Deadheadkeg

Well I got the chance to fly my skydog freebird for a couple hours today. Inland nw indiana winds...a bit gusty...with some lulls in wind...so not best conditions. But I gotta say it's definitely a fun kite for a newbie. Only had one pretty good crash but no damage... but got it flying fairly easily and was able to get some stalls and even got to where was doing stall and spin landings. Sure was an awesome feeling the first time I landed and was able to relaunch immediately without a walk of shame! I definitely have a lot of work to do on the basics. No matter how much I tried to square off turns I tended to round them off (especially when heading towards ground and turning...think I tend to panic and over steer..almost always pulling more of a u turn straight up instead of 90 degree turn parrallel to ground). But I am getting the feel and improving. Definitely takes way less movement with the lines than my parafoil. I did have a problem several times with doing fast spins and having the kite seemingly stall then start tumbling...several times with line getting caught on leading edge tip as i was trying to recover and then just fluttering to the ground. But all that said the kite was a blast and seems way more capable than me at this point. I think it's going to be a great kite for me to practice my basic skills on (my goal / approach is going to be really working on the dodd 6 steps and trying to get all those nailed). So far it seems to definitely be good enough to see and experience the fun of stunt kites and basic tricking...I am looking forward to flying it more and can't wait to get it in some clean air (I tried taking it to Warren dunes on lake michigan Sunday. while the winds were in a nice direction they could barely keep my parafoil up at times so I didn't feel it was good enough to try the freebird). Overall though I think I'm hooked and can't wait to take it out again and keep practicing. I am very pleased with the kite (nice craftsmanship and materials, as well as how it flies) and think it's a great value for the price based on the shopping around I did. Of course that's the opinion of a newbie...but let's be honest...it is a newbie-ish kite, so i am it's target audience. I'd recomend it. Peace Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Thanks for the suggestion palmahnic it really is a great one for any newbie. Oddly enough I had already managed to bump into those dodd gross flight school videos...great resource and really like how they have two camera shots to show hands and kite at same time. It made me try push turns on my foil today when I took it out! With not observing or flying with anyone I was tending to only pull to turn. You really can whip it around pretty quick by using both....pretty cool stuff....when I get the freebird I am really going to hit these videos and try to progress through his 6 step lesson / practice routine. It seems like a nice systemic way to learn and improve skills. I gotta admit Dodd looks like my sorta dude! Throw a tie dye on him, put a beer and a doobie in his hands and he looks like about 1000 other deadheads I saw at the dead show in chicago! [emoji6] Peace. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Thanks tmadz and skyclad01 for your comments. Maybe i should've explained what I was looking at when I thought this was a good buy and then people might have had more specific comments about those thoughts. Basically based on my research and understanding (and admittedly I am learning and might not be corrct) I don't necessarily view this as a "cheap kite" with all the associated bad things that come with them. Thats why the comments re steering me away from cheap kites didnt seem to satisfy me i guess. I get the size thing much better now and see how that is a legit comment (thanks skyclad01 for your explanation). Another things I looked at was frame and kite materials. It has a 6mm carbon fiber frame. My understanding is that this is a pretty decent thing both for replacement / repair as well as for performance and durability, especially at this pricepoint. I have already found an online kite store selling replacement parts if needed (although being just 6mm tubing I assume I can just buy some tube stock and cut my own to length if/ when the inevitable lawn dart takes it out...have to look into the whole repair side more...first things first I guess!). Several people have recomended several other higher end skydog kites, but the only difference in material between the kites (based on their website descriptions) seems to be the difference of freebird having 2mm sold carbon standoffs and the higher end having 3mm. Other thing I looked at was lineset. Lots of cheaper kites don't come with dyneema lineset..this does...maybe i make that more a factor than i should...not sure.. but when i see the cost of purchasing other dyneema linesets its not an insignificant portion of the $50 price of the whole kite...admittedly lines might be shorter than ideal (thanks again for that knowledge skyclad!). Lastly it's designed and made by a legit kite company. All those things made me think it was a good buy not a cheap kite. Admittedly I am a newbie...but I've tried to do my due diligence in learning what to look for and this kite seemed to have a lot of those things at the best price of any I've seen. Are there other things specifically I should look for to distinguish good and bad kites? Well its bought and hopefully will ship today so will have to see when it arrives. But honestly for $50 delivered it seemed like a pretty good buy for the features. If not and it's a mistake...oh well...wont be the first time I've made one of those and I am sure wont be the last. For $50 there's not much to lose...if nothing else I am assuming will give me good practice with basics and give me comfort to get a more expensive kite at some time (assuming I enjoy it...but probably a safe bet) Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

