Short History of
The Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites
The Ohio Society for the Elevation of Kites was founded in 1977 by a group of kite enthusiasts. Although the club structure remains informal, we elect officers to organize and oversee activities. Our main purpose is to encourage new kite flyers, share ideas, knowledge, experience, building and flying tips, and to have fun. Members range from eight to eighty-five. Anyone who enjoys the magic of kites is welcome to fly with us whether you are a member or not. Members of OSEK live in Columbus, Wooster, Medina, Youngstown, Mentor, Solon, Cleveland, Akron, Massillon, Canton, and small towns between! O.S.E.K. members have competed and participated in kiting on local, national, and even international levels.
COME FLY WITH US!
O.S.E.K. offers kite building workshops for area schools, clubs and groups. We present talks and demonstrations. We paint the sky with kites for park systems, community celebrations, and at the Cleveland International Kite Festival in August. We also have our annual club members only “FLEXI FOOL Competition and Birthday picnic”. In April, National Kite Month, we can be found at the Youngstown Kite Festival, Medina Metro Parks Earth Day, and other community places as scheduled.
All requests for participation (workshops, demos, displays, kite flying) are presented to the members at next possible meeting and voted on. Due to an increase in requests and the limited number of volunteer members available, we regret we can’t cover them all.
At our monthly “free fly”, O.S.E.K. members share ideas, fly our kites, and socialize. We also hold brief, informal field meetings for business needs. Attendance is greater from April to September than during the winter months. Two Special meetings are held to discuss club business, one in March, which includes our annual Auction and election of officers, and the other in November to review the year.
ABOUT KITES
The second oldest toy* known, kites originated in the Orient more than 2000 years ago. Kites have provided many assists to technical and scientific knowledge, including development of the Wright Flyer airplane, which began as a quad-line kite in Dayton about 1900. Kites have even been used in space!
(*The oldest know toy is a doll)
OTHER kites and their dates include
- 1898 – Box Kite – Lawrence Hargrave, Australia Many variations of CELLULAR kites developed from this invention
- 1950 – Delta Kite – Frances Rogallo, Virginia, USA Developed for the US Army & NASA
- 1954 -Sled Kite -William Allison, Dayton, OHIO Created simply as a better children’s kite. Today this is the most popular workshop kite in America.
- 1972 – Parafoil – Domina Jalbert, Florida USA Developed for the Military for use as a parachute
- 1970’s to present – Sport Kites – multiline kites one can control in patterned flight Many creators. Basic kite forms used include Diamond, Delta, Parafoil.
HOW TO FLY A KITE
Pick a flying field that is open- no trees or buildings nearby, and away from power lines.
Stand so the wind is blowing against your back and hold your kite in front of you. The wind will blow into the kite and push away from you as you let out your flying line.
COURTESY AND FIELD SAFETY MEAN FOLLOWING A FEW RULES:
- OBSERVE COURTESY TO OTHERS ON THE FIELD.
- BE CAREFUL WHERE YOUR KITE LINES ARE ON THE GROUND,AND DO NOT LEAVE A KITE STAKED OFF UNATTENDED.
- NEVER FLY KITES NEAR POWER LINES, DURING THUNDERSTORMS, OR OVER OR NEAR HIGHWAYS.
- OBSERVE ANY SPECIAL AREAS DESIGNATED FOR SPORT KITES, DEMONSTRATIONS OR BUGGIES.
- IF YOU ARE A SPECTATOR, BE CAREFUL NOT TO WALK ACROSS A FIELD UNDER FLYING SPORT KITES. YOU COULD GET HURT!
- KEEP AN EYE TO THE GROUND AS WELL, SO YOU DON’T TRIP OVER LAID OUT LINES. WALK SAFELY BEHIND THE KITE FLIER.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at kiteinfo@osekcleveland.org