Dorsal

I think the backflip might be caused by 2 problems. First, I think you might be popping the lines a bit too hard, especially the pop with the second hand. And second, I think you are correct that you are giving a bit too much slack after the kite is stopped. Practice. There are probably others with an E2 that may have some specifics for that kite - hopefully they'll post more information.

My suggestion to both of you would be to call the owner of a large kite store and ask them what kite they would suggest for you. Why call? Because in a personal conversation, the owner would be able to ask you pertinent questions about your flying experiences, typical wind conditions and your strengths and desires, too. Email is too stinking slow to hold a real conversation. Why a large kite store? Because they will carry most of the major brands, and will have a large field of personal experiences to draw their conclusions from. They tend to be less biased toward a particular manufacturer. and will find a kite to suit you, not the other way around. Why not trust your friend's opinion? Your friend might have the correct kite in mind, but they probably have a fairly limited amount of flying experience with fewer than a dozen kites. Therefore, their suggestion would be limited to what they know. And it would probably be for you to buy the kite that fit themselves best - besauce they don't fully understand the kite must "fit" the individual. What store should you call? I have had the opportunity to do business with many kite sources, and 2 stores on the west coast stand out as my favorites. I know the owners personally, and would highly recommend either of them. If you need their names, email me. Undoubtedly there are many great kite stores in the world, and my suggestions do not mean to imply any offense to any of them. I, like anyone else, can only make a suggestion from within the limits of what I personally know and have experienced.

streetrat - - I own over 75 different kites. Over a dozen are quads, at least a dozen are SLK's, and all the rest with dual lines. Every kite is different, every kite has it's better and lesser qualities, and every kite has a specific wind range in which it's particular characteristics shine the best. Among the differences in characteristics, the one you will learn to appreciate the most is the different way each kite needs to be "handled" to reach its peak performance, and how that requirement matches your own methods and abilities. Translation: Some kites need a heavy hand - they do not respond well to gentle transitions, or moderate inputs. Other kites will fall out of the sky if you try handling them the same way. Your assigmnent, should you accept, will be to learn what methods work best for the kites you currently own. Then you will know what specific qualities you are looking for in a kite that fits your style the best. But, ultimately, there is no "perfect" kite. If there were, we would all own it, and it would be the only kite sold. Just remember, the enjoyment is in the process of learning, as there is no ultimate goal to flying a kite, except to enjoy.

Jorge, that's definitely a high-wind brake system, attached in a method different than the others I mentioned. It is meant to disturb the wind pressing against the front side of the sail, and decrease lift that way. You would only ever need it when flying in winds above 15 mph - maybe not until the wind reaches 20 mph. The vast majority of the time, I'll bet you just leave it in the kitebag and fly the kite without it. I have a couple kites that included them, but I don't like flying in high winds anyway, so I've only ever used them once, I think.

Jorge, could you post a photo of the mesh piece? It sounds like it might be a brake for flying in higher winds. If there is only one, it might be meant to attach across the lower spreader and down to the sail - - - or across the back of the sail from the points where the standoffs attach. If there are 2 of them, they might be designed to go between the standoff rods, with sewn pockets down each side for the standoffs to go through. A photo would help a lot. Is there a picture of it on the HQ website?

