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Hedgewarden

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Everything posted by Hedgewarden

  1. However, prize winning is NOT automatic. (sniff sniff) I never win ANYTHING!!! Well, to be honest, I did get a year's subscription to KiteLife last year, and that counts as a nice prize. But I still want to throw a fit until I get a Zen!!! (Didn't work on my parents 60 years ago either. ) -Good luck to ya all!
  2. Ya' all don't go straining yourself, you heah! We all need you back in top shape - but not tomorrow!
  3. Absolutely, Jynx. The best (maybe 2nd best) legal experience possible. Better than the illegal experiences.
  4. I was talking to an acquaintance about the addictive nature of sports kite flying (at that time, duals), and how it was a bit mysterious - in that I could not explain it. He said that it was probably similar to golf. Interesting analogy - the important challenge is to one's self more than competition with another. Self improvement in a field that may have meaning primarily only to one's self. Another aspect of all kite flying is the interaction of the person, the artifact (kite), and the natural world to create something original - flight - the placement of a beautiful object or a beautiful dance into the cosmos, and to be connected to it. I fear the desire to interact with the natural world is ebbing since the '70's and '80's. Just some thoughts to provoke discussion pro, con, or expansive.
  5. Y'all playin wit my hed? k> This kite is blue as pictured. b> Hey, that looks like blue to me. k> Oops, sorry, the kite is blue. Copy-paste mistake - should have said "blue" instead of "blue". Anyway, very pretty like all Ron Gibian's kites.
  6. And the wiener is :confused!: :confused!: Hey, I know JB is busier than heck right now. But I might expire if I hold my breath much longer. :blue_wow: is Kool.
  7. Chris, Site, sail, flying technique, photography, music - all superb. Thanks for sharing! Now, of all those factors, I am most curious about the music. What are the names of the piece and artist? I am, of course, assuming that with the appropriate track loaded into my MP3 player, I can emulate your graceful style
  8. Chikokishi, I believe you are looking for the $1000 pearl for $10. If anyone knew where that was to be found, they would not share! Go to your local kite store, or any kite store on-line, and ask for the biggest, bestest stunt kite for the trifling amount you are willing to spend. You have already received information worth far more than your budget from the likes of JB etc. Good luck and fair winds, -Howard
  9. If you are just trying out sports kites, a larger wing $30 kite is a good place to start. If you don't like flying stunt kites, you will not be out much money. If you like it, you will be buying within a few months your next kite from the list that Kent described - very good kites for around $100 that will stay in your bag for quite a while. Give the starter kite to a friend or nephew. I don't trick (except axels and turtles, and occasional tip stands and side slides). I'm a bit old to be that athletic. I don't know anyone that starts pitch tricks right away, which is why a very cheap kite is OK for initially learning flying basics. But if you decide to continue, you will need a better kite. I have never flown most kites - but of the many I have flown, I can recommend: XL Sport 5' or 6' - cheap beginners kites only, fly pretty well actually. Cheap lines, tends to have spars come unconnected in flight occasionally - not a big problem for a beginner - actually a good learning opportunity for recognizing and landing a crippled expensive kite. Nighthawk - one of my favorite kites, flies very well in light to moderate winds. So easy to axel, even I can usually hit an axel OK. I think it is over $100 now tho. Addiction - just a lot of fun to fly, and does basic tricks easily. I tend to break the spine in power dives into ground, tho. Easy and cheap to fix. Flying Wings Silver Fox series - very hard to beat for the price, around $150 (each, 2 sizes with 2 and 3 wind ranges). My main kites - they can fly my style (ballet) as well as tricks. 20 mph winds? no problem with 2.5 m vented. Start cheap, and be prepared to move upscale after you know what you like. IN MY OPINION. Others may differ, so this is not an absolute rule. Many say buy a kite at the beginning that will suit you for many years to come. I think that advice is good only after you have been introduced, learned the basics, and are sure you would be willing to spend $300-$400 each for 3 or 4 kites for different wind conditions. (Actually an inexpensive hobby considering the joy it can bring.) And the $100 - $250 range has many very good kites that can satisfy most fliers except the very serious. After you know what you like, stores like Kent's A Wind of Change can direct you to the kites most likely to be satisfying to you. Right now, I'm flying Revolution quad kites mainly. Tricks with these require less athletic effort - just experience and finesse. But these are not under $100, and not a good place to begin unless you have had a chance to try one for a while before you buy. Note: If I did not mention a kite, that does not imply it is not as good or better choice. Fair winds, -Howard
  10. Two more hearty congratulations to Conner from me and Sunny. And kudos to Amy for helping raise a son with such talent and self control. We received calls from several friends and relatives telling us that we absolutely had to see the most beautiful kite flying demonstration on TV. And, indeed we did have to, or miss something wonderful. Thanks again Conner and Amy.
