riffclown

@John Barresi I assume Forum upgrades???

First Welcome to KiteLife. You've made several observations but they don't necessarily line up with each other. Both the "stop and pop" as well as the slack line stuff and even freestyle can be done on both long and short lines. Urban fliers and those that fly in tighter areas tend to use short lines. Long lines can be precision or what we call soul flying.. so both styles are also both lengths. Longer lines 120's are typically used for team flying as well. Longer lines tend to give more reaction time so lend well to relaxing flight patterns.. The Djinn, Detox, Polo, Phoenix, etc. are similar to the Rev with each having individual characteristics that influence flying. Keep in mind Rev held market exclusivity for many years and only in the last few have the other designers and creators been able to market their "improvements" I'm not knocking Rev at all Joe Hadzicki designed a great produce and wing. There are just new developments incorporated into other designs that lend themselves to different performances. ANY of these wings can be freestyle and any can also be "pattern" flying or team.. That was a very convoluted and drawn out way of saying, fly the style you like, with the kite you like and the line length appropriate for your space to fly in. Venting is usually chosen based on wind conditions but outside of that everything is pretty much personal preferences.. The good news is there's really not a wrong answer. The bad new for your pocketbook is there's also not a songle good answer but there are a lot of right ones..

So much for 2020 and Kite Flying events. The last two events I was holding out hope for, have both been canx.

Cool.. immortalized!!!

I have similar concerns.. I'm also concerns about the one long strip at the corners that has no support.. they may have a lot of flutter.. The resolution will be to add a few small solid panels filling in the holes at strategic areas.. more to come.. I will try it as initially designed though first.

The main panel sewing is done. That was a bear to sew. Due to the full mesh design. Both directions ended up having to be double-stitched.. The corners currently at the bottom will be replaced with a slightly larger panel of either Green or Black to get rid of the extra material there. Still a work in progress BUT I think the hardest part is done.

Starting to realize why no one is making these.. WHEW!!!

All masked up and ready to sew.

The Symmetrical layout is more balanced of course but kind of reminds me of old arcade graphics.. Thoughts??

Going off the rails with a new mesh design. 72" LE. 2 colors (Lime and Black) with straight interleave. No chance to adjust and compare between sides. I have a few hurdles to get through (like deciding if I really need 7-8 thicknesses at the corners) and a few design elements to decide on. This kite will be for 20+ winds.

for that, I'll have to defer to Paul.. What I shared is what I was understanding and remembering..

This was done with bridle line just to show the knots. It would be done normally with bare line.

This is tied in larger line to show detail.. Flying Smiles and Paul use Figure 8 knots. I do not.. personal choice. The knot becomes the reinforcement for the larks head. and when you attach it to leaders, the loop becomes the pull to open the larks head.

And it works..

The Stopper knots help protect that contact point.. Paul's sets are pretty much custom to his specs.. I will echo that Flying Smiles makes great linesets, even for mere mortals like us..

Well I fly quads on lengths like 240' when I get the chance and those aren't common. I also have 150's along with the more common lengths. As for making my own, it's a personal preference.

FWIW, My experience hasn't turned me away from Skybond but it has made price more of my personal deciding factor..

Hopefully this version gives a bit more insight into the LE Construction. 1.5 sized and lime green for visibility.

They didn't seem nearly as slick as the lines they were replacing and they tended to wear and fray much faster..

This was for a 72" LE.. Will be making a full 1.5 size this afternoon. perhaps better video then..

OK here is a first try.. I know there is a typo on the first screen.. I will get a better one out soon. Speed is 300% Real time took just over 30 minutes

Second video a little better. Still a bit blurry but I think it shows most of it.. Putting it all together now..

OK You know what I meant.. I put together the first Leading Edge and grabbed some video.. I'll get it cobbled together for you.. Upon further reflection that video is not very clear (was kind of dark) You deserve better. More soon.

I have to make 6 Leading edges over the next few days and wonder if would there be any interest in a Leading Edge video construction?? The construction techniques might be useful to some.. (My exact measurements wouldn't be useful to most because of the way I make kites)

Just a few personal experiences.. I'm a big fan of Skybond myself but some of my more recent Skybond purchases don't seem to be of the same quality as before.. I fly both LPG and Skybond and even Shanti Speedline depending on the need for that particular day. I buy bulk and make my own linesets..