JoneZ

Now I've got to figure out what I can sell of mine to afford a Rev kite for myself and my Fiance. lol Had my maiden flight yesterday with John B. Holy !!! So much freedom and personality! I could love this just as much as dual line for sure. Thanks John for getting me hooked. lol umm..... WTS my soul for a Rev. o.0

So turns out Im not snapping the stall the right way. I was drivin a bus instead of bangin a drum with my hand motions. hehe Thanks to John B, I'm much more close to getting that stall. I never thought to actually listen to the sail for that pop. Im thinking of retraining myself to hold my straps differently, as that snapping motion is much easier when you're holding the back of the straps with 3 fingers, instead of putting ur hands through the loops. Thanks again John for the tips! ~Jon

Thats a nice bag m8. I digs.

So, Im sitting here, playing some Mario Kart on my Wii, and I had a revelation. Stunt Kite (dual and Quad) game for the Wii!! I mean, you've got the essentials there, with the Wiimote and nunchuck. Both have gyroscopes in them that can detect pitch and awe, front and back movement, up and down. Its got all the making there for a GREAT stunt kite game. Get ya through all those crappy weather days, but more importantly, allows you to practice hand movements, and theory of Kiting. Am I on to something here? I've got my degree in Comp. Sci. Tech. , but dropped out of programming (just didnt have it in me). Makes me with I hadn't, cuz I'd be able to prototype that game and patent it. But since I can't program C++ well, and therefore can't get a workable copy to patent, I decided to let my little secret out here. Wouldn't it be great? ~Jon

<pulls out pen and paper> Now taking Orders! Maybe a couple more under my belt, and I'll actually think of making some for others. Got to work on my straight line stitching first. lol Wouldn't have thought it that hard to keep a straight line on a sewing machine, but that proved to be more challenging than I initially thought. Lines are straight for the most part, just a couple curves here n there. Glad this wasn't a kite -- would have been a Frankenstein. Now, if I can only get my hands and feet un-sewn from this damn bag I'll be in good shape. ~Jon

And the rest. ---- Now to bring it out to Delta Park tomorrow (if the rain holds off) for its maiden voyage. ~Jon

Well. Im finished, and I think it turned out great. The next one I make will be flawless. There obviously was a bit of a learning curve on this one, but Im still really happy with the outcome. Here's the pics. First one is of the inside 4 kite pockets. Second is the backside (the shoulder strap isnt installed yet.) Third is one of the pockets (closes with velcro) ----

I've gotten pretty fed up with the lack of space in my current single bag vs. the amount of gear Im bringing out into the field. that, and 2 kite bags are getting to be a pain for me. And I can see it getting worse as My collection increases. I've been looking into buying a kite bag, but balking at the prices for the most part. I found an HQ bag for cheap, but the colour is horrible imo, and Im thinking that it might be jinky, since the cost was so low. SO,,,,, I decided to give making my own kite bag a shot. Its going to be a quadra-fold bag, secured by velcro (top, middle, bottom), and one wrap-strap in the middle. 4 slots for kites, and 2 pouches on the exterior. The exterior will be Duck material, and the interior slots will be ripstop. This one won't be waterproofed, but if all goes well, the next one will be. Hope it all goes well. I spent about $45 in supplies, so Im already ahead of the game cost-wise, as opposed to buying a bag.. I'll post pics when Im done. ~Jon

lol, that did sound bad huh? o.0

meh... I would say mediocre at best (the flying that is, filming was great indeed m8). Those failed flic flacs and yoyo's really ruin the enjoyability factor of that vid imho (wait... that wasnt a very humble statement.. scratch that H). Im gonna head out today and flic my ass till its flac'd out. Hopefully it's just a high wind issue, and not a bridle setup issue.

ya know, Im still not a member of that forum. Dunno why, just never joined. o.0 Maybe todays the day.