@palmahnic. Thank you for your well thought out response. I think you hit the nail right on the head @skyclad1 thank you for you explanation. That was more of what I was looking for with more specific details and explanations. To all of you. I think you are all quite knowledgeable and there's a lot I can learn from all of you. I appreciatte that this community is here. I've read a ton of posts and have learned a lot already. I would however encourage everyone to think more about teaching and learning pedagogies and to give reasons to support statements. For example instead of just telling me to get a bigger kite...tell me why. Instead of jsut saying get a brand x model y kite...tell me why it's better than what I was looking at. Instead of disparaging cheap kites...tell me what a cheap kite is and why it doesn't work well. Honestly I still can't tell if people think the freebird is a cheap kite or not. It's not an $18 China no name purchased off ebay...that I think we could all agree is a cheap kite...but a lower priced kite designed by a respected designer and sold by a respected company...is that a "cheap kite"? Still unclear. And lastly I really do appreciatte that all your hearts are in the right place and that you are all passionate about kite flying. Peace Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

As previously stated I might have over reacted in my response and I apologize for that. That doesn't mean I don't stand by my comments. The responses were no different than I've read in a bunch of other threads (because i do whatveer eceryone wishes and search and read the forums prior to asking) and provided no new information and no specific information that was requested. I recognize that none of you responded in a manner intended to annoy. But honeslty I take offense to your last line as to what teachers do. Are you one? I am. I admit I only transitioned to teaching 3 years ago after fighting, clawing, and backstabbing my way to a fairly succesful 20+ years in corporate america (it's how the game has to be played...that's why i left). But honestly have you studied how the best learning occurs? It's fairly universally accepted that things student can discover and find on their own are things that are learned better and retained longer. In addtiin context and reasons provide higher level of understanding. As a teacher (high school math if curious) if I all do is simply tell kids to memorize steps and equations to solve specific problems they aren't really getting a good basis in mathematics, and they will forget those formulas and steps approximately 27.6 seconds after the chapter test. As an example, as a practitioner of math many years after the last college class was taken I was doing a math problem with exponents. I did not remember the memorized exponent rules per se [ex (x^2)^3 = x^(2×3)] but I remebered what I learned over 25 years previous, which is the basics of how and what exponents are and was able to quickly derive how to solve it by expanding the exponents (ex x^2 = xx so (xx)^3=xxxxxx or x^6. So which would've been a better way for me to have learned it? Memorize and regurgitate formulas I was told by a knowledgeable person? (good luck with that with my memory!) Or have a deeper understanding of the whys and how's of exponents and be able to figure out the answer on my own? That said I get that as a teacher you don't want to see a kid fail and get frustrated. But let's not forget that failure is part of the learning experience. I get that in a good hearted way you are trying to prevent me from suffering the failures you did. But the failures are critical part of a learning process...especially with someone who's motivated and interested in the subject. A failure becomes a challenge that drives people to acquire knowledge and skills. Again a mini rant...but your teacher comment struck a nerve as that's the exact thing I was complaining about. The responses weren't teaching me anything. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

You didn't offend...nor did I think you were trying to...it guess I was just hoping for some more meaningful feedback. You did reference the size as a concern and that was the most specific comment given about the kite, which I appreciatte. My understanding is that this means i will have to fly in higher winds (which suits me as my scratchbuilt foam rc planes fly in calmer winds), and that the kite might be twitchier and more responsive...that I guess I will just have to deal with...but there seems to be a lot of respect for dodd gross and his designs...and if he designed it and has it listed for beginner to advanced who am I to argue? Plus statement of it being "a kite you'll outgrow soon" ....I guess I have no idea what that means and maybe need more explanation (after all I am a newbie). I see videos of this kite tricking more than I beleive I would ever want to do, much less be capable to do....so on the surface it seems capable...what makes it a kite I will outgrow soon? I guess maybe that's my gripe with the responses. Not that you guys aren't knowledgeable but that you are very knowledgeable and take so much knowledge for granted you don't articulate it well to us newbies. Seriously...what about this kite am I going to outgrow? I am not trying to be sarcastic or challenging so I really don't want any of you to take it that way. I really want to know. If I don't know what traits make this undesirable how would I ever know what makes a desirable kite? If I don't know that makes a desirable kite than how I am ever going to decide on what kite to buy other than just blindly following someone's recomendation? And that doesn't seem like a very educated approach to buying a kite. Sorry I ranted. Woke up sick and have been feeling yuck all day..so overall not in best mood today...but at least I have a kite on the way...so I've got that going for me. [emoji3] ....even if I do outgrow it in 6 months...but at $50 I would still think it probably is a good investment in that if i do eventually get a much nicer kite at least i would've gotten my newbie/brain fart crashes out of the way...knowing i am only risking $50 in a newbie crash versus $150+ allows me to relax more at this point of my kite flying developmentSent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

