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How is the sail tension? Noise can be from a trailing edge being loose and flapping rapidly in the air. If that's the cause, make sure the bungee is tight enough, and hasn't degraded needing replacement. How is the bridle compared to other kites? Is it pulled tight in the right places? It can also happen with a stretched sail, similarly letting fabric flap around. Are there signs of wear and stretch marks? It can happen with loose stitches or other additions placed on the trailing edge designed to cause noise. Any modifications there? And as mentioned, there is variety in manufacturing. Two of my five Revolution kites needed significant tuning fresh from the factory, so in my experience they have struggled with quality control. In addition to adjusting bungee tension or bridle knots, you may simply have a noisy sail that wasn't sewn to have tight edges. Maybe if it isn't tuning, consider adding your own leach lines into the seams?

Also when it comes to learning wind speed, there are the two biggest limits: The low limits are based on your skill. When yours is slow or won't launch, that is YOUR lower limit on the kite, even when someone is flying with skill next to you. The upper limit is learned by replacing a spar or patching a sail, or seeing stretch marks on the sail. Your limits may be different than someone else, especially if you hang out on the power zone or the edge of the window. With 3-wrap I estimate a STD up to about 10, a MV up to about 15 or 20, a FV up to about 20 or 25. With race rods a little lower, with 4-wrap a higher max until you start stretching the fabric. But it all varies by pilot. The factory numbers are a decent guide, but the human on the handle is a big factor. If you have enough wind to fill the sail, and you are not overpowered, you are in the range. If you feel either of those, stop and address it.

Apart from low wind and arm flailing, how did it feel and respond?

I'm curious about different density of material, very sparse at top and wingtips, solid at bottom. I imagine reverse and inverted lifts will work, but I have a hard time imagining air flow for forward drives and sideways hovers. I hope it works out.

What kites and styles do you fly?

For light wind, I typically use 50 foot or shorter. Lightest of all wind is indoors, where I have sets from 7' to 15'. Short lines mean a smaller window, meaning less legwork to work the wind window, which is often necessary on UL/SUL conditions. They are also lighter. Nothing prevents flying on long lines if you want if the conditions let you. And as for specific lengths like 85' or 100', those really only matter with groups. For dual line teams both 85' and 135' are common, so they are good to keep on hand. I flew today with two novices that happened to be in the park; their Prism Jazz kites came with 85', so I pulled out the same length from my bag as I joined and talked with them. My Kymera flew at a different pace but overall we could fly together. Having common lengths is convenient.

Same, I have SkyBond, Speed, and LPG in my bag. I have thought about getting some Matrix line for comparison, but have not. I have a slight preference for SkyBond at the beach because when I clean up it tends to have significantly less sand and grit in it, but all the lines pick it up. I soak and shake them all out when I get away from sand. Even so, I use all three. I tend to prefer LPG overall. All my oldest line sets are LPG, so they have proven to be the most durable for me, and over time they feel least scratchy. Ultimately I fly whatever comes first to hand from the bag, and when I often end up equipping the family (myself, sometimes my wife and sometimes one or two children, sometimes friends) there are plenty of days when I have 3+ line sets of different brands rolled out. They are all good line. I would love to try Matrix but suspect ultimately it will be similar: good stuff but not something that steals the show.

The good news is those short leaders effectively give the kite a lot of forward drive. It is like having the gas pedal welded down and you drive by applying or releasing brakes. As your goal is to launch and use forward movement, they can work temporarily. You will want to learn how to use all the lines effectively both forward and back, but in the first few flights having the accelerator slammed down is a relatively minor problem. You want it to "go" and it has "go" built in. Watch all the intro videos again and again, then head back to the field and try to lift the kite. Since you have no helpers it will take a while and be frustrating, maybe taking three or five or more sessions before you can reliably fly. There's a reason Rev's official "level 1" test seems so basic. Set up, launch, turn, and land. While they are basic skills for experienced pilots, they are completely new to beginners and are not necessarily easy to learn. There's a big learning curve, it is okay. Several great pilots tried it out, struggled, and nearly gave up. They eventually returned and found success.

