JoneZ

I just strapped up a dihedral active bridle (from Andy Wardleys site), and wanted to start a topic about it. The pro's, Cons, chatter... I've read the a to Z on it in Andy's site, and it seems like a pretty interesting setup to me. I havent been able to test it yet cuz its raining, and will be for the majority of the week.. I liked the idea of it because you could use an existing static bridle config, and just add two activator legs -- disabling if needed just by sliding the activator legs toward the tow point til slack. Has anyone had experience with this bridle design? Im wondering about tracking, and precision, as well as freestyle experience.

haha! Thanks again to Theresa for my Kite. Purchased a Premier Widow (thanks for the ref. windofchange!). It flies like a dream. Its insane how much sharper and smooth flying it is than the Quantum. I mean yeah, the quantum is a great kite, but sh**,,, wow man... Im finding it sooo much easier to pull tricks off! Amazing how much different each class flies. Back in the game!!!! ~Jon

A rather large response. hehe. Thanks all. Theresa, I called you this morning about an acrobatX. I tried Elmers, and he didn't have it either. With my wedding coming up, I only want to allocate $100 -- maybe $130 tops, so the Soul is definitely out of the question. lol I flew great with my Quantum (and that thing tried to fly like a brick sometimes, but I tweaked it to fly in lower winds) here in the GPA, with exceptional flying in Oregon City at my spot (behind this church at the intersection of Warner Milne and Linn st. [elev. about 500ft]), so Im not too worried about an UL just yet (I 'was' gonna get Prisms "Zephyr" this year,, that was, until I dumped my Quantum, so Im back to looking for a STD first). I've read great reviews about both kites Im interested in, and yes yes yes, they are '06 kites. But I like them none-the-less. I like the Acrobatx because it won the '06 kite of the year, and its an intermediate/advanced, has the yoyo stoppers (easy mod to any kite, but nice to have stock) -- as opposed to the SilverFox which is an intermediate only. Has anyone had experience with these kites, that would favor one over the other? Thanks again for all the responses. ~Jon

haha! Long time no reply to this post. lol. Thanks for the info Eddie, and thanks for the video Dodd I managed to pull a couple off (mostly by accident) by having my wings cocked around 8 - 2 O'clock. That is, before I managed to dump my kite off the roof of my Jeep while Xmas vaca packing (see this post for more info -- http://kitelife.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=3148 ). Im in the market for a new kite now. Thinking Acrobatx or Silver Fox. ......Can't wait to get back on the horse! Come on Springtime!!!!!! Cheers ~Jon

Greetings KL! Long time no write. Well, I took a long deserved break due to Winter and my approaching wedding (4 more months). During the Xmas break, I was hurriedly packing our Jeep to go to the in laws house. I keep my kites in the car 'just incase'. Well, I took them out and put them on the roof while I was packing the car up (keep in mind, this was during the PNW's crazy winter storm with over 3 ft of snow). We drove off, and my Quantum remained on the roof of my car. I think I dumped it when I turned a corner somewhere. You may be asking "why didn't you hear the kite bag slide off ur roof? Well, there was a batch of snow on our roof, so I didnt hear a damn thing. RIP Quantum. I learned the basics from you -- I flew you at Crater Lake at 9000feet -- I tore your sail in the name of learning backspins -- I almost lost you when I flew you in 30Mph winds and snapped a line. You will be greatly missed. Now, on to better things. I am in the market for a new Kite. I was thinking either the Acrobatx, or the Silver Fox 2.5 STD. I couldnt rightly decide, being as they both have features I like, so I thought I'd pose the question here. Im leaning towards the Acrobatx side personally. Any thoughts - suggestions? Cheers KiteLife! ~Jon

Hey RX. Have you messed around with weighting your quantum? Reason Im asking, is because my spins tend to pinwheel if I pull too sharp. I think my CoG may need some adjustment. Im also having real problems backspinning from a fade position. I think it might be a weighting issue also, but Im not too sure. Any suggestions, since you are much more cultured with the Quantum than I? Any advice would be bonus. Cheers m8

I'll have to get a video going with my booger. She'll pinwheel like nothing I've seen before. All I have to do is pull a sharp turn and have either hand more than 12-14 inches deep in the turn, and she'll pinwheel. I've been trying to fix it all this time actually. It messes up my precision turning. I think my centre of gravity is off.

