John Barresi

Watty, the one thing I found severely lacking was an explanation of what exactly a bicycle rotation is. i.e. pulling the upper most edge of the kite towards you as it rotates over the top. Instead, it sounded like you explained pulling (loading) the lower part of the kite to get it up and over the top, but didn't spend enough time breaking down the fluid transition between the four basic hovers (right, upright, left, invert, repeat, repeat). I won't be adding it to my tutorial playlist unless that info is included, as I feel it's the most crucial aspect. Just my 2 cents. Still love ya!

Sure wish I could join you for this one.

Totally agreed on the Zephyr, but in a solid 4-8mph... Very nice kite. Of course for those reading, remember, kites are like cars, everyone has different tastes and gets different responses out of each kite. Richard Debray for example flies the SNOT out of a Nirvana, but it's not my cup of tea at all.

85 tickets sold... 40 left!

82 tickets sold!

79 tickets sold, just 46 left now... Nearly there, come on folks!

Thanks Baz! 78 sold! Remember folks, I am leaving for Japan on the 22nd of April and will be gone for 18 days. If we sell the rest of these tickets before then (in the next 5-6 days), I can ship to the winner before I leave. Otherwise, you'll be waiting until May 10th or 11th when I return. Just to help motivate y'all a bit.

77 tickets sold, only 48 left for grabs!

Hyper, while Lynn's kite may look like a Sky Dart panel-wise, the proportions are a bit off from what I can tell. That's the reason I'm guessing it's not a Sky Dart or a Cheetah (my first kite). Mac-daddy, those are Super Darts, no?

Note Kent, I didn't say HQ doesn't make good ULs... I was referring to trick ability. A couple of their kites that I've flown can trick, but I didn't find it nearly as smooth as some other kites. I have flown the Shadow. Zephyr is a great all around kite imho, nice balance between precision and tricking.

Glad you cleared that up!

Golly, give 'em an inch and they take a mile. *sigh*

67 tickets sold!

To be quite frank, you're not going to get anything near the trick ability you're looking for from an HQ kite... It's not their "bag". You'd get better tricking from a Silver Fox, even if you do have to wait for that extra 1-2 mph.

Desire is NOT, I repeat not, a "trick" or "freestyle" kite... Not by any stretch, it's a great low wind, basic flier. As for Silver Fox, VERY nice kites for the price, but much heavier than their more expensive competitors. While removing the tail weight and top spreader might lower the wind range a bit, it'll also impact the trick ability significantly. Silver Fox is 3X the kite that the Acrobatx is, imho... But honestly, you'd be hard pressed to get a "high performance" or trickable ultra light that flies in less than 3-4mph for less than $200... So, spend $200-$250, or wait for the 4mph, basically. Again, just imho... Some of the shop owners and other pilots may have other solid suggestions however.

Before messing with the outer legs of the bridle, I'd do a thorough evaluation on the primary settings. Otherwise you'd be modifying the kite to make it fly right, which shouldn't be necessary. Once it flies right, then you might very well find some value in modifying.

Upnet, could I suggest you post a clear photo of the kite fully set up on the field, with all bridle lines pulled straight? One photo from the front, and one from the side. That should help us evaluate the problem.

I've only got a few minutes flying one, and while the kite is appreciated by many, it's not my cup of tea. Wouldn't know where to start... Should fly in a deer fart though.

63 gone, 62 left... Past the 1/2 way mark!

Awesome, great to hear you're still giving it hell out there Bob!

61 tickets sold, just 64 left... Nearly 1/2 gone.

52 tickets sold!

Ah, another cool video of Carl... This time with tails, SO awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm8a2PNWHG8 Sorry, not trying to hijack this thread, just got excited... Carry on!

Carl (LLAMA) has used Desires extensively... He's a top notch flier, uses 3 kites simultaneously, controlled independently. (actually flying Desires in this video)I reckon he may know a thing or two about the bridles on those things.

Whoa, 46 sold... That leaves just 79 up for grabs, we've over 1/3 through them already!