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Antelope Island was Team iQuad's final performance location, if I remember correctly. There was a small kite event with the annual roundup events some years. I don't know if that still gets organized. It is cold in the winter, but the beach is survivable. I remember one winter I was out there with my family, all of us bundled in the cold, when a van came out to the nearly empty beach, and photographers set up for a bikini clad woman and some photos against the water and sand. She jumped from the van, ran out for the shot, and ran back. I figure the cold of winter is one way to get an empty beach. 🤔

Born and raised there, sadly needed to move back in 2015. There is plenty of wind, especially if you are willing to drive 30-60 minutes. Consider many people make a multi-hour trek to beaches, you could drive a quarter of the way to Wendover and stop anywhere along the highway for similar winds with a shortish drive. There are parks with good winds, and plenty of places with turbulent winds. I had a favorite spot near my home, the terraced soccer fields behind the Olympic skating oval, that often had something moving. Various parks have wind funnels you can find, and urban flying works (in the summer) as buildings make their own winds. If you can take a drive there are canyon winds, mountain ridges in the summer especially by ski resorts, and the desert dunes, both public land and rec areas like the Little Sahara. There are places with regular reliable winds, like beaches on Antelope Island. Both the desert and the island often have amazing wind, and for many people it's a shorter drive than other people's beaches. You are right that the full vent won't leave your bag as often, but often in April and May there will be days you want it, or even wish for an XV or HV kite. Most days I used a full sail or mid vent. The more venting the less you will fly it, but eventually you will be standing in 40 MPH gusts either having a blast or wishing for the hardcore vent kite. That kite may only leave the bag twice a year, but when you need it, you really need it. I've made a trips out to Antelope Island when the wind forecast is good, and it often is smooth from blowing east across 30 miles of water plus a hundred miles of salt flats before that. It is a bit cold this time of year, but bundle up and you can make a day of it after checking the forecast.

I had a similar issue. I couldn't get it, took video of it and shared asking for help. People watched the videos, looked at both my hands and the kite, and frustratingly replied like the one above: the only fix is inverted practice. So I spent Saturday after Saturday on it, flying inverted. Climb up inverted, make shapes in reverse, do every pattern in reverse. It took maybe 20-30 hours but then I discovered it became easy, but still rough. Many hours of focused practice and now my spectators say I am amazing at it, but I'm still slow and shaky relative to the pros. Slow, deliberate, methodical, boring practice. Just like many hobbyist musicians hate doing scales slowly and precisely preferring to play fun songs fast and loud, many hobbyist kite fliers love to flying fast and furious rather than developing technique and finesse. Go slow, get each step perfect, then repeat. And repeat again. Remember the difference between an amateur and a professional: the amateur only practices until they can get it right; the professional practices until they cannot do it wrong.

Tides will complicate night flying, but something may be possible. I'm a little skeptical given my past experiences, but there is always a chance. The tides will work for the festival, but the water will be there like always: Tide forecasts (rounded) and dawn/dusk: Wednesday: 3:15 AM high 0.9 ft; 11:30 low 0.2 ft; 7:10 pm high 1 ft; Dawn 7:14, dusk 6:10 Thursday: 1 AM low 0.7 ft; 5:10 AM high 0.7 ft; Noon low 0.4 ft; 6:55 high 0.9 ft; Dawn 7:13, dusk 6:11 Friday: 2:AM low 0.5 ft; 7:30 AM high 0.7 ft; 12:20 low 0.6 ft; 6:36 high 0.9 ft; Dawn 7:13, dusk 6:12 Saturday: 2:30 AM low 0.3 ft; 6:00 PM high 0.9ft; Dawn 7:12, dusk 6:13 Sunday: low 3:00 0 ft; high 1:30 0.9 ft; Dawn 7:12, dusk:6:13 Also a note for the future: SPI has been soliciting proposals to develop the flats, driven by their "Convention and Visitor’s Advisory Board". The Sierra Club has been fighting it because of creatures and habitat, some locals have been fighting it since it's the only bay-side public beach. The city's published goal is to encourage profitable water sports in the bay (kayaking, wind-surfing, and personal watercraft, including rental businesses), and they want bids for developments accommodating 7,000 spectators, at least 2000 covered amphitheater-style bay-facing seats, plus boardwalks with shops, and places to launch watercraft. The plan wants to start building within three years. So enjoy the flats while they last. :-(

