American Kitefliers Association

The first AKA convention took place in 1979. There was a listing of kites and award winners from that convention in one of the early issues. You could take a look at the digital copies of Kiting that are now on-line.
Typically, the convention coverage would have been in the last issue of the year, either 5 or 6 in the early years.
If that doesn't answer your question you could contact Bevan Brown or Jon Burkhardt, both early AKA and MKS members for more information,

With 36 bridle points and 45 feet of line each it was a chore to bridle this kite. My son helped me straighten it all out and I used the 4 story fire escape at the hotel in Wildwood during WIKF to get the lines on and flat. 



Kevin Shannon, Bob Kelly, and Cliff Quinn helped me on the beach at Wildwood with the final bridling and first flight since at least 1980. What a thrill. Thanks to everyone.






Still looking for any available history, so if anyone has any pictures or other information on this or any of Dr. Marshall's kites I would love to hear from you.

The face on the kite is priceless. ITs like a cartoon character smile and Im sure when you fly it alot of other smiles will be seen. Its great to see the old kites up in the air where they belong.

Hi, TBH.
I'm Curt Marshall's son, Gray.
What can I tell you about this kite?

I've asked the AKA to send you my direct email & we can chat.

Cheers,
-Gray

graymarshall wrote:

Hi, TBH.
I'm Curt Marshall's son, Gray.
What can I tell you about this kite?

I've asked the AKA to send you my direct email & we can chat.

Cheers,
-Gray

Greetings -

Message delivered.

Had a very nice telephone call with Gray Marshall (he of Kite Lines cover fame in Kite Lines - Vol. 04 No. 1 (Summer-Fall 1981), son of Curtis Marshall.  A friend directed his mother to my posts of the kite here on the AKA forum and they sought me out.

http://kitelife.com/forum/index.php?app … =560"

Turns out the plan for the parafoil portion of the lobster is the same as the parafoil on the Kite Lines cover.  Of course there was a lot added to it.  This particular parafoil really needed a tail, so integrating the lobster tail worked well.

Gray told me that the Lobster was the culmination of all of his dad's interests -- lobster diving (and although he preferred the Spiney type found in the warm Carribean waters - the cold water lobster worked better for the kite), building his own fittings and ferrules in his machine shop, and kitebuilding.  I got a few ideas for tweaking the antenna and those pesky front flaps. 

I also got some great stories about the ground zero of modern kiting in Baltimore in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  All in all I must say that this has been the best kite purchase I have ever had the privilege of making.  I have had a lot of fun on this odessy and it isn't over.  Another kite and more stories to come - but that's for a different thread on another day.