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Getting into it....period!


Imdbombboarder
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Hi,

first off, i would like to introduce myself. My name is Kevin, I am 15 years old, and live in Eugene Oregon. Anyhow, ill give a brief history of my kite experience. Every labor day weekend, my and my family go stay at driftwood shores hotel, in florence...if you know where that is. Well last time we went... I was in a store and found a stunt kite for like twenty dollars(the Gayla Fast trac) So I flew with that all day 1 day, and sadly the next day we left, theri was no wind. So yes, i can control the kite, do some loops etc. I just have a few questions. I just went today to Florence, trying to fly it and their wasn't enough wind. Whats a good amount of wind to have usually? I mean, if i go to the beach it is usually florence, because we like it their and its close....but the wind is pretty calm sometimes, so its hard for me to work on anything. Ive been looking at prisms site, because they show animated diagrams on how to basic tricks.. I.e the snap stall etc. So, what should i do to really learn? I mean I can't go to the beach all the time, and its never really windy enough here. Also, im not saying that i need a pro kite, but would the Gayla Fast trac which im using be able to help me learn those basic tricks like snap stall etc? Or what would be a good kite? I mean, the controlling the kite part is really easy for me, and so are flips etc....so im not quite sure. Just, basically what should i do to really get started with the sport? Whats maybe a good kite to upgrade to, some good things to work on.... Any good places around florence that usually have sufficient wind? I mean, ive been reading that less wind is better, but i have had little to no wind, and i think i prefer really strong wind to that. Then after i do a roll, or flip or whatever lol my kite does stall out, and me having to pull out all the stops to keep it airborn.... so im just looking for some good info to start off with. If any of you guys are going to be down flying around florence some weekend, let me know. Ill come and watch, and learn a thing for 2 about the sport. Also, any good links for videos on simple tricks? Thanks

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Good start is to read all the other posts in this forum...

First thing to do is upgrade to a different kite because well.. you wont be doing much of anything with what you have now really. Im sure a good experience pilot could pull a lot out of that kite, but to begin with.. not really the top spot to begin.

Most newer high-quality kites will fly down to 3mph with little trouble, UL's and SUL's even lower down to 0. Tricking with UL and SUL kites is a bit harder to do though. Personally starting with a good standard model and waiting for good wind is best to begin. Or just do like me when I started and jog backwards when there's no wind :kid_devlish:

Also good to find someone in your area to watch or learn from. Quite a few kiters in that area that would love to help you out.

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I was taking your advice, and looking around. I saw another post about a guy asking virtually the same things about the kite. So overall, based on what you know what do you think of the Cesium from L'Atelier? Or, also the e2 looks like it could be for me. One thing about flying is that i get it pretty quickly. I fly rc planes, and I didn't exactly start out with a "trainer", but i learned it fast and now im going good. So i would rather get something that will be a bit more trying, then something that im gunna hafta upgrade again, this is going to be for christmas. So anything under 200 is always applicable!

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Welcome to the Forum,

Kiting is a very subjective sport, everybody has an opinion. Ask a question and you will get ten different answers, which makes it confusing for the beginner.

There are stages, we all go through as we learn to fly. A good chunk of the learning is done on your own. You've got to get out there and fly. It is very helpful though to have people you can turn to and ask questions.

The first step is to get to know the people at a kite store. They can answer your questions and make suggestions not only on your first kite, but second, third, etc.... One kite will not fly in all types of wind.

The Oregon coast has a number of kite stores. Most of them are set up for tourists, which is not a bad thing. It's just like buying an r/c plane from a hobby store that only dealt with beginners.

On the west coast there are four major stores, Cutting Edge in Ocean Shores, WA, Gone with the Wind in Chico, CA, The Kite Connection, in Huntington Beach Ca, and the Kite Shoppe in Vancouver, WA. I belive Cutting Edge and The Kite Shoppe are sponsors of Kite Life, so you can go to their sites from the links page.

I've done business with Gone with the Wind and the Kite Shoppe. I've had positive experiences with Gone with the Wind.

My home store though is The Kite Shoppe. They offer fantastic customer service and are willing to do what ever it takes to make sure you are happy with your kite. I've seen them swap kites for a customer who didn't like a particular model, to one that better fit the style of that customer.

The next step is find out if there is a club in your area. Clubs are great, because you can get together with other flyers and fly! Also its a great time to watch what others are doing and ask questions. The AKA has a website that lists clubs throughout the country.

As you already know, forums can have some useful information. The problem is your question will get ten different answers and often times they all disagree with one another, which can be confusing for a beginner.

The most active forum is Gone with the Wind. All the best flyers who are computer savvy, hang out there. It takes a liitle work to filter out all the noise, but they do have valuable information. They also have a lot of great links.