  11. My advise, worth every penny, is to get a 5 to 7 ft wing span. Generally these are more satisfying, and will be a better introduction (or reintroduction) since they fly slower and are more easily controlled. They should generally fly better in lower winds. As for tricking a cheap kite - hmmm. Of course I cannot trick a moderately expensive kite, so what do I know. But almost any dual line kite should be able to spin, loop, fly straight lines (better with bigger and/or better kites) and generally help you develop the basic control techniques. Good luck, enjoy, and fair winds.
  12. Happy Birthday - a little belated - John. A Gemini ... appropriately an Air Sign. Usually with multiple diverse interests, like the art of kite flying and the science of web technology. Usually facile with words, a good conversationalist and great teacher. Yup - an excellent match. (Lost my internet connection between the previous BDay message and the explanation. )
  13. I have found the more vents (none ... mid ... full) in the sail, the better the kite handles during turns in high winds. I have a problem with the kite wanting to spiral inward (radius of turn lessens) during a turn if the wind is higher. Even within the comfort zone of each kite, I prefer a full vent in high wind over a full sail in moderate wind. - I think. I'm still gathering impressions and only have about 2 hours on my B full vent, and maybe 5 on my B full sail. My SLE mid-vent pretty much falls between those two extremes, and is the only quad kite I have with significant air-time.
  14. Duane, I just had a fabulous few days at the Long Beach Rev clinic. I had my mid-vent black rainbow (see avatar) flying around when Steve de Rooy flies over and says, let's play follow the leader. I've never been on the same beach with another Rev flier before (well, once there was another Rev about 1/4 mile away). I started by trying to copy his motions beside him, and somehow got snookered into following him. Steve, I think, cheats - he flies in front of you so beautifully that you think you are following him. After a few minutes, and after I settled down enough to do a 180 properly (turn down, NOT up) two more instructors from iQuad joined in. Hah! I've flown with iQuad now! (Again, I think they just make duffers like me look far better than we are.) Then about 16 fliers, including me, attempted some grid work under John's direction. There were at least a dozen excellent fliers - I was not one. I got sufficiently flustered to cause crashes while supposedly parked on the ground. Off to the remedial training group with Bazzer. Thanks, Bazzer, for your patience. I also found out that in moderate winds, a full vent B would be much better than the mid-vent SLE. So, I too am back in the buying mode, Duane! It's not enough to have held an inverted hover for 2 minutes in good winds once or twice. One must back-into, hold, back-out of 4, 6, and 8 o'clock in good winds and gusty, for many minutes at a time, even when tired. What was your mantra? Oh yeah, "practice, practice, practice". Fair winds,
  15. Duane - you are proving yourself not only a master of crafts, but a artisan of the human condition. I might tell Elvira, however, that hidden within that dot is a perfectly formed universal symbol. She will be thrilled. (As sculptors always insist that the statue is simply hiding in the block of granite.)
  16. Duane, going off topic (OT) here I understand the OM reference, and I love the Indian(?) calligraphy. But I don't know the significance of the black dot. Yin-yang would have been my choice to balance the OM. (In fact I have a Yin-yang kite - split sail, rainbow yin-yang symbols. It really does handle gusty winds better than most duals.) But, whatever - I think you've customized Elvira in a personal way that enhances her beauty.
