Interesting stuff. Does anybody know of good pictures, especially in color, of the "dutch kite?" I've always been curious about it...
Jim Martin Founding Member, Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society (WACKOS) Member, Past Director, American Kitefliers Association (AKA) Flight and Safety Officer, The Mega Flag, Gomberg Kite Productions
Speaking of ridiculously long tails, at the Thailand International Kite Festival last year, I saw someone launching a large serpent kite. �I believe it was green if my memory serves correctly, but I can't say for sure. �The tail had to be at lease 300 meters long, it was hard to tell from my point of view. �They were launching outside the main flying area, the kite went up, and by the time they got the full tail off the ground, it turned, and headed for the trees.
Does anyone know anything about that kite or who owns it? �(And no, this isn't the one that Peter Lynn was flying.)
Is the kite in this photo above the Gonsalves Devil?
Weifang 06|Berck-sur-Mer 01,07|WSIKF 91-96, 01|Wildwood 98,02|Grand Haven 96,02|St-Honor� 02,08|Thailand 02|Singapore 02|Dieppe NB 02,05,07|Toronto 96-07|Verdun 96-98,00|Niagara 05-08|Epcot 95|St-Placide 06-09|Pacific Rim 90-95,07|Varennes 06,08|Houlgate 08|FrankMots 08|Cape Fear 07|Windscape 06
YES! I'm pretty sure that's it. I only saw it in the air for a few minutes. Once the tail was fully off the ground, it dove for the line of trees you can see in the background. I never saw who was flying it or how they recovered it.
Longest kite (tail) I've ever seen in person.
Darryl Waters Providing a suitable anchor since the 1970's.
Is the kite in this photo above the Gonsalves Devil?
No, but it is the Gonzalez Devil. Sorry, I should not give a flip answer to a serious question.
The full size pieces are made by Pedro and Esteban and the midsize by David(under license). The Gonzalez brothers are signed up on this forum as LosHermanos but have been inactive since signup. �This is a good example why we are asking people to use real names.
Alan Sparling Gomberg Associate (GomAss) Show Kite Forum Admin
The Catalan Spanish pronunciation sounds like "Gonsalves" (that's how the brothers would pronounce it) but it is indeed spelled "Gonz�lez". I stand corrected.
Weifang 06|Berck-sur-Mer 01,07|WSIKF 91-96, 01|Wildwood 98,02|Grand Haven 96,02|St-Honor� 02,08|Thailand 02|Singapore 02|Dieppe NB 02,05,07|Toronto 96-07|Verdun 96-98,00|Niagara 05-08|Epcot 95|St-Placide 06-09|Pacific Rim 90-95,07|Varennes 06,08|Houlgate 08|FrankMots 08|Cape Fear 07|Windscape 06
If you look closely, you'll see a yellow octopus under he long kite. Just under THAT is the head of a blue Octo getting off the ground.
That's me and Mike Agner flying!
I am now famous.
Jim Martin Founding Member, Wings Across Carolina Kiting and Okra Society (WACKOS) Member, Past Director, American Kitefliers Association (AKA) Flight and Safety Officer, The Mega Flag, Gomberg Kite Productions
This Domina Jalbert Parafoil flown by Bill Tyrell in 1978 in Ocean City, Maryland may have been one of the biggest kites of its time period.
Researching past Kitelines, the Shirone world's largest kite was an impressive construction of traditional method.
It was 63.3 feet tall by 46.6 feet wide (19m x 14m) making it 2,950 square feet in size. �It weighed 792 lbs (360kg). �It was made from 160 pieces of bamboo and 2600 sheets of washi paper. �It broke the world record on March 20, 1980 using 200 men to fly it.
In October, 1980 it was overtaken by a parafoil flown in the U.S. by Domina Jalbert of 3650 square feet. Flown at Magnuson Park, Seattle, Washington on October 3rd, 1980, the estimated pull was 10,500 pounds. The kite was anchored to 20 tons of gravel in a dump truck. This Jalbert Parafoil constructed by Harry Osborne and The Edmonds Community College Kite Team.
In August 1981 the Dutch team had broken the record with a parafoil kite of 5,952 square feet.
Although the Megabite was introduced in 1995, it was awarded the title two years later. The Guinness record certificate was issued for an officially observed flight of 22minute 57 seconds at the Bristol Kite Festival on 7 Sept. 1997. Total flat area is 933m2. "effective" flat area, taking off the whiskers and the tails and a proportion of the "legs" is about 680m2
In 1997, Peter debuted the Mega-Ray, measuring 42 metres across its wingspan and 28 metres in length (68 metres when the tail is added in). Its body is made of 566 panels of red, mauve, black and yellow nylon. With 7000 square feet of lift area, Megaray requires 20 people to control its flight, along with two tractor-trailer cargo trucks as anchors. In a previous attempt with only one truck as an anchor, the semi-trailer was dragged across a field with a simple wind change. A 15 tonne truck is needed to hold it down when it's flying.
Weifang 06|Berck-sur-Mer 01,07|WSIKF 91-96, 01|Wildwood 98,02|Grand Haven 96,02|St-Honor� 02,08|Thailand 02|Singapore 02|Dieppe NB 02,05,07|Toronto 96-07|Verdun 96-98,00|Niagara 05-08|Epcot 95|St-Placide 06-09|Pacific Rim 90-95,07|Varennes 06,08|Houlgate 08|FrankMots 08|Cape Fear 07|Windscape 06
In 2004, Peter Lynn also designed the current Guinness record holder, a 1019 square metre Kuwait flag, which took over the world record from the Megabite in 2005. Commissioned for the Al-Farsi family of Kuwait,
That same year in 2005, he built two additional identically-sized kites allowing for more exhibitions of the World's Largest Kites around the world. �
The Mega Flag USA had its inaugural flight in June 2005 in Dallas, Texas.
The Mega Moon was commissioned by Masaaki Modegi, president of the Japan Kite Association and had it's inaugural flight in Tokyo in January 2006.
Weifang 06|Berck-sur-Mer 01,07|WSIKF 91-96, 01|Wildwood 98,02|Grand Haven 96,02|St-Honor� 02,08|Thailand 02|Singapore 02|Dieppe NB 02,05,07|Toronto 96-07|Verdun 96-98,00|Niagara 05-08|Epcot 95|St-Placide 06-09|Pacific Rim 90-95,07|Varennes 06,08|Houlgate 08|FrankMots 08|Cape Fear 07|Windscape 06
Gary, �WOW, thanks for all the time you spent researching, finding, and placing all the world's largest kites (past & present) pics, here in one place for people to see, and to read about! Good stuff!
Troy Gunn
TKO Sport Kite Team - USA http://tko.sportkite.team.tripod.com/home.htm
