Happyspoon

The last month has been interesting for kiting! The weather continues to worsen and I find myself having to be much better prepared to go fly. Compared to last fall as a non-kiter I’m now much more sensitive to weather! I didn’t realize how gusty the winds get once summer ends. The erratic rain is less of a problem (at least for the kite), but it isn’t super satisfying to come home soaking wet J. Worth it though, and nothing a raincoat can’t solve. I’ve also moved from walking to the point into a driving routine, and my car’s trunk is colonized by kites and lines. On to flying I’ve been focused on a couple key things each time I hit the field. · Stalls- Getting the hang of these, except for stalls while traveling upwards. I’m not 100% with stalls yet, especially on low wind bridle settings and in winds over 10mph but I’m feeling good. · Slides- o I’m good with initiating slides at the edge of the window but less good the closer to the middle I get. I have come close to starting slides from an axle but it still feels pretty random. o I’m pretty solid at holding a slide, but not at ‘pulling’ the kite past the middle of the window to keep sliding. I have pretty much no practice sliding from the center to the edge of the window. · Axles- I’m trying to develop a solid feel for the range of inputs that all result in an axle. It seems like you don't have to be totally stalled to do an axle, but you do have to be able to give the kite lots of slack after tugging. Being stalled lets you really push back the wing which I think sets the kite up better but I'm nott toally sure yet I think the 'sharpness' of the pull makes much more of a difference than the intensity. I can axle with one finger no problem this way. On the other side, a longer pull almost always ends in a wingtip snag/wrap. Even when the tip doesn't wrap, long pulls rarely get the kite to rotate all the way around. I think the intensity of the axle input determines how quickly the kite rotates, and how far the kite falls (or rises) during the axle. I’ve noticed that in low wind you can actually lift the kite with an aggressive enough axle. I’ve been saved from the lack of ground-level wind a number of times with a nice fast axle! · Fractured axle-to-fades- I know what I’m supposed to do, and I know thee ‘lock in’ feeling of a well-executed FA. Flatter axles would help, as would better timing for the pull (my videos show me this is my biggest problem). I’m also still learning how much slack is ‘just right’ so the nose doesn’t over-flip. · Cartwheels- I think I’m good with these now, though they aren’t pretty yet. At least I’m doing the walk of contemplation less. · Fade launches- It might be that I’m always practicing in pretty low wind but I'm finding fade launches tricky. It seems like as long as I pull out of the fade the instant i enter it that I can fly off most of the time. I'm pretty bad at maintaining the fade near the ground still though. · Half axles- phew, what a challenge still. I still don’t really get how they should feel. I can pull the top wing down into a ‘flare’ like position (but with the nose pointed to the edge of the window). I can even sometimes then pull to rotate the nose around the other way, and even fly the kite out of it sometimes. But it doesn’t feel or look anything like a half axle. I met a flyer at the point who is great with slack line tricks!! I watched him for awhile and felt like just doing that taught me lots. I think my problem is that I'm not 'snappy' enough with the input, just tlike with the axle. I tend to try and pull the kite right into a flare which I think means I'm pulling for too long. I feel like I was getting closer in this last session (with my I2K) until I broke a lower leading edge... I think it must have been broken when I got the kite as it was a soft crash (landed on both wingtips but with some sideways momentum) that popped it. New parts are waiting across the border for me and I can pick them up today in Blaine · Air recoveries- Exult’s blog talks a lot about “provoking the kite”, and how it gives one a chance to feel how the kite responds to inputs from a variety of positions. I’ve noticed that when the kite starts to tumble, 9/10 times it can be fixed by walking backwards a few meters! If that doesn’t work I try tugging one line then repeating the backwards walking. I have no idea how to save the kite when the line snags on a tip, but at least I can guide the kite gently to the ground when it happens. Between the ground recoveries, air recoveries, and axles I’m in the air and actively practicing 5X more than when I first started leaning the axle. I’ve really noticed this in the videos! Previously I might get 10min of good footage per hour of flying. Now almost the entire hour is usable. Reviewing this footage has been so instrumental in improving my skills so it is nice to increase its information density! I’m also spending more and more time in a stall/slide and less with the sail ‘powered up’. I'm slowly improving with flip tricks too! I can finally turtle, both while flying upward and a 'snap turtle' while flying horizontally. I'm still not great at maintaining a turtle. I went out a few times to try night kiting! My BF brought home a couple packs of LED fingers from the dollar store which worked really well! They are a bit over 6g each so they don’t add too much to the weight of the kite. That said, with one clipped to the spine and one on each wingtip the kite controls pretty differently! I did my first (cruddy) multi axles within minutes of being airborne and weighted. I’m now playing with keeping one clipped to the spine in medium and stronger winds. I also want to play with nose vs spine weights! Finally, I'm playing around a bit with the way I film and edit my flying videos. If I put a camera close to me as well as one behind the kite I can make some 'overlays' that better show off my hand movements. I don't think I'll do this every time but I learn a lot about what I'm doing wrong when watching these!

