toddnkaya

went out for a group fly. :-) 45 min. away I actually was flying , with the help of some wind. 😁 Check me out!! YEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Last two days were epic winds . I killed it with my foil!!!!!!!!!! 18mph gusts , 12 mpg, yesterday, way too windy for my UL! I told my wife to film." Stay in the moment" Todd, wife is my coach , she has never flown , but screaming bring in your wrists. lol!! lol I was hauling ass!!!!!!!!!!! great work out !! I need her for take offs with foil, she throws it up. Untwists lines,I'm not sure how you guys can go solo? I'm getting it !!! Peace ... Todd

Thanks Makatakum and Paul.

thanks Wayne and John !! Both my foil and UL are on 120 ft line. It seems like a mile away ! I understand that shorter line makes everything faster, but when I have chocked up on the lines it seems easier to get in the air and keep tension on the line. Is this true? Maybe a 70 ft line would be easier to handle ? thanks again !!

Yikes !! I’m not sure if I’m not in a good field ? It said winds were 10mph . Winds felt good , but direction seemed to be changing . And not steady at all .I could not get my Skyburner airborne at all. Switched to a different field . Not any better. Waited for my wife to help with launchings, not any better. Could get kite and foil up for a second or two then it falls . I have been taught good launching techniques, and did much better with a 4d in very light to no wind . The Skyburner seems like a tank compared to the 4d, even though it’s an UL. I’m pretty well frustrated!!!!😝😝 maybe this is not a good hobby for this city. Maybe I just suck . I feel like if I had a steady wind I could do it . I have had a few lessons. Felt like I was making some progress. I may go to a group fly about 45 minutes outside the city this weekend . I am a good athlete, and I would say that I have excellent hand eye coordination. What gives??!!! I am not trying for tricks , I just want to get the kite airborne, keep it up, fly it from right to left , maybe do a a couple of circles . That’s it. Not so much to ask .

Winds are up in the Burg!!! Hallelujah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Getting off work about 2 hours early!! :-)

wow! Really Nice!! How long did it take you to make it? Todd

Dig your website!! Great pics and video!

Thanks for the advice Mak. "if the wind sucks , don't fly" , that makes alot of sense. I went out with my wife with the foil. The wind was not nearly strong enough .We did get all of the tangles out. Got told to move a couple of times by the frisbee golfers. But know I know where to fly, not to bother them. I hope to be getting out for another lesson or two in the next couple of weeks. I can only progress and get better from here.

tried to fly yesterday. winds seemed good. It said 10 mph, but I can say wind was very spotty. I struggled with tangled lines, spinning kite to untangle lines. Wind died waay down . I'm fully drenched with sweat. Two nose dives after only getting the kite in the air a foot or two. For shitsake , wrap everything up , go home pissed, tired, and dejected .😭 Bummed !

Is it ok to leave my kites in a hot car for weeks? the wind sucks in Pittsburgh!!! Frustrated!

Well thanks John! That’s the plan . Take it slow , try to progress each time out. Here is a pic of my new Skyburner Freestylist UL. Jason found the kite very very smoothe and responsive!!

Pretty humbled today. I got my first lesson. Yikes !! My mentor was patient and helpful. I guess I figured I do a little bit better. I would say I have excellent hand eye coordination!! Not so much flying a kite . Lol... hahaha.... I did a bit better flying a the small foil. My new kite, is pretty awesome!! Freestylist UL is so light 2.5 ounces for a pretty big kite. I did a number of nose dives , and she is still ticking. i knew there would be a learning curve. But I watched soooo many videos of stunning beautiful flying that makes it look so easy. Thought I’d be doing flips and stalls . Lol one day with tons of practice maybe ...

Great point Mark. I am not going to purchase anything for a while. In fact I will be learning on a friend’s kites for a while, as ke has some indistinguishable kites for learning.

Thanks , I won’t be messing around with the kite. So , I need a stunt kite for 4-15kts . This is getting expensive. Well , I got a $25 Amazon card, and $50 from my step son for my birthday. I would like a fun kite for these wind speeds . under $125 . Suggestions... thanks !!

Thanks so much Breezin !!! so getting a 3d Prism would be very similar to my UL , but probably fly better in super light winds. Like non existent wind. We seem to always have some wind here in Pittsburgh. At least 4mph , and today my phone app is saying 12.4 mph gusts. https://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/pittsburgh_intl_airport we seem to average 8kts , not too bad ah? are airport winds much different from city winds ? so if we average 8kts every month , I should have a standard kite , maybe a Quantum or ? i went for a 11 mile bike ride last weekend and it was so windy! Guess what I was thinking about the entire ride? Lol... Are these free phone wind apps somewhat accurate? Killer wind day , and I’m kiteless 😝😝

Hi Mark, Thanks for all the valuable info!! So, can you change out the frame to a heavier gage so it's more durable? Is this worth it,or just buy a more durable kite? Do companies sell frames to interchange? How much for the frames? Flying in 4 MPH will be too fast and out of control for a newbie to handle? Thanks, Todd

Thanks Kansas Flier . I did purchase a small foil for both of us . Prism Synapse 140, should be perfect for her. I think she will take to two line stunt flying pretty quickly. The triad Prism does look very fun. I would like to build a few box kites with my wife and daughter. I’m going to check out the Zigy Zaggy next. Thanks for all the recommendations!!! Ca lke, are the Freestylists good for beginners? I thought the UL would be pretty fragile. thanks , Todd