Any clues or tips on how to minimize the motor'esq sound that come from my kite when she's shredding wind? Anything above 6-7Mph and she starts to buzz. Everything seems tight enough upon inspection. My sail tension is on the L.E. is tight, and theres no tensioner for the trailing edge -- just the standoffs, but the trailing edge is good'n'tight when the standoffs are in place. Im flying a Premier Widow if thats any help. And its not affecting performance (at least I think), Im just pondering a way to silence the Widow -- make her flying match her look --- stealthy. Thanks in adv. ~Jon

Nice thats actually great to know. Now, I just gotta make it back down to your shop to pick up some more. hehe. Used it all up. Made about 5-6foot yoyo lines, new tow points for me Widow, and some dynamic tow points for Shanobi's nexus. Im thinking of making a one stop shop sometime in the near future actually -- picking up some essential repair parts, like extra APA connectors, maybe a couple spare standoffs and jasco connectors, some end caps and standoff caps, of course some more bridle line (thinkin about 100foot), maybe another winder (for those 20footers I made) and some bulk spectra (or just a 120ft lineset, havent decided). btw, shes been flyin like a dream T Thanks again. My learning curve is advancing faster than I ever thought it would. ~J Jon, glad Kent came to the rescue with an answer that got you fixed up. and FYI....that bridle line that I gave you.....that's the perfect stuff to use for sleeving. Just cut a piece the length you need and pull the core out.

helped most excellently my friend. Thanks. Got my 30's all sheathed up now. ~Jon

Thanks m8 I'll try that. I also knocked up a set of 30foot lines for those light wind days, when I can practice control. Having the kite closer will definitely help me in seeing how my kite reacts to tiny inputs. ~Jon

Simple question -- seemingly -- I've got some 20 footers measured up, but have no sheathing on the ends of the lines. providing I get the sheathing (thinking of fashioning something out of say shoe string? dunno yet -- I know, I know buy some.. But thats not my MO. I like to try and make things before I break down and buy), how do I sheath the ends of my lines?

If you care to watch my latest video "Toolin around, practicing tricks." on my profile (or >>HERE<< if it isnt on there yet), you'll see at certain points that Im trying to pull off some flic flacs -- which I generally don't have a hard time with, as that was one of the first tricks I learned. The winds were biting strong yesterday (about 18-25Mph). Every time I flared, then tried to pop to a fade, the fade would awe and my kite would recover (a few times on the vid @ 40sec, 1min15sec, 1min25sec just for a few examples). Man, I was running forward big time to get the slack needed for the trick, but regardless of the slack given, it would still veer off course when pulling into the fade position, and recover. Is this typical in high wind situations? I was trying them near the top-center of the window. My concern is, that perhaps my tristar bridle setup is interfering, as I've not tried this setup on lighter winds. Every other trick seemed to be pulled off fine (except yoyo's as you'll no doubtedly see in the video -- still getting the feel for the setup and recovery) except for the flicy flacy goodness. **edit** I did have my 10.4oz weight on my tail as well to help with the wind, and yoyos.

That vid makes me want to buy another cherry bomb. lol Pretty sick my friend. Pretty sick indeed. Sorry to hear about your arm Dean. I know with practice, you'll get that arm memory back to 100%. Just gotta shake off the cob webs. Well, that, and the muscle atrophy I suppose. Hope to get out flyin with ya again soon. You could get some of that muscle memory back on my Widow. Found another great spot up here in oregon city. way bigger and better than Hillendale. Heres a google link m8. Might be worth a shot, since meldrum pk. is pretty low lying (hows the winds there anyhow? Every time I've been there, theres always been a baseball or soccer game going on. Gusty? or steady?). -- http://tiny.cc/lj61A -- Theres the main football field, 2 baseball fields (one in the school grounds and one in the church due South), and a pretty large running field (to the north of the football field). Room enough for at least 6-7 pilots (I think. max has been 2 -- Shanobi187 and myself). Cheers m8. ~Jon

lol you felt the pull yesterday on Widow! Insanely strong. I was already sweating from running forward!! lol I would have had to run 1/4 mile to 'try' to slide across the window. hehe On another note -- that tristar active bridle setup works like a champ. Very happy indeed. Uploading a vid soon of my romp yesterday. Thanks for recording Shanobi. Another n00b kite vid on the roster. hehe. Maybe someday soon, I'll actually coordinate my moves to music instead of just toolin around the sky and matchin it up to some tunes.

