TOURNAMENTS, CONTINUED.
The newspapers are glad to publish notices and pictures, and some will even print plans of work free. They are very persistent in getting reports of the tournament, so the judges should be careful in recording each event. The reporters will be on the ground if they have knowledge of its whereabouts.
Ice cream and sandwich wagons are liable to get in the way, so it is best to restrict them to the margin of the crowd. They should not be allowed to come inside any of the locations for the events.
All string that is to be used in races of any kind should be measured beforehand. It is best for the director to take charge of the string until time for the event, or until he can turn it over to the judges in charge of that group. Boys are liable to make a mistake in getting their string too short, so it must be measured. I place a couple of nails one hundred feet apart in the rail of the board fence, the boys wind about that until they have the required length, and by counting the string I can soon see if it is correct. If the string is given back to the boy, there is a temptation to take out some. There is no disadvantage in letting out the string from a stick in the races, if there is a reel to attach it to when it comes to the winding in.
Announcements should be sent out a week ahead of the tournament that the string will be measured such and such afternoons, perhaps two days before the tournament. It is not best to leave it until just the day before, as the director should be as free as possible from such work at such time in order to give full attention to rounding up of details that are sure to accumulate toward the last of the preparations.
Quarter Mile Dash. The race consists of the letting out and winding in of a kite on one quarter mile of string. The boys set their reels ready for the best speed and they group themselves quite close together, but far enough apart to prevent mix-ups, and at the proper time are handed their string that has been measured and labeled which they attach to kite. Each boy in the race is allowed one helper and the kite may be held by the helper a hundred feet away, ready to toss it in the air at the sign for starting. When all is ready, the one in charge of the group calls “ready! go!” The kites are tossed up and are given the string as fast as it will be taken. The boy with a steady head will sometimes stop playing out and work his kite up a little to get more breeze. If there is plenty of breeze, they are fed all the string as fast as it is pulled out. If a kite drops it may be worked up again, but it must go to the end of the quarter mile and back. A time keeper is placed by each contestant, and officers are needed to keep back the onlookers. As soon as all the string is out the boy slips the loop on the end of his string over a hook on the reel and winds in as fast as he can turn. The kite mounts up in the air and is pulled with great violence toward the reel. If a string breaks, the time keeper stops the winding until the kite is again attached. No allowance is made for mishaps. The kite that is jerked down into the reel first is winner, and the owner is usually a pretty warm boy. The helper can take turns in winding.
Other races should be similarly conducted. We have had races in the construction of a tailless kite, including the lashing and stringing of framework and covering, attaching of bridle and the kite must fly. In all pulling contests, spring scales are used. In the light weights, the twenty-five pound scales are best, but the fifty pound is more serviceable for all around purposes. For very heavy pulling, large ice scales might be borrowed for the day from some hardware man.
To measure the pull of a kite, the string is looped about the hook of the spring and the record made. Several records are made of each kite over a period of about thirty minutes or so. The judges going to and fro measuring this one and that. The kite should be ascending to get the best register. It is well in trial events to set the number of times that each aeroplane may be tried or tests of pulling permitted, as some will tease for a continual performance.
The art supervisors and teachers are good as judges for the artistic events. All kites are in the air most of the time, so a general survey is made of the whole field. It is well to have about five judges on this group. Less will do the work all right, but it is well to draw many into the service.
If the director could be on horseback so as to be easily seen, and also be able to get about easily, it would help out considerably. Messengers from judges to director or information would be useful.
Badges. For badges, we use a celluloid button, with our own cut, the ribbon attached has printing in black. The officers get yellow, the first prize, blue, the second, red. Some years we have used different colored buttons, this year the buttons were all yellow, the ribbons, yellow, red, and blue.
See the street car officials in order that they may plan accommodations for the day. Instructions are posted for the car men by the officials, that consideration be given to the boys with their kites and in most cases the men have been very helpful in this respect. Of course large kites cannot be taken on the street car. A great many are taken to the field in automobiles.
Just before the tournament it is rather difficult to locate the boys making their kites, as they work in secluded places, but if you know of some that are making progress, a photograph by the newspaper men will add considerable zest to the advertising side of preparations.