Thanks for all this valuable information Paul !! I am going to avoid the Virginia Beach festival as I spent 4 blissful days in Norfolk on the Bay, but did not enjoy the few hours in VB I think its Wildwood next year, or one day in the future. I grew up in Philadelphia so I know the Jersey Shore pretty well, and really enjoy it. I imagine staying for the weekend would be very costly though. And traffic would be brutal getting in and out of The Shore. Maybe a day trip from Phila.? Leave early , spend until 8pm and cruise back to Phila. where I can stay for free. Or a one night stay at the shore , so we can spend two days taking in all the kiting festivities. I would imagine one day would not be enough to take in all the sites. I did find a good website outlining the best kite festival in the U.S. http://www.topeventsusa.com/top-kite-festivals-USA.html

I’m in Pittsburgh Pa. What are the quintessential fastivals on the Esst Coast. ie., before you die you must see this kite festival. how is the Atlantic City festival in May? I can’t go this year , but I would like to go to another one this year. is the D.C. one incredible? im not too too far from Virginia Beach . are the festivals great fun for the whole family ? I have a wife and 11 year old daughter. Could a spouse have fun if they don’t give two shits about kites? Food , fun , activities, etc..? Thanks for your input!! Todd

Thanks for the words of encouragement Breezin!! I could still get the 170 as the kite won’t be shipped out till next week . i just thought the smaller 140 would still be fun to fly without all the pull for my daughter. I don’t want her getting dragged around. But we rarely have winds over 10mph. So what to do?? Awesome to find out that the Skyburner is such a quality kite. It seems like your Zephyr May cost more money new retail? How much would the SB go for retail? I have not found a ton of info, a couple of videos and discussions here on KL. Breezin, I am having a great night intro into the sport!! Besides getting gifted a sweet stunt kite and a nice foil for cheap, I got a generous offer from a local Kitelife member , to mentor me. This is very important to me , as I May have been frustrated and clueless trying to do this on my own. Now I hope to have a new friend that I can fly with. 🙂 Thanks for your input Makatakam!! I’m a little concerned that I will nose dive the Ultralight , but maybe I will use a friends kite or purchase a cheapo until I am feeling more proficient. My daughter is a healthy 11 year old tomboy, so not sure if she can handle the 170? I think it might freak her out if she is getting pulled around. I’d rather have her focused on how to steer, loop etc.. I can still upgrade I’m sure. We do have light winds here in Pittsburgh though. I can hardly wait to get my new kites up in air!! 🙂 Todd

Wow , your THE John Barresi!! I have seen a whole bunch of your videos online. Thank you for all your expertise that you share! I am just starting out , kites are on the way, but your videos and this site have been an inspiration!!! The folks on this site have been welcoming , and I even found a local member that has offered to mentor me!! Another kite guy from an audio site decided to gift me a stunt kite if I pay shipping. Are you kidding me? These are the kinds of people I want to fly with. I’m very humbled by everyone’s generosity in this community. I can’t wait to get my new kites in the sky. Thanks for all you do for the sport!! Todd

Thanks very much for your advice Breezin!!! I actually just bought a Prism Synapse 140 , and I am beyond stocked to fly it. I was actually gifted a stunt kite , from a member of another forum. Sooooooooooo generous!!! He is sending me a Skyburner Freestylist UL , which looks to be a pretty nice kite!😁 I just pay the shipping. Nice folks in the kiting community!!! The Premier Wolf Ng looks like an amazing kite. Maybe one day when my skills are up to snuff. Great to know that my daughter will be able to handle the Prism foil. I want to get a single line just for fun, as I had one during a trip to Norfolk, and it was fun!! I imagine you do enjoy the Zephyr , that a pricey kite. Lol.... I can see , this could be a money pit , like every other hobbie. Jason , thanks for input and generous offer to show me the ropes!!!! That is really appreciated!!, and I will shoot you a PM, to set something up. I have zero knowledge, other than learning stuff on Youtube. It will be great to learn hands on. I checked out the 4d , and that seems like the perfect kite for our winds here in the Burgh. I will build up my skills first, as I imagine that thing would tear it up in some wind. I am really excited to get flying!! Thanks, Todd

Thanks for the awesome reply makatakam!! Someone is gifting me a stunt kite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A total stranger is sending me a kite he does not use anymore!!! He is a member of an audio forum I frequent . I just pay shipping.😁 He is sending me a Skyburner Freestylist UL , which looks nice a very nice kite that will work in our low winds. I saw a guy on YT flying it like crazy in a 4 MPH wind. So now , I am thinking of buying a 1.4 foil kite . I saw these listed for under $50. It's a Prism Synapse 140 Sport Kite. So, It looks like I'm ready to fly!! I'm smiling big time. :-)

I am 52 years old , 180 pounds and will be flying in Pittsburgh Pa. I am not sure if I want a foil or stunt kite. Both look incredible !! I am sure I will own both in quick order. I would like to fly with my 11 year old daughter, at some point, but I am assuming I will need a separate kite to fly with her. She is on the weak side. So, maybe I should just focus on my needs for the first one. I would like to stay under $100. Can I get a nice foil or stunt kite for this price. Looks like we average 7-10 mph winds here . Thanks for your input/guidance ! Todd