  17. I've previously posted that I find duals more graceful than quad kites, but less versatile. My analogy, and I think JB also used it, dual = jet fighter, quad = helicopter. (Well, "=" is not quite right, read "similar to".) Now I find I can control my Revs well enough to get loops, spins, and horizontal passes about as well as I could with my dual line kites. However, the Revs have the speed control lacking in dual-line kites, and hover options that are unthinkable with dual-line kites except at the edge of the wind window. In other words, I can do most of my dual-line maneuvers with my Revs, plus many additional. (Background - I am NOT a slack-line trick flier, beyond the occasional sloppy axel, turtle, and a two time fade accomplish-er. Nor do I wish to be.) In other words, the dark-side is sucking me in, deeper and deeper. Last week, I was 50% dual and 50% quad enamored. Now it is 25% and 75%. Will it go to 0% and 100%? In any case, for other newbies like me, be assured that graceful quad flight is possible for us pilots more mortal than iQuad. Now, I need to go practice my clockwork and inverted hover. (JB, sorry about the title - you know my "sense of humor" is hopelessly twisted - don't mean to offend.)
  18. Yup, 4 years of college slipping and slide-ruling, one gets pretty good. And, I balanced my check book with a Japanese abacus. I bet any slide rule is faster than any calculator, but only provides 3 (maybe 4 max) digits of precision. All you need for most engineering calculations. And to think a slide rule was only $25 in 1960 (What's that today? About $300? For a precision piece of plastic coated bamboo!) Go to www.mozilla.com and download Firefox. Install it and import your links (bookmarks or whatever) from Internet Explorer when asked. If Firefox asks if you want it to be your "default browser", say YES! If Microsoft Internet Explorer (aka MSIE) asks to be your "default browser" after installing Firefox, JUST SAY NO! Eventually the two browsers will stop fighting for your attention, and you can use the one you like best. The process is pretty easy, and less painful than a lot of computer installations. If you have trouble with some sites afterward (typically financial sites with "cute" security tricks that require the somewhat dangerously vulnerable MSIE facilities), you may need to access these poorly designed sites using MSIE. Of all the hundreds of sites I use, only ONE requires MSIE. Firefox is a superior browser because it is less vulnerable to internet viruses, and is more efficient. Well, enough off-topic for today! PM me if you have questions or problems, Duane.
  19. Howard, I got in to kiting with a Rev ... completely skipped the dual line step/phase. I've flown a Beetle some while trying to teach my grandson to fly it, but it really doesn't spark my interest like the Revs do. Yes, I know the beetle isn't really representative of good dual lines, but ... Now ... if the random number generator choose to bestow a really cool dual line ... I'd spend the time to learn how to fly it ... but, so far I've not been faced with that "problem". -tom Tom, I've had over 20 different duals in my stable, and the Beetle is, for me ("personal experience, your experience may be different") the absolute worst of the bunch . And that includes several much cheaper beginner kites. The only reason I bought the Beetle was to have something in my bag for guests that was indestructible. My guests will, instead, be introduced with the New Tech Diode! The large number of kites is explained by the winter months with no decent weather, and eBay - which prior to this year had lots of excellent close-out lots of new kites. Now that I'm also hooked on the more expensive Rev kites, there is little joy on eBay. Except a Rev II I snagged a few months ago, and finally got into the sky today. Snappy little thing!
  20. Congrats Martin!!! And a special thanks for saving me from the aggravation of winning a dual line kite! Cheers, Tom Hey Jeep, The Foxes are KOOL! They will trace a straighter line and more graceful loop in the sky than any quad - hmmm, well JB and a few dozen experts may prove the exception to that! Congrats, Martin. I hope you enjoy your SF as much as I have.
  21. Intrance, OK, so you have experience. That is important. You may want to go with the better kites then, like the "B" series. I did not recommend SUL because about a year ago I asked basically the same question, and was given some great advice - race rods. Like BillLamm advised, a standard weight sail with Race Rods really covers most of the lower wind ranges that an SUL will, with much more robustness and a greater upper wind range. I put race rods in my EXP (and will be able to use them in my other 1.5 series kites) and really found they help greatly in lower wind ranges. So, as suggested by BillLamm, my experience would suggest Race Rods added to a standard 1.5 (EXP, SLE, or "B") to capture the lower wind ranges. If that does not do it for you, then you need to look at indoor-windless revs. P.S. There are some new rods (Zen?) that are more expensive and reportedly even better than race rods. If you are a Ferrari type of guy, they may give you some great bragging rights on the kite field.
