Kansas Flier

I would suggest going to a smaller kite in higher wind conditions. It won't pull as hard. It will be faster. Prism Nexus, Premier Osprey or Vision, HQ Bebop or Limbo, Beetle, and like sized kites can be fun in higher wind. ETA* To me, these kites feel like they track really well, especially the Bebop, Limbo and Beetle. Add a tail. 50'-100' of plastic tape(I think it's called "flagging" tape. You can get it at a hardware store), can make a nice tail, on the cheap. Just be aware of how much space you have behind your kite. ETA* The Nexus, Osprey and Vision are my tail pullers.

2001. Airplane!. Gremlins. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Manos, The Hands of Fate.

I have the 11 footer. It's been a while since I have flown it, so I don't remember wind conditions, but it flew well. I think it might have taken a bit more wind than your average delta, but not much more, to get it off the ground.

You might be a kite nut if... You use kites that you have flown as decoration in your house.

Indeed. A very cool kite, especially because it breaks down so small. I would love to see it assembled. I would think that individual sets of four cells would assemble before putting them all together. It looks like there are particular cells that go in certain places I would think if there was common structure between the sets of four cells, it would run down along the edges of the top set of cells, as it basically sits on top of the other three sets. It's hard to tell from those three pics how it would go together. You gotta post pics when you figure it out. I would think that the connector on the top of the sail in the first pic would point downward toward one of the corners of that cell. At least you did't get Bell's big kite, it had over 3,000 cells. He even made a Circular Tetrahedral kite. Be careful launching and landing it. He almost breaks the bottom cell. I would launch it like he is holding the kite in the thumbnail pic. It looks like a super cool kite. No idea what it is worth.

I would suggest the Widow of the two kites. My Wolf is very difficult to fly, to the point were it looks like it is the first time I have ever flown a stunt kite, don't have a clue how a kite works, and I have no coordination. Huge oversteer. It is difficult to launch, difficult to keep airborne. I do not know if my kite is how other Wolves are set up. Could be that my kite set up wrong or the kite could be set up to be "tricky". I could take the time to fiddle with the bridle, but I have other kites that need to be flown in my limited times I can fly. I really like my Widow. It might not get flown every time out depending on the wind, but it most always goes with me when I get a chance to fly just in case the wind changes. It's a durable kite and can do more tricks and can track better than my abilities. Unless you are lawn-darting your kite several times a session, I would also suggest looking at kites that are a step-up from the Widow. Into The Wind has the Kymera and Hydra kites at half price. You can also find some nice used kites too.

At the rate you are going, "a while" will be a month or two.

It looks like a Tetrahedral kite. If I counted correctly you have ten sails. That would make a Tetrahedral kite that would be three sails tall. Which would be one sail on top, three sails on the second level, and six sails on the bottom. Something like >Here<. Although it's not the instruction for that kite, like you won't be tying knots to hold the kite together, it should give you an idea of how the kite will look. The first picture of the kite is how the kite flies as seen from the side. I believe the bridle connection to the line should be closer to the top of the kite. The picture in Step 7 should give you an idea of how the kite will assemble. In the picture for Step 9, the spot that the top purple arrow is pointing at, I believe should be the the place you connect the kite line(as opposed to the first picture of the kite in flight). This is where I connect the line on my Tetrahedral. If you want to attach a tail, It should attach at the bottom on the kite, below where is lower purple arrow is on Step 9. Yes, on the same edge you attach the flying line. That edge will be the closest to the ground when the kite is in flight. The kite was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. It's not a pyramid, pyramids have five sides. A tetrahedral has four sides. My Tetrahedral is two high, made of drinking straws and wrapping paper. I can't take it apart for easy transport. It's tough, I can toss it around my living room like a giant four sided die. I fly it in higher winds, with and without a tail. Or, I could be totally wrong and its a stack of mini-deltas,

I would suggest using a figure eight ring over a Munter Hitch and Carabiner. If I understand correctly, what you want to do is, launch the kite close to you, running the line through a device (Carabiner/figure eight ring), while letting out line for the kite to gain altitude? And you are doing this so you don't put too much strain on the winder? I think it would work for that purpose. But... If you were going to walk the kite down, why not do a long line launch with the kite already anchored and tied off? If you do this, you don't need to worry about tension put on the winder. The Gomberg website has a a bunch of info on anchors and methods of tying off kites. You can use a figure eight ring to pay out a little more line after a long line launch, but I couldn't imagine using one to hand launch the kite to altitude, it would seem like a very, very slow way to launch a kite. I think you would have a difficult time reeling-in the line through either a Munger Hitch or figure eight ring as both are mostly single direction belay. An anchor appropriate for soil conditions and for the pull of the kite. The kite line should be the weakest link in the anchoring system. Avoid wrapping the line around your hand or fingers. Wear gloves.

