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  • Exult

    Learning from flying in unfamiliar or non-ideal situations

    By Exult

    When being removed from your comfort flying zone you might get new experiences that you couldn't imagine or predict. This blog entry is also a vacation post card from the medieval city (in the sense that ruins and buildings from that time still exist) of Visby ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visby ) in the island of Gotland ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotland ) in the Baltic Sea as well as an example of how flying during new and non-ideal conditions turned out to be educational, fun and very
    • 1 comment
    • 2,048 views
  • SHBKF

    Support your LKS

    By SHBKF

    Support your LKS   I started reading the kite forums with some intensity over four years ago.  I had used computers for many years even back before the days of the WWW.  It has been quite awhile since I’ve seen that initialism used in any context.  I had previously been on a few forums of interest but I was really fired up wanting to learn anything kites.   I saw mention of an initialism LKS, Local Kite Store.  Out here in the mountains of western Virginia there was no such thing.  Maybe
    • 1 comment
    • 1,233 views
Learning to Fly Dual Lines

Virtual Freestyle Practice, New Camera, and "Push Axels"

Phew, it has been busy these past couple weeks. Changing weather and a bad flu really cut into my flying but I've still managed to get out a bit!. I've been trying to accomplish four things while on the field: 1) Fractured Axel practice. I'd like to get much more consistent with them which I think involves two things. First is to make sure the kit is in the middle of the axle before pulling for the fade. I can do this in the middle of the window, but I miss most attempts when trying this ne
Happyspoon

Happyspoon

7
Flynhi (PipaKite)

Seasons

Today provided great rain (0.05 in), cool air (65 F), and a bit of wind (6-22 MPH). Kite control is coming more naturally. The next step is to tame arm movement. The zooming in and out edits on this video make me a bit dizzy. Does anyone else experience this?
Flynhi

Flynhi

3
Flynhi (PipaKite)

Enjoy Autumn

(This video is only view-able through this blog entry, or by sharing this link: https://youtu.be/2-WtSRIEUU0 ) Flying has brought nothing but joy and inspiration in the past year. Tracking the weather while outdoors is good for the spirit. The November sun brings plenty of heat to the valley. We wait for the skies to send a few good breezes. Enjoy Autumn!
Flynhi

Flynhi

4
Learning to Fly Dual Lines

Bridle Adjustments, Wow (featuring, new green quantum)

Just a short post to talk about getting a new kite! I found a green prism quantum on craigslist while away for work for $60  The owner said it had been flown once but everything seemed brand new including the lines so I'm guessing it was just opened up once or twice indoors. I took it out yesterday and this morning, and it flies great.  Interestingly, when flipping through the manual I found out that you can tune the lower yokes on the bridle for "radical" or "forgiving" flight. Both quantu
Happyspoon

Happyspoon

4
Learning to Fly Dual Lines

October Check-In

The last month has been interesting for kiting! The weather continues to worsen and I find myself having to be much better prepared to go fly. Compared to last fall as a non-kiter I’m now much more sensitive to weather! I didn’t realize how gusty the winds get once summer ends. The erratic rain is less of a problem (at least for the kite), but it isn’t super satisfying to come home soaking wet J. Worth it though, and nothing a raincoat can’t solve. I’ve also moved from walking to the point into
Happyspoon

Happyspoon

8
Flynhi (PipaKite)

Fall 2016 is HERE

Fall weather in PHX - 96 F / 72 F with very little wind. B series standard is great for these conditions. Progress is slow and steady. Next step is leading with the brakes. Nothing but great weather for the next 7 months.
Flynhi

Flynhi

9
Flying on Long Island...

LBI Kite Festival 2016...

This is the Second Annual Long Beach Island festival. Last year was such a fun festival, that it was really tugging at me to go to this year's fest. Traffic wasn't too bad for a Friday before a holiday weekend. I got into town about an hour before dark, and ran down to the beach with my bag, eager to take advantage of the smooth onshore 10mph breeze.  There were a surprising number of kites in the air, I guess I missed the first full day. I guess I'll have to take off the whole day nex
RobB

RobB

5
Learning to Fly Dual Lines

Low Wind Flying and Working on Fades

September was a busy month work wise including way too much traveling. At least I got to fly briefly at Garry Point Park near Vancouver which was pretty nice! Hopefully I can make stops there more regularly when off of Vancouver Island. September was also the month I figured out axles! Thanks again to Exult, Rob, and to the folks on the kitelife subreddit for the tips, especially on slack management. I’m getting pretty confidant with axles now, and am loving the extra variety in my flight r
Happyspoon

Happyspoon

2
Flying on Long Island...

Still Wiping That Tear From My Eye...

Yup, it's happened. My boy is officially a Duallie pilot ! I am so happy, so proud. Words can not express how happy I am to have someone to fly with. This empty beach with such wonderful wind, and after years of flying alone... I've got someone to fly with who is truly enthusiastic about the kites, and is eager to learn more... I started out today's lesson with a kite that I didn't care if it got trashed, the Prism I2K. Not exactly a beginner's kite, but it was the least of the kites i
RobB

RobB

2
Exult's Gentle Breeze

Exult's chunky log - autumn/winter 2016

Hello, the second dump of flight logs can be found in a comment towards the end - keep on scrolling downwards! Structure: Blog entry - Header for a longer period (e.g. autumn/winter 2016) Blog comment - Dump of several flight log entries along with a conclusion section Flight log entry - A part of the of the blog comment dump corresponding to a days activity Dumps of my flight logs are made here in the form of comments to this blog entry (or header). The (at least
Exult

Exult

19
Learning to Fly Dual Lines

Side slides and axles

Work and life can be too good at keeping me from kiting! I've gotten out a bit but the wind hasn't been obliging when I do. I finally got a chance today to practice in good wind with my BF (Cyberc0ms, Brennen). First I worked on slides as there had been some great chat about them here  on the forum and I wanted to think hard about what I'm doing while on the field. The first 3min of this video are slides done all the ways I can currently figure out how to.  After that I got into some axle p
Happyspoon

Happyspoon

3
Learning to Fly Dual Lines

Blog Knowledge Dump and Slow Motion Landings at the Beach

In the short time since I started this blog I've gotten tonnes of informative feedback on my flying! My key takeaways were: Learn figure flying/develop a bit of a warm-up routine. With this I can learn to fly the same way in different winds, monitor my progress more easily, and 'tune in' to the session.  Learn how to slide, stall, and control the kite holding on to the straps as well as with my fingers on the line leaders. I'd like to feel out all the different ways people hold the
Happyspoon

Happyspoon

2
Flying on Long Island...

Kite Season 2016 !!

I've been waiting for this since the end of May... the beginning of Kite Season ! I haven't flown much of anything since Memorial Day. If you count flying the SLKs that I keep in the car, OK, a few times... Yes, that's where my profile pic came from. People around here are programmed to go to the beach between Memorial Day & Labor Day. An Island with millions of people, and only ~100 miles long and 15 miles wide at it's widest. Yes, we have ~600 miles of coastline, but most of
RobB

RobB

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