Leaderboard

Breezin' I understand the frustration you have with never knowing when you launch for the first flight, if you're going to feel it, or if it will click in. One day, many, many, many years ago, I was struggling to do a flat axle. I mean FLAT. I was a rookie, and just learning. I couldn't get enough slack in the line before the leading wingtip was tugging it. I was lunging forward, running, snapping my arm as far as they could go until my shoulders hurt. I could never complete the turn. Normally, it was only 3/4 turn before I came up short, and I struggled to recover. I could NOT figure it out. I called Mark Reed. The Owner of Prism Kites. I will never forget what he told me. It changed the way I fly, and it was the one thing that got me over the hump from mediocre to advanced, and then into expert. It holds true today, and it will always hold true. He told me: "Stop trying to fly your KITE into tricks you want it to do. Instead, fly your LINE. Focus on the terminal end of your line at the bridle, and the kite will follow." Blew. My. Mind. I was always a stickler about my line, but never made this connection. Suddenly, everything changed. I didn't look at the kite directly, I looked at the bridle connections to my line. I focused hard. The kite became blurry and the line was my focus. I was able to see what was needed for my input. I began watching the slack in the line, and the tension, and the pull, and the release. Every movement was about what input I had to execute, to make my line go where I wanted it to. And, true to Mark Reed...the kite followed. The best trap and skeet shooters in the world look at the bead on the end of the barrel, not the target. The best fly fisherman cast the line, not the fly. The best welders focus on the tip of the welding wire/rod, and not the puddle of weld. Make sense? Once I flew the line, it didn't matter what kite was there. Next, I shortened my lines. I began flying 65' line on average, with my longest at 85'. Rarely did I fly 100". It was much easier to fly the shorter line, and because I changed the perspective of my focus, there were no more struggles to fly any kite at any time, in any wind. That's my perspective. I hope it helps. I can discuss making micro adjustments on the bridle, or to the stand-offs to add or deflect more or less wind another time. I can also discuss active vs. passive bridles, sail tension, etc., because they all make a difference. Also, (and Lam will agree) kites made from different parts of the world, are designed for those typical flyers. I'm 5'7" and have very wide shoulders, but I am a finesse flyer. I struggle with flying any of the French kites because my body frame is not lean and thin, as those kites demanding quick, explosive movements. Drachen is a German kite. They are designed for taller individuals with longer arms. Those long arms generate more LINE input than my short arms can give. BUT... if you fly the line, the kite will have to follow, no matter where the kite is made, and for whom it was made for. Let me know if I can help in any way. Best, Dave

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