"Great
Ball of Fire"Don't try this at home!!!!!
"Great
Ball of Fire"
Don't try this at home!!!!!
Several months ago, Brian Champie had shared a series of photographs with me of a kite he had seen owned by Bryan Blattel. The kite was an elegant white bird designed by Ramlal Tien of Zoone Kites. Looking at the photos, I saw a sail that was extremely taut and a series of intricate fittings that seemed beyond my limited experience as a kitemaker. Brian's suggestion that we try to make a couple over the summer made me smile. "Yeah, right", I believe was my response. Making the pyros with Brian two summers ago was truly a giggle and I liked the idea of making something with him again. But the bird really seemed a stretch so I promptly forgot the notion. As I was packing for my three weeks in California, Brian reminded me of the sewing project idea so on a whim, I threw what was left of the .70 oz. white fabric I had into the van and headed west.
My first two weeks in California were filled with great kiteflying opportunities and work on my project for Seaside. But finally, on a Sunday night after spending the day in Berkeley and enjoying a great Vietnamese dinner (loved the Bololat), we pulled out the white fabric and began the bird construction. Working with Brian is a fantastic experience. He is the most amazing problem solver and creative thinker and we had his sail cut in no time. And if I wouldn't have been such a stubborn silly blonde, I would have followed his suggestion and cut my sail at the same time. But I didn't, so my sail wasn't cut until Monday. The entire perimeter of the bird sports a rolled quarter inch hem and we decided to score the hem by hand before ever touching the sewing machine.
By the time Brian got home from work on Monday, two sails were ready to be machine hemmed. Watching Brian work with such precision on such a small hem was a treat. He did master quality work. Definitely his best work to date. If I keep pushing hard enough, I'll turn him into a confident kitemaker yet. Then, look out world.
Attaching the keel and doing the framing kept us busy until Wednesday evening. I framed my bird in 2300's and a couple 2pt's that Brian gave me for use in the wings. Brian used 2p's throughout the entire bird so it had the potential of flying in much lighter winds than my bird did. We both used 125 hollow tubes for the keel and body bow, and used a small diameter of fiberglass rod for the tail. I finished mine first (too bad Brian had to work every day or he would have beat me by a mile) and we went out into the front yard and threw it back and forth to get a sense of its flight capabilities. It floated perfectly. Brian finished his a few hours later and I encouraged him to take it outside also (I should have kept my mouth shut) so we could compare flying qualities. IT WAS BETTER. Between great stitch work, careful assembly resulting in no wrinkles or puckers, and the lighter frame, it was a competition quality kite. And it just begged to be flown. And flown it was. Unfortunately.
.
With amazing pyrotechnic splendor, I watched Brian fly his pretty new bird to a fire-filled, explosive finish. An ill-timed updraft lifted the bird to make contact with thousands of volts of electricity resulting in the bird exploding in a 30 foot fireball and then absolute darkness. Pieces were quickly gathered off the street, (you would be amazed how quickly Brian can move) and we watched from the safety of his house as the support vehicles arrived onsite. Power was restored a couple hours later and all that was left of the incident were a few charred pieces and a couple marks on some highlines. Sometimes, even Brian can get lucky.
The lone remaining bird made the plane ride to Brookings. We could have sold a dozen of them if they would have been our design. Several spectators and vendors made special trips to the other side of the flying field just to inquire about the kite. We kept referring interested parties to the Zoone website and I eventually started handing out handwritten copies of the website address. The bird did fly fantastically. Brian got especially good at getting it to axle and slide through the very light breeze. I felt so bad about his lost bird that I kept trying to give him mine. He refused time and time again. So I contacted Gary with the Oregon Kite Company and convinced him to sell Brian some white fabric.
We returned to San Ramon on Monday after
the Brookings event and I was scheduled to leave the next morning. I let Brian
make a choice about keeping my bird or letting me help him start his
replacement. I can be such a pushy kite broad. He laid out fabric and started
cutting bird number three. He even got started on the hem before the night
ended. It was hard to leave that next morning, for several reasons, but one main
one was a fear that the kite project would not continue. But continue it did.
And before I reached the Central Time Zone, there was an email picture waiting
for me of a beautiful new white bird kite. It has a little longer wing span and
a little deeper keel than its deceased brother. Both of those changes seem to
make improvements in its flight capabilities. Brian's kite became an award
winner in the handcrafted kite competition that BASKL held in conjunction with
the Berkeley Kite Festival. Brian, the renaissance man. Dual line whacking
expert, big kite wrangler, and now award winning kitemaker. And a happy ending
to a tragic story. But gosh, I wouldn't have missed the fireworks for the world.
The 30 foot fireball was astounding. Thanks Brian, you do know how to entertain
a lady!!!
