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Showing content with the highest reputation on 05/15/2018 in all areas

  1. 22 yards of Icarex on the way.. Time for some new colors using my diamonds build as the pattern. Black, White, Silver, Charcoal and Sky Blue.. More to follow as these kites take shape.
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  2. You can, but on a high-end kite it may change the flying characteristics enough that it will just not fly right. The "specialty" kites like the Freestylist are built to achieve a specific balance and response from a marriage of materials and the way their weight is distributed between the span and length of the kite's dimensions. Any kite that is made with tricking as the intended quality is already on the edge of radical instability. Changing any of the components without an understanding of how the kite is designed may push it past the edge of stability and make it near impossible for even a pro to fly without making radical adjustments. It is an awesome kite that you can grow into. You don't need to baby it, just respect what it is. You will be learning to drive using a Ferrari instead of a VW Beetle, that's all. You have all that performance available to you, but you won't be able to take full advantage of it until you get a good feel for how it responds to your input. The adjustments you may need to make on the kite are like adjusting the seat, safety belts, steering wheel and mirrors of the vehicle to fit you properly so you can control where and how it goes. If the person who gave you the kite did not return the settings to neutral, it may be difficult for you to fly the first time out. We want you to succeed. For most ultralights wind up to 5mph is no issue, but you may want to make that the upper limit until you have basic control down pat. You'll be fine in 4mph winds.
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  3. Once I got over the initial sticker shock for a freaking kite I learned how inexpensive it really is bang for the buck wise. The Freestylist sold new for $199.00 in 2006.Your pretty far ahead of the game as far as cost go.I'd say do some research and get a standard next. Don't think it's wise for me to start interchanging frames on duels until I learn more about how and why a kite is constructed. My intent is after I get better at flying build my own instead of changing someones designs on a stock kite. Some people seem to really have the knack for it though (you might be one)and their experiments are good reads. Riffclown ,Kareloh, Krijn, Sugerbaker to name just a few and they will respond to you. Kitebuilder.com will give you sensory overload in a very good way. Haven't been there in awhile cause I'm trying to stay focused on flying for now. From what Iv'e read Quads are the way to go for interchanging frames. Some come with 2 frames. Some vendors will give you a choice between light, medium or higher wind frames.4 mph is sweet wind for a ul or sul. Iv'e gotten good enough to fly some standards that low but that's mostly hunting the window for higher gusts. It's good practice on a standard trying some tricks as the kite is losing it's ability to fly and coming to the ground. Keeping wind in the sail in the low range really hone your timing skills with out to much risk to the kite.The 140 will start to fly pretty good in 10. 15 plus and you'll be whooping and hollering.
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  4. So the 1.5 classic has springs?
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  5. Welcome to the dark side! I would look at what your average local wind is in determining what to buy. Go fly OPK as much as you can. Venting is nice if your inland wind is bumpy, but will limit you to higher wind days at first. Stick to the good wind days until you stop crashing - after that any condition that doesn't break your gear is good for learning something new. Don't worry about winds above 30mph on your gear- that is not learning wind. Look for 6-14mph smooth wind with an experienced pilot beside you to minimize the learning curve. If you don't find someone local I hit Cincinnati twice a year on travel. Not real close, but maybe worth a drive if you are still flying all alone. Sent from my [device_name] using http://KiteLife mobile app
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  6. Yup, this is one of those things - I never go there unless I am 110%, and I’ve developed a number of formulas for gauging depth, emergency exit maneuvers, predictive behavior etc. 👍🏻
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  7. Meeting with @acrop and her family at the National Air and Space Museum leads to a bit of indoor glider flying. They didn't kick me out!
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  8. They didn't kick us out, but we were being careful. What security guard??? Sad that we two are such rule followers, we wanted to have much more fun but we were as good as we felt we should be....almost. Sent from my [device_name] using http://KiteLife mobile app
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  9. Hi, Jake, and welcome to the forum. Get on the GWTW (Gone With The Wind) forum and look in the "kites for sale" section. One of the guys is selling four Revs because of a physical injury that makes it painful to fly kites. I believe two of them are B-Series Revs. Message him and see what he has. Also, they pop up on eBay frequently. You'll need handles, lines and a stake in addition. The stake can be a long screwdriver if you want to keep costs down. I look forward to flying with you someday. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe.
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  10. I had a Reflex.. It didn't stay with me long. I do a lot of catch and throw and that is NOT the kite for that style of flying. You want a Phoenix or Freilein, then I'd highly suggest giving Eliot Shook a call at Flying Smiles Kites.. Bottom line is the Reflex wasn't a bad kite, it just isn't the kite for me..
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  11. Yeah I've been getting the vibe that people have been put off by rev. I've been researching for a while and I managed to find a site that sells b - series standards. And I think I am going to order one pretty soon. I also get the vibe that their new reflex is a little meh from what I've seen. What do you think about it? I really love the color pattern of the b -series I found and you said its a solid kite. So I'm like 90% sure I am going to pull the trigger on it. I do like the look of the Phoenix kites a-lot but I was not able to find a site that looked like a vendor. But thank you lots I really really appreciate your help taking the time out of the day to talk to me.
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  12. Saw a teaser clip, THIS thing is going to be H O T ! ! Woooooooo hooooooo! Can't wait. Sent from my [device_name] using http://KiteLife mobile app
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  13. The free stylist is a great kite. I had both the ul and standard but gave them to a beginner years ago. Sent from my iPad using KiteLife mobile app
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  14. I would probably convert it to quad-line. I mean look at what happened to the SkySong.
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  15. Thanks for the awesome reply makatakam!! Someone is gifting me a stunt kite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A total stranger is sending me a kite he does not use anymore!!! He is a member of an audio forum I frequent . I just pay shipping.😁 He is sending me a Skyburner Freestylist UL , which looks nice a very nice kite that will work in our low winds. I saw a guy on YT flying it like crazy in a 4 MPH wind. So now , I am thinking of buying a 1.4 foil kite . I saw these listed for under $50. It's a Prism Synapse 140 Sport Kite. So, It looks like I'm ready to fly!! I'm smiling big time. :-)
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  16. When I first started flying, it was with a dual line kite and that was all I flew for well over a year. I then decided to go after quad line kites and flew both for years later. After a while I started to really appreciating single line kites for their simplicity and (generally) low maintenance. I'd fly a single line and also fly either a dual or quad at the same time. Generally I enjoy variety and there's just so many cool aspects to kiting I like to experience them all. I see many posts urging people experience "The Dark Side" when they enjoy dual line kites. I challenge people to consider "All Sides" of kiting. It's very rewarding to me
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  17. Yes, 1.5 format, yes, indent is intentional. Whys and hows will be addressed when we have kites in motion and build up a good summary.
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  18. Hi all, We just did another forum upgrade, fortunately minimal changes to the aesthetic and function but we did add a new BOOKMARKS app that is now accessible to admin, forum staff and paid KiteLife Subscribers... You'll see a bookmark link just above signature area of any post, as well as a link to your bookmark list (and categories) in the user menu at far top right of the forum. Enjoy!
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