riffclown

indeed..

Another few hours past Virginia Beach will get you to Jockey's Ridge. That is a must fly location. The Rogallo Kite Festival is held there each year. The Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawk/ Kill Devil Hills is also a historic location for our particular hobby..

@happysuperbutton Great work.!!!

I had a Reflex.. It didn't stay with me long. I do a lot of catch and throw and that is NOT the kite for that style of flying. You want a Phoenix or Freilein, then I'd highly suggest giving Eliot Shook a call at Flying Smiles Kites.. Bottom line is the Reflex wasn't a bad kite, it just isn't the kite for me..

Rev had the exclusive for many years but now there are several (many with previous associations with Rev) Rev has added springs to all of their kites and decided this is what everyone needs, Freilein from OSK has made strong inroads into the industry. They have better QC then Rev and I have yet to find a stray or missed stitch. Bazzer is now making the Phoenix kites. IMO the Ashes is the best of that particular line. John Barresi is close to releasing the Djinn. Still very little is public about this sail but it dies have some true innovations both in sail design AND bridle configuration. If you must buy now, I'd say find a used B-series and start there.. It's an established workhorse and will serve you well..

Best advice you are going to get is find a group of fliers near you and try theirs first..Decide what you want from there. We call it OPK or Other People's Kites. We are generally a friendly bunch and will gladly hand you the handles to allow you to make an informed decision.. Don't limit yourself to a brand as there are several competitors out there that ALL bring something to the mix.. Where are you located?? Someone should be close by that would love to help you get started on the right foot.

The foils you mention are all Sport size except for the Tensors. Those are power size meaning actual square meters. in 15-20mph winds a proper 2M foil (like a Toxic or Hornet) will be a big handful. Let me reference you to this thread which gives you a lot of information about both.. Given your stated wind, unless you plan on buggying, the 3.1 would be your better option.. it's much harder to find the right wind to fly the big foils static.

I guess we can discuss to some extent.

Yes... those... For what it's worth, I have a vented in my head at the moment while I'm waiting for materials to arrive.

22 yards of Icarex on the way.. Time for some new colors using my diamonds build as the pattern. Black, White, Silver, Charcoal and Sky Blue.. More to follow as these kites take shape.

General guidance is not in line with the runway, 500' from the closest part of the runway and lines not to exceed 100' I fly on base all the time.. only question ever asked is how long are my lines.. Short version is ask, as you are at the mercy of (not what the reg says but) how the person in authority at that location interprets the regulations..

The Trick is simply this.. unwind the same way you wind.. if you always grasp the winder in one hand and wind keeping a constant tension, EVERYTHING on the winder will be consistent. To undo your line simply reverse your process. Whether you use figure 8 or simply wrap around is irrelevant. Make sure the lines are consistently tensioned as you wind and you'll almost never have an issue.. @John Barresi line management video is spot on.

Done

Welcome to KiteLife and to Kiting in general.. It was an awesome experience seeing the Cheshire grin on your face as you began the journey.

This kite now has a new home. More info very soon..Reinforced a few parts after a consult with @John Barresi and added the Air Force logo to make it a 1.5 version of Yonder.. @Roadwarrior26 Enjoy your new kite and Welcome to Kite Life..

Let's break that word down.. Justification = just if I can imagine this isn't wrong.. Short version is something doesn't have to be wrong to be unethical.. I support those I believe in. I don't support those I don't.

Very Cool..

Welcome to KiteLife! I added the pic you included in chat for you..