was missing some critical detail. It looked right...it may have been a tad heavy....but no flight what so ever ....how could that be possible ? I mean really, I could accept a short flight...even a short hop with control issues but Jeez Louise get me off the ground for crying out loud.
Then it came to me...it was right there....the answer to it all....solved in a flash. The flying machine is too heavy?....get a lighter pilot and go faster..it's gotta fly then right?....yes yes yes...that's it .
There's only one person who is so perfect for the job, the little neighbor kid, Tony. Small frame , wiry ....perfect. And get this....I'll get some rope and tie it to the cross bar of the super kite, Me and Tony's big brother will run and tow him into the air. I ask the big brother casually to give me a hand with the test launch....and hey...maybe bring the kid brother along.
We are at the park....there is an evening breeze coming off the ocean. I tie my best knot in the rope that goes to the kite. I go to Tony with the deal. We just want to test it...a little run ...a jump...a quick glide and we will let you down ....easy peezee. If you hang on super tight, nothing can go wrong...it'll be great. We will all be jealous because you flew first.
He agrees. He's in all the way.
We turn the whole set up into the wind. Tony stands atop a small mound of dirt. His brother and I play out the rope to the full length.
Instructions. When we say go....start running...we will start running and pulling for all we're worth.
When I yell "now!"......jump into the air and hang on for dear life.
Ready...Go!...pull!.. pull! pull!...the plastic skin vibrated violently against the speed...in one intense unrelenting second the super kite absolutely zoomed skyward...straight up. Straight up. Not gliding...not coming along with us across the field. I could see Tony's eyeballs as big as two full moons. The kite pulled so hard that we could no longer go forward...we struggled even to hold our ground...the rope started to burn our hands. We dug our feet into the dirt deeper and pulled with everything we had to keep going forward. The kite and Tony reached the end of their ascent as quick as a blink.... above us, caught in the onshore wind ... it stopped ever so briefly ...I still remember the roar of the plastic. It rolled lazily to the right...little Tony hanging on ...white knuckles and desperate cries at both ends. In a split second the wind gave way...forward motion stalled ...the super kite fell out of the sky as quickly as it rose...straight down to impact on the field in a crash of splinters and tearing plastic.
Now I swear to who's ever reading this that little Tony hit the ground and bounced a good one back into the air....landed badly one more time.... and without hesitation or a good-bye or a fuck-you.... went screaming off to report the whole thing to his mother ...with us chasing after to to try and work out some sort of deal that might keep us all from getting into deep poop.
"I'll let you ride my new bike!...wait slow down...aw come on Tony it's not that bad...wait up!...I'll let you punch me ...that'll be fun....wait up!.."
We chased after Tony through the trails towards our houses...he got there first...in through the front door like a cat with it's tail on fire and locked it....
It was a beautiful 1970's August.... summer afternoon...in Davis Bay B.C....a young boys paradise. The stupid looking tent lay crumpled on the ground.We would all go on to further adventures in tree forts and swimming at the beach...playing ball tag at the wharf...riding bikes...then getting called home for dinner by some parent yelling our names out on to the summer breezes...
Here is a link to a photo of a real ( but very retro ) kite....mine lacked braces, support wires, a harness, aluminum and high performance fabric...otherwise just like it
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dboo/7068040915/
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