Fred - Do the "strings" (flight lines) on the handles have loops tied at the ends? Is the line around those loops thicker than the rest of the flight line? (In other words, have the lines been "sleeved"?) If so, great! Maybe. If not, you'll need to tie loops at the ends of the lines, such that the loop, after tying, is about 6 inches long. Make the loops for all four ends exactly the same size, with exactly the same amount of loose line extending beyond the knot. Use an overhand knot (or thumb knot), as you see illustrated here. http://www.42brghtn.mistral.co.uk/knots/42ktmenu.html You'll need to find an open area and lay out your lines to make sure they are all the same length (within 1/4"). The easiest way to do this is to hook all 4 loops over your kite stake and shove it into the ground. Then walk backwards from the stake, playing out the lines, until you reach the end. Don't have a kite stake? Shove a screwdriver into the ground, and hook the loops over that. You'll have to untie and retie the loops at the ends until they are all the same length when under the same amount of tension. Then, get some heavy line (or shoelaces) and make 4 more identical loops. Trim them to exactly the same length, and tie them to the metal hoops on your kite, using a Lark's Head knot. also shown on that website. You want the overhand knot at the free end of the loop, after attaching them. Now, when you're ready to fly, you simply attach the flight lines to the bridle and kite by making a Lark's Head in the line loops, and hooking it to the kite behind the knot in the loop you tied to the metal rings. You can go to http://www.prismkites.com/new-site/first-flight2.htm to see how to do that. You will attach the upper line from one handle to the uppermost bridle ring, and the lower line from the same handle to the lowermost bridle ring on the same side of the kite. If the bridle ends are color-coded, that helps a lot. If not, once you get the lines sorted out, mark them yourself. Magic Markers or Sharpies work very well for this. Hope that helps.

Hey John, the videos at kitelife don't seem to be working at all. Neither these two, nor any other I tried actually play the video. Is there some way to download the vids?

I own many of each, and fly them all. Here's my input on the differences. Dual line kites are what I prefer to fly when there's nearly no wind. I like the grace and flow of a UL or SUL as we dance across the field. Dual line kites need to be moving forward though, even if it's only in relation to the wind at the moment - so there is a certain aspect of "predictability" of a duallie that tends to bore me after a while. Quads are all about control. The ability to stop, turn 1/4 of a rotation at a time, side-slide upside down, un-turn 1/4 of a rotation at a time, inverted and reverse flight, etc., gives me the opportunity to get exactly from the kite what I'm inputting to it. No more, no less. I am, of course, talking about flying a Spirit or a Rev, as there are some other "quad line" kites out there that have never given me the impression that I was controlling the kite. There is a third option also, the TC Ultra kites. They can be flown dual or quad, and can perform most maneuvers and tricks in either category. They need a lot more "forearm" than a Spirit or a Rev, but they are very enjoyable to fly.

Get the Mamba. It's is not only a great flying kite that has good precision and does all the axel-based tricks exceedingly well, after owning one of them you will know what an excellently built kite looks and flies like. BlueMoon Kites (Ken McNeill) has just released his Mantis kite, and others, who own and fly every BlueMoon kite made, say is better than the Mamba or anything Ken has ever made before. So, I'd suggest you get one of the best. You can settle for one of the others later.

http://www.kitebuilder.com/plans.html

How about this: http://www.avweb.com/articles/liftsuck or this: http://www.total.net/~kite/ or this: http://www.thefoolonthehill.co.uk/kitelift.html or this: http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/nelson/479/lifting_R.html or this: http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/nelson/479/BasKITE_R.html or this: http://www.kitebuilder.com/techsheets/aero.htm or anything else listed here: http://www.kitebuilder.com/techshee.htm ???

I think the url in the link is just incomplete. It should probably say "http://www.kitelife.com/search/search2.htm", I think.

Yep!

'Tis with a tear in me one remaining eye that I say you should fly to the tune of the "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" sung by Gordon Lightfoot on his "Summertime Dream" album. Now, off with ya and fetch me a tankard of Ale!

4mm = .157 inch 3mm = .118 inch Well, my guess was 1mm too small on both counts - but hollow tubes are available in the sizes used, so the weight could be reduced somewhat. It's sure a tempting project! It might end up looking like a miniature of these.

My guess - .125 pultruded tubes for the main spar .080 solid carbon rods for the verticals.

I used to fly everything on 75' lines. But then a set of lines broke, and I re-tied them at about 65', and actually found I liked that better. 75 feet seems too long, unless I'm flying a Mamba or some other 8' kite. However, I like to fly my SUL's (TrickTail UL, Amazing, Sweety) on 45' lines, unless there is less than 1 mph, at which time I usually switch to 30' lines. On the other hand, I always fly my Thor's Hammer on 100' lines, at least, and the Spirit Quad 5-stack just looks majestic at the end of 120' lines.

Apparently, the bridle is set wrong for the winds you were flying. I don't have a Quantum, but I'd guess you need to move the tow points more toward the nose. Find the instruction manual that came with the kite, and read it this time. First, make sure both sides of the brdle are set the same, by measuring the distance from the upper attach point (on the leading edge) to the loop where you attach your flying lines. They need to be the same within less than 1/8". If they are close to the same, proceed. If they were very different, try flying the kite first, at the new setting. Then - Try moving them 1/4", each. If that's not enough, move them both 1/4" more, toward the nose. Don't move them more than 1/4" at a time, 'cause if you overshoot the mark, the kite will remain unflyable.

First thing, WELCOME Wen! Tips: 1) Get a good training video. Any of the Revolution vids are good, IMHO the " Revolution Advanced Flying" video is the best. 2) Find some friends to fly with. Post where you live or put it in your profile. Kite flyers are friendly people, and would love to come fly with you. 3) Join some of the other Forums and introduce yourself. There's one at Gone With The Wind, another at Kite Connection, another at KiteBuilder Online, and others exist. 4) Practice 4a) Practice some more 5) Smile! This is supposed to be fun, remember?

My AfterBurner was largely made from Texlon fabric. Most of the cutting was done with razor blades, cutting against self-healing cutting tables. But I had to hand-trim some of the edges as I sewed the kite, so I simply used a pair of Fiskar-type scissors for those cuts. Now, ALL of my hems are rolled edges, but all of the seams are simple lap seams, with about 3/8 overlap of one color over the other. It hasn't started falling apart yet.

My favorite suggestion to a dual line flyer, just learning quads is this: Tie a piece of string about a foot long, from the top of one handle to the top of the other handle. This "Handcuff" line will remind them whenever they are moving their arms instead of rotating their hands. Regarding the stationary spins, you need to practice doing "Four Point Rolls". You can't do these if you have or need the "HandCuff" line on your handles. Get the kite in front of you, upright and hovering. Then rotate it 90 degrees, into one wingtip, and hover right there at least 15 seconds. Then rotate to inverted, and continue hovering in the same position, another 15 seconds. Then rotate it another 90 degrees, into the other wingtip, and hover right there at least 15 seconds. Then rotate 90 more degrees to the upright position again. When you are able to smoothly transition and CONTROL the kite in all four positions, you will notice the different positions your hands and arms need to be, to hold each position. Then, continue doing the Four Point Rolls, but make the pause between positions shorter, still maintaining control. Eventually you will be able to shorten the pause between positions until all four moves become one continuous motion. It is not an easy maneuver to master, so give yourself at least a month of regular serious practice of all of the moves. It took me about 3 months to get it "kinda right" with my 1.5 SLE. btw, I had a terrible time learning this maneuver until I got my Spirit Quad. Then I had success within a week, and that's when I got the Rev to do it also.

I've traveled across, and out of the country since 9/11, with a couple of my kites. I shoved them into a 4" diameter piece of ABS tubing (cut to the appropriate length), with the endcaps Velcro'd on, and a handle attached in the middle for carrying it. A piece of strap, held in place with duct tape will suffice, if you don't feel like getting inventive - I screwed on a furniture pull handle, from my "junk" bin in the garage. Then I stuck on a couple of Prism stickers. Total cost is less than $10. And I checked it in. As a side benefit, since the tube makes the baggage manglers nervous about using their conveyor belt system with a round tube, my kite tube was HAND DELIVERED to me in the baggage claim area, in every airport. Oh - a side note: Drill a small hole thru one of the end caps, to relieve the air pressure when you pull the caps off. If you only drill one hole in one end, you could drop the whole thing in a swimming pool, and the water can't get inside the tube.