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A vented Djinn (quad) and Lam Hoac vented Sky Devil (dual). No video of today, but Tuesday, Saturday, Thursday, and last Wednesday all have recordings. In a few hours I have some gym time scheduled. I'll be on an indoor Rev and a Kaiju, possibly an iFlite 2 or Skate if I am not feeling into the others. /Update: My friend didn't want to be on camera, we spent about an hour with him learning on the rev and iFlite2, then I stuck around for another half hour practicing things on camera. Still working on a few things like a solid landing without a notable bounce, polishing to get catch/throw to 100% but buttons and carelessness block it, etc.

Fresh lines always feel so nice. Another great prize open for for subscribers.

I think @John Barresi has been busy, and missed the calendar reminders.

Yeah, not many people there. I was always looking for people to join me before I moved away. A Wind Of Change is your local kite dealer, Kent and Daelyn are good folk. They used to run a brick and mortar store but have run entirely out of their home for about a decade. You might be able to work something out with either of them to meet out in a field on a windy day, or to look over whatever they've got available. They're a Revolution dealer, so that's what they'll mostly have for quads. A few people fly in the region but everyone is scattered. The current AKA regional director for the region, Sherman Myers, lives down in Alpine. He might know some people and you can meet up and try different kites. There are no significant kite clubs or gatherings, or at least, none were there nor have any popped up that I've found since I moved. While there is wind often enough and few people fly around there, finding consistent wind was always difficult for me. The best (but still irregular) that I found was the terraced fields in Taylorsville behind the Olympic Oval. There are some decent flying spots at parks near the base of a few of the canyons, but even they are turbulent and rough for learning. The beach on the north side of Antelope Island usually isn't worth the drive, but might be if you're on the north end. As for the kites, Revolution didn't go bad, it's just that the competition got better. Revs are still good kites. The Djinn, 3Wind quads, the Freilein quads, Shook's mesh quads, RevPolo, the Phoenix, and the rest, all are good kites, none of them are a bad choice. Each has differences that experienced pilots will feel, but for a beginner you'll not notice much difference between them. The EXP is the base model, and comes with the parts you need as a package. They're not the best parts, they're shorter lines than are typically used, and not that great of handles, but they work. If you know you will be in kites for the long haul I'd skip them and just buy whatever higher-end gear you will be getting anyway, saving yourself a few hundred bucks on stuff that would be discarded after a short while anyway. Handles can make a difference but are more about finesse rather than beginner abilities. The snag-style have a loop on the ends that gets tied to, you can more easily snag on the loop. The non-snag varieties generally have a hole that the leaders are attached through. As a beginner you won't notice much difference there, either, but the length and curve of the handles affect how the kite feels. 120 foot lines / 35 meter are the typical length used in team flying. They give an enormous wind window, often over 200 feet across so you've got lots of room. Smaller line sets give a smaller window, 80 foot lines may give 130 feet across, 60 feet lines may give 90 feet across, so you move more quickly through your available space, giving less reaction time. It can make for more exciting flying, but apart from the longer walk when something goes bad, longer lines are generally better for learning.

Probably. How heavy is the flag? How strong are the winds? Premier recommends 500# line so the kite could probably generate the lift in decent wind.

It depends on the kite. Some large show kites are designed to of flappy bits or dangling bits off the end, which drift and float in the breeze. Others don't. It is somewhat rare to have a large gap in the frame but for some kite designs having a gap near the nose is fine, but typically in that case the kite is held together through tension in the cloth. Pictures showing the leading edge would probably help, both front and back if they're different. Since the spars aren't being held together there is probably meant to be some tension somewhere (or maybe even some hidden pockets) that holds it together.

Doable? Yes. Worth the effort? No way. Dual line sport kites aren't bowed, instead your kite has standoffs. Being bowed makes kites self-balancing. Having standoffs like a sport kite makes them less stable, which is good for control. For sport kites you want a design that responds to the slightest finger movements. For a single line kite, you want a design that is rock solid no matter the tugs and directional nudges on the line. Get a kite that is made for single line. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches.

Congratulations Dave, I hope you get some good strong winds after the kite arrives.