Yes, different from what I have seen and flown in Lincoln City. The public participation is different. At Lincoln City people wander through like an open house, some pull out kites, some just watch, some shop on the walkway. Here it is mostly sitting around the roped area in your lawn chair to watch. During the event I have flown out a short way on the flats a few hundred feet away, but it was always solo. Watching the same demos repeat for two days gets old, but I would pay special attention to the group flys. Sometimes they were downwind and I could watch everything, sometimes not, and sometimes I would sit on a chair and just watch. I would love to make it a pair. They do interact with the crowd as time permits. My daughter talks about 'that time Fletch captured me with his kite when everyone was setting up', but overall B&S has a strict boundary the masses must stay behind. After the indoor session everyone is on the floor with a line of questions, comments, and thanks. The outdoor days are demo after demo continuously, cycling through each team or individual the entire day. As for kite lights, I'm 0 for 3 on that, evening winds have not been great on the beach. I will have lights with me, and might become 1 for 4 out there. I have had better luck on night flys inland at home.

I guess I'll schedule some early time, and hopefully meet up some people from the wrong side of the tracks on Wednesday. Paul's expected demo: While they're distracted watching the kites, have a partner pick their pockets. This ensures a steady supply of future kites. ;-)

Having moved to Texas back in 2016, I've had three experiences at the SPI kite fest, a great show each year. It's Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday. Three years ago I couldn't stay any extra days but learned about the typical after-party too late. Two years ago, that Sunday had a TKL clinic which was informative. Last year, there were a few kite followers and about 15-20 people on the flats on Sunday with the after-party. This year, because of work scheduling I've got the option to show up early Wednesday but probably don't have the option to stay through Sunday. Is there much of a before-party? Should I plan for a good group day, or plan to be alone in the air, or wait to arrive on Thursday? I'm assuming with various teams arriving at least the invited fliers (many here on the site) will be spending a bit of time on the beach, but I'd hate to disturb anyone who is putting finishing touches on demo routines.

It would work. The "up to 25" may mean different things to different people. Most kites have a range of about 10 or 15 MPH. Lighter kites have a smaller range as they are more fragile, stronger heavy kites can have a bigger range. Stronger winds than the sail is designed for will stretch the fabric and risk breaking the spars. Weaker winds are difficult to fly in. It is all a bunch of trade-offs. Each brand of quad line kites has vented models inside that wind range. Many people carry a sail for 5-15 range. One may be 10-25 range, and maybe still another for 0-5 or 3-10, or strong winds from 30-45. The numbers on a web site are suggestions but vary by the human on the line and their skill and ability. The Rev spider is good for 10-25. Weaker winds are possible if you're skilled and willing to do leg work. Stronger winds will stretch the fabric. It is a good second kite for beginners, or a first kite if you regularly have stronger winds.

I prefer long handles. They mean that smaller hand motions translate to a larger line motion, and allow a farther maximum difference from neutral. Consider if your neutral position is right in the middle balance point (it probably isn't, but let's imagine) then a 13" handle gives a max of 6.5" either way. A 15" gives you 7.5" of possible adjustment, a 17" gives you 8.5" of possible adjustment as you move your hands. If you are about tiny motions and precise hand gestures I imagine the difference will be more important. If you like to flail your arms I expect the difference will be less significant.

I don't see the link right now, but they made a video showing it. The new springs can be slid around for adjustment. Placement of the spring relative to the velcro changes the tension. Attaching it low relative to the velcro gives lower tension, attaching it high puts more tension on the spring. That translates to a deeper shape on the sail, which affects the glide.

Yes, they were taped on originally, a bit of wire with no real adjustment possible. The recently introduced new springs are standalone clips that can be repositioned to adjust the glide or removed completely. Better design overall I think. If you want them you could remove them when packing up, and if you like the glide effect you can fine tune it. If you don't want them, slip them off. My only reflex has become my loaner kite, getting less love than it probably ought. I would love to try all those other kite designs, at least enough to feel what makes them unique.

Yeah, ground flying is tough on kites and rips them to shreds. Sliding along the ground quickly eats through anything from Kevlar to Icarex. Even the Djinn with aluminum tips get chewed up a bit sliding on the ground or landing on pavement. Avoid ground flying at any temperature. 😉 Fly, use it, enjoy it. Parts will eventually break, it is part of the sport. You generally don't see soccer players worrying about mud and gravel that shreds the $15 ball, or tennis players that must replace balls every few weeks as they lose pressure. Sometimes you need to order additional spars, they break and it is normal. Crash less and they break less often, but they still break.