Still no luck on this one. There's been some great winds up here in Portland lately -- enough for me to adjust my bridle to medium winds -- and still no luck; the booger just wants to recover every stinkin time. I even gave her the benefit of the doubt, and 'assumed' she would just start rotating after the first tug, so I tried to tug again just before the kite recovered. Bad decision. I had gawkers from a 1/4mile away that heard the thud. I'm starting to think that the backspin from fade is just not possible with the Quantum. Someone prove me wrong..... Just go ahead and try.... ... .. ..... .. . Dare ya....

Nailed this one, both directions. thanks for the advice.

I've got Inlaws up in Bremerton WA m8. I'll give ya a PM next time Im up there. Would love to get out and fly with some new ppl,, or just people at all, and am always up for new flying spots, even if they're 300 miles away.

Perhaps Cannon Beach for a lesson place? Check this map out http://tinyurl.com/3s8cho The section I've highlighted is my frequent flier spot. Theres almost nobody there, due to the river that cuts off that section of the beach, and not a lot of people (ie. tourists) know the other access points. You can either cross the river at low tide, or use 5th street to access that section. Just a suggestion. <--getting excited for this class

Oh,, I got so caught up in my own discussion, I forgot the OPs initial post. lol Im looking to buy a Prism Zephyr for my UL kite. Its a little pricey, but I feel its worth it for what you get. The Kite 2 Linesets (80#80, 50#50) Hardshell Case that fits 2 Kites! (selling point for me) Im gonna look up that Prism Flashlight that rxburner talked about. RX Do you know of any online shop offhand that sells the flashlight? **edit Found one. http://www.pictureprettykites.com/stunt-ki...ht/prod_10.html ~J

Yes, indeed. Turns become more unpredictable. lol Honestly though, I think Prism should redesign that system, and move the light wind tag another inch or so forward. The Quantum is very stable in the adjustments I've listed. But, any more past that and she wants to nerf out. But that inch is the factor in being able to lift in 1-3Mph winds. Dont try to backspin from a fade though. Nogo with the bridle set forward that much. (nogo period for me anyhow) lol cheers

Heres a tip in the meantime til you get a UL. I also have a Quantum. the 3Mph rating should be about 5-7Mph with the factory "light/Strong Wind" settings they've installed. Heres what I did to get a little more lift in those lighter winds:: What I did, is cut the "Light Wind" tag from my bridle (please... make sure you dont snip the bridle). Make the cut very close to the bridle and PRECISE!! Then just pull the double larkshead loop loose a bit and slide it over the spot where the tag use to be. If you rest it 'on' the tag, it'll lift in 3Mph winds, and if you slide it just past the tag, it'll fly in 1-2Mph winds. Mind you, you may have to pump just a little if the winds arent steady, but still worth the effort. Slide it too much past that and the kite becomes a little unpredictable hehe. Also, another tip that helps::: Your Standoffs. Take the outer standoffs (closest to the wingtip), and move the standoff connectors closer to the spine -- about 2inches away from the inner standoff connectors (MAKE SURE to mark the original position of the SoC if you're not familiar with where they should be on default). I find that it redirects a little of that wind more toward the spine, and it lifts easier, and stays airborne better. Just test out different positions with the Standoffs. I was out yesterday in 1Mph winds with my Quantum. Had to pump and walk backwards a little, but still fun nonetheless. Good Luck

Good advise. I'll try that when the wind permits. I've been dealing with some pretty shallow winds lately (3-5), so laying the bridle back will make me not able to lift at all. As it stands, I've cut the "light wind" tag from my Q's bridle, and set my adjustment just past that mark when the winds are really light. The Quantum says its a 3Mph minimum kite, but with the factory bridle settings its more like 5-7Mph minimum. With that adjustment I made, and moving the bridle forward past the factory light wind setting, Im able to fly in 3Mph winds - 2Mph without the top spreader and a whole lotta pumpage. So yeah, upon closer inspection, maybe my bridle is too far forward to perform a backspin from a fade?

