riffclown

Had some breeze today so took it out for a spin or two. I really like the way this kite feels. The center vents make the overall feel of the sail more like a full sail balance but still the venting of a midvent.

@Frob Given that you are the original poster, that's 100% your call. Nice flying in the video. Low wind flying is almost an art form all to itself. Small suggestion. Try giving yourself even more brake. I know it sounds counterproductive but you'll be astonished at what you can accomplish with it.

Given the swirl of where I live, the bridle test went well

And a Bag from the trimmed pieces and some PolyMax. Hopefully I'll get a break in the rain this weekend long enough to try this kite out..

Bridle Time. This kite will end up with a black bridle.. I only have black bridle line.

Edge Binding done. Ready to frame and Bridle

Merged the two topics for you

Honestly, Me too.. Like everything I make for myself, it's an experiment in what's possible. Once trimmed down to size the tops of the two mesh diamonds in the center are the top edge of this kite. The Material above it ends up in the pile for the bag. LE is now attached Edge binding and framing will happen this week. Conditions permitting, this will debut at the Rogallo Festival at Jockey's Ridge.

Center Section is done. Ready to start sewing.. Backlit to show the venting..

I spent hours watching some really great fliers "click" with their routines.. That Wow factor truly is a matter of the flying emphasizing the musical phrasing. Addressing the mood of the song with the style of flying and then adding accent points where appropriate to literally punctuate the performance. Paul uses soundtrack styles of music a lot which have natural builds and lulls which he takes advantage of every time. Take the analytical approach to this. Looks at the performances you want to emulate and what you remember from those performances. I call them pop points. What was going on with the kite at the time? What was the music doing? What particular point of timing, performance or trick made this stick in your mind? Paul's "Back to the Future" routine from a few years back had him doing a catch on 80+ ft lines. He'd tug the kite just before a certain point in his music and it would seem to take forever diving out of the sky into his waiting hand. The times I saw him do it, the catch was the crescendo and everything leading to that point in the music was just building to that catch. The timing of the catch was everything. Watching John Barresi's looney tunes performance, the animation of the kite literally carries you back to the cartoon that sparked the performance. The kite becomes everything from Bugs Bunny's ears slapping Elmer Fudd's head to a chasing gait to even the flowers blooming after the hair tonic was applied. It all fits. John's "I'm the Man" demo for the Djinn had a pop point for me as well. The diamond bicycle. The smoothness of that particular sequence within the video highlighted the entire sequence. Watching Chris Shultz's Mirage stack performance is mesmerizing. The kites have a life of their own with a banter and playfulness that literally demands you watch. It's one of those moments where you forget you are recording and end up recording the ground or the sky while you just watch. These are pop points for me. What do they all have in common? The motions of the kite whether difficult or easy, clicked with the music and the overall performance to create a memorable moment. It doesn't have to be an axel or flic flac. It can literally be a stop or sudden change of direction or speed. Now when I'm listening to music I use for my demos, I find those accent points I want to emphasize and practice whatever move I want to do there around that point. Where do I need to be in the sky? What aspect does the kite need to have at that time. The pop points don't have to be difficult at all. One pop point I use in a song is an unexpected double cymbal hit. I time my approach loading the sail and flying slowly across the window (forwards) using each beat of the song to load the sail a bit more. On the double cymbal hit, I quickly accelerate the kite with each hit releasing the energy I've loaded up into the sail. It's not a hard move to do but when you see it timed with the music (and when I get it right) it just pops. You listen to the song later and the cymbal hits you never noticed before will stand out to you. Bottom line is, Yes, there is technicality involved but those pop points are what makes a performance memorable. Placing them at strategic parts of your sequence will maintain audience attention and get you on the right track. As you start stringing these pop points together with cohesion and continuity, your performance will leap ahead with the impact you are looking for. Personally, everything between the pop points, I fill with soul flying. I think Paul does some of the same approach. I'm under the impression John visualizes a grid in the sky and approaches it methodically with short sub-routines and transitions between them.

Just completed the leading edge. Leading edge is completely white, Dacron, Stitching and Mesh.

How we approach choreography is as individual as the kite flier. I didn't get to experience kiting in its "heyday" One thing to keep in mind throughout it all is, every competition we attend, and every festival we support is our only testament to this sport/hobby. The main reason I don't personally compete is I refuse to let my competitive nature ruin my friendships. I don't like the time limits or the structure of the current competitive circuit. I do however enjoy flying to music and using the kite to interpret that music so I go to events where I can fly demos. I attend competitions where I can fly a demo while the judges discuss the next event. Bottom line is you will get out of kiting what you put into it. If you want snap, pop and go precision, it's a matter of practice. If you want Tight team formations and precision flying, the same answer is practice. If you want free flowing soul flying, that also takes the same practice if you want to keep it fluid AND interesting. Every time you grab the lines or the handles in public, you are an ambassador to kiting. The attitude you show MAY be the only influence the public ever sees. The Precision of your performance, the tight line team performance or the tears in the eyes soul flying are each in their own way a spark in the next generation of kiters. The largest complaint I hear is kiting (and kiters) are getting old. It's not perceived as a young persons activity any more unless you are talking powerkiting (buggy, Kite Skiing, Kiteboarding, etc.) It's up to you to change that, each and every time you fly in public. If you aren't having fun, you are doing it wrong.

Panels fully basted and ready to be merged in the middle and sized to final dimensions. Merging the middle is the last step before sewing.

First panel (Still very much oversized) backlit to show color AND venting..

This next sail will be a balanced venting, very close to the venting of a mid vent but balanced across the sail instead of two contiguous strips like a regular midvent would have. . White Icarex, White Mesh, White LE, White LE Mesh and a single purple Strip with Purple Edge Binding. No pattern reveal on this one since the sail is almost entirely white. Still it's full riffclown diamonds construction but only one strip of purple amongst all white per side to give the sail some color. Will post an additional pic or two once the initial basting is done.. More to come very soon. Initial cuts are done and basting at about 50% so far..

First, I don't compete but I do a lot of Demo Flys. I'm 100% a Soul Flier and I choose music that I know very well so my timing steps reflect the music and the mood. I do let the choice of equipment for the day determine my music selections. Light Wind days will give you flowing performance from me. High winds and I'll be picking something far more up-tempo..

I'm In. I haven't participated in a Karma in a while.

@Scooter I don't think anything prevents you from entering.

New Topic is up. Locking this one down..

Thank you. locking it down..

According to the Meters, this is Topic #8000.. Thanks @John Barresi for the excellent resouce.

@DTill Just doing some housecleaning.. It seems everything is sold from this listing now??

20 Yards of the White mesh is on the way. It's time for me to make some vented sails. More info soon..