Beautiful flying! And as always great music. Those low to the ground slides are so impressive Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

That makes sense! I think "more slack" is going to be my new mantra along with the related "walk forward". Most of my slides end with me either accidentally powering up the kite so I'm sure I'm not giving enough slack to hold the slide well! I wish it were easier to see the lines in my videos (tried coloring with sharpie but I don't think it helped) cause I have a hard time judging how much slack I've given once line contact with the kite is "broken". I think maybe I've been a little spoiled by the light and consistent winds at clover point all summer I need a new set of skills to deal with these fall gusts Thanks again for all your critiques!! I just watched your last virtual freestyle entry and found it super motivational too Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

It sounds like you've been getting some great sessions in! You have been so patient waiting for your new kites! It sounds like they have a great home with you and will be used often. This is something I'd like to realize too! I noticed myself just not bothering to fly in winds that a couple months ago would be just fine! Minimally I guess I should be OK with focusing on figure flying in stronger winds. I'd love to develop the strength and snappiness to 'spank' a kite in slightly higher winds. This is fascinating! I'm going to pay careful attention to what my kite 'wants' to do after being provoked. It is taking lots of tumbles while I"m learning these half axles and I love the idea of each being a little opportunity to get to know the kite better. Lol! I'm in the invasive species/herbicide biz and have used that quote many times when talking about weeds! First time I've heard it from someone else! I love this blog format (though I personally think you could make a new post for each log dump)! Thanks for sharing your experiences!

These ones? https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B001I4Z066/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1476112520&sr=1-16&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=nite-ize Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Those LED fingers are the best! I've been playing around with them this weekend too! I love the extra weight they add to the Quantum. I've actually taken it out once now with a light clipped to the spine just for the extra weight! My video is particularly unimpressive (what did you shoot yours on outtakontrol?) But added for the record If is dusk for the first 30s then full dark. We used the finger straps included with thr LEDs but I might try kite line next time (great idea outtakontrol). Riffclown, that blinky stack looks totally amazing, even when it isn't too dark. Love it. How heavy are those chase lights? It is a really cool effect. Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

This is interesting! Now that I know what axles feel like I think I can make use of this information I really like the look of a super flat axle. Aw thanks! I found this old forum thread that inspired me to try the axle-to-fade http://www.gwtwforum.com/index.php?topic=2517.5;wap2 . I was trying the flare-to-fades and just kept getting scared of nose-diving so I thought I'd switch it up a bit! I know personally I'd love to be able to half-axle so I can change direction quickly, and to get into, out of, and switch between stall, fade, and turtle. If I could get all that down I wouldn't mind if it took me a long, long time to crack into the more complicated tricks. Hoping to get out at lunch so will report on progress!

Here are a couple disorganized thoughts Wind is more stable and usually stronger higher up. Once the kite is past 20m (or some arbitrary height depending on geography and weather) it can be much easier to continue to rise. Dual Line kites can launch in 0 wind maybe 8M just by sweeping your arms back, but usually require you to walk backwards to get higher. One problem there is if you stand still to launch a dual line you lose tension on your lines when the kite is at the top of its arc unless you step back a bit. Some sort of automatic tensioner that keeps line tension present but minimal might be cool. These two videos on king of random always make me think of a slingshot kite launch. Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

