Date: Tue, 3 Oct 1995 07:38:24 -1000 From: djskites@aol.com (Djskites) Message-Id: <44rseg$5fq@newsbf02.news.aol.com> Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Subject: Dodd's Flight School In France (long) Because kiting is my passion, hobby, business and life, when I write about it they all become mixed and sometimes inturpeted as advertisements or promotions, and sometimes they are, but this is a report about my recent trip to France. If you are the type of person that gets "bent out of shape" because you think I am advertising, then maybe you should not read any further. I hope the rest of you enjoy it. The reason for going to France was to conduct my Flight Schools for the last time this year. The trip was organized by a German, now living and running a wholesale distributor business in France called ICARE. Hans Peter Dietz. He organized a wonderful experience for all four of us that traveled that would take us to eight different cities spread out all over France, teaching a record breaking one hundred students in only ten days! Also besides myself and HP in the van were HQ designer Christoph Fokken and an employee to HP that turned out to be a great flyier, helper, instuctor, and most helpful interpeter, and great friend, Xavier. The first thing we did after being picked up at the Charles Degull Airport was to drive a few hours to tour a textile plant were they manufactured everything from giant marine tow rope, climbing rope, to kite line. I was amazed at seeing over 1000 machines all working twisting lines together with very few workers on the floor. These machines run almost continually and the noise was amazing! We toured the plant for hours. The next thing was to meet Christoff who took a train down from Germany. He was late! Finally all four of us were together and we headed off to Le Touquet. This was the site for the 1994 World Cup that is remembered for high winds. This day we used ultra lites. Our host treated us to a wonderful home meal, family, and a nice bed. I enjoyed this first class as the students showed a lot of enthusiasm. Off to Dunquerk. We only knew to drive to the city and had never met the owner of the kite shop there before. We went to a bar and called, we were very close. We went out for Chinese and then called it a night. The next day the wind was howling and the skies looked very dark and sure enough the tied came in quick and so did the rain. We still flew. We moved to a football field but had to move agian to another field inland. We were eventually rained out and went back to the city. The weather cleared just long enough to lure us out to the beach and I conducted a very short class with vented Tramontanas that proved themselves very worthy in this 30 plus MPH wind. With the right adjustment, we could not stall too easily but the kites flew very good and had little pull. One more night and pizza and then off the next mourning to Paris. We arrived after noon at my friends Gilbert's shop called Vire Vole. After another great french lunch we went off to the flying field located in the center of Paris were we were greeted by fliers and students and light turbulent bad switching winds, but we were able to finish. I had a great time flying and being with all of those people and even a old friend of mine came to Paris to see us. Pierre Mazzin, Frengh Natianal Champion. We flew BabyTanas pairs in no winds until sunset. A night with Gilbert and his wife Laura, and pizza again and off again the next day for more driving. We drove a about four hours and stopped in a little town..There we met 13 fliers who live in the French alps. They drove about 2 hours or so to meet us in this field along the road. Although the winds were a little high (around 15 to 20) and we use vented kites most of the time. Up to this point this was my favorite class. We had wind, no rain, a nice steady wind, a good field, and great students. My class seemed to work the best with six in a class and then splitting off into three groups of two. They learned alot and their skill level was at the perfect place for the class. Intermediate to experienced. The few trick flyiers I had on this tour realized that they were lacking and precision so everything worked out ok. As most of the students in the Schools, they really appreciated my system for teaching and learned alot. Off again for a few more hours of driving arriving late in the very old city of Mareselles. We met my friend Pascal who owns and runs a kite shop there. We went out for another great meal and then to our hotel for the first and only time on this trip. I hate hotels. We stayed one block from the kite shop that was located in a nasty part of the city that looked very dirty and unsafe. The next mourning we went back to the shop that was one of the best stocked high performance kite shops I saw. We drove to the beach that was simply beuatiful with mountains, the medditarainian, and a nice park to fly in. Two schools, and then off to dinner. The next mourning we were off again for a 4 hour drive to Lyon. This was my favorite place. LE Cri Du Kangourou. A kite/roller blade shop. I can't pronounce the owners name, but he had prepared over 20 students in 2 days for me. The wind was on the light side but great for teaching and we had a chance to fly my new kite too! The country side was amazing and so was the company and dinners and students we had. I did not want to leave!!!! This is when Christoph left us and went back to Germany. Off to HP's hometown of Larashell (forgive the spelling)for some informal training and flying. This was Saturday and my day off. But I taught any way and had a good time. At the bar on the beach we showed the debut of the HQ performace video that I made and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Dinner at Hp and his wifes 300 year old restored farm house with great friends and then off to the last stop. Now only Xavier his girlfriend Veronic and I drove about 4 hours to a nice old town outside of Paris