Happyspoon

Great flying! Sure makes me wish I could take a kite up today, wish there want still such bad weather and that I hadn't started a kitchen renovation. This thread has kept me super excited during this down season The parts where you and the kite are both in frame are my favorite! I see you keeping the kite in a stall for a good amount of time, that's a great way to build up those subtle balance skills. Can't wait to see the next one! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

FWIW I've seen other groups (mostly for games like Ingress or Pokemon Go) successfully use Google Hangouts, Slack, even things like What's app for these kind of chats. On the other end of things I bet there are some free IRC chat options that would allow embedding in the website as well as login through phones and such. John, Babble, bim and comet all seem interesting ( I think maybe Babble and comet are the most interesting) but I don't have any experience with them so can't say for sure! Sent from my SM-G920W8 using KiteLife mobile app

I know this is suboptimal but the editor built into YouTube is actually not too bad for this stuff. just upload the whole clips to YouTube as a private video then open up the YouTube editor, start a new project, and 'import' your clips.

Yay! Hope it works out and excited to see the footage! BTW I got to take a friend's Nexus up briefly and was able to coax it to axel surprisingly well in about 14mph winds so I'm sure you'll be doing those pretty quickly Have fun! It just snowed here and there is absolutely no wind so I'm guessing I won't be flying today. Sent from my SM-G920W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Great advice, I'm taking it now in fact. We had our move-out inspection today which went very well but it took tonnes of scrubbing and we got rid of so much junk right up til the wire. I'm taking the rest of today and tomorrow off from unpacking and am going to just relax, hopefully fly a bit, and plan the next month. I'm glad you like them! I find they feel really satisfying when I actually pull them off. I originally started doing them so I could get to the middle of the window in a stall while in higher wind (so that the fade would be more stable) but now I find they are a great way to try FAs at different points in the window consistently without having to also work on super accurate snap-stalls. Thanks! I'm so glad I entered! It was a great way to meet a bunch of amazing flyers, plus I learned so much trying to film those 1:30 clips. I learned lots while critically watching everyone's videos too. The dual-line flying community isn't very dense geographically which makes the turnout for these online events are all the more rewarding. P.S. you got so close in the draw! I was rooting for you (though I think everyone was super deserving of the prize

Thin gloves ad finger straps seems like an interesting combo. I got a 4D for Christmas which came with finger straps. I have only gotten to fly for a few minutes so far but I think they are going to take some getting used to. I'm lucky that it never really gets cold enough that I need gloves, and I keep finding myself taking them off once I'm a little warmed up on the field. Kev, have you gotten much of a chance to fly over the rest of the month?

I thought a lot about this entry over the past couple weeks while I've been moving into a new house (yay for not being renters anymore!) thanks for giving me so much to think about while lugging boxes! I love how you had chances to be both the source of knowledge for an excited dual-line flyer and to learn more about paragliding yourself! I've lived on Vancouver Island pretty much all my life but I've moved far enough around on the island to have a few clusters of nostalgic sites like this. I had few memories of Clover Point before last year when I started flying. My only notable memory was finding a peregrine falcon on a rather windy day. I got a picture that we were able to use to read the (upside down) band and log a proper report! "Allemans rätten" seems like a great way to encourage a respect for the productivity of natural spaces. In Canada we at least technically can't privately own the shoreline, but even in government parks you usually aren't supposed to pick anything without various licenses (though people often ignore this) I love the idea of combining rockets and kites! My BF used to play with rockets when he was younger but I never got into them. A quick look on Youtube seems to show the combination hasn't been well explored at all. The competition you described sounds like it would foster some serious creativity! It sounds like your father was a real pioneer in the kiting world! It must have been inspirational. I remember trying to fly single line kites (probably the lame duck drugstore variety) with my family once when I was a child but I don't think anyone in my family knew much about flying. I'm starting to get my dad interested in learning though Can't wait to hear more comparisons between the Hydra and the Kymera! They both look beautiful.

Happy birthday! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Sounds like a good setup! Live streaming some kite flying would be fun to watch! I often have my action cam on the end of a ski pole at the end of the field. I think the weirdnesses if it keeps people from getting too close tried trying it to a SLK string but I need a bit more stabilization if I want watchable footage https://goo.gl/photos/L7bFQQQtMPoWEzZX7 And lol by dinner in the previous post I ment 'some'. Silly autocorrect. Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Those look super convenient! You could probably thread the whole strap through one of the finger holes too if you wanted! As for recording I was surprised at the quality of the no name action cameras, dinner of which can be got for $50 or even less! I recorded myself with a cell phone leaned against a cooler for awhile too Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

I like the glove idea! I've only tried gloves once while flying and I really missed the feel of the line on my fingertips. i'm never flying in strong enough wind for it to be a big deal that the kite is anchored to my hands, doubt I'll bread a wrist or anything. I'd love to see pictures if you make one! you're sure righta bout getting warm while flying, except for my hands and ears maybe Didn't like Snow Crash? It wasn't my favorite of his books (and I think I've read them all now) but the world he built was crazy interesting. If you haven't tried Reamde I thought it was a nice departure from his other works.