September was a busy month work wise including way too much traveling. At least I got to fly briefly at Garry Point Park near Vancouver which was pretty nice! Hopefully I can make stops there more regularly when off of Vancouver Island. September was also the month I figured out axles! Thanks again to Exult, Rob, and to the folks on the kitelife subreddit for the tips, especially on slack management. I’m getting pretty confidant with axles now, and am loving the extra variety in my flight routines. I’ve been trying to learn the half-axle as I really want the quick direction change I can turn pretty sharply when needed but I feel like half-axles will let me keep the kite in-frame while recording video which would be super. I’m still having a hard time though. Reefaddicted, jaudub200, and Palmahnic have al given me valuable input, and I’ve actually succeeded with a couple half-axles, but I still don’t know what they “feel” like. I started to get the first input to put the kite on its belly at the edge of the window but that’s about it so far. More practice and patience I guess! There are some good tutorials and advice in this thread! I took my Prism Ozone out this weekend as the wind just wasn’t strong enough for the quantum. It sure axles well! I recorded a couple videos, here is a ‘recap’ of what I can currently do on the Ozone. The wind was pretty low and I had to move around a lot, but I had a great time. Another kiter Ron showed me a couple non-advertised bridle adjustments which I tried out. With his advice I was able to do a full 360 around the field on my 60’ lines! I’ll be trying that again for sure. Wish I had that on video At the end of the ozone session I felt comfortable trying a couple flare-to-fades flying toward the ground. The wind was too light for me to turtle but I had been practicing the legwork for fades too while away. I managed to stick a fade! I love the way it feels when the kite ‘locks-in’ to the fade position (and even the flare), it is very distinct. The wind died right after so I couldn’t do a ton of practice. Here is a video filmed with the Ozone. the fade attempts are the last minute or so of the video. I got lucky on Sunday afternoon and got to fly a second time with my BF. The wind was pretty perfect for the quantum, though there wasn’t much wind till about 15’ up. I tried a couple flare-to fades but was both more nervous in the stronger wind, and less capable of lunging forward enough for the flare with the larger kite. Instead I spent the rest of the time working on the axle-to-fade (I’m told it is also called a fractured axle?? but some sites say that starts from a half-axle). This practice was great because it got me thinking about nice flat axles, as well as training me to watch the kite’s nose all the way through the axle. I was still having problems giving enough slack after the fade input but I got it a couple times (and once on camera). Controlling the kite in a fade is really interesting by the way! Here is a video of my practice. I’m also starting to get more comfortable with ground work, though slowly. I’m saving myself about half my walks of shame now by figuring out how to unwrap a line from a wingtip remotely, and by spinning the kite on its nose when it lands on its belly (nose away). Still haven’t really figured out the cartwheel though I’ve done a couple J I’m also annoyed at myself for not being able to launch from one leading edge on the ground. The videos make it look easy but I just keep flopping from leading edge to leading edge. Oh well! It is great to be comfortable practicing tricks with the ozone and not just figures. I’m hoping I’ll be able to get much more practice in this way! Finally, a couple links. I stumbled onto this mind map just yesterday and love it https://www.mindmeister.com/4766744/kite-tricks Edit Oct 4th Getting there with the fractured axles!

Congratulations to both of you! I was surprised at how much better flying is when you aren't by yourself. Just wait til you are are both flying at the same time! Those pics make me want to take out my I2K now that I'm a little more confidant! Also, it is so great to see how quickly kids learn these kites. Me and my BF were out a few months ago with a toy dualie and a couple kidlets came up and wanted to fly. 5min later and they were both whizzing all over the place! I hope you can look forward to many years of kiting together!

I didn't get multiple cameras set up yesterday but I got some very interesting angles when practicing axles on my Ozone. I think I'm getting the hang of slack management for the trick, and mostly with the set up as well. The kite shudders too much during most of my axles though, so I'm guessing I'm still tugging too hard or slightly at the wrong time. Here is a video! I've been taking your advice and "filming with intent" as we talked about so only the key bits are in slow motion.

Great points thanks Exult! I managed to get a little bit of kiting in while travelling but I kept things simple due to crowds I did spend a good chunk of my spare time doing the flare/fade/turtle dance I got out yesterday for a great couple hours with my ozone in low wind. I decided to save flip attempts for more constant wind, it was work to keep the kite up yesterday. I'm going to try and let a turtle or two float down to the ground today, no matter what the wind does.

This makes tonnes of sense! My newbie-hood is showing, but is there a good way to get out after the first "flare" without crashing? I'm going to try a few and see what happens, I think I've always tried to combine it with the other hand inputs and wound up fluttering like a leaf to the ground. I bet this comes into things for me too. I definitely throw the lower hand forward, probably too much. Gah hope I can get some flying in today or tomorrow! Thanks both of you, It is great to hear multiple people try and describe these inputs!! Also, those tutorial videos are excellent. I just found this video which, though not a tutorial, was the first time I realized you could half-axle at the edge of the window! I'm still not super confidant in the middle of the window so I'll have to try this out.