There is a big learning curve. If you are learning from video without a guide, probably around 10-20 hours before getting consistent flights rather than exercise walking to the kite and back.. A skilled guide can help reduce it to 10 or so but usually it still takes several flight sessions. Be grateful you have videos and online resources, many of us learned to fly before them; I first learned to fly dual lines from magazines and library books. There is no substitute for time on the line. Get in person help if you can, but keep trying on your own. Record videos and share them when you need help, but don't be surprised if the answer is "more practice". Techniques like inverted flying take many hours of practice to develop a good feel for them, and many more hours to make the skill appear natural. Just like so many skills, people often discount the hours of practice. A concert pianist or basketball star spent many thousand hours honing their skill before reaching performance levels. Kites are similar. While any kid can pick up a ball, it takes hours of practice before throwing a basket is more than just luck. Similarly, it will take some hours of practice to develop basic skills with a quad-line kite. There is no substitute for time on the line.

It does provide a resource. While the teaching isn't amazing, it does offer some information and some guidance. It builds a framework of ordered skills. Sadly it is locked at each step, uses different terms, and is outdone by many other free and paid resources, but even so, it is a free resource presented in a format some people like. If it helps somebody, if people gain insight, if it helps people improve, that is wonderful.

There are some options, but they depend on how you fly. The Pro Dancer SUL version is the most recommended for a full sail light wind, but it does not trick. The Badass ultralight version is good for light wind tricks. Several other light wind options from other brands. If you switch from light wind to no wind, there are also options of indoor kites. To name a few, the 4D, Kaiju, and Echo as small indoor / no wind, the Pro Dancer SUL, Badass ultralight, Automatic Trick Machine ultralight, Prism Zephyr, HQ Shadow, R-Sky Nirvana SUL, ... Some of these kites are ultralight or super ultralight versions of a series of kites. Each flies differently, light wind kites are generally more specialized. I don't know any that handle both solid team flying and also do precise sharp tricks. Light wind means fragile lightweight parts, and little wind to work with. And some kites stay up in calm air but sacrifice both fancy tricks and tight performance to give light weight durability. Crashes can be expensive. Be sure to check their sizes put away, because one design choice is to get rid of leading edge ferrules. It saves weight and increases response, but makes for really long kite bags.

I just realized I have written about it in other places, but not here. Following up on the topic. TL;DR: Surprisingly durable outdoors, no broken parts despite a bunch of hard landings. Shakes and deforms but survives about 10 mph gusts. This bit is all about flying the Kaiju outdoor, not my indoor practices. In my lovely inland location highly variable conditions are the norm. Wind forecasts may say 5G15, and in the field wind varies from a breath's force to decent speeds from moment to moment. Often I find myself setting up a Kaiju on 40' lines as a backup plan when winds calm down and I can't keep other kites up. Often I fly the Kaiju ten minutes at a time, or friends flying it for ten or twenty minutes, then returning to other kites. Sometimes an entire hour or more may go by drifting around on the Kaiju. I'd estimate around 10 hours of flight this way since writing the question a year ago. Over the past year I've found it can handle a decent gust, probably around 10mph, but it shakes and shudders and deforms as I race to the edge of the wind window. I've had a few hard crashes, and I've also handed the kites over to beginners once I was confident in the kite's ability to handle it. (I know one beginner, a neighbor, bought their own Kaiju after trying mine.) So far hard crashes have knocked spreader spars from their fittings, and also popped standoffs completely out but they could be reassembled without damage. Attempts at slackline tricks have generally pulled the spreader bars from their fittings, although that could easily be due to my relative novice skills at the tricks. There have been several times (mostly when others have flown it) when I was certain I'd be replacing a spar, but have been pleasantly surprised that all it required was hunting for a spreader bar that had bent under tension and flung itself from the kite under a bend rather than snapped. They've always sprung back to normal. I've watched spreader bars fling themselves quite some distance from the kite but still not break. If the wind is strong enough for another kite I'll fly them instead. On light wind days I'll set up the full sail Djinn and Kaiju both on 40' lines, other times I'll set up one of the dual lines (Hydra, Kymera, ZigZag, or Quantum) for practice with the Kaiju as a backup. When the bigger kites won't stay up, I can get a Kaiju in the air to pass the time. It is sensitive and doesn't handle large input well, without pulling a spreader. It is very relaxing, I can fly one handed with lines looped around pinkie and pointer fingers, and still make comfortable twists and turns in the air with my wrist alone. It doesn't handle much more than gentle twists and turns, but at least it is airborne. It is very rare that I can't get the Kaiju on 40' to stay aloft. People I'm with also usually have no trouble with it. On the rare occasion I find myself falling back to indoor skills on those lines, or find my flying partners struggling to stay aloft, it's usually not worth the time at the park, time to pack up and do house work.

