Leaderboard

Piecework for the center panel is done. Decided on 3 vertical orange panels to define the middle. I tried several pics to get the UV/Flo Yellow effect and got a pretty good capture.. First with the black light only.. Next is normal light Then Both Only this portion of the kite lights up. (unless I decide to use fluorescent thread.) I have not yet checked the white Dacron to see if it will light up well. Would be an interesting LE effect if it does..

Headed out now. Winds NW 10 gust to 15, great day for the vented!!

That is so cool in the black light!! Looks really nice. Great work

I am looking forward to the completed kite

Absolutely!! Makes me think I can get a lot better. I also know many tricks are after years of practice and I've been flying less than 2 months. Keeps me grounded.

The Evil kite will be later...

That's why it is useful to carry several kites in the bag, and to pay attention to actual conditions on the field. Agreeing with Riffclown above, that's one of my favorite ranges also. You know there will be adequate wind. That is 10-15 knots, which is an ideal range for many kites. I'd probably fly a mid-vent quad, but you could fly a full sail if you have strong spars and stronger line, or fly a full-vent quad, or even get an extreme vent quad if wind is always on the high end. If you prefer dual lines, precision flying would work fine, and slackline tricks would be an option at the edge of the window. In that wind range nearly every kite is an option. Also, the weather station doesn't always match conditions on the ground. Just because the weather station is getting a specific speed doesn't mean the speed is everywhere. Just because the station has gusts at that value doesn't mean everywhere has those same gusts. Also missing, the weather reports don't specify the frequency of gusts, or the turbulence of the air, and both of those are important and localized. When winds are high, unless you're on a beach and the wind is coming directly off the water you can generally find something to provide a wind shadow. Location is important. If wind is strong you might find an area ringed by trees, or buildings, or dunes / burms. You might choose to fly at a park located in a dip or small valley instead of a hilltop or terrace. Once you're actually flying, you don't need to use all the wind in the air. You might fly near the ground or fly near the edge of the window instead of the power zone. Plenty of times I've had wind increase while I'm flying, or had large gusts. If it comes up quickly, immediately fly to the edge of the wind window where the kite should escape any strong gusts. Develop your skill flying on the edges or flying near the ground (where wind is less powerful). But as for me personally, if I was planning a flying day and the forecast said 12-18 MPH, I'd be celebrating rather than cancelling.