Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1993 15:54:10 GMT
From: reich@cod.nosc.mil (Ronald S. Reich)
Organization: Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Subject: shadow flying

                          SHADOW FLYING
                        CONTROLABLE KITES
                               by
                            RON REICH

     "Don't Let The Sun Get In Your Eyes"
     "Don't Let The Kite Stay On The Ground"
     "When The Shadows Are Bright"
     "And The Wind Starts To Blow"
     "Get Out Your Favorite Kite"
     "Here's The Type Of Show"

     So I'm not a Poet,   Who cares?   I used to be a  kiteflyer,  
Now  I have more memories than abilities.   It doesn't take skill 
or cost anything to share those memories and experiences so  here 
we go again.
     The  next  time you are on the field with  your  kite,  take 
notice of where the sun is.   If you are lucky,   the sun will be 
somewhere above mid sky straight down wind from you.  If you were 
to fly your kite normally, you would be looking straight into the 
sun.   Look  for the shadow of the kite on the ground.   When the 
kite is below the sun the shadow will be in front of  you.   When 
the  kite is above the sun the shadow will be  behind  you.   The 
easiest  situation for learning to shadow fly is when the sun  is 
just about to the top of the wind window.
     Fly  the kite on a ground pass to a position just under  the 
sun,  then turn it to go straight up at the sun.  Notice that the 
shadow  of the kite is coming straight toward you on the  ground.  
As  the  shadow passes you,  raise your hands over your head  and 
turn  your body to the same side the shadow  passes.   Keep  your 
eyes  on  the shadow.   Your hand position now will be as  though 
your  were the victim of a stick up.   Your upper arms should  be 
straight out parallel to the ground and your forearms straight up 
perpendicular to the ground.
     The  control  of  the  kite is  actually  quite  simple  and 
straight  forward.   With your back now to the kite and your eyes 
on the shadow,   the thought to keep in your mind is that if  the 
kites  shadow  is to your right you will need to push your  right 
hand into the wind which results in pulling on the right side  of 
the kite.   As you will see by the shadow, the kite will turn up.  
Similarly,   if the kites shadow is to your left you will want to 
push  toward the shadow  (into the wind) to get the kite to  turn 
up.   The  best learning action is to alternate pushing right and 
left causing the kite shadow to weave back and forth in front  of 
you.
                     CAUTION !!  CAUTION !!

     CAUTION  !!!   Don't attempt this on a crowded field.   Your 
back  is  to the kite and you will undoubtedly lose  control  the 
first few time you try it.  Furthermore,  you should not try this 
the first time in winds greater than 10 mph.

     Once you get the hang of it,   try to maneuver the shadow to 
hover  near  where you are standing so that you can step  on  it.  
Spectators  standing up wind will soon get the idea of  what  you 
are  doing and be entertained by any antics that you can do  with 
the shadow.
     Shadow  flying  is  a  real challenge  for  teams.   I  have 
actually  had  my team flying formation and doing turns  and  the 
like while flying the shadows.
     If  you try it let me know what happens and if you have  any 
question on the subject please don't hesitate to ask.

                   Still Learning and Sharing

                            Ron Reich