Agreed about wanting at least a mid vent. If the weather station said fifteen but the actual flying field was in a bowl surrounded by trees, go for it. That local wind is lighter than the prevailing conditions. If it was light but gusty, say 5G15, sure the standard sail would work but you must be ready to dart outside the wind window at strong winds, then right back as it powers down. If it was a steady 15 off the ocean I would strongly recommend a full vent, even consider a loan to a stranger rather than watching them stretch and harm their standard sail.

I can imagine hundreds of twists shrinking perhaps an inch, probably less. I'm also old enough to have learned on twisted rather than braided line, twists don't bother me at all. But really you should equalize often, if you fly aggressively do it before every flight. There are grips by prism and others with leader lines. Making your own is not difficult. You can add knots at short intervals or just tie one leader a little shorter, either way it is a quick and tiny adjustment.

Be careful of over tightening, too. All sails will stretch over time, tension from the air does that no matter what. Too much tension will accelerate the stretching and shorten the useful life. Some kites come with stretch strip built in, some people add them to Rev kites, they can help slow down the inevitable. You want the forces of the captured air for flying. Too loose and some of the force is spent tensioning the sail and keeping shape. Tight makes the kite absorb less of the force but can shorten the life span. Aim for the minimum tension that removes the slack but does not stretch it.

Yes, it does help get the kites up quickly. Exactly how intentional it is, or if it was originally a quirk that they merely left in place after finding the usefulness, is sometimes debated. If your goal is selling kites, if your goal is to get beginners to get a kite to launch without much skill, then it is effective. If you're going to sell them to people who won't have experienced guides and will have to struggle with it on their own, it removes one potential problem of ensuring the kite has sufficient pitch. Low wind takes experience and skill. You could probably find a good balance point on the short leaders if someone needed to, it just wouldn't be a comfortable grip. Shorter lines, 30 foot, 20, foot, or even indoor lengths are probably more important. Consider that even with well-adjusted lines and leaders it can take many hours (across multiple flying days) before beginners can fly in very light winds. I don't know if they could even be called beginners any more at that point.

Many things are made from it. Rope, kite line, fishing line, certain medical fibers, chemically-resistant wire wraps, and plenty of other uses. All of them are made from polyethylene, but that's about where the similarity stops; much like fiberglass insulation and fiberglass telecommunications line and fiberglass fishing rods are all made from fiberglass but are not interchangeable. There are differences in how the fibers are manufactured, gel spun versus dry spun versus extruded. There are differences in the lengths of the fibers, there are differences in other materials mixed into the braid, there are differences on the count of strands, there are differences in the weave of the strands, and there are differences in the coatings. Several factors matter for kites. There is stretch under tension (kite lines usually have less, the stretch is necessary to prevent the line from snapping when a fish strikes), there is creep over time (fishing line doesn't typically care about it), and there is slipperiness over itself (only measured for ropes and kite lines, not fishing line).

These questions are somewhat of a topic hijack, so a forum moderator could probably split them out into it's own discussion Nocks are used on some kites, they look much like the nock on an arrow. They have a U-shaped edge that a tight cord is placed inside. When placed under tension the cord can slip back out of the nock to release the spar. These kites use an end cap. The cord is threaded through the cap and left in place indefinitely. The end cap is slipped on or off the spar when you set up or break down the kite. More on the rods below... A split spar is broken, even if it hasn't completely failed. You can tape it, epoxy it, or otherwise try to get some more life out of it, but that is playing with fire. Sometime soon you'll hit a gust or a crash and the spar will fail completely. That will probably mean a sharp edge, and it can mean the broken spar will rip through the fabric. Better to replace the spar now rather than wait for a catastrophic failure that risks even more damage. The good news is you don't need to ship away for them. A store called A Wind of Change moved from Las Vegas to SLC a few years ago. Although they transitioned the business from a brick-and-mortar shop to an online shop, they have a bunch of good stuff in stock at their home. Email or call, explain what you're interested in buying, that you live in Salt Lake, and that you'd like to look at the parts if they can arrange a time. Most likely either Kent or Daelyn will arrange for a visit if you know what you're planning on buying. They're located in North Salt Lake by the I-215 curve. I'm sure they have the official revolution rods as well as SkyShark rods in stock. They could show you the difference (and similarities), and sell you whatever parts you need for your kite bag. If you don't have one, I'm sure they could sell you a quality kite bag, too. ;-)

Windy.com point forecasts comparing the models, windfinder.com, and the us weather service point forecast hourly chart. (Start by picking the spot, then pick the hourly chart lower on the page.) I also check willeyweather's hourly UV graph to estimate how frequently to apply sunscreen.