Wind was too strong for slides this afternoon (about 20Mph from my ear wind meter). I'll have to try next time Im out.

lol. and wear some headphones with loud music, that way you can avoid the "he-he-he not enough wind there hey?" comment from passer-by's.

w00t? 360 style? Do elaborate!, and thanks for the input. Im heading out now to test out your advice. getting into the stall position is something Im still working on grabbing 100%. The Widow is very responsive to snaps, so I tend to over snap it when arching in for a slide maneuver. btw, is that an E2 or E3 on ur prof. pic? Whichever it is, Im drooling. I've always loved that kite. How's she fly?

Ya know, now that Im thinkin about it, Im gonna revise what I said above. I wouldnt suggest buying a UL right now. When the winds are light, just study up online,, imagine trick movements, practice theory. Also, when you think the winds are too light to fly, go out anyway. Try and make your kite fly in lighter winds (through bridle adjustments [providing you study up on them], and walking backwards). Some tricks I've found: --Use a shorter lineset with less poundage (maybe grab a 50# 50' set or make a set of 50# 20"-30"'s). Less line and less # = less weight and downward drag on your kite. Also it will be more punchy with your inputs, being as it is a much shorter line. Just stick with Spectra -- less elasticity. --Your Standoffs. If they're adjustable at the sail point, move them inward toward the spine. If not, and you have dual standoffs on each side, move the outer standoff APA connector on each side (the one closest to the Leading Edge) closer to the 2nd standoff closest to the spine -- infact, just butt it up against the 2nd standoff (I'll upload a pic on this one if you don't understand -- Im not the clearest at explaining sometimes. lol). That will reduce the sail tension and allow for easier light wind flying. If you just have one standoff per side, do the same -- move the standoff closer to the spine. **Don't over do it. It puts quite a bit of stress on the connectors, and you don't want to break one mid-field without replacements. Bad times. On the cherry bomb, I've moved them as far as 4' . --Bridle adjustments. Most kites have factory marked settings for light winds and strong winds by adjustment of the tow point on the upper and lower leg of the bridle. I found that these points are pretty gracious and can be over extended quite a bit. Once again, don't over-do it. If you adjust the tow point too far forward (toward the nose) in light winds, you'll actually counteract what you're trying to accomplish by letting too much wind dump out the back of the sail, instead of catching more air like you intended. Also bad times. I hope this little rant helps you out. Happy Flying m8. ~Jon

I've been testing out different bridle settings (cross active, tristar, etc...) and noticing considerable improvement in my ability to slide and track (mainly slide) with these adjustments. I think I've settled on a tristar active setup. Its helped a tonne with precision moves, while not hindering (and in some cases excelling) freestyle performance. I've been reading about keeping a finger/thumb on ur lines while sliding, to make tiny adjustments to help keep the kite in a vertical position. This is something to get use to, and Im having a little trouble. It seems that I now have to adjust the way I use my hand straps. I typically use them with hands through the loops (except in light winds), but I am having trouble repositioning my hands to get my index finger on the straps tow point. Is there a different way to make these small adjustments so I dont have to move my hands or adjust the way I use my straps? I mean, the precision is great with the tiny adjustments -- I can hold a slide for longer than 4-5 seconds now -- but I've tried to duplicate those tiny adjustments while holding onto the straps (instead of the 'what-Im-calling' "finger-point" method) with not too much success, and if I dont use the finger point method, I lose precision and the wind starts to rock and awe my kite, which causes me to make large adjustments resulting in mass frustration and an unhappy, muddy kite. btw: holycrap 540 session in Oregon City this afternoon. I've got it 99% down pat now. You wouldnt think its that hard of a move, but I found the timing (mainly the snap) a bit tricky to get use to.

Cool App. Don't have an Iphone (part of the boycott), but damn,, makes me think of actually purchasing an Apple product. o.0