The Kite Life forum is good, especially when you can get the editor to respond. He is a great flyer and has a wealth of knowledge. His articles on flying are some of the best you will find. He just needs to write more of them.

The Kite Shoppe also has a forum. They are a good place to ask questions about a particular model of kite.

In general there are two groups of kite are the market. As you learn more you will find that each group has different types. The groups are Freestyle and Precision.

Freestyle are the kites that will trick easily. They are also the most difficult for a beginner to learn on.

Precision kites are designed to cut figures like a circle, squire, diamond, etc.... They are easier for a beginner to learn on because they pull harder and usually have what they call forward drive. A freestyle kite can stall easier then a precision kite, making it easier to trick. The stall though can be disconcerting to a beginner.

New Tech, Premier, Prism all make excellent introductory kites. I'm partial to Prism because that is what I learned to fly on.

The Premier Night Hawk and Magnum are considered to be two of the finest introductory kites out there. They can do most, if not everything that an advanced kite can do for a fraction of the money.

I don't think you can make a wrong choice as long as you stick to one of these companies. If your having trouble deciding go with the the one that looks the coolest to you.

See you on the fields.

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Cesium is a great beginner kite. In the same vein the Level One JTM i've found to be a really great beginner kite for tricking.

Also.. kiteshoppe ROCKS. Never had bad from others but kiteshoppe always is the best by leaps and bounds.

I happen to have a benson gemini for sale at 200$ that is probably the BEST freestyle kite for beginner or not. The majority of people for many years over in the western side of europe started with gemini's, and lots more as well. My younger brother just recently started freestyle/trick flying on the gemini and in only a matter of weeks has quite a nice repetoire of tricks. The gemini can easily do any trick any other dual line will, and a lot of tricks most other duals cant or wont do. The precision is a bit touchy, but you'll never find a kite that's both very good at precision and very good at tricking, they can happen together, but nowhere near as well as the kites that lean to the extreme's of either side.

If you're interested in my gemini.. sign up for kitelife and ill give you that $$ back as a discount on the kite ;)

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Freestyle are the kites that will trick easily. They are also the most difficult for a beginner to learn on.

Precision kites are designed to cut figures like a circle, squire, diamond, etc.... They are easier for a beginner to learn on because they pull harder and usually have what they call forward drive. A freestyle kite can stall easier then a precision kite, making it easier to trick. The stall though can be disconcerting to a beginner.

Most people I've taught have had a much more satisfying experience with freestyle kites, the learning curve is higher for some of the more radical ones, but once you climb that hill most people seem to find it more rewarding to learn their first axel right away without needing any weird setups or huge pulls or running forward to give slack... I remember my brother learning to axel on the gemini then shortly after (seconds) pulling his first double axels and half-axels without trouble. Much laughing and cheering was to be had. This was after he flew some of my heavier precision tricking kites and having a terrible time. Similiar experiences for the 20+ people i've taught to fly this fall/winter including children young as 7 and an old lady who was 80-something (I really should remember, but I dont).

In my opinion it's much easier to learn precision on a trick kite than to try and trick a precision kite. Many hardcore precision kites wont even do half the tricks no matter how good you are, but I've seen sharp corners and razor straight lines cut with radical freestyle kites ala gemini, tricktail, e2. x-teme etc..

Also the other thing that seems to help beginners get into flying "better" seems to be that most freestyle kites take smaller inputs. Assuming the person has proper instruction or is a good learner (as the topic starter seems to be) it has been much easier for folks to acheive what they're after more quickly in my experience.

And it's also pretty cool to get 1 tug multi-lazies or backspins ;)

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I used to live in Eugene, and there are a couple of places I could suggest with decent wind. Out by the airport there's lots of grass fields--after spring cutting there's cleared areas, and a steady wind out of the North most days in Summer.

In Winter, the North end of Fern Ridge Resevoir would be a good place when the wind is out of the South. That's if it's not raining, and you don't freeze your butt off. Then again, for those foggy winter days in Eugene, there's no substitute for getting out to the coast where the Sun is shining.

Someone else on this forum mentioned the park at the top of the hill down by Lane CC, across I5 on the East side. I can't remember the name of the park at this time, but I imagine you know of it.

Hope this helps.

