AKA Convention Day 4

The weather wasn’t quite what was expected yesterday. The Sport Kite competition from Tuesday was run yesterday, and it worked wonderfully. There was a mix of good to strong wind. With the wind cranking up to 18mph during the novice competition. This made the sport kite competition exciting, with the top wind speed allowable for novice flier to be 18.6 mph. Parts were flying, but everyone still flew! If someone didn’t have a kite for the wind range, then someone else lent them a kite. According to Scott Davis “The fun was there, it was really cool.”  So far the sport kite competitions are back on schedule and the delay has been made up for. At the end of competition, several of the teams melded together and flew. Scott Davis pointed out that he had a chance to fly team with Darrin Skinner, a rare opportunity for dual line team captains to fly together instead of against one another.
For those that attended the workshops, they had a chance to get a glimpse into the world of 3d Printing with Lindsey Johnson, and the exceptional work and thought process of Robert Brasington, while others spent time learning how to build Alexa Kings Trash Bag Delta. Several folks walked out of the workshops saying how inspired they were, and so excited they were to get to working on their own projects at home.
In the evening, everyone gathered for an indoor kite fly, with competitors from across the country. Beautiful single lines, dual lines and quad lines took to the air for a semi packed audience. Live feed video was broadcast on the AKA Facebook page, and will hopefully be available soon to those not on Facebook.
Today you can expect the weather to be in the high 50’s with rain starting in at full after 1pm. Winds will be strong, with expected top speeds to be around 20mph. Stay tuned for updates on changes to the competition schedule.
Starting at 9 in Riverview C will be Social Media and Engaging the Tech Generation with Nic O’Neill. In Seaside B will be a Make and Take Fighter Kite with Gary Goodenough. In Seaside C Jeanie and Archie Clay will be hosting their Exhibition Bubble Workshop.  At 10:30 join Nic O’Neill again for Crowd Funding in Riverview C, or Loik Lamalle for Unexpected Flying Kites in Seaside C.
Starting at 10:30 join the kitemakers in the Pacific room to see what is new in the kite world. On Field 1 at 1pm is a Mass Ascension of Soft and Flexible Kites, followed by Art Kites, Kites with Moving Parts, and Your Favorite Kite. On Field 2 the Sport Kite Competition will continue starting at 12:30. Fighter Kite folks can find competition on Field 3 starting at 1:30pm.   Don’t miss FlyMart, the Bag Raffle, and the Challenge Night starting at 7pm!