THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407280224
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARGARET TALEV, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
THE KITE-FLYING fever hit Jim Joines of Wilmington, Del., years ago when he ``went gaga'' over a soaring contraption he saw in Ocean City, Md. He ran out and bought a kite, and he said hasn't been the same since.
``I bought my first kite five years ago and have since run up the national debt,'' he said.
On Wednesday - 110 kites and about $8,000 later - Joines and his 32-year-old son Bryan stood atop Jockey's Ridge State Park practicing synchronized manuevers with a pair of dual-line Hawaiian team kites.
Father followed son and vice versa, both using two hands to guide a series of intricate swoops, swirls and glides that cut the air with showmanship that might impress an Air Force pilot.
Although Joines, who competes, seems to have outgrown the stage at which he could fly a single-line kite with reckless abandon, he recommends it for first-timers who are looking for something fun to do alone or with others.
``You can enjoy it relatively inexpensively,'' he said.
Lynne Shanks, Diana Rego and Lori Harrison of New Jersey agreed. Five of their children, between the ages of 5 and 10, dashed across the Jockey's Ridge sand with eyes glued to a brightly colored $20 kite.
``We brought kites we'd bought here five years ago,'' said Shanks, who traveled from Old Bridge, N.J. ``The sand dune is really unique 'cause it's so big and mountainous. And it's not crowded. You're not going to hit anyone soaking in the sun.'' Admission to Jockey's Ridge is free, and the park is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Kitty Hawk Kites assistant manager Matthew Walsh prefers to fly his kites on the beach.
``The beaches are great,'' he said. ``If the wind is coming from the north, south or east, it's really clean wind. And if you're hot on the beach, you can just jump in the water.''
Larry McCarter, who owns the Wright Kite Co. in Kill Devil Hills, said his favorite places to fly are at the beaches at South Nags Head and Oregon Inlet. His kites range from $7.99 to the $285 Jordan Air Pro, a lightweight, graphite dual-line stunt kite.
Kitty Hawk, with the largest selection on the East Coast, has a selection that ranges from a $640 butterfly kite to a $5.99 mylar dragon kite.
``If they're beginners and they want to fly a single-line kite, a $20- to $30-kite, with care, will last them for years,'' Walsh said.
Both stores offer kite flying lessons.
For a first-time kite buyer - for whom a trip through a large store can be overwhelming - here are some basics:
Kites can be controlled by a single line or by multiple lines, usually two or four.
Varieties of stunt or multiple-line kites include diamonds, deltas and parafoils. Box kite and cellular kites are usually single-line.
According to Walsh, children under 10 should start with single-line kites, which are less complicated that multiple-lines to control.
Joines offered some advice to first-time kite buyers: ``When they walk into a kite store for the first time and they see the price tags, don't panic. Bicker. Discounts can be had almost anywhere. But you have to ask for them. In fact, you have to insist.''
As Joines offered the advice, his son squatted in the sand, planting himself as would a tug-of-war team anchor, to keep hold of a dual-line, ram-inflated three-kite stack worth $440.
``When you start talking those kinds of numbers, you're talking about someone who is really into kiting,'' Joines said.
Would the 56-year-old characterize himself as a serious kiter?
``It's either that or a sign of misspent adulthood.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON
Jim Joines of Wilmington, Del., prepares to launch a dual-line,
ram-inflated three-kite stack worth $440.
KITE STORES
Wright Kite co., Sea Holly Square, Kill Devil Hills, 480-2855
Kitty Hawk Kites:
Nags Head, 441-4124
Duck, (919) 261-4450
Corolla, (919) 453-8845
Avon, (919) 995-6060
by CNB