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hmm, ok thanks for your help with the locations. Ill look at each of em. My flying field is actually out by alvadore....if you know where that is, and its nice and flat and windy sometiems so i can check....assuming theirs noone out their. Audio rob, thanks for all your input. I see where your coming from...i mean with all the different types of opinions that people could have, since the question" What is a good beginner stunt kite" yes is very subjective and a very vague question lol. I am not sure what kite though. Ill check out the cutting edge shop when i can, and the kite shop too. Their use to be a kite shop in downtown Florence, but it moved somewhere. The cesium looks like a good kite, but im not sure. Is it a freestyle, or a precision type kite? Or the level one looks good too. Again, i can learn pretty fast, so even if the kite can be a bit more on the intermediate/advanced level, i will be willing to learn to handle it. Thanks for your input, but being a bit more specific, you personally rob what do you think are some good intermediate kites? Ones that should hold up on some bad crashes(if any), and ones that are overall just a good intermediate kite lol. Other please post too on your personal opinions. I will consider and look at them all, considering their close to or under 200$. About like the stall thing, i mean ive pretty much mastered stalls even on my Fast Trac kite. I mean, i can get it into a stall, and control it very well....ofcourse theirs the point eventually where the kite will want to start coming down whatever way, but even then im good with recovery. Ive got all the basic skills down, now i would just like to progress. And my take on it is which was the exact same on my first rc aircraft.... I rather get something that might be a bit harder for me to learn on, but will be capable of many tricks, or in rc case a bit more touchy, but maybe a faster, more manueverable aircraft....then to get a kite which is just right for me now, and then have it not be fast enough etc, or whatever the supreme quality of good trick kites are to suit me.

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disclaimer: I REALLY love level one kites, so my opinion maybe slightly biased. Take that as a note during this recommendation.

The JTM I have has taken a lot of yanking and spanking and death spirals into lawn darts and it still looks brand new. It certainly qualfies as an advanced kite. Level One has made a sliding weight system inside the spine which makes for a really lovely tricking experience. A kite that sits very deep in fades, and very deep in turtles (you'll learn about that later). The jtm is a very good trick kite that somehow does good precision as well. It is a bit wobbly when straight tracking but that can be corrected with practice. It's not as rolly as the gemini, but the gemini also is much more radical in its tricking ability.

The Cesium is very similiar, while still being a different kite. I know John likes it, and a few others here as well.

In the category of 'trick kites that somehow also do precision' you have pretty much everything else out there heh. Lots of other choices really, you have lots of great fliers in oregon (maybe a drive but well worth it) who im sure would share ;)

Or if you just wanna jump in, get a nirvana, genesis, sea devil, fury, stx 2.3, quantum pro, transfer, opera, deep space or any of the other kites out there than have TONS of fans. All well over 200$ usually.

Certainly in the cesium/jtm range you wont go wrong. The JTM has won many competitions and im sure the cesium will be soon too (it's a pretty new kite).

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Hmm sounds good, but can i have the link to the JTM kites? Ill look into both. Thanks for your input. As far as precision goes....if I was gunna get in competitions later on, i would get a new kite absouletley. Again, im not quite sure if precision is what im going for right off the bat. Right off the bat im going for trying just to actually complete the trick!

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I'd have to speak out against the Night Hawk... Never found it to be a decent kite, way too much oversteer and not enough lift.

You'd be one of the few to have a negative experience with the Night Hawk.

Last January - February, there was quite a buzz about the kite. Most of the comments posted on the forums were quite positive. Nobody else seemed to have the problems you mentioned.

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Hmm sounds good, but can i have the link to the JTM kites? Ill look into both. Thanks for your input. As far as precision goes....if I was gunna get in competitions later on, i would get a new kite absouletley. Again, im not quite sure if precision is what im going for right off the bat. Right off the bat im going for trying just to actually complete the trick!

Kite recommendations are pretty much useless. You never know if your going to like a kite until you fly it. Once you find out what you prefer in a kite, a recommendation can help you decide if a new kite on the market is worth checking out.

One of the reasons why I mentioned forming a relationship with a reputable kite store as a good first step, is that most of them will allow you to fly a kite before you buy. The last time I was in the Kite Shoppe I believe I saw three bags of nothing but demo kites. They have a demo for most every kite they sell.

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Just call up kiteshoppe 1-866-ROKKAKU.

Make sure you mention I told you to get a jtm, then give them your credit card (parents probably eh?) info and wait a day.

Then you'll be in kiting bliss!

(or just tell them what you're after, a good intermediate/advanced kite under 200$ and they'll make sure you get exactly what you need)

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Aight i looked up the Jtm....nice looking kite. The site i found it on doesn't exactly give the retail price of the kite(think its skyburner), whats a good site to order it on. Thats prolly how i would be ordering it, or any kite. So, tell me whats a good site that has like the Jtm, Cesium etc just kites like that...preformace kites

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Aight i looked up the Jtm....nice looking kite. The site i found it on doesn't exactly give the retail price of the kite(think its skyburner), whats a good site to order it on. Thats prolly how i would be ordering it, or any kite. So, tell me whats a good site that has like the Jtm, Cesium etc just kites like that...preformace kites

www.kiteshoppe.com they do business primarily by phone and you'll be glad you called rather than did some online thing.

They rock!

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