Fractured Axel

http://www.kiteflying.org.uk/

or not ?

Have the various "kite" related activities simply got too diverse to cover in one group ?
Can you really see the kitesurf dudes hanging out with the more... sedate... elements of the SLK community ?

Mike.

I first saw this idea a good time ago... but not really heard anything about it till you mentioned it here.

Perhaps what we need is a kite flyers union, then we could go on strike and demand quality of wind, clear field space for all and a minimum line length?

Whatever happened to IFFF* ?

Mike.

*International Freestyle Flyers Federation.

Zippy8 wrote:

Whatever happened to IFFF* ?

I think it remains at the bottom of the large kite bag in the sky, probably next to that small amount of sand that you never seem to be able to get rid off no matter how hard you try.

Who was behind the IFFF now?

Zippy8 wrote:

http://www.kiteflying.org.uk/
Can you really see the kitesurf dudes hanging out with the more... sedate... elements of the SLK community ?

Definitely not. I've never considered kitesurfers to be "kiters" and I know that they themselves haven't either. They're surfers who just happen to be using a (nowadays very distant) relative of a foil as a means of propulsion, and have no interest whatsoever in flying kites.

Of course some overlap exists - there's a small number of kitesurfers who also fly stunters, SLK's and such, but they tend to be people who were "regular kiters" (and buggyers) previously. The traffic only goes in one direction.

I feel it's a total waste of time to try convincing the kitesurf crowd that they have something in common with people who fly stunt kites etc. They don't see it that way.

Juha

I struggle to imagine a kitesurferer going to a meeting in Derby. (no offense to anyone from Derby, but you know...)

I don't think kitesurfers need slk and stunt fliers. They have a kudos which doesn't sit well with us lot. They have specialist press, sponsorship from main stream organisations and babes . What do SLK fkiers have (apart from dentures ).
Each area of kiting is conected, but only by string. If you look say at insurance issues, does an slk flier want the same liability as a buggier and would they be happy with their premiums being increased due to a collective risk assessment.
I think some time back on a GWTW thread there was a topic about raising the profile of kiting. I think an admin. or organizing body didn't feature. What we need is a cool image which will only come (I believe) if some product placement with 'faces' could be acheived- more likely done by a manufacturer.
Its not that I do not want to see such a body acheive the aims it sets out, but I just can not see it happening. Happy to be persuaded for it and support it though if there are convincing reasons.

I quite agree there is little association between aslk flyer and a kite surfer or a trixter come to that. The omly logic i see is to GENERALLY voice the opinions of kiting as a collective rather than the fragmented beast it is, but this has its own problems... Recently nthere has been a ban imposed uponour local flying field on buggys and boards. Many traction kiters are understandably purturbed about this... i love it...now i have far less assholes that cannot properly control their equipment tear arsing past me, taking out my kite and generally p!$$!ng me off and bumming me out. we all have very different agendas and i dont think one organisation would work unless it was fragmented for the most part into the various factions, only to come together at comitee level andonce a year at an AGM

the only similarity is spectra and ripstop.

mobius wrote:

Who was behind the IFFF now?

Blapp Setter, a man never seen in the company of ABW. (and it was flying not flyers)

Mike.

So what *doesn't* the KSGB cover? I thought they were our representative body? They certainly give the impression of representing everyone at the Portsmouth Kite Festival.

I suspect there's some politics involved here?

The KSGB are widely regarded as self-appointed and are very much SLK biased, thank you very much. I've spent time with the Blooms and they are nice enough people but what is being touted here is much more akin to what the AKA is in the USA. The AKA is quite a different setup to the KSGB.

Mike.