Line Poppers are cool. You can make a Picavet and do a little KAP (Kite Aerial Photography). They are fairly cheap and very easy to make. Windsocks and tails can be hung off the line as well as the kite. I have used clip-on lights on the kite line(SLK) when I fly at night.

Yes, it is rare because of what happens when one line breaks. You can simulate a line breaking by dropping one of the handles. Spoiler alert: The kite does tight spins. The speed of the spin depends on the wind, but I bet most lines are broken in the upper wind limits, and that means fast spins. The few times this has happened to me, either dropping a line or breaking a line, I just walk/run quickly toward the kite and when it gets close to the ground, drop the other handle.

I'll second what TeeamVee said about using carabiners. You can move them up and down the line by easing the tension at the carabiner. When there is tension on the line the carabiner doesn't move. Very handy. Saves a bit of wear and tear that you would get from tying knots. As long as you use a line heavy enough for both the kite and laundry, you'll probably be okay. 24 or 36 sled + a six foot duck or two should be good on a single 500# line, taking into account wind conditions. There are different reasons you might want to use another line for line laundry. One reason is safety. Once you start looking at kites where you think you might need help with the lifter and laundry, then you should starting looking at the laundry having its own line. Another reason is the "line laundry" isn't line laundry, but a kite able to fly on it's own, like stacks of Octopuses. The "lifter" is more of a pilot kite, keeping everyone in line. You don't want all those big kites pulling on one line- and one anchor, unless you have a really big anchor, like a fire truck. For the smaller stuff- eight foot dogs, twelve foot windsocks, six foot ducks, nine foot fish and the like, you can fly off the lifter's line provided you use a strong enough line. Another reason you might want to use a second line for some line laundry is to get the angle right so the laundry will inflate properly. I had to do this with lifter that couldn't fly at a high enough angle and lift a fish to a decent angle for it to inflate. The fish didn't have enough pull to warrant to the use of another line. Generally I just slide the carabiners up or down the line till the laundry looks good.

Petzl makes heavy weight swivels. I have the "small" swivel. It's 23 Kilonewtons which a little over 5000 LBS. I don't use it for kiting, but I have used it to lift a car body off a frame. It's surprising light too. I could see someone using one on a large Bol, or a gigantic windsock, but I can't see much use for one with the kites I have.

Probably done for safety reasons or just didn't want to change out lines when changing kites because the other kite(s) wouldn't have an issue lifting the line. If that was the case, changing lines could be wasting flying time, i.e. reeling in perfectly workable flying line to replace it with perfectly workable flying line doesn't make a lot of sense, if you want to maximize your flying time. Wind conditions can dictate what sort of line you use, flying with or around other people can, and should, be a factor. Larger diameter lines, will probably have more stretch than smaller diameter lines rated the same line strength. When you are flying larger kites, you want that line stretch to help deal with gusts or choppy wind conditions. 80 LB Kevlar line is much smaller in diameter than, say, 80 LB woven hemp line. The Kevlar line won't stretch as much as the hemp. I wouldn't fly a kite on hemp line. I would not use Kevlar as a kite line when flying around other people, as it has a tendency to be proficient at cutting through other kite line materials. Single line kite line can cut through multi-line kite lines fairly quickly. Going for overkill in line strength is safest, but I make sure that my kite line is the weakest link in my anchoring system. Make sure you use an anchor appropriate for the ground conditions, wind conditions, and the pull of the kite. Generally speaking I use 50 LB line for small kites, 3-4 foot diamonds and deltas. 80 LB on deltas smaller than 6 foot. 150 LB on 6-9 foot deltas and power sled 14's. 250 LB on 9-14 foot deltas and power sled 24's and 500 LB on deltas bigger than 14 foot and power sled 36's.

Yes, you can adjust the nose for different wind speeds. I believe it's nose forward in lighter winds, nose back in stronger winds. I would get to know the kite at the factory setting. After that, you can change the settings, that way you'll notice the difference in how the kite flies, for example, one setting might give you oversteer at certain wind speeds, or it might be easier to do tricks at a different setting. Once you got the basics down, then you can experiment and really get to know the kite. That is because many people change kites to match wind speed instead of adjusting a kite. A Hata, by Into The Wind. Let out about 40-100 feet of line, stake it to the ground with a stake appropriate for the ground conditions. It doesn't need to be a big stake, it has little pull. This way if she lets go, it won't fly off. With the tail on, it flies very well and dances a bit. Tug the line and the kite will fly the direction it is pointing. Take off the tail(it's Velcro'ed on) and the kite is wilder and flies more like a fighter kite.

