Nashville Outdoors

Remember the good 'ol days when the family got together for a picnic and somebody brought a kite?  Flying a kite with the family is something every child should experience. It's good for adults too. There are plenty of wide open spaces to fly in Tennessee. This family enjoys a nice breeze at J. Percy Priest Lake, near the dam, as they fly their airplane kite. Making your own kite is the way to go. To see what you've built soaring high in the sky is very special!Jack Handy once told a story of his family's kiting experience. "When I told Dad I wanted a kite he said, "Okay, but instead of buying a kite, let's make one." So we did. Then, about a month later, we also made me a bicycle, but it blew away."

Kite flying is a very earth friendly sport. Kite Fliers know the importance of fresh clean air. They know how enjoyable flying a kite in a healthy and clean environment is! Kiters help with conservation by introducing others to the activity of kiting! By recycling kites that are beyond repair. By up-cycling household items to make kites. And by passing on unused kites to someone else instead of sending them to the landfill.

On Saturday, August 12, 2000, at 17:44 EDT, a high tech delta kite, measuring 30 feet from wing tip to wing tip, and 18 feet from tip to tail, using 270 pound woven Kevlar line, flown from a field in Kincardine, Ontario, reached a height not less than 13,600 feet above sea level. Establishing a new world record for altitude of a single kite on a single string. (previous record, set in 1896, was 12,471 ft.

The American Kitefliers Association was founded in 1964 by the late Robert M. Ingraham of New Mexico. Now, with over 3,000 members, in 25 countries, we are the largest association of kiters in the world. Our purpose is to educate the public in the art, history, technology, and practice of building and flying kites - to advance the joys and values of kiting in all nations. We are men, women, adults and children, from all walks of life. Our interests run from kitebuilding to multi-line kite competition, from miniature kites, to aerial photography and more. Some of us are in the kite trade, but we are not a trade organization. The AKA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public in the art, history, technology, and practice of building and flying kites.