I don't think any of us are concerned about the staying aloft aspect. A nosedive from 7' the kite can handle. A nosedive from 75' will likely break at least one part. Turbulence and gusts with a 30' window can quickly be flown to the lower power edges of the window. With 75' that's significantly more time under strong or turbulent wind, more likely to break it. If I were to risk the kite outdoors on 75', I certainly would not allow a beginner to touch the lines, and at all times be ready for emergency recovery.

Can you? Sure. With a 60-inch wingspan it's a little small, but it would certainly fly. Just be sure the wind is very light, and understand you're taking a bit of a risk in case of a sudden gust or a hard landing. Worst case you're out $125.

Winds are highly variable around the city. Before I moved I flew frequently on the terraced fields behind the Keans Olympic Oval, they tended to have somewhat decent yet still variable winds. There are plenty of places that create natural wind funnels, especially parks near valleys can get a strong but turbulent breeze. I never found a place (other than flying out on Antelope Island) that didn't have turbulent winds. Urban flying with short lines is certainly possible around downtown, buildings create their own wind. I've flown mine a few times outdoors on calm days, including when returning to visit family, but always worry about a gust hitting the kite's breaking strength when flying outdoors. It hasn't broken for me yet, breaking strength is learned through experience.

They moved to SLC four or five years ago, and transitioned the store to online only running out of their home. IIRC there was a family tragedy shortly after they moved, and among the changes they decided to keep the store online instead of a physical presence. They kept the online store running and continue to be a major distributor. They've always responded within a business day when I've worked with them, and I've had quite a few orders from them over the years, including some orders earlier this year. It may be as simple as the family taking a vacation, they have young children. Last week had a school holiday, I believe a day for teachers to do grades for the end of the first semester, so maybe they took some time off? I do agree their online presence and social media accounts need to be updated.

Unless K Fairbanks is someone famous or notable, it likely isn't worth much except it's own value as a kite. Given the age maybe $20-$50 if you were trying to build something similar from scratch? Frostline was a big do-it-yourself brand a few generations ago. They were a mail-order catalog company where you order materials then sew the items yourself.

I've never really seen a list of materials. The sail cloth generally I know is Icarex if you're going for brand name, or treated (water and UV resistant) PC31 or even lighter PC25 / PC21 for indoors or if you don't mind occasional patches. Stitching is preferred to be a wide zig-zag for body pieces, although the machine I've got doesn't have the same shape I see on all my professional kites. Trailing edge and stretch strips use a straight stitch. I recall reading Kevlar or Dacron for the leading edge, but I don't know what specific fabric works well for leading edges or for meshes. Fittings and connections can be purchased from many different kite stores. I know people use a board to tie knots. I've watched them be used on three different occasions, but other than knowing it lets you tie knots at the exact distance the nails are pegged in place, know little more. Before I actually make them I'll probably hit one of the kite building clinics near a festival, but that requires me actually traveling to another festival that has them. I've only been to Oregon / Washington coast kite events twice (it was a 13 hour drive at the time, I lived in SLC), and two California beach events with a similar drive. About the biggest thing that came to SLC was iQuad's final fly at one of the big events that was only held a few times. I moved from there about three years ago from work, now in Austin. At my current home it is only 6 hours to the SPI festival, a major event I haven't missed since the move. There are occasional events out by Houston / Galveston that's only a 3 hour drive for. There is an event in Dallas I'm driving out with a 2.5 hour drive this weekend (and participating on the fun side of the ropes), but no kite making there. The Austin End of the Line kite team are great, and I've met with them at their practice and a few individuals a few times for personal flying, but they're far more casual than me in regards to what they do. While they have more experience team flying on duals, they don't have skills in topics I want to learn like better indoor flying, trick flying, quad team fly, and modifications. It would be nice to have more options to learn, but geography is a limiting factor. But that's leading in to a different topic. I'd love to learn and do so much more, but would need to overcome both time (scheduling) and space (distances) to do it.