Such a great little kite! I learned all my basics on a much lower quality tiny stunt kite and loved it. I felt less like I was going to break anything or hurt anyone with such a tiny kite. After teaching lots of friends with it it is dying fast and I really miss it! Your GF has great goodwill eyes, solid find.

Thanks Exult! Yeah I've managed to get the kite to flip into a turtle but only right at the top of the window and then I'm immediately running backward to try and take up slack on the lines. Watching some videos suggests it might be easier to both turtle and fade elsewhere in the window? I really like your instructions for these flips, I think they make a lot of sense. Especially the walking, I'm starting to feel like most of my difficulties still come from getting my hands and feet to collaborate. The "bounce" descriptions make a lot of sense too. Can't wait to try all this out! I got out once this week and found no wind at all on arrival and now I'm traveling for work but brought the quantum and will hopefully find a new spot to fly (thanks for your 'learning to fly in unfamiliar locations post

I've been trying by flying horizontally across the window. When I'm brave enough I push with my top hand then pull hard and fast, immediately giving slack to both hands after. When I do this I usually just lost control of the kite. I feel like I'm not getting that same 'popping' getting like I do when pulling for the axle, and am thinking that might be the problem. We get nice and consistent wind here but I'm usually flying at 5-7 knots not usually as high as 11. Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Awesome! Any tips on half axles with things being so fresh in your mind? I finally know what axles 'feel like' but still can't figure out the half axle. Congrats on the progress! I feel like even just learning axles has made my flying time much more trick-dense Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

This is great! I just got some 50' (ish) lines from a kilter who broke and re-sleeved a set that I'm hoping will help me develop my Strangelove of ground work . I like flying near the ground as it is easier to see the kite (both for me and for the cameras), so it would be nice to feel better about taking advantage of it! Some of my favorite of Rob's videos have lots of ground contact in them and it looks like lots of fun. I'm going to have to watch that video about 10 more times The tip drag in it gives me confidence for sure. That ground roll is so dramatic, it is definitely something I'd like to work towards slowly. Tip stands are probably the scariest thing for me. I tried those cartwheels once or twice but the best I can manage is spinning the kite with the nose on the ground (looks dumb but at least I can fly out after it). I'm really hoping to try some turtles and flares next time I'm out as I don't think I understand what they are supposed to feel like yet. Maybe I'll make those belly landings a goal. I think I've seen Dodd Gross do them in his videos and they look graceful. Gotta look into coin tosses too as I have no idea how to set them up yet, not even in theory! Great point about obstacles, there is both a lamp post and a sign that could be pretty destructive if I walked too far forward my mistake.

Slo-motion has been great for me to see the nuances of the kite's motion, that's for sure! It is great to see what others get from these videos too! Watching the turn at 1:05 I think I see what you mean! I think the snappy tug as part of the stall turn pulls the trailing edge towards me, which causes the nose to lean away? If there is wind today I'm hoping to try a multi-camera setup so maybe I'll have a good debrief video up this evening I can't wait to get out and practice again, that's for sure.

Whoops yeah I could have been clearer there (shouldn't do so much posting from my phone!) I was mostly refering to your interest in ground contact tricks! I feel like you must have taken the fear I feel of hitting the ground and turned it into some sort of exhilaration

Cool! Thanks again for sharing! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Wow super pretty! I don't know much about quad lines yet but it sure looks like it will fly! The appliqué(?) Locks fantastic too. do you think it's possible to apply pictures to already-built kites? Good luck on the final steps! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Great post! I like the flight log format and the hierarchical style! I think it is good to have lots of things to work on so you can pick and choose depending on the conditions and your mood! I know some days I am totally fine doing the walk of shame repeatedly and some days I just want to feel airborne and vaguely competent. It is great reading your entries and seeing how different we all are in the aspects of kiting that interest us. It is great to be able to follow your exploration of all these ground-contact, fade, and turtle based tricks! I managed to get into and out of a turtle a couple times today but getting out is tricky (I have to remember to walk back quickly I think...) Great photos too. That Tramontana is a stunning kite! Also that crayfish looks delicious.

Thanks for the info! Great to hear it didn't feel time consuming. Do you think this was more complicated than most of your single line kite builds? Can't wait to see it and hope it flies wonderfully! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app

Good luck! Where did the plans come from? Are you documenting the process anywhere? I'd love to follow the ups and downs of the build! Exciting! Sent from my SM-G935W8 using KiteLife mobile app