I noticed in the Peter Peters link you sent me that the "genie pop" is pretty close to what I called "push axels" I don't see anything on his page that describes your reverse axel! I've been working on an excel flight session file that I could print and bring with me, or even fill in on my phone, but it has been tough to figure out how to best format everything! I'll share what I'm working on after my next push at it I can tell that this worsening weather is going to result in a lot of extra time to plan and organize for future sessions. Wow, does this ever feel different to what I've been doing! i love it! I've had almost no chances to fly recently (getting ready to move puts a dent in my time for sure...) but I recorded my first chance trying these 'one-handed' inputs. I set the camera up behind me so that I could watch my hands after, so the video isn't particularly pretty but I found it informative to watch! i sure 'cross' my left hand often, pulling it in towards my chest instead of out to my side. Super limiting to do this of course as I run out of room and thwack myself in the chest.. I'm going to think on your comment on why some tricks are more popular than others! I wonder if the availability of tutorial style videos is a big limitation? It is amazing how many people (me included) learned most of what we think of as proper trick kite flying from Dodd gross, dpmama, and the old prism DVDs on YouTube. Edit I'm going to add this here too, but your "Snow Crash" comment in the forums inspired me to try flying out in the snow here! I sure crashed a lot but it was loads of fun.

That's great! Kinda nice you are starting in the winter (I'm guessing), it will make warmer flying all the more enjoyable Are you going to start recording yourself? I've found it helps me hugely in figuring out how to improve my flying. Keep it up! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

I've tried them up to the strongest winds I currently feel comfortable tricking in and they seem to work! I think that in stronger winds it is more important to wait til the nose has rotated past 12:00 before the axel input (like you say, it is much like a spin axel without most of the spin) I think I did this by mistake in low wind recently but promptly forgot it happened. I'm absolutely going to try this next time I'm on the field. I wish there were already a name for what I call 'push axels'! In that trick list they are just referred to as 'another way to axel'. Yeah I think that fade launches are comparatively easy for me because I can line up the nose pretty well before launching. Trickier is catching the fade with the nose pitched up far enough to start the kite rising. If I pull too hard for the launch the nose kinda bounces off the lines and pitches down. It seems easy to give 'enough' slack reliably for the fade launches. It feels to me kinda like doing an axel input but with both hands at the same time. For fractured axels I noticed you can get away with both an axel type input (pop?) or a slightly longer pull with both hands. I haven't tried to do them by just pulling one line though! Another thing for my checklist for the next flight. When I miss the moment of the nose being perfectly away from me the kite tends to spin on its axis at an angle. At least I'm getting better at recovering from that. I think I need more slack specifically after the 'pop' as my kite usually powers up when the nose is pointed at the ground. This is why I'm trying to keep my arms down, but you're right that I could probably compensate by walking forward a bit more! I'm still exploring turtles a little cautiously because the quantum is kinda tough to pull out of the turtle (it drops pretty far during the recovery) but I like the sound of the spin stall-to-turtle! Thanks again for your insight Exult, I feel like these conversations really help guide my thinking while on the field. I got an OK virtual freestyle entry in so I can finally get back to the more systematic drill-like practicing + exploration of new tricks that I find very relaxing. I might have to get some quality 50' lines soon too