Im still having trouble on this backspin from a Fade. Turtle position is fine, but even with the nose deeper into the fade, the kite still wants to recover. I havent been keeping too close an eye on my hand positions, so I'll keep that in mind the next time Im out, but man, I've almost rolled that thing into a yoyo before inputing for the backspin, and the trick just crumples everytime. On tutorials I've watched, backspins look like they are about to recover (they spin on a 40-50degree axis, rather than true horizontal), and I don't see any tweaks made with hand movements during the execution, but they just fall back into the fade after the rotations. My Quantum just doesnt want to do that. Perhaps my input is too hard?? Frustrating. Im sure I'll get it, but frustrating nonetheless. Maybe I'll do my monthly line-check a little sooner - see if my lines vary a bit in length. Noticing a little difficulty rolling into an even fade. Thanks for all the tutorials though Randy. They are helping a ton. ~J

[showing interest] [/showing interest]

I've got a citrus Quantum. Love it. Looks great against the blue sky (kinda like a green tree against the blue sky). A word of advice for when you get your Q:: On the bridle, there are adjustments for 'strong' and 'light' wind. Do your self a favor and cut the "light wind" tag from the bridle - making sure you don't cut the bridle itself - reason being, when the winds are at about 3Mph, the kite won't lift at that factory 'light wind' setting very well. Takes a whole lot of pumping, and even then, after every pump, the kite wants to turtle. In uber light winds, setting the bridle adjustment on or a little past that light wind tag will do wonders for your frustration levels. lol enjoy your Q. I'm sure you'll dig it, whatever color you get.

My neighbors have this cat, that's not neutered yet. It started pissing all over their clothes (mostly from lack of attention), so they decided to make it an outdoor cat........ darn thing is only a little over a year old... Well, they keep saying they want to find a home for it, but they do nothing. and Im sick of it really, so Im going to do something about it, since I saw him yesterday running away from a knarly looking black and white cat. They apparently got into a pretty serious fight, because when I went downstairs this morning, Drayden (the siamese) was all curled up on the porch, nursing his right hind leg.... Theres no wounds or anything (I checked him out), so I think its just sprained (I Hope). Drayden is such an awesome cat, with TONS of personality, and intelligence. Like I said, Hes a Siamese mix (White with a couple black spots, and tan on his face, tail and paws), and about a year old. Hes a really loving nice cat and would make a great outdoor pet for someone, or an even better indoor cat (once neutered). He's a little sketched out at times, but all siamese are kind of like that. They need quite a bit of attention. I own a Blue Point Siamese myself, and from 1st hand experience, I don't think I'll ever get another variety of cat. Theres something about Siamese.... Something so cognescent.. Anyhow,, if anyone is interested in this cat or knows anyone who would be, and is in the Portland Area, please contact me through PM, and we'll get in touch. He just really needs a good loving home. We would take him in, if we didnt already have 2 cats of our own. Thanks ~Jon

Nice John. The site looks great. More navigable for sure. Will have some fun in the next week or so checking out the content. while I nurse my back to health (that is, when Im not working horrendous hours. lol) -cheers

bahh. Still havent got a backspin from a fade yet. The kite is still recovering, even with the exaggerated flare. Am I pulling too hard on the initial pull? I don't think so, cuz all the tutorials say to give a good pull to initiate rotation, and all subsequent inputs require less pull than the first. 0.o Where am I going wrong here?? -confused ~Jon

New Tech Kites "Cherry Bomb" is a great starter kite @ $60. Its only 3/4 the size of the quantum (66inches), but its a little easier to control while learning the essentials (turning, loops, slides, stalling, snap stalls, etc...). I have both the Cherry Bomb and the Quantum. the Quantum is about 7ft. wingspan, and has amazing pull and speed in higher winds, and it tricks very well (whatever tricks I've learned so far). The Cherry bomb will lift in lighter winds than the quantum, even though they are rated essentially the same. If you get the Quantum, DONT use the clasps they stick on the tow point,, they break. (see THIS post) even though I 'graduated' from a beginner kite, to a bigger beginner kite, I don't regret it in the slightest. Both kites offer different aspects of flying, and in the end, the more kites, the better. Good luck on your decision m8. ~Jon

I think I would cry right there on the field if I ripped any of the ones y'all have recommended, cuz of the base price. lol I think Im gonna hold back on a UL kite til I can keep my existing one from shredding. o.0 <-- loves operator errors

Gonna bring it into my local Kite Doc tomorrow and get the diagnosis. Im sure it can be repaired. Theres some stiching that may have to be done, but I think its hopeful.