Here's a post with a list of some options. Leading edge tabs, fold point reinforcement, and stretch strips. The cost of doing it yourself is small, the material is cheap and repair only takes a little sewing. You can also replace the entire leading edge with better material for a bit more work. The cost of people doing it is the time and shipping, not materials. Some kite people would do them, but I think they all stopped when patents expired and several good competitors all have better kites. Doing it yourself is not difficult. You can make 9 or so strips of 1/2" webbing or dacron or similar and sew them spanning the mesh across the entire length. Not hard to do, sewing on the sail body, across the torn mesh, and onto the bottom edge of the LE. Fold point reinforcement is similar, about 2" across. Be careful to maintain the width where the mesh was, and to not sew across the leading edge to block the channel, just sew where the stitching already is. You can hand sew it or use a sewing machine. Stretch strips need a sewing machine. You can use the same insignia tape sold for boats, just a half inch or one inch strip exactly along where the vertical spars go. The tape is cheap, and strong. After taping it down, sew it in place. Use polyester or other synthetic thread, cotton will rot eventually.

It's about tradeoffs and personal choice. Roll up is my personal choice. As you wrote, the benefit is organization at the cost a few seconds of time. It takes a few seconds longer to clean up, and everything has a place. I can shrink or grow the bag up to its maximum capacity. On the flip side, I can't just throw it all in the bag, I need to slide it into a pocket then spend a few seconds rolling it up. It isn't much, but it is something. There are only two times where I prefer a zipper bag. If I need to pull out a kite for a repair or to show something off, it takes a few extra seconds and a bit of extra space to unroll it. I keep the bag in the back of my vehicle so I can open it up, but it's not as easy as it would be to open a zipper and pull out what I want directly. The other time is when I'm out flying and need to move for some reason, it would save some seconds to just pull a tab rather than roll it up. Both are pretty rare occasions, and not a big deal but instead an occasional petty annoyance. I prefer having them all rolled out in front of me. I never have to dig for anything, I can see exactly what is in my bag and it's all kept sorted and organized. There is no hunting or digging for something. I imagine the few seconds of time saved each time going through the kites is roughly the same as the few seconds of time spent wrapping up at the end.

That's an eclectic set. About 2/3 I could use, and the rest my wife would scrapbook with. Remember me this time, random number generator. And thank you Skydog Kites!

Looks like a good list. The two I'm familiar with, the Reloaded and Jammin, are both quite capable. Freilein and Flying Wings both have good lineups so I'm sure they're good options too. Every kite feels different. If you have the option to try them out on someone else's gear it can be good. If you're in a position where you cannot do that, it looks like you're doing it exactly right. As it is your second kite just about anything would be good. As you gain more and more kites you'll find some will satisfy specific needs, and you'll discover holes or gaps that need a specific kite. For a general low wind kite, all of them work.

I was surprised at the CTC solve of that puzzle. He would directly state where something went, then proceeded to not mark it. Then he would mark something and fail to clear all the old related marks. I suspect he had a little too much "Christmas Cheer" before recording the video. Great puzzle.

Good luck. Any of the old Jon T. models tend to be snapped up quickly. The Widow NG (next generation of the kite) is widely available for sale.

I'm not sure why you have the burst of rapid posts, or what you're trying to get from them. I only see one question across multiple posts, basically: are people interested? I think the answer there is that yes, some people are interested in fighter kites, but it isn't the main focus of the people who participate on this board. Most people on this board discuss sport kites, although many of us have experience in a broad range of kites including fighter kites. I've tried them, but I don't particularly care for fighters. I understand they're most popular in regions across Asia.

Kitesurfing is an interesting mix of two sports. You need to be competent at both of them in order to do the combined sport safely. If you can mix the two successfully it can be breathtaking and exhilarating. So when I see this, I have concerns that it might not be the right sport for you: While setting up the gear can be boring, it is something absolutely critical to get right every single time. If you're doing extreme things like jumps or flying in higher wind it can literally be a life-or-death concern. One mistake at the wrong time can mean your chicken loop or other safety won't release, and you or someone else will become trapped. The same with the safety of being away from crowds. One wrong move getting your kite into the crowds is dangerous, and potentially lethal. It is even more dangerous for beginners who have less control and less familiarity with what to do when things go wrong. One part of training should be practicing all the safety techniques until they're part of your muscle memory. You might be better learning to first fly power kites at the beach or the field if you haven't already. The water and surfing components are missing, many steps are easier to learn and become proficient at. You don't need to leave the crowds very far for safety, just a hundred feet or so. It's also cheaper up front. You can still get powerful kites that can pull hard at your upper body, but avoid those so strong they may drag you or lift you into the air, as aerial landings on ground can (and will) break bones.