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 near the edge. I think this has something to do with the asymmetry already present in the lines when flying at the edge of the window? I have to think about it a bit more though. The other thing I need to do is Give.More.Slack. Every time I watch the footage of my sessions I can see line tension screwing up the trick. I think I err on the side of too little slack because I'm usually practicing in lower wind and don't want to have to regain ground lost when I take up slack. When there is finally enough wind to sustain a fade with the Quantum though I just don't give enough. 2) Virtual Freestyle practice. Less than a week left to get an entry in! I'm trying to get an entry that starts with the kite on the ground, includes at least one fractured axel and one nice slide, and ends with the kite deliberately (not crashed) on the ground within 1min 30sec. This has been hard! I'm starting to 'check in' with the ground, landing more frequently which is helping for sure. 3) Axels. I've been working on more deliberate control of my axels. This has involved trying them with the nose pointed every direction 'above' horizontal, and with both wings. I'm still not usually giving a snappy enough tug or enough slack for the kite to come all the way around but I've learned to bail out of them into horizontal flight and maintain/gain momentum in the process which is good for low wind flight. I've also been working a bit on 'Push Axels' -- Axels started from a 180 90 degree push turn instead of a stall. I don't think they look quite as good but they are very fluid,and very easy to do. Exult sent me this link to a great trick list that has a lot of insight in the descriptions. From that list I turned what I thought had been constant failures at Half Axels into repeatable successes with Rixels! This is the most reliable way I have right now of getting into a turtle. Finally, my BF bought me a new camera! He got a super deal on a new GoPro Hero 5 my anniversary, Xmas, and Birthday gift. Worth it!!!! The videos included here are all from the GoPro. This first one is probably the least exciting! It was filmed at 2.7k but converted to 1080p cause Windows movie maker doesn't do higher res. It has a lot of Fractured Axel attempts, and some Virtual Freestyle practice. It also has a few Rixels and one snap turtle The next videos are done with GoPro studio. It is OK, but I like Windows Movie Maker more. Oh well! This Push Axels video is filmed at 2.7k and uploaded to Youtube, which downscales it to 1440p. This video was mostly me screwing around with the camera as there was no wind all morning. It is in 1440p resolution but 4:3 aspect ratio. with the gopro this means much more sky is visible. I'm not sure how I feel about this aspect ratio! Nice to see more of the sky, but I don't like black boarders. Finally, here are two virtual freestyle attempts plus a couple half axels This was filmed at 2.7k which was used to crop a 1080p frame. It is a great way to keep the kite in frame the whole time, but I already miss the higher resolution of the full 2.7k image. I can't wait to play with this camera in more appropriate winds! There's no upper spreader in my kites for almost all of these This week will be much of the same, VF attempts, FAs, and as many axels as I can while getting to know this camera. I might have to learn howto fly with gloves on soon though, getting cold!!

Great video! I like the 'cameraperson' effect the pan-and-zoom provides. any way you can break each motion up into an acceleration, pan, and deceleration phase? It feels like I'm expecting each shot' to end later than it actually does which might be causing the dizziness. If you can't do acceleration, maybe flank the main pan with short pans at 1/2 the speed of the main pan (if that makes sense...). I love the provided stats too. I gotta get a wind speed meter Keep 'em coming!!

Pretty kite! I've seen a red one on the field where I fly, it is such a convenient size. You're going to have a great time! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

How is the slide practice going? I had a thought this morning about slides that I'd love some thoughts on. I think fast slides come from storing momentum by pushing the leading wing back out of plane (like in a snap stall). This is easy during moves like spins or that downward drop at the edge of the window. The momentum is released by pulling the leading wing forward right at the start of the slide. this lets you put a little bit of tension on the trailing wing but you still have a higher effective wind speed on the leading wing while it is being pulled forward (back in plane). You sorta use the time bought by that move to back off tension on the trailing wing (and I guess the leading wing too a bit) to keep the kite overall in a stall. Like John said, It feels to me a lot like you are 'throwing' sail pressure from one wing to the other, then preserving the sideways momentum gained from 'catching' the throw. Here is some footage from today and yesterday that I was throwing together when I decided to make this post. I quickly made a couple slide initiations into slow motion, at 3:40 and 4:30. Each slide is shown regular speed, slow motion, and regular speed again. Alternately you can see the wing on my Ozone pretty far out of plane during the spin before the slide here. I screw up and kill almost all the momentum though. 1:58ish in the video has a snap stall slide (is there a word for those?) though the slide part is pretty short.

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm loving these new bridle settings for sure. Not intentional there (still trying to get half axels) but absolutely repeatable on my end. I think these are maybe the "rixels" you were talking about? I do what I think is a half axel input at the edge of the window but with a) the nose horizontal, and b ) a pretty hard snap on the upper wing. that tricks site you sent me too said too hard a half-axel input would put the kite into a turtle and it sure does! I came close today to getting a lazy Susan out of it too! Thanks! I can't wait I keep thinking of you saying "more slack" when I'm on the field and I think it has really started to improve my axels!