Get your school officials enthusiastic first, and get their cooperation in encouraging the undertaking, for it is a great school social gathering and should be made worth while. Then boost for it. Demonstrate by making or flying a kite, and the boys will take care of the rest.
A SAMPLE ANNOUNCEMENT.
MANUAL TRAINING OFFICE
Los Angeles City Schools
KITES AND AEROPLANE MODELS.
New Year’s Greeting to the
Kite Makers of Los Angeles:
The Sixth Annual Kite Tournament will be held April 20, 1912, at Exposition Park. The spring vacation will be a good time to design, construct, and try out new ideas. The model aeroplanes will have a much larger place than heretofore at the coming tournament. A number of good plans of kites and model aeroplanes will be sent out during the coming season.
Spruce sticks can be obtained again this year at 1335 E. 6th St. at the Southern California Box Co., in 25c bundles or more.
The Goodyear Rubber Co., No. 324 S. Broadway is carrying string rubber and will have one sixteenth and one eighth inch, very good sizes. Models propelled by rubber bands should be from 20” to 30” across. Do not make the planes too wide, much of the failure of models is due to this mistake.
Two firms in the east are advertising small gasoline motors for model aeroplanes. Models to carry these motors should be from 6’ to 8’ or more. Models so equipped are operated by cords running to the ground. One boy claims to have succeeded with a storage battery under his arm and an Ajax motor in his model. If we get our model well under control we should be able to carry the storage battery on a wheel as suggested two years ago. No one has reported a success with the clockspring device. A long coiled steel wire spring has more promising possibilities.
Look for advertisements in “Popular Mechanics” and other magazines, for firms carrying parts such as gears, rubber motors, etc. There will be a few events for commercially manufactured models, but these are not to compete with home made.
The usual kite events will be about the same as during the past two years. The quarter mile dash with the use of reels will be used; also an eighth mile dash will be listed this year in which the string is to be wound in by hand.
The “Scientific American” of October 14, 1911, has an article on “How to make a Model Aeroplane that will fly 700 feet”. Look it up.
Ask at the libraries for Mr. Collin’s books on “Model Aeroplanes”. There is a second book out by this author that seems very good.
Look out for ideas in the daily newspapers and at the Dominguez meet.
Principals please post.
Respectfully,
CHAS. M. MILLER.
MANUAL TRAINING OFFICE
April 12, 1912.
Sixth Annual Kite Tournament at
Exposition Park, April 20, 1912.
TIME:—No kites are to be put up before one o’clock, and judging is to begin at 2 p. m.
CARS:—Georgia St., University, Grand Ave. to Figueroa Junction, Vermont Heights or Inglewood on Main to Figueroa Junction.
PLACES:—Bulletin boards will be used as usual—see information, if you can’t get located.
RAIN:—If the afternoon is stormy, the tournament will be postponed two weeks.
GIRLS:—All events are open to the girls.
ADMISSION:—No admission fee, and friends invited.
ARTISTIC EVENT:—All kites will be judged for artistic effect no matter where located—must fly.
BALLOONS:—Boys must bring their own balloon equipment.
STICKS FOR FRAMES:—Any wood, except the hardwoods, may be used for frames, but spruce is best.
INTERMEDIATE AND HIGH SCHOOL BOYS:—All intermediate boys are eligible and all high school boys who have been in a grade school since last tournament, may enter from such school. Look up some of your kite makers.
KITES:—All should be encouraged to make and fly a kite, even if not for a prize. Make it a kite flying day for your school.
EXTRA PARTS:—Boys should bring along an extra stick and some paper in case of accident to kite.
NEW INVENTIONS:—Special new features will be recognized if they have real merit.
PRIZES:—Ribbon badges and diplomas will be awarded as in former years.
ORGANIZE:—Distribute your efforts over many events.
REGISTRATION:—Send in registration to Mr. Miller at Grand Ave. School on Friday. Give names of boys. No one will be kept out for lack of registration.
MEASURING:—Kite lines for quarter and one-eighth mile dashes and yacht race will be measured at Grand Ave. School, Thursday and Friday afternoons, April 18th and 19th.
Come one—come all.
Respectfully,
CHAS. M. MILLER.