The leading edge, split at the ferrule, a common break. I have managed to find a source for the spars, plus some extra for future repair. It took a few phone calls, but found them at a decent price. I love A Wind of Change. They were my local store for a few years, and I still use them for occasional mail orders. Like most surviving shops they do a great job and do all they can to help. In this case New Tech (my local shop now) had one spar in the back which they were happy to finally sell, and Flying Wings is shipping the rest.

Neither is particularly novice friendly, both will experience damage and require repairs after hard crashes. Beginners crash hard and crash often. Both will require several repairs as you learn tricks. Plan on replacing multiple spars learning tip stabs and coin tosses. For a true beginner friendly kite go for a small parafoil or a durable model like the FW Beetle. These can still be damaged but are likely to survive major crashes unharmed. People often hand over kites to strangers knowing they are fun, willingly risking $20-$50 repairs, or hundreds in replacement costs, often because they have backup parts in their bag due to other repairs. I have had a few times when I reassure a beginner after swapping a broken spar, then handing the lines right back out. I don't harp on the money for the spar and shipping, their observation is that I pulled one spar out of a bag containing about 30 total carbon fiber spars so it must be somewhat normal. I may warn them it is the only replacement I have for that specific rod, but I encourage, tell them it happens sometimes, and teach them how to improve. And I hope they don't break another part.

Just went to the shop to ask about spars, they are definitely open as there were five of us in the shop at the time. They close in about 20 minutes if you see this right away. If you catch this later call during their business hours. The number I have is 1(512)250-9454

Also note that by being discontinued, parts are harder to come by. I just called ITW about a replacement spar for my kite pictured above. They told me they don't have any more of the original spars in stock, he described them as "more spiky" than normal, and it's a surprisingly expensive $60 for the generic (non-original style) spar which I would need to cut to size, plus another $14 in shipping. (In contrast, spars are often $5-$15.) I'm shopping around for replacement parts, but I'm thinking it may be cheaper to completely reframe the kite. :-(

Video of my kite bridle, not fully set up due to a broken spar. The clip shows the connection to the upper leading edge with an adjustment knot, the connection to the center, and then to the lower leading edge, and out to the leader line. Finally, the short LE tension line. https://photos.app.goo.gl/fZywNEbrnW6822LW6 My own modification was melting a hole in the end cap and threading it through the tension line so it doesn't fall off or get lost. I think you are referring to the leader line. Connect your flying line to it.

I'm surprised they still have the Hydra or Kymera in stock. Both were discontinued and put on clearance prices about two years ago. They were good at 250, but great at ITW's $112 clearance prices so I picked up a few. Based on the Widow NG rather than the Skyscraper which seems to be a rebranding, both are good kites. I think the Hydra would load a little bit stronger in low wind, and would probably be a tiny bit tighter and more precise at turns and tricks, but also require a tiny bit more from the pilot. But unless you are flying them next to each other or back to back you would struggle to compare them generally. Both are good options for an intro to tricks. Both could serve well for hundreds of hours of flights. If it matters to you, know that the Hydra is discontinued and it may be harder to get replacement parts. You are more likely to break some spars while learning tricks, so while replacing parts now should be fine, it may be somewhat harder to get identical parts in coming years.

