Dodd Gross

Just some buggy riding during and after DBBB. Special thanks to Skydog Kites for supplying the awesome Traction kites and to B-Tropical (my reggae/african band) for supplying the song "Take My Hand" http://www.skydogkites.com http://www.b-tropical.com Enjoy!

Glad you liked it. We will cut a new cd soon. I've been flying to it too! Best Wishes and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Dodd

Hello everyone, Some of you heard my band Kodiak last year at the Wildwood Kite Festival. During conversation, some suggested that we play more kite festivals. After 3 years with them, I had the opportunity to move up and join a better band, a power trio with two very talented and very experienced musicians. You can read Bob's impressive bio at our main website listed below. As of December 1st 2009, Skydog Kites LLC will be entering our second year. Our first was really great thanks to support from so many in the kiting industry, we really appreciate that and we are looking forward to an awesome new year. We have some really cool products and that means, promotion. I plan on doing a little more travel to Kite festivals in 2010 and would like to offer the services of my new band to provide the entertainment for the kite fliers and festival guests since I will be going anyway. If you are interested in having a great band during your next event, please contact me as soon as you can. We are able to travel but need to schedule for the spring and summer soon. Thanks. Best wishes and happy flying Dodd Gross bobnobleband.com

expensive vs Inexpensive www.skydogkites.com/doddsdiary

Hi Jon, don't have New Tech Info anymore or even any New Tech Kites to look at, but I would suggest calling New Tech between 10 and 5 Central time and ask for Rob. You can get the number off their site. Best wishes.

The Cherrry Bomb and kites like it are the perfect choice for a beginners first kite, not just my opinion but one shared by most kite seller. If you expected a "beginner sport kite" at $50 to behave like one at $200, or even $100... then you will be disapointed. However that kite can trick, but its smaller and takes a higher level to trick a small kite like that. But again, it's not and never was billed as a all out "Slack Line Trick Kite" so to compare the two is not really a fair comparison. It is an introduction to sport kiting. Sure you can say, I wish I would have done that now, but you needed a beginner kite to start on, and get you to the next level. Most shops I know, would not try to sell you a more expensive sport kite for your first or second kite. Some would say that by doing that, they are taking advantage of the buyer and I agree. I would not try to oversell somebody and I am afraid by posting that post, you are giving the wrong idea to people and potential new fliers. Higher Prices is exactly what scares new fliers off and from my experience, they must ease into it, starting with an affordable good flying beginner kite. And we don't want to scare new fliers off with high prices. They will find that out soon enough, after they are hooked! Best Wishes Dodd

Thanks so much John and Ben, ya know I love you guys! Thanks! I've been flying Revs since 1990. Ok, so I fly about 2 hours a year. In another 10 maybe I can fly with Iquad!

Those darn rev fliers........Good thing the beach is big! I will be there with my Skydog kites, and my Barresi rev.....just got to get some lines for it now..

You shouldnt have to pick the bridle apart, too late now.... Maybe you should get a hold of NTK for either a new bridle, or at least the correct lengths, sorry, I dont have that info anymore. As for the kite turning on its own, I would say that it is one of the following: Unequal Bridle Length Unequal Line Length Cracked leading edge or or cracked lower spreader that causes the frame to bend. Best winds Dodd

Hi, sorry you are experiencing problems. Sounds like unequal line or bridle length to me. Double check them. If you are one of those fliers that immediately tries to slack line a kite no matter what it is, you will not like the desire Ul. It is not that kind of kite. It is and marketed by NTK as, a beginner to intermediate UL.. If you dont want to spend a lot of money on a UL, but you want to fly in almost no wind, then the Desire UL is for you. If you want to run around and try to slack line fly a UL, you should consider something else. This kite allows the newer flier to fly in very low winds at an affordable price and it is appreciated by the many. More experienced fliers probably wont like it but the newer ones love it! . Although I dont have anything to do with NTK anymore, I will be happy to help you with it, just shoot me an email. Dodd

I hope to produce some new videos, but here is one from a couple of years ago that may help you. with Pic "n" Pic and slo motionBest Winds

Thank you guys, I hope to help more with training videos is the future. But for now, I've just been putting some fun videos up on my youtube site. If you havent been back there for a couple of weeks, check out some newer videos of the now available French Connection II, the French Connection UL and a couple of new prototype designs of the Comet and Quasar. Sincerely Dodd

Hi Charlie, I also live inland and have everything from dirty to clean winds, perfect place for testing new designs really. During the competition years as John will remember, we saw and used lot's of different methods for slowing down the kite. There are basically two types. Fixed and non-fixed. The fixed would be vents or holes in your kite which will make it a "high wind only" sport kite. The other are non-fixed methods i.e. Heavy lines or anything , and I have seen almost anything that goes between the kite and line that will cause resistance and slow down the forward movement of the kite. Screens or "breaks" work great for this. Problem is, anything that goes between your flying lines and your kite, changes the angle of attack of your kite and dramatically effects the bridle setting. This added pressure before the bridle brings your nose forward. One of the effects is that the pull is reduced but so is the control so this makes this type of breaking not suitable for trick flying. Back in 95, I came up with a new type of air break, one that was added to the kite and could be put on or taken off in seconds. It is a simple screen with a sleeve on each side and slides over each of the two standoffs. This effectively slows down the kites forward speed but it doesnt change the angle of attack much. A little but not much. Since then others have used those screens, I have seen them behind the kite and have experimented with them as well that are fixed to the keel, but the ones that work best IMHO, are the original "air breaks" you will find on my Jam Sessions and New Jams. This type of air break will probably fit on a French Connection but I have not tried it myself because when the winds are that high, I am not usually flying. Tricking in anything over 12mph (no matter what salesman tell you ) is just not that much fun or even possible because no matter what kite you use, or screens or anything, the higher the winds, the less slack line tricks you will be able to do anyway. And flying in 35mph, not recommended. In fact, you will see most manufacturers say for dual lines, ....to 20mph. I hope that helps a little Charlie, Best winds Dodd Dodd Gross Design

Hi, welcome to sport kiting! So what is the Pyro XS good at you ask? Just about everything. I designed it to be a great first beginner kite that the flier will always have in their growing kite bag. Once you move up to the next level of kite, hopefully one of mine , it will be a kite you can give to a friend, or let some one even your small children use to get started on. Another words, its a good beater kite. I have always concentrated more on learning and teaching precision because Precision equals control. Most kites at this price point have oversteer or not made that well. This kite as is most of my designs has the capability of being used as a precision trainer kite in most wind conditions. When I can, I try to put a level of trickablitly into the kite as well, as long as it does not effect its precision. This kite is capable of alot of advanced slack line tricks as well as precision. Best winds to you, and if I can be any assistance to you in the future, please let me know. Happy New Year Sincerely Dodd Dodd Gross Designs