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 quantums had been set for 'forgiving'. It is crazy what a difference it makes switching things to radical makes. I'm pretty sure I could snap stall in properly strong wind with these settings! I wish I had paid more attention as another flyer at the point mentioned 'cinching up' those yokes once but it was before I knew what they really meant! Here's 6 minutes of me flying yesterday evening with the new settings. I'm still digesting all the ways the kite feels different with these settings but I'll update this post as I have thoughts. It feels like there is a bit of a delay between my input and the kite's reaction, but the response itself is actually more precise. I think this is because the kite 'wobbles' out of plane a lot more easily on this setting. So far I've only tried the radical setting in conjunction with the 'nose forward' light wind bridle setting but I'll try other combinations this weekend I'm sure! Edit: Here is the 'standard' wind bridle (still on radical settings otherwise)!

I just have to say again how fun and insightful this community is! I can't always get out to the field during the week and recently haven't had tonnes of time to hash out proper responses sometimes. But every time I check my phone I find someone on KiteLife with a new insight, a thoughtful critique, or a fantastic video. I'm extra glad to see the spirit doesn't wane as Winter approaches! I'd also love to find these definitions! It seems hard enough to learn these tricks without having to guess what people mean by the terms! You got my meaning pretty much exactly this time though This might be too out there but now that I'm thinking about it we almost need to differentiate between 4 things: The sharpness (or how quickly the direction change takes place) The intensity of the pull The distance the line pulled travels (especially in relation to the other line?) how much slack is given to each line (kind of covered by 3) This is such a great list of tricks that I keep forgetting about! I wish there were a video for every trick on the list I think you are totally right. I've had so much fun just trying to axel with my nose pointed in different positions and with different amounts of slack/pop. And those Fractured axels are going to take lots of practice before they are second nature, especially on the quantum! My only annoyance is that trying Half axel type inputs still leaves me in the walk of contemplation too often, and that problem would go away if I were a little less focused on doing them perfectly horizontally. I'm going to think about these now that I'm getting a little more predictable with my axels. The other slack line flyer I met on the field does a move like this that seems so graceful. It was really fun, and super informative to my flying. I could not fly at all without the lights by the time it got dark (1min in to that video or so) (in fact we tried with a flashlight and it was truly terrifying. I did my first spin axels with the lights on, made much easier because the trailing edge was 18g heavier than usual! I haven't been out much yet at night mostly because that's when it rains the most here. We fall back an hour tonight so I lose most of the afternoon light starting tomorrow. I'm sure this will induce many more night flying sessions. I find that every time I watch a kite video I get inspired to try something new/different. Rob's last Skyburner XXL video makes me want to try more vertical control, it looks like he can raise and lower the kite at will in a fade! I'd love to see any footage of your flying if you manage to snap some sometime! It might also be cool to try little 'one trick challenge' type threads where we post things like our longest fade, stall, slide, most spins, and such there's a video somewhere of someone doing 100 backspins that is super motivational!

Super interesting!! How does it feel to fly? those things are almost 100g right? How did you hold it on up there? It looks surprisingly stable, was there digital or mechanical stabilization of any kind involved?

Wow, great video Rob, I've watched it a few times now It was great to watch you run into frame after the kite. The fades are super cool too. I love that VF has got you out making more videos!! Can't wait to see what comes next.

This works!! Thanks Exult, I can reliably turtle from horizontal flight now! Great feeling. It is much harder to maintain altitude in a turtle than in a fade hey? And I still can't get the kite to backspin or anything. But progress! Yeah, I think I was talking about the 'provoking the kite' stuff, not the slides. During "air recoveries" I am starting to get the feeling that each position the kite takes on has some combo of inputs that would turn it into a trick. Sorta like how those cruddy half axles have now turned into decent snap turtles! When talking about slides though I noticed I can point the kite straight downward at the edge of the window for quite awhile and still usually have enough momentum to slide. Hopefully this means the turn radius of your newer kites won't hinder your slides too too much!

The first video is the I2K except for the very end where I pulled out an old Shanti Kite I got on Craigslist. It isn't very trickable, but after breaking that LLE (now fixed) on the I2K I needed something else to fly that day I've heard the I2K isn't super trickable but it is so much lighter than my Quantum so I think it might be better to practice flip tricks on for now. It just might be time to start saving for a new kite though! I hadn't looked at it that way before!! I'm going to try that on the field today. I got out briefly with my Ozone yesterday but for some reason didn't try half axles on it! Thanks! I really like the idea of learning to control the kite in stalls, fades, and turtles! I took your advice and did a bunch of prolonged fades on my Ozone yesterday! Every...Single...One... Even flags in movies and on TV now! I'm driving my roommates crazy with comments like "wow that looks like perfect wind" mid show. Not to mention the webcam right at clover point! It points to the left of the actual field, and there isn't a flag or windsock in the field of view but I'm learning to judge the wave peaks to see if it is worth going out. Thanks for the encouragement! I really hope I can keep the frequent flying up all winter long!