21 replies to this topic

[The Pontificator]

Someone told me that Daytona Beach prohibits stunt kites.

The beach patrol at Myrtle Beach has certainly been known to 'harass' kite flyers but my experience was ten years ago and the person who ran the beach patrol (contract with city) is now in prison.

Anyway...any public beaches where kites are prohibited? Could save someone some grief when planning a vacation or trip.

[MrDenny]

Where did you hear that? I have flown there. It was a few years ago. I was thinking about it this last weekend when the weather was so good. I will have to try it again soon and let you know if I end up in kite jail!!

[The Pontificator]

I don't think that stunt kite flying is prohibited on Myrtle Beach/Surfside/Garden City per se (as in a specific ordinance) but the beach patrol (again, contracted by the city) has some lattitude to decide what in their opinion is "safe" and what isn't. Of course, the policy was a "blanket" one.

The individual who had the contract with Myrtle Beach was an obnoxious, arrogant male of Middle Eastern or Persian extraction. He liked to cruise up and down the beach in this huge, black SUV equipped with all sorts of psuedo-law enforcement lighting. His demeanor was hilarious. "I rule the beach" he'd say. Yeah, right. He ruled the beach...and his private parasailing/sailboat rental business...to the point where he was investigated and subsequently arrested, charged, and convicted of any number of things including unlawful possession of firearms and now Mr. "I rule the beach" is serving time at the Broad River Correctional Facility (state prison) in Columbia.

I love a story with a happy ending.

NO HASSLES whatsoever flying at Pawley's Island.

[The Pontificator]

Where did you hear that? I have flown there. It was a few years ago. I was thinking about it this last weekend when the weather was so good. I will have to try it again soon and let you know if I end up in kite jail!!

I've heard bits and pieces that one of the popular Eastern Florida beaches prohibits kite flying. I can't remember the source.

[MrDenny]

I was asking about Daytona Beach. I only live 1.5 hours south.

[antman]

wildwood beachs let you fly on the upper side towards the boardwalk if you go to the shore line before 5 pm witch is after the patrols leave for the day you will get booted

[MrDenny]

Ok, just to set the record straight, I fly Central Florida East Coast Beaches all the time. This includes the County public beaches (with and without life guards) Cities of Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, and Cape Canaveral. Lorie Wilson, which is a State park (Life guards) and Patrick Air Force Base beaches, which I guess would be federal. This are all within 15 miles up and down the beach. The point is with all this government involved in our sun and fun, I have never been asked to leave move or come back later. I would have to say this is a kite friendly area

[AldenMiler]

Pawleys Island... I haven't been there since I was a kid. I'm looking for places to go camping next year. Do they take trailers and dogs?

-Alden

[nckiter]

Hilton Head SC has specific rules prohibiting stunt kites on the public beaches. Not sure if it is always or just during certain times of the year. Other than that I,ve never run into any problems on GA, SC, NC or VA beachs. Done lots of flying in the Charleston / Folly Beach area up to Myrtle Beach. Hope to get some airtime at North Myrtle later this week. Sure hope I never run up on any of these beach patrols!

[The Pontificator]

Pawleys Island... I haven't been there since I was a kid. I'm looking for places to go camping next year. Do they take trailers and dogs?

-Alden

There's no camping allowed on Pawley's Island...probably because there's simply no place to camp.

[Watty]

Instead of banishing kiteflying, why wouldn't they just require you to mark off a section for your kite to keep people safe? Sometimes I just don't understand people.

[kite.flyer]

Hilton Head SC has specific rules prohibiting stunt kites on the public beaches. Not sure if it is always or just during certain times of the year.

When I was at Hilton Head a few years ago, stunt kites were banned between 10 am and 6 pm from April to September or October. I wondered why until I flew the next morning. By 10 am, the beach was packed with people walking, jogging, collecting shells, kids everywhere, etc. It just wasn't safe to fly stunters. But single liners were okay. I flew a trio of fighters for hours without problems. After 6 pm, the beaches pretty much cleared out and it was safer to fly again.

After being at the beach for a week, I understood the restrictions.

[The Pontificator]

Instead of banishing kiteflying, why wouldn't they just require you to mark off a section for your kite to keep people safe? Sometimes I just don't understand people.

Inevitably some dingus will plop their beach towel, umbrella, and self in the middle of where you're flying no matter how you mark it.

[Watty]

Like I said. I just don't understand people.

[nobodyspecial]

Been there done that pontificator, and if you folks are ever in the rehoboth/ lewes De beach areas, you can fly safely after 5pm on non-holiday weekdays, and 6pm on holidays. same for weekends, just gotta wait for the sand naz.... uhhh life guards to go home.

[The Pontificator]

Like I said. I just don't understand people.

Here's the hard truth:

Unless you own the beach where you're flying, it's not yours to mark off. Yeah, you can ask people to please not park themselves where you're flying but if they don't you're really not in a position to make them leave.

[Hope4wind]

Something that tends to make me really question people's intelligence is when they let thier young children run underneath my kite and chase it around. I have to land it and tell them in a very nice way that if the kite was to hit their little one, it would hurt them and possibley injure them. I get odd looks as if I am just talking out of my rear end.

[Watty]

I understand that. I've actually seen someone try to grab my LINES! Common sense just isn't so common anymore.

[Mr. Guatemalan kiteFlier]

Hermosa Beach, California.
I was flying one of my home made flat kites (not a revo.) and I was told (by a lifesaver) that my kite would interfere with the airplanes frequency??? I explained the lifesaver that my kite had only 75 feet line lenghts, and would not interfere with any planes leaving from LAX (Los Angeles, International Airport) but he an another "lifesaver" didn't let me fly my kite. I have not been back at that beach ever, since then. That's okay, there are thousands of miles of beach I can go to. And better ones.

[Quad KiT]

FAA regs state something about flying certain heights but usually not that low.

Maybe it was rent a guard rules since there must have been no bikinis for them to chase on the beach