Yup, that's the only thing that stopped me when I saw the post initially. That's a lot of beautiful supplies. Shipping would probably cost about the same for me as making the 1300+ mile trek, and back again.

I bought a set of Mystic 10 for exactly that reason. It doesn't make much difference in low wind conditions. You can fly with the 12's, including using a bit of oomph on a standard sail with 12's for flying indoors. The big thing I noticed is the 10's are more bendy. It isn't good or bad, just different. On the one hand it makes flight more squishy as it absorbs the initial strike to the line. This means you'll get a gradual buildup rather than a quick start since the initial energy is absorbed in the bend. It also gives the kite a bent look in stronger winds while your neighbor's kite will be more straight. They have a faster recoil that is more difficult to leverage with multiple fast actions. On the other, it enables a kind of one-two punch if you leverage the recoil. You get a delayed initial action then a surge on the recoil, and you can time your own second input to coincide with the recoil. While it does give a slower start, a double-tap or triple-tap with the recoil can act like a turbo button. Pop-pop-pop with great timing can get you moving rapidly in any direction even in dead air if you strike on the recoil. However, if you miss the recoil the energy will be absorbed and ignored.

I am sure you could arrange for that delivery. 😉

There are several brands of Spectra / Dyneema kite line out there. While there are some differences between the brands like Laser Pro Gold, Shanti Warp Speed, Shanti Skybond, Level One Matrix, all of these kite lines are good. You can find them wherever you get your kites. If the store is selling your Benson, they will also know what line to use. Avoid line material like nylon, polyester, cotton, dacron, or Kevlar. Also avoid fishing line. While they can work for single line kites, they are problematic for sport kites.

I can speak on half of that... Line lengths are a personal feeling and flying conditions, you could choose basically anything from 2 meters (a length used for indoor flying typically) to 40 meters. Some common lengths are 15 meters, 20 meters, 25 meters, etc. In lighter wind shorter lines are more common. You won't be doing much team flying on a Hypnotist, but if you do team stuff 25 m is fairly common and 40 m slightly less common for team dual line flying, but ultimately it is whatever lengths people have between them. Whatever kite store you go to can cut them to length, or you can buy spools of bulk line and cut them yourself. As for were to find a mostly white Benson kite in or near France, that's going to take someone from a different part of the globe than me.

All quiet, but still working on it:

Another day, another practice. Trying to add a stall at the top as well makes it look less like it's bobbing out of water, but makes it even that much more tiring. Stalls at the top and the bottom need a tug on each for the power/depower/power/depower cycle. Turning clockwise is slightly harder than turning counterclockwise. Also I noticed I was powering with alternating arms, more power on the bottom when climbing, more power on the top when powering downward. It may be just because I'm focusing the practice on this high-energy move, but I'm only able to go around 20 minutes rather than the 45+ I could maintain before. That might be why I only see people doing one or two rounds of them rather than practice. Or it might just be the nature of practice is difficult. Oh well. Thoughts from the crowd? What areas do you see for improvement?

New Tech is still running, they are my local shop. Kites are a smaller part of their shop, they love kites but stay in business by selling assorted sporting goods. I don't think they do much with their website, they aren't much of a web company. If they aren't replying, call them directly. (512) 250-9454 is the main store number, rather than the kites in the back.

Same reply I gave you on Reddit. 😀 It really is a hard thing to recommend as there are many wind conditions plus your own skills and style. If possible make the drive to try other people's kites. You can quickly find out how you like soft vs firm, forgiving vs precise, noisy vs quiet, and other differences. Otherwise there's a bunch of options, all good but up to personal taste. Like clothes you ultimately want a variety for all conditions and for a range of moods.