With Covid all businesses are struggling. I don't see any shutdown on the website or the business Google map page, so maybe. Call mid morning during shop hours, about 11:00 central time, for the best odds of answering. You might also look up the other side of their business, New Tech Tennis, and call that number. The times I have been to their shop usually they are busy stringing rackets rather than handing kite sales, most of their kite business is online.

While the library has evolved, it is still open. If he isn't updating it, would it be possible to open it up for others to update?

You get what you pay for. Wind meters can be nice if you're looking for numbers, or want to make a record of what your day was like. Some high-end meters have data logging, you can set them up on a post and they'll measure speed and direction through the day. There are also small wind meters you can attach to headset jacks on smartphones, which turn the wind speed into a microphone noise the phone can interpret. As for wind socks, those vary as well. There are calibrated wind socks, the red/orange ones you see at airfields are fully extended at 15 knots / 17 mph. If you go that route or happen to have an airfield nearby, most kites fly in a 5-15 knot range, which on those windsocks mean the first 2 of 5 segments are extended, up through the entire windsock is extended. When the whole things stands out straight you'll need high wind kites. When they bend just below horizontal, 5 degrees is 10 knots / 12 mph, which is a usual good experience. Most people don't need wind meters, just fly what feels good. If the kite won't stay up, swap for a kite designed for lighter conditions. If a kite starts pulling hard, deforming, or showing other signs of stress, swap for a kite designed for heavier conditions. They can be informative to help you learn, but that's about it.

A few people have site administrator and moderation powers, they make the changes. When you make a mistake -- and we all do -- they'll either find it on their own, or you can hit the report button if you want to call it to their attention. Occasional double-posts are just a part of Internet life.

Not really, other than pulling out a measuring tape. Maybe one particular 1.5m sport kite would be about 0.6m tall, giving 0.9 square meters area. Not only that, surface area is only one part of the equation. For similar designs the sail area might be a reasonable comparison, but the big kites have far more variation in shape, some bending almost completely into a C or U shape arcing a full 180 degrees, where sport sails are more like a ( shape, some staying nearly straight thanks to bridle configuration. Those design differences further impact how tension works out.

8-year-olds have a lot of variation, but overall they should handle nearly all the kites listed above by then. That's about the age health experts recommend kids pick up organized exercise including tasks like focused strength training. Looking up stats, most of the bell curve for 8-year-old girls have a grip strength range from 80-100 pounds, boys range from about 90-120 pounds. Weaklings below the 10-th percentile or stronger kids over the 90th percentile will fall outside those ranges for their maximum. Far more variable than raw strength kids have different endurance, some can play hard for hours, others are out of breath in minutes. Most beginning and moderate pull kites are well below that threshold. A few sport kites and trainer/traction kites also fly below those numbers. Most kids have the strength to handle them by that age. Many kids can handle lighter kites at age six, or even younger.

It's not easily possible to put together tutorials like that, as people want different things. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, and everyone learns differently. There is no "Start Here To Learn Everything You Need" video. Instead you will need to watch many videos showing many topics. For dual line, see the very first sticky topic under dual line forum: Stunt Kite Video Tutorials (dual line). For quad line, see the forum section: Video Tutorials The "sample tutorials" has 34 tutorials ranging from setup and assembly through intermediate level skills. Down below under "full index of tutorials" has links to many more, some require paid access to the site. You supervise others first by learning how to fly yourself, then teaching others what you've already learned. Or you start by learning together from the basics. Videos like those linked to above give guidance, but there is no alternative for time on the lines.