called Chanteye. This was the only Cerf-Volant (kite) Festival we attended and I am very happy we did so. The organizers tell me that around 100 thousand people were in and out during this two day event. I conducted my classes on sunday on the back field during the festival of Rokokoo battles, stall competition and single line flying. I wish we had festivals like that here in the states. I had completed my first class of 6 students when I was forcefully "asked" to do a demo. I had shied away from demos this year and have not flown ballet in front of people since Le Touquet 94, over one year! Looking back, the reason I did not fly is because I was intimidated by all of the really good trick fliers I saw at festivals this year and felt uncomfortable.. What I failed to realize is that even though these people can fly as many tricks as I can, that doesn't make them good ballet fliers because not everyone can fly in front of people and fly TO THE MUSIC!!!!! Trick flying does not make a good kite flyer. Tricks are easy with the right kite and some practice, but ballet flying and entertaining is a whole other story. ............So, I walked out onto the field with a thousand or so spectators and fliers watching my every move and I started flying with my Jam Session to music they had playing while they were getting my tape ready. I did a landing. They clapped. "hey they like this stuff", so I did an axel, they clapped more, an axel take off, coin toss, half axels , more, a 540 flat spin, they cheered, cascades, combination tricks, they clapped and cheered more, then I regained my confidence, my music started,(never listened or practice with it) (my music from 93 season) And I flew my first demo in over a year with my own design kite and I was very happy indeed!! Although I may not have scored a first with my routine if I had been competing (although who knows) The crowd went wild and so did I! Then my next song from last year (Harry Conick JR) Started playing and I flew that too! After it was over I was greeted by some of the nicest applause and congradulations I have every received. For a brief moment in time I felt like a star, signing hats, jackets, shirts, posters, pieces of paper, having pictures taken left and right, now you know why it is hard to go back to the EL where they don't appriciate what I do.. This was the Highlight of my trip. To fly with my own kite, fly well, and be appreciated for my flying. The classes had 6 in each class, but another 10 or more standing around listening to my methods. Needless to say, I did not want to leave. I wonder why the Europeans accept these Flight Schools, attend them, apprecitate them, and learn alot from them, when it is difficult to cultivate this idea in the US? The US better watch out! Because of the Stranger Video, my videos and schools, I see a lot higher skill level developing over seas than I do here in the states. I hope that I can get through to the shops and organizers of events here to do the same thing for us for 96! Back to the trip. That evening we went back to Paris, had my last great meal in France, and the next mourning off to the good old US of A. In all my travels, this trip was my most successful one. A large THANK YOU goes out to Hans Peter Dietz, Xavier, Christoph and to the wonderful people of FRANCE!!! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!!! Dodd Gross = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 3 Oct 1995 13:44:02 -1000 From: ferry.holsderver@satje.xs4all.nl (Ferry Holsderver) Message-Id: <3071d95a3071d95a@satje.xs4all.nl> Organization: The Satellite BBS. Subject: Dodd's Flight School In France (long) Hello djskites@aol.com! Wednesday october 04 1995, djskites@aol.com writes to All: dc> SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!!! dc> Dodd Gross dc> @PATH: 1899/0 1801/300 Hi Dodd, loved your video tapes... when are you comming to the Netherlands ? Greetings, Ferry, Kite fanatic. --- FMail 1.02 * Origin: -=[ The Satellite BBS ]=-*-=[ +31-228-521062 / 520647 (601:1801/300) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Wed, 11 Oct 1995 02:05:26 -1000 From: pat@cs.strath.ac.uk (Patrick Prosser) Message-Id: <45gbu6$2eo@todd-06.cs.strath.ac.uk> Organization: Comp. Sci. Dept., Strathclyde Univ., Glasgow, Scotland. Subject: Re: Dodd's Flight School In France (long) Just out of interest ... I went to the Festival du Vent, Marseille, on Sunday the 17th of September. I didn't see anyone I know. Were any of you there? I took my smallest parafoil (about 1 square meter, 21 keels, 21 shroud lines, really cute, flies well, pack down 2 nothing). I first flew it beside some guy with a large foil, about 120 square feet (?). I thought it was a fun contrast, but one of the fliers did not, and told me to go elsewher, in no uncertain manner. Ah well! There was one kite that blew me away (well afew actually). Okay, 2 kites. The first one was flown by Joan Public, a really nice lady. She had constructed a kite along the lines of 2 deltas, one behind the other, 2 keels. Get the picture? She made them out of dark green cotton. On the line she hung tinsle, Christmas decorations, etc. It was brilliant! I love it, and I want to steal the idea for myself! The second kite(s) that I saw, that impressed me to bits, was a really really small Cody, about 6 inches across. It was flying perfectly. The flyer also had a della porta about the same size, and a number of winged boxes. All fabulous, but I'm not sure that too many people grasped just what he had achieved (perfect build quality). Last, but not least, was play sails. These were flown as kites. I've tried this and failed, but I haven't given up. One of the sails was a triangle, and I'll give that a go. I also swam while I was there, and some guys in wet suits were body surfing, with about double size stunt kites. Looked like fun, but so did the girl I left my clothes with when I went swimming. I was over dressed :) Patrick = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =