jaybett

The Kite Shoppe Forum is the best way to stay up to date, on the latest kites and prices, they have to offer. Theresa will also post, if she is going out of town, how long she will be gone, when to expect the shoppe to re-open.

The Half Axel drove me up the wall, for the longest time. I could Axel, but the half eluded me. I watched the Prism and Randy G video multiple times, but still couldn't quite get it. At our local field, we are fortunate to have a flyer, who is great at breaking down tricks. My Axel technique is similar to what Dodd Gross, teaches on his "Flight School", video. I stall the kite, push forward with one hand, to dip the wing and then pop the wing with the same hand. I immediately give slack with the opposite hand. When I'd try to Half Axel, the kite would end up in all sorts of wierd positions. The break through came, when the above mentioned flyer said that he pushed the top wing, right before he popped it. I tried it, with no sucess. The next suggestion was instead of having the kite parallel to the ground to angle the nose up twenty or thirty degrees. I put together the two suggestions and finally had success. Every kite has its own way of doing tricks. The french style kites that I own, i.e. Fury, and Quantum Pro will almost complete the half axel on its own after the initial pop. I just have to walk backwards a few steps. I was playing with a Prophecy the other day. Its a big kite, the initial pop would get the kite 3/4 of the way through the trick, I needed to gently pop the lower wing to complete it.

It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of summer. I don't think I've seen anyone since Lincoln City. Isn't it amazing how things can keep you off the field? Until today, I hadn't flown since Memorial Day. Winds were okay, typical, inland gusty winds. Anyone up for a fun fly tomorrow (July 19) at Delta? I'll probably be there in the afternoon around 3:00pm. If you can make it come on out.

Kite recommendations are pretty much useless. You never know if your going to like a kite until you fly it. Once you find out what you prefer in a kite, a recommendation can help you decide if a new kite on the market is worth checking out. One of the reasons why I mentioned forming a relationship with a reputable kite store as a good first step, is that most of them will allow you to fly a kite before you buy. The last time I was in the Kite Shoppe I believe I saw three bags of nothing but demo kites. They have a demo for most every kite they sell.

You'd be one of the few to have a negative experience with the Night Hawk. Last January - February, there was quite a buzz about the kite. Most of the comments posted on the forums were quite positive. Nobody else seemed to have the problems you mentioned.

Welcome to the Forum, Kiting is a very subjective sport, everybody has an opinion. Ask a question and you will get ten different answers, which makes it confusing for the beginner. There are stages, we all go through as we learn to fly. A good chunk of the learning is done on your own. You've got to get out there and fly. It is very helpful though to have people you can turn to and ask questions. The first step is to get to know the people at a kite store. They can answer your questions and make suggestions not only on your first kite, but second, third, etc.... One kite will not fly in all types of wind. The Oregon coast has a number of kite stores. Most of them are set up for tourists, which is not a bad thing. It's just like buying an r/c plane from a hobby store that only dealt with beginners. On the west coast there are four major stores, Cutting Edge in Ocean Shores, WA, Gone with the Wind in Chico, CA, The Kite Connection, in Huntington Beach Ca, and the Kite Shoppe in Vancouver, WA. I belive Cutting Edge and The Kite Shoppe are sponsors of Kite Life, so you can go to their sites from the links page. I've done business with Gone with the Wind and the Kite Shoppe. I've had positive experiences with Gone with the Wind. My home store though is The Kite Shoppe. They offer fantastic customer service and are willing to do what ever it takes to make sure you are happy with your kite. I've seen them swap kites for a customer who didn't like a particular model, to one that better fit the style of that customer. The next step is find out if there is a club in your area. Clubs are great, because you can get together with other flyers and fly! Also its a great time to watch what others are doing and ask questions. The AKA has a website that lists clubs throughout the country. As you already know, forums can have some useful information. The problem is your question will get ten different answers and often times they all disagree with one another, which can be confusing for a beginner. The most active forum is Gone with the Wind. All the best flyers who are computer savvy, hang out there. It takes a liitle work to filter out all the noise, but they do have valuable information. They also have a lot of great links. The Kite Life forum is good, especially when you can get the editor to respond. He is a great flyer and has a wealth of knowledge. His articles on flying are some of the best you will find. He just needs to write more of them. The Kite Shoppe also has a forum. They are a good place to ask questions about a particular model of kite. In general there are two groups of kite are the market. As you learn more you will find that each group has different types. The groups are Freestyle and Precision. Freestyle are the kites that will trick easily. They are also the most difficult for a beginner to learn on. Precision kites are designed to cut figures like a circle, squire, diamond, etc.... They are easier for a beginner to learn on because they pull harder and usually have what they call forward drive. A freestyle kite can stall easier then a precision kite, making it easier to trick. The stall though can be disconcerting to a beginner. New Tech, Premier, Prism all make excellent introductory kites. I'm partial to Prism because that is what I learned to fly on. The Premier Night Hawk and Magnum are considered to be two of the finest introductory kites out there. They can do most, if not everything that an advanced kite can do for a fraction of the money. I don't think you can make a wrong choice as long as you stick to one of these companies. If your having trouble deciding go with the the one that looks the coolest to you. See you on the fields.

The person you want to get in touch with is Hiflistorr. He is a huge fan of Level One Kites and can tell you all about all the different models. He posts at thekiteshoppe.com and GWTW. The Kite Shoppe has a specific forum on Level One you might want to check out. What I've seen of the Genesis, its a very impressive kite. I was at Trick's Party at Ocean Shores, WA. The conditions that day were less then ideal. A thick mist covered the field and winds were blowing between 13mph and 16mph with gusts. Every top of the line kite was represented, Nirvanas, Quantum Pro, Sea Devils, Viper, Tantrum, Sky Master, Cessium, Wild Child, and Genesis. The only kites that appeared to fly comfortably in the higher winds was a Viper, Tantrum, and Genesis. To be fair Mr. Barresi's Sea Devil was also controllable, but that probably was more due to John being an experienced competitor, knows a lot of tricks, he put two sets of Wah pads on his kite and weighted her down. The other Sea Devil at the party was struggling in high winds. The Genesis flier threw two or three comete's in practice and a few in the party. All in high winds. He was the only one to do it. For a competition kite the Genesis at its price and performance level is quite a bargain compared to the other kites out there. It's even a better deal now that it's on sale at thekiteshoppe.com

The dual line article is one of the best on flying in general. Practicing the controlled circle has helped to improve my flying skills. (I still suck though ) Alot of what I learned in light wind flying translates when the winds pick up. I was on the field when the pictures were being taken for the quad line article. It was an absolute zero wind day. Even the SUL's were having trouble staying up. John Barresi was flying one handed 360's with a rev and doing all sorts of other cool stuff. For those of lucky enough to be flying that day. We all got tips from John on how to fly in light wind. Which was a huge help to me.

I'm hired? Woo Hoo a job I can finally love. A rough proposal for your consideration. The resource-guide page is a quick reference to provide information on basic kite topics. Comprehensive articles on kiting are the main stay of Kite Life. The resource-guide is meant to be a support to Kite Life. Providing a reference to give back ground and explain terms found in the Kite Life articles. The resource-guide should focus mainly on helping people get their kites into the air. And supporting them as they learn to fly. Additionally the resouce, can be a quick reference to all flyers. With pages dedicated to basic skills, such as: tying kite knots, making bridles, kite repair. The resource-guide would not be the place for kite reviews. Since reviews are subjective and generate passionate feelings, this is a topic better left for the forums. Four areas that I'd like to see in the resouce: Beginners Guide, Reference Guide, How to Guide, and Equipment Guide. Beginners Guide. An introductory guide for the absolute beginner, who saw a kite on the beach or at a park. Curious they would like more information. Articles and graphics, explaning the anatomy of a kite, line sets (material and lengths), setting up the kite, launching, maneuvers to practice, landing, and putting the kite away. Reference Guide. The place to explain the terms, concepts, and activities of the kiting world. What is competition, precision, freestyle, indoor, ballet, trick, style flying? How do the different shaped sails effect the way the kite flies? How to Guide. The place where the How do I....? Questions are answered. How do I make a line set, repair a snapped line set, make a bridle, replace a broken rod, reframe a kite, repair a torn sail, clean a kite? Equipment Guide An archive, that contains photos of kites with bridle and frame specs. Also pictures that show the different type of fittings. Construction and organization The resource is more of a collection of articles found on Kite Life, forums and various web sites. Blanks are filled in by inviting recognized experts on subject to write an article or create a web page. Therefore, forum hosts, website authors, need to be contacted and asked permision to use their information, while assuring them that we will provide them proper credit and directing people to their sites, for further information. Web Site I'm not experienced in putting together a web site. Hopefully what I'm outlining above will give you an idea of of space needed. Contributions My greatest strength and weakness is asking questions. I ask a lot of them, because, I'm curious and want to learn. Sometimes, people get really annoyed with all my questions. I don't understand why? If and when we contact somebody about an article, I'll be more than happy to write a list of questions then I'd like to see more information on. To get this project off the ground, I will be more than happy to dedicate myself for a year. At the end of the year, we can see where everything stands, and as the song goes, should I stay, or should I go? If you'd like to see any part of this proposal fleshed out, let me know.

I envision a comprehensive kiting resource that is part "encylopedia" part "how to guide" and part "reference guide". The encyclopedia would explain such things such as: Precision flying, free style flying, competition flying, light wind flying, indoor flying. Quadline, fighter, single line kites, and foils. The how to guide would explain, how to make line sets, replace a broken rod, repair a torn sail, make a bridle, roll up a kite, clean a dirty kite. The reference guide would have a knot tying chart, a table listing the different types of fittings, specs for kites that include rods fittings and bridle dimensions, an explanation of different rod sizes and the difference between ripstop nylon and polyester. Putting the together the resource, would be more about gathering the information that already exists on the internet, instead of writing everthing from scratch. For example: Andy Wardly has a site with lots of information about the history of Free Style. Would he allow us, with proper notation to use his postings in the resource? The folks over at Sky Burner are probably the leading authority on rods. Could we get Jon Trennepohl, to write an article, explaining the differences? I'd be more then willing to help put together a resource. Whether it be data mining or contacting people for contributions.

Oh Oh Oh, I've got more! An article on indoor flying. Everything from choosing equipment to techniques to finding a place to fly.

On another forum, I saw a posting from Kite Life where John and Dave both encouraged suggestions on how to improve Kite Life. Instead of posting on that forum, I figured that I'd do it here. Being the greedy little person I am, I want a lot! I'd love to see articles for the beginning to intermediate flyers. The current mantra is learn how to stall kite, then move on to tricks. It's been my experience and in talking to other flyers, that it takes time to just learn how to the fly the kite. Articles on how moving the feet makes a difference. What maneuvers to practice, not tricks. My most valuable lesson to date was John showing me how to fly circles, fooling around on the edge and just trying to balance the kite and see what it does. How about an article with more tips like that? An article on what to expect as a flyer? Most of us fly, between 2 to 6 hours a week, if were lucky. What should my development be after one year, two years, three years? I know it will be faster if their are other flyers around The reason I ask is that I find it disheartening to read posts by new fliers who claim to be flying advanced tricks in three months. I've grown skeptical of their claims, thinking that they are more in line with fishing stories. Still I wonder at times why is everything taking so long? Articles on general features on a kite. What does a deep sail give me versus a relatively flat sail. What about straight versus curved leading edges? What do those winglet things do? Fancier kites give the option of framing the kite in 3pt or 5pt. What is the advantage or disadvantage of the different rod sizes? Articles on competition. If I'm interested in getting into competition, what can I expect? Why do competitors have one model of kite in all its forms? What is the ideal kind of music? What are the judges looking for? Articles that introduce us to quadline kites, fighter kites, single line kites, foils. I've seen Quadline kites, what should I expect as a beginner? What is a good one to start with? The same questions can be asked of all the different types of kites. This might aleady exist but I would like to see a resource area that deals with the following subjects, making line sets, sleeving lines, tieing kite knots, making a bridle, replacing broken rods, reframing a kite, repairing a tear or puncture in the sail. specs on bridles, frame sets, and fittings, storing kites, cleaning kites, traveling with kites, general tips and tricks. I'm aware a lot of this information is available on other forums it would be nice to have everything in one central location. A kite modification area. What experiments have people done on their kites and the results? Include the failures, they often give insight into what the flyer was expecting, how the results were different and how that led them to try different things. Anyway I hope this helps. Jay

Hi Fish, You've got a great list of kites. Almost everyone of them is the flagship kite of the respective manufacturer. Therefore the most expensive. There are some excellent mid range kites available. Prism makes two of them, the E-2 and the Quantum. The E-2 is a great package, that includes a d.v.d., wind meter, booklet, lines and kite. A number of fliers have commented that the E-2 out of the bag is a good enough to win trick competitions. The Quantum would be a great introduction into the current Precision/Ballet kites. Its built to take a pounding. Other companies you might want to take a look at is New Tech with their Big Bang, and Techno. Premier is accociated with Jon Trennepohl of Sky Burner, who has designed kites for them. They have the new Night Hawk and Magnum which are suppose to be very nice flying kites. If you want to go straight to the top, then get a Blue Moon kite. They are the best flying kites on the market, not the trickiest, just great flyers. They handle gusts well, are rock solid on the edge of the window, and just have a great feel at the end of the lines. You can't go wrong with a Blue Moon Kite. A great way to buy kites is used. A lot of guys will pick up a kites, fly it for a few hours and then sell it. You can get great deal this way. Jay

Why do I feel like I'm missing somthing? I'm very excited about flying in light winds, because a month ago, I couldn't do it. John Barresi wrote an article, "Milking the Wind". It provided the final piece of the puzzle for me. As an added bonus, John demonstrated a few points of the article at a fun fly, which was very helpful. While John's article and demo were the key in unlocking light wind flying. I'd be remiss, if I didn't also point out that our local expert give me a lot of tips, which I practiced. Light wind flying is about technique and touch. I've had a sneaking suspicion that Prism kites reward technique and touch more then other types of kites. So are my skills advanced enough to take advantage of a Prism Kite? I've got a Ozone in my bag. It's got a reputation on the forums as being a good kite, but that there are better UL's, to be had. It took me two or three attempts to adjust to how the kite wants to be flown. Once I did I had a lot of fun with the kite. I think what gets overlooked is that Prism kites are designed for free style flying. My understanding of free style are kites designed to be tricky while maintaining some precision. The current trend is just the opposite, precision kites that trick. Precision kites are easier to fly, therefore more popular. Freestyle kites require a light touch. When I got the Ozone a year ago, I could hardly feel it at the end of the lines. Yesterday I had no problem feeling the Ozone and having a good idea what it wanted to do. The breakthrough on light wind flying allowed me to check out my suspicion about Prism Kites. A kite that was lanquishing at the bottom of my bag, I now appreciate and look forward to flying. To sum up this overly long post. Light wind flying is rewarding because its almost magical. It just doesn't seem right to have a kite flying in next to no wind. I learn more about flying in light winds and can apply that knowledge to other kites. That's why I titled this Post "Is there anything more rewarding?" Jay

One of my favorite quotes is "You can't learn Kung Fu from a book". That is also true of flying a kite. I voiced my frustrations over how long it was taking me to learn how to fly to John Barresi. I've been doing it seriously for two years. I go out at least once a week if the weather allows it. Of the many tips that John passed on that day, the one that really resonated was tricks will happen naturually as you grow as a flyer. For example it was a light wind day. He did a few rotations a the top of the window, then said, "to turn this into an axel you just help the kite along". He popped an axel to demonstrate. It was an a-ha moment for me. Jay