You know when I first typed up my post I had typed at the end to please not give me the usual "buy an expensive kite" answer...but then I thought it might sound too snarky...well now I guess you get the full on snarky rant. You all have opinions and that's awesome. Not a single one of you actually answered my question or request for information. Not one of you has mentonned any experience with the kite....but you sure are unified in your "buy an expensive kite". You regurgitate the same old cheap kite bashing and say things like "the won't properly stall"...but when I search videos on YouTube (just search sundog freebird) the first several I see are the kite doing some pretty impressive tricks (to this admitted newbie....but I venture to say it is capable of stalling). One of you reference getting the kite that you purchased after your quantum...well this is my first kite...not my second. You guys are suggesting kites that are at least 3 times as expensive as the freebird...not a minor difference in price. It is sad how predictable the response was....I get that you guys are super passionate about kiting. And I imagine you all think your second/ third / umpteenth kite is the best kite ever and if you had only bought that first you would've saved all the money....but that's not always how hobbies work or how people pick up new interests. I wonder how many of you would've loved your second (or whatever) kite if it was the one you crashed and bashed and worried about breaking while you learned on it. I imagine your experiences with your later kites were probably greatly improved by those newbie kites you seem to so disdain now. Plus honestly it comes across as snobbish and unwelcoming to new people getting interested in it. I ordered the freebird. Guess that shows how much I value your opinions...but I had $50 to drop on a kite... not $150. I wanted someone with kiting experiences opinions on this kite pluses / minuses...not advice to spend significantly more than the amount i have now to spend. For $50 it seems like it offers more than most...a dyneema lineset if nothing else. it seems like it might offer the possibiltiy of more growth if i like it (at least based on the youtube videos it's capable of tricks that will take me a long time, if ever, to learn). That's why I bought it. Maybe it's a mistake. Maybe its too small at 74" and will be too fast as someone suggested (although the skydog website claims it has a slower forward flight than most others this size). So maybe it's all mistake. Maybe I am just a jerk here asking all your opinions, ignoring them, then ranting at you. Or maybe you aren't the most welcoming group to newbies and outsiders. I get that you all are super kite passionate....and honeslty maybe at some pint I will be too...i have a blast flying my parafoil....but honeslty I pray if I do I never get so snobbish that no matter what kite question is asked I knee-jerk spew a reaction of "get an expensive kite". Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I am a newbie who recently bought a HQ symphony beach 2.2 foil and seems to have gotten kiting bug (been going out every day wind cooperates since I got it!) Thinking a beginner stunt kite would be next but need to keep it as low priced as possible for a good kite since I am a poor school teacher (teachers always feel poorest at the end of summer!). That said i dont want a piece of junk either. Been searching around and eyeing the skydog freebird but haven't really found many reviews online ...saw some videos of it flying and in right hands seems capable enough. On paper it looks like good newbie kite and seems to have decent bang for buck with a decent lineset etc. wondering if anyone has any experiences with this kite they could share. Thanks Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Got my previously referenced impulse buy symphony beach 2.2 and as luck would have it we had 10-13 mph winds. So took it out with 20yo stepson and all I can say is wow. What fun. Wasn't sure how I'd like kiting since my previous experience with kiting in my childhood involved running while dragging a paper diamond behind me wondering why the heck people think this is supposed to be fun! we had a couple crashes but thats the main reason I wanted a parafoil...didn't want to smash a frame while trying to get feel for it. But we both picked it up quick and were soon keeping it up in air and flying figure 8s and leaning into it. When the gusts come up and your swinging it through the center you really get a fun pull....i like the physicality of it as well as the steering / flying aspect. It was super fun...we both flew until we were tired. I can see how this sport is addicting. Hearing it rip through the air, the heavy pull, the speed...dang the speed! this thing is faster than I thought it would be. I watched videos on you tube and saw some people flying it fast but thought they must've been good and it's easier to fly it slower....not so much....you turn it sideways...it takes offf...it turns so fast...it is excillerating. And I fully know that it's a newbie kite and that others go faster, pull more, and give a bigger thrill....but after just one session with this thing I definitely can see the reason so many on here are so passionate about kiting. The problem is I don't know if I can afford another Hobbie to sink mucho $ into! I've spent a fair amount on rc airplane stuff....so might have to ease into this kiting hobby. Hopefully this kite keeps me amused and enjoying it for a while...but I fear I've been bitten by the bug! Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Wow...Just reread my post...sorry for all the typos! So it seems consensus is around 10-15 mph for first flight when I get it. Really looking forward to trying it. Maybe I should've splurged on 2 day shipping but I am too cheap...so now I wait. Nick- I live around south bend so close to elkhart... plan on taking kite to Warren dunes and other parks along lake Michigan since we pop up there fairly often already...as well as flying closer to home with open fields / farmland Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

I enjoy building and flying scratchbuilt foamie rc planes but one thing is they don't tend to work as well when wind kicks up...so started thinking maybr i needed something fun to fly when its windier...never have rrally flown a kite other than those cheapo kids toy types and honeslty didnt sre the fun in it...but remeber seeing someone a long tiem agao flying a two line delta kite amd thought looked fun...so rather impulsively after some rather cursory searching I bought a HQ symphony beach III 2.2 off amazon for $50. Not sure if it was a good choice or not. I love in NW indiana and have access to fairly wide open farmland and frequent beach visits on east side of Lake Michigan. I figured it has less breakable parts than a delta and would be a good into to see if I like it. Now I need to wait for it to come....but what windspeed would you recommend for a total newbie to try it out? It says the kite has a huge range of windspeeds it could fly in...but what is the sweet spot for a total newbie? Thanks and looking forward to getting my kite and trying this hobby...at akme piint might have to blend kites and rc planes and go for a powered kite / rc paraglider.