  22. Rescue, Could you provide some pix and details of the kites in the stack? That might jazz up the offers.
  23. Wow, you should come up here Duane. We had maybe 55 deg tropical heat wave today, with some unknown celestial body in the sky, like a big yellow ball that cast light upon the ground, and caused all who ventured outside to wear upon their faces pieces of darken glass. But on the brighter side (pun acknowledged to be weak), I got my "B" standard lime (AKA yellow) in the air for its maiden flight. Flew at "Kite Henge", a beautiful site on Puget Sound in Lakewood WA. That sure put salve on the winter blues. Nice kite, but I am still not at the level that I can distinguish between an EXP, SLE, and "B". Still working on the inverted hover, although the other 7 of 8 compass points are working pretty well. -Fair winds
  24. Intrance, I'm barely beyond newbie, but from the information I've gleened... The 1.5 series, including the EXP, is the most popular size by far. In this series, 1. The EXP is the least expensive (good beginner) kite, and should come with handles and lines, and a DVD to get you started. 2. The 1.5 SLE is the middle kite in this line, and will usually not include handles, lines, or DVD unless the merchant has a package deal. (The expert [JB] advises getting the 1/4 inch leading edge rather than the SLE leading edge. - There is some confusing labeling here, the SLE kite can come with the SLE leading edge or the standard 1/4 inch leading edge. The sail is the same, the difference is in the frame (set of spars.) 3. The Barresi (or "B") series is for more serious or experienced fliers. It usually includes handles and advanced techniques DVD, but no lines. It also includes two frame sets, for different wind strengths. A good buy overall, if you know you want to pursue quad line kite flying. Besides these three basic choices, there are also the weight/wind strength choices. Check the Revolution site for specific wind ranges. 1. SUL (Super Ultra Light) - I think this applies only to the 1.5 SLE. Lighter sail, lightest frame. Probably not a good choice for a first Rev. 2. Standard (EXP, SLE, "B") - full sail - standard kite for most wind conditions. Note: the EXP comes only in this configuration, as far as I know. 3. Mid-vent - single vent panel on each side. (SLE and "B") Handles greater wind, and gusty winds better. May be harder to find than standard or full? 4. Full-vent - two vent panels on each side. (SLE and "B") For windier, gustier days. Review the above choices for your first kite. I suggest an EXP for $$ considerations. It is a good kite. But it will probably be only your first kite. Still the handles and lines can be used for an SLE if that is your second kite. I have an EXP, an SLE mid-vent, and a "B" standard. I still do not have the experience to tell the difference between the EXP and the B - that discrimination will come I am sure. My SLE mid-vent definitely handles gusty and higher winds better than the EXP. But I have flown the EXP in winds higher than Revolution suggests (14 mph) without disaster. If you are the type who wants a Ferrari as your first car (umm, ok who don't) then the 'B' standard should be your first choice. If you are on a budget, or want to dip your toes into the stream first, the EXP is designed for you. In between, the SLE series will be a kite you will not outgrow. The above is entirely a personal opinion and should be considered along side other opinions. (OK, a few facts are sprinkled around in that also.) Now, if you are into power kiting - than nothing of the above will be any use to you. I'm totally not into kite boarding, kite surfing, kite buggying, etc. So I cannot provide any valid opinions there. P.S. My picture shows me with my SLE mid-vent. The color is a custom color called "Black Rainbow", sold by a very good vendor. The panel layout is standard for the SLE, the vertical stripes are the vents. The "B" series always have 4 vertical stripes which may or may not be vented - the purpose is to provide a constant design in standard, mid-vent, and full-vent sails. The SLE series has vertical stripes only where the vents are. The EXP has no vent options (as far as I know.) Fair winds, -Howard
  25. OK, I have a little more to add. This is off kite topic, but within the thread. I have found a lot of useful wisdom in the following theory: Threat -> Fear -> Anger -> Hatred The first response to a Threat is Fear - which prepares us for flight or fight. If fight is chosen (or flight is chosen and later regretted), than fear turns to anger. Anger prepares us to fight. If the threat is unresolved for some time, than Anger repressed or unfulfilled becomes Hatred. We are taught to not acknowledge fear within ourselves - hence we often cannot fully identify the real nature of the threat that we perceive. In pseudo-Freudian terms: repressed feelings can become subconscious illness. As a consequence - "Where the Heck did that outburst come from" is too often a fact of our lives. The above may not always be true, but it is a useful tool to understand many conflicts at the personal, political, and international levels. Now, as to who is threatened by Duane's postings, and why... Let's get back to kiting, and forget personal differences.
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