If she wants a kite to just hold, that she doesn't have to pay a ton of attention, I would suggest a small Parafoil(*with a nice long tail) or a Diamond kite with a nice long tail. If she wants a single line kite that she can control/maneuver, I would suggest tumbling box kites. The Zigy Zaggy box kite(*Made by Great Winds Kite Company) is lots of fun to fly. It's inexpensive(You can get them in packs of ten, so you both can fly at the same time and have extras for friends). It breaks down, but I don't take mine apart. It looks like a big tooth. Put a tail on it if you want it to be more stable. The Triad, made by Prism, is also fun to fly. It is a portable, keep-in-your-car kite. Be warned- Single line kite string can cut through dual line kite string very quickly. *ETA

Yes, I believe there are(were) companies that make that kite. There is also the Archimedes' Screw kite, which might be difficult to make, but it's super cool. There are also easier-to-make kites that use the Magnus Effect to stay aloft. I have the Flip Kite, made by Prism- Love this kite. The kite line oscillates- very cool.

Yeah, Speed, pull and noise is good kiting. You'll be looking for winds in the 8-12 range, or in the upper half of the recommended wind range of the kite. I found it easier to learn when there was enough wind that I didn't have to work to keep the kite in the air. Low wind flying is a skill in itself. Tails are pretty cool. Good day indeed. I don't own a Hypnotist, but I think it comes with the leading edges broken down. You don't have to break them down every time you use the kite. I would recommend leaving them assembled and just leave it sticking out of the bag.

Yes. The quantum is a fairly tough kite. I would suggest putting some "liquid electrical tape" on the nose piece. Re-apply as necessary. I am sure it can be broken, and there are less expensive kites that can take more abuse. I will use my Quantum with new fliers, if the wind is right. If it's windy, I might use an Osprey. In lighter wind- I'll use a Black Dog UL. The Quantum does a nice Turtle, which is an easy trick to teach a new flier. You need to practice "crashing softly". If something doesn't look right after a crash, take a walk to check it out before trying to relaunch. I am certain this practice has saved me from a broken/damaged kite or 12.

I liked mine enough to have two. It is a great deal. I would suggest that you "buy up" from the Quantum. Use it as your new-flier kite

You might look at the local schools, elementary to college. Lakes, too. My usual park has a similar issue. You could go to that park when the winds are blowing in the "right" (N-S as opposed to E-W, for example) direction for the layout of the area. Find another park right for different wind directions. Depending on the types of trees, the wind may act different during different seasons. One of the nice things about SLK's, is once you get above the trees, you are usually good to go- Trees are not as much of a concern. Here is Kansas, you can be on the top of the flattest, no-tree-havin' "hill" and the wind will still "direction change and gust". I have also used Up and Down to describe the wind direction.

How much pull does it have? Looks like it flies at a nice angle.

That is one nice looking Conyne. I do not own a Conyne of that size. For comparison, the 8' ITW Rocky Mountain Conyne lifted the new 6' ITW Flying Spider windsock better than a Powersled 14. The 14 wasn't a slouch, but there were times when the Spider was getting on the heavy side for it. I use a Powersled 10 interchangeably with a 5' Conyne for lifting light things or as a pilot kite. I would guess that a Powersled 24 would have more lifting power than a 12' Conyne. Conynes usually have 4 tail attachment points, to the Delta's usual 3 points. Conynes are easy to stack(never stacked deltas, but it seems like Conynes would be easier to stack.) I find that, without a tail, the Delta will more easily overfly and glide than a Conyne. Adding a tail usually cures this issue. I know my 11' and larger deltas will fly in less wind than my 8' Conynes. As for stability, I would say the Conyne with two tails is about as stable as a sled with a drogue.

If the lines would have stretched out while in flight, this would have been immediately noticeable to the pilot. As a pilot with experience, when my lines, or more accurately one side of the set, stretched, I found it difficult to fly; for a beginner, it would be downright frustrating and learning to fly would be very difficult. If the last person flying didn't have this experience, then your lines are probably fine. If the lines are uneven, try stretching out the other line. I fixed a "Stock" line set(shortened the longer, stretched line) only to have the other line stretch out on the next flight. Since then, I have pretty much sworn off stock line sets. Which brings me to my two cents: Buy some good line sets. Use the stock sets when you are flying in "grabby" grass or stickers or when you are flying around a bunch of small children with SLK's, like at a kite festival. Final note: Most SLK lines will cut through your dual lines very easily. If it's a runaway kite with cheap-o kite string, it will be like a hot knife through warm butter.. ETA: The cause for the line stretching in my case was flying it winds that were gusting in excess of the kites wind range. If it did stretch, you didn't do anything wrong to cause the lines to stretch, other than flying the kite, and that is kinda the point of having a kite. I broke a 100# Skybond line while flying my Quantum in some pretty gusty winds.