Saturday, June 21, 2008

Reminder about Kualoa Ground Handling

Over the past few months, our club directors have taken the time to conduct multiple phone calls and meetings with park personnel, in order to arrange for our members to resume ground handling practice at Kualoa Regional Park. As you know from our last meeting, the park has kindly agreed to our request. This agreement is an informal and unwritten arrangement that is subject to goodwill and understanding on both sides.

Please remember that the park staff have asked us to practice in the large area of the park downwind of the street and power lines, and not in the beachfront area upwind of the power lines. The park manager, Rod, promised to let the enforcement personnel out there know that we are allowed to practice in that area, and he said he'd stop by to say hello if he happens to see us practicing. Thanks for your cooperation.

7 comments:

Gravity said...

Thats great that they're letting us practice kiting again.

But, we still have NO place to train via towing in high winds?

Any idea of how long it might take to get permission to tow again?

We only towed there without incident for 15 years... in an unused area of the park!

Hilo Ken said...

I still have no idea where you guys are talking about. What about the area at the end of the road right at the circle round about. There is a field their that faces into the wind is that the place you are referring to?
I see power lines but they are downwind from the field and Mauka of the road. Thanks....

launch potato said...

I earlier got kicked out of the lower green area in the picture, with the security guy pointing out the spindly power line on the distant downwind edge of that field.

firedave said...

So, is it okay to kite at the red "X"'s? It is so unclear to me:)

Where could Nightshift kite? Is there a place for him?

Alex said...

Launch potato, we've only discussed staying downwind of the road and power lines. The lower green area in the picture, deeper into the park, is technically upwind of the power lines, because the lines curve around and go way behind at that point. But at the moment I'm considering that second area to be available to us - if the park management informs me otherwise, I'll let you know.

If park personnel or security staff ask you not to ground handle in the green areas on the picture, please be courteous and comply, but also let me know right away so I can clarify things with the park management.

The whole point of this informal agreement is to open a line of communication with the park management and show them we are able to follow instructions. If we can do that, then we may have a chance to proceed to further negotiations (for other areas of the park, or other methods of training for our members).

I encourage folks to get out there and work on your ground handling as often as possible, not just because you could use the practice - and you definitely could - but also because we need to show them how important the use of the park is to us.

I went out there yesterday and spent a couple of hours ground handling in the top green area of the picture. The air is cleanest on the makai edge of the green area, right up near the park driveway, behind the two largest gaps between the trees: one at the entrance of the park, and the other near the bathrooms. The air in the rest of that green area is subject to more turbulence from the trees upwind, but as an experiment, I found I was able to traverse the entire length of the area from the highway to the bathrooms while keeping my wing above my head. It wasn't easy, especially behind the huge fat tree in the middle, but it was good practice.

Gravity said...

Somebody needs to inform the powers-to-be that their security guy is mis-informed, can't read, sloppy, I think he's even drunk on duty...

I had a run-in with him a few months ago. He thinks I'm from a foreign country because I was wearing a German PG shirt. I also smelled really strong odor of alcohol on his breath. Or maybe it was mine? Maybe not I wasn't drinking, yet.

Whatever we were not communicating very well. But, he ended up leaving us alone after writing down my T-shirt info - www.aufwind.at or ?

Hilo Ken said...

Ok, thanks for the picture. A picture is worth a thousand words... The smaller green box is the area that I have been kiting at. So,I am ok there. I was there about a week ago and nobody came by to say anything one way or another. Glad I was in the "Approved area!"