by Nelson Borelli
Dear BaToCo fellows,
It turned out to be like this,
The pile of snow almost reached our ears and it kept snowing; it was freezing cold: 10°C below zero. Barely 5 p.m., and already dark… It was a Saturday, last January, in Chicago area. Not even penguins dared have a stroll! Neither did I. ‘I’d stay at home, warm’ –I said to myself- and prepared mate.
For a full leisure time, while drinking mate, I glanced at the e-mails. The messages from BaToCo folks occupied nearly all the screen. Any type: tie the single, double or quadruple line; the sail or the sticks; questions and complaints; trips; hugs and kisses; the Forum theft; Roberto here, Roberto there and everywhere; windy or not windy. One after the other, like crazy slapping…
Right there I got inspired: I joined the spatial chat. As soon as I started writing, I succumbed into the temptation of having the whole kiting stuff fixed, once and for all. I began to write, erase and write again. There passed weeks like this, writing and erasing (since I was a young boy, I wished to become a writer though without any talent for it, so they made me a doctor). Now that I’m old, I’m putting on airs again, as my Spanish grandma would say. Well, one day on March I said, ‘It’s enough, good or bad I’ll send the article to BaToCo. I desisted from my impulse, fearing that BaToCo Board of Directors, after reading such a prank, would reject my recent application as new member.
Being myself in such a mess, it came up to my mind a brilliant idea: I’d send the article to XYZ to check if my prose could be arranged so that it could be send to BaToCo without running the risk of being shot right away. Taken the decision, XYZ –as if by magic- made my text presentable (XYZ, worthy of the Real Academy of Spanish Language, is a persons as genial and kind as reserved, especially when cooking with the saucepan covered).
End of March, 10°C above zero and sunny. No more snow nor writing. Bye, I put on my overcoat and go kite-flying with my gang.
Ah!, I forgot about it, here’s the piece: “Barriletear” (“Kiting”) (if there’s anybody who wants a re-truco, he may do so, I’m ready).
Nelson Borelli.
BARRILETEAR (KITING)
Art and Science... and Patience
First: The Real Spanish Academy must admit that the neologism “Barriletear” sounds better than the Anglicanism “Kiting”.
Second: Barriletear is the art and science of designing and building and flying kites.
Third: Happiness in kiting depends on four elements: air, kite, (sail tied to a string attached to the opposite end), kite flyer and the kiting community. From the four elements, the air is sine qua non. The other three are our –mortals- invention.
Let’s get deep into certain kiting philosophies.
We mortals have the immense grace and capacity for creating kite designs and build them with the aid of mathematics, physics and other derived scientific disciplines, besides the household practice. Enough to attend a good kite festival and you can watch unimaginable things! An example of this is what BaToCo has demonstrated, the colossal kite built with plenty of patches that is flown by dozens of persons who –by the way- are considered as “serious”.
Kites, you find them any shape, anything you can possibly imagine! Let’s take, for instance, the “Revolution”, which, putting on revolutionist airs, is considered God of Airs! This is what happens after creating novelties. And that’s so, more and more spectacular and unexpected designs and colors, made with all types of materials, and ready for trying the air pleasure.
And there goes the kite flier, with his creation in his hand, ready to set out at the mercy of his/her creation and the air. Two elements, one built by him –or her-, the other, well… let’s say, by Nature. The point is, how to get acquainted with both. My answer: Do it with patience, with respect and taking pleasure. Kites are like horses, they’ve got their own personality. The horse knows how to become acquainted with the rider; if he/she is skillful, enjoys riding and is pleased when connected with his/her horse, it obeys. It’s a good thing to look at the kite and speak to it. Let’s say, “Hi…, what’s the wind like this afternoon?” “Yes, I know you’ve got a lame leg; I’ll lend you a hand so that you won’t make a fool of yourself”. The conversation should continue when the kite is right upward, close to the sky.
Before I go on -truly speaking- as I’m a Borelli, not a Beroulli, my scientific reasoning regarding flight may certainly arouse a violent reaction among aeronautic scientists. Welcome to all of them!
Air is a key element for kite fliers. The air is a physical object, with mass and weight, and acts as such. This allows the kite to lean on the air and float. If one could build a kite with less mass and weight than the air, the kite would be continuously floating. One wouldn’t be able to fly a kite in the stratosphere because there’s no air in it. Well, if we want a kite to set flying (reaction) the kite must exert pressure (action) on the air. That action is achieved in 2 ways:
First Option: Place the kite in an environment where the air moves due to the differences in the atmospheric pressure between two points: wind. Place the kite where the air can be pushed against the kite, by means of a device called fan or something of the sort. Place the kite where the air is sucked in, also called vacuumed.
Second Option: Push the kite against the air. This is what happens when one pulls the line while retrieving it, or when walking backwards while the kite is in the air (children would get stubborn on this, they grasp the line and run). Of course, this is the technique we use in a “windless flight”.
The air pressure on the kite makes it fly. Be it for the wind, or the line pulling. Either outdoors or indoors. It is the same principle. By using that principle, it is produced the flying joy.
The first three elements, air, kite and kite flier, make the kite flier happy when the three of them operate as a team, as friends or fellows. When they know each other, understand themselves, tolerate and love each other. Difficult kites and airs give kite fliers a greater opportunity for such understanding, enhancing the flight happiness.
With regards to the kiting community, we may say that it leads you to the party. It also leads to the mutual creative inspiration. Regarding the flight conception and the flight itself. One may go alone to the field and fly the kite, but that’s not much fun. The community gets ready for the “flower games”, as poets would. With or without wind, cyclone or rain, provided there’re wind, kites and kite fliers, the community will go kiting tomorrow, outdoors or indoors. The key thing is to remember that “one suggests and God orders”.
Here you have two alternatives as well. If the weather is fine, but there’s no wind at all, you can fly light kites outdoors or indoors. If the weather is bad, you can fly indoors. The thing is to be ready, depending on what God decides. But, mind you, don’t forget the sandwiches. God is in charge of the weather. He won’t forbid us to use our imagination for enjoying life, particularly when it comes to kiting.
And that’s all, folks. This humble provincial payador1, who -as José Hernández would say- “when gets … would start advising”, says good-bye.
Nelson Borelli.
Kite flier
Applicant to BaToCo member
Residing in Woodstock, Illinois, USA
