Diary 1 How it all Started Kite Display Team 1999

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	It all started with an idea. Could I make a sport kite that looked like a MKF logo Fly. This is the First Four kites (I eventually made six) on their first outing at Shipley country park in 1999 where they were first flown, I named the four kites John, Paul, George and Ringo for some bizarre reason I can no longer remember. Jim white led myself Alan Bill and Ian Newham in their first brief Flight in the very light winds on the day. I had no idea they would create so much interest Graham Binney was quite impressed even though the kites were untuned and pretty rough to fly. Alan Poxon had a quick go with one and was astonished when he managed to axle it.
	Soon after this I found out that Graham and Alan Poxon where flying a pair of giant El-Macho Kites together in a pair they called Breeze. But until Coventry I had never seen them flying together. They managed by sheer skill to win second place in the Coventry Cup pairs competition flying these kites in 1999. Graham still leads the pair and they currently fly a very complex routine to Westlife which is part of our main display.
	Alan Bill and Myself had been flying my two of my Dancer kites for a while and had gained the nickname Wallace and Grommit, Thanks to Alans Daughter Vicki (I think I must be Grommit) We have improved through the year and now have a fairly good routine to Peer Gynt. With either the Hawaiian's or the Dancer's depending on the speed of the wind. We are able to fly some of our manoeuvres on 75ft lines with Pascal's new Krazy Kites. Alan has developed the ability to follow so well that if I don't have to call all the manoeuvres any more.
	We had been loaned the fantastic Flight FX TOTL Hawians By a wonderful gentleman especially for the Coventry cup competition in which we came last after crashing out. the routine had been to the Peer Gynt but the PA gave out so the only time we have ever flown it properly was at Tewksbury Kite Festival last year.

We all got together for the first time to fly after the competition and got a spontaneous round of applause for our efforts. I led and we kept it to a few simple infinity's and one square I think but had to give up on our second try when Grahams line broke during a wrap. Graham and Alan P. bought two of the kites and I said I would update them all if we could fly together occasionally as a team just for display not competition as none of us could give that sort of commitment.

We flew again at Sutton in Ashfield kite festival where we had priceless help from Andy Taylor of Vortex who led us for a while and got us doing Starbursts Diamonds and horizontal threads. The kites had improved a little but were still slightly uneven. After this finally I retuned all the kites together and changed the lower crosspars to Gforce SUL in November. Graham has provided the major driving force to get us flying together. Without his boundless enthusiasm I don't think we would be flying together.

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