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kitepilot

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Everything posted by kitepilot

  1. You guys are AWESOME!!!!! I used the information you all gave me, did a lot of practicing, and didn't make a fool of myself on the competition field. I entered the novice dual line Precision at the Wildwoods Festival, my first competition. Came in second place! You guys were the wind that filled the sails of my kite! Thanks! kitepilot
  2. Great suggestions. Moving the precision grid within the wind window like that might even show field management for extra judging points. Thanks for the advice. kitepilot
  3. T!hanks for the advice. Been trying the DI 04 maneuver as you suggested. Gonna take a lot of practice, and your suggestion works. It sounds like this maneuver could be the tie breaker in a close competition (and a spar breaker, too!). Does the center of the precision grid have to be directly downwind? I was thinking……..…If I launch in the power zone, do the circle in the center of the left or right half of the wind window, it would be easy to land on the leading edge of the kite at the very edge of the wind window. Would this lose me points in a competition? kitepilot
  4. The AKA’s International Sport Kite Compulsories Book lists the maneuver DI04 as a Launch, Circle, and Land. It further explains that the landing must be a leading edge landing. I’ve done a leading edge landing many times already, usually ending with a broken leading edge or spreader (and everyone turning around to see who did the kah-thunk!). Can anyone explain to me how this maneuver is safely executed? Thanks, kitepilot
  5. Perhaps I have some information to help you with those outside standoffs. My Big Bang Pro has the same configuration. A quote from Dodd Gross on the New Tech website at http://www.newtechkites.com/instructions/B...nstructions.pdf "It is very important that the outside standoff lower spreader fitting is 2" from the spar end that fits into the lower leading edge connector. This gives the proper trailing edge tension needed." Also "Center and inside standoffs are 3mm solid carbon. They must come straight out giving the most tension on the trailing edge." I agree with you, kite-head, the flight school 101 booklet for the explosive sport series doesn't cut it. When I've spent hard earned bucks on a kite, I expect to see an instruction book with photos and descriptions of the kite I just bought! Hope I've helped. kitepilot
  6. I found some competition manuals, and an introduction brochure at http://www.aka.kite.org/ by following the links: Table of Contents>Publications>Manuals>Getting Started as a Sport Kite Competitor. They are all printable as .pdf files. That American Kiterfliers Association Website is a font of information. Glad I'm a member. (Yes, John. My paid membership with KiteLife.com is next!) Kitepilot
  7. Oh, Man! There's so much I get from those Kite Line archives! A letter from Mr. Scott explaining why he named his design 'Scott-sleds'. From the man himself I read his explanation of why they were called sleds and not flexible flyers! [vol3-4, page 8, winter-spring of '81]. I've read a full history of the delta kites! A lot of the articles and how-to info often pertain to the kind of flying I do now. And reading those old full page advertisements amuse me to no end! Each volume is a wealth of knowledge and news from and about those great kiteflyers that preceeded us, that created the clubs, contests, and whole kiting world that we participate in today. Archiving those old magazines keeps those people and ideas alive! Thanks to all involved for taking the time to create these archived files. You keep archiving and I'll keep reading them at one thirty in the morning!!! kitepilot
  8. I like the new look! We even get new smilies! But there's that same damned eye staring me down in the Avatar column! kitepilot
  9. Say, Godric, I found instructions for tying the falconer's knot at http://www.themodernapprentice.com/knot.htm and added it to my bookmarks. Couldn't find a falcon to attach it to. How is this knot used with stunt kites? You could demonstrate the San Diego Jam knot to Ronda the next time you cross paths. http://www.netknots.com/html/sd_jam.html BTW, is the double larks head knot the same thing as a Prusik knot? Thanks, kitepilot
  10. You must be patient when you ask questions on a forum board, Spilou. Most of us spend most of the week working, and flying kites at every opportunity. Forum boards do not have the priority of kite flying, I don't think everyone checks on them daily. Give your question a week or so, then question again. "Asking for help on...." added to the Topic Description under a well versed Topic Title seems to have worked for me. Try putting your question in the "Quad Heads" section. I don't fly Revs, but I can direct you to http://www.revkites.com for many photos, and instructions to fly Revolution Kites. Hope this helps! And, Spilou, your English is fine! Kitepilot
  11. AWESOME!!!!!!!! Applause!!!!!!!!!! Standing Ovation!!!!!!!!!! Encore!!!!!!!!!!!!! ENCORE!!!!!!!!!!! But it looks like you guys don't suntan up there, looks like you rust!
  12. Looks like John has given you the most thorough and best advice to follow. I have only one thing I can add when I fly my own Beetle 2100+. I pull both hands down and past my hips (what Dodd Gross calls the extended position), then bring them quickly together to the neutral position. As my hands are moving to that neutral position, I also take a step backwards to pull slack out of the lines. Kitepilot
  13. I did get in touch with info@newtechkites.com and couldn't ask for faster, friendlier, or better customer service. The first time the spreader broke on my Pyro was while doing a corkscrew spin followed with a quick snap stall. My favorite kite shop cheerfully replaced the carbon tube and got me into the air again. The second time the same spreader broke at the same place was my fault, after a nasty nosedive into terra firma. Called New Tech and customer service said they're replacing the original tube with plugged tubing, which should strengthen the spar where it goes into the center T and breaks so often. I'll be getting a replacement spreader from my favorite kite shop real soon. Hope it goes as well for you, Parks992. Kitepilot
  14. Monkey – Spectra Fishing Line! Great Idea! Fantastic! Outstanding! AND Frugal! I gotta get me some! 1. What, exactly, is the brand name of the Spectra Fishing Line? 2. Does it come in colors, like orange? (To stop the idiot that crosses the flying field while talking on the cell phone from tripping over an outstretched flying line. OK, that was me!) 3. Salt water, freshwater, or fly line? 4. What is the brand name of the Dacron sleeve you use? Thanks for the wonderful idea. Kitepilot
  15. That white string of your sleeved kiteline is usually Spectra or Dyneema. Lines are sleeved because knots reduce line strength, as much as a half. The white kiteline is run thru colored Dacron Sleeve to increase the strength at knots. If you’d like to know everything about these strings, read R Moore’s well researched report at http://www.kiterecord.org/Kite%20altitude%...es/Page1134.htm Thanks Bob, Great Job!!! Here’s how I match the lengths of my flying lines… I stake both bridle ends of the line to the ground with a fondue skewer. I stretch out both 80 foot lines to the max and clamp them about 18 inches from the straps to my WorkMate portable worktable with a block of wood and a clamp. Remove the strap and undo the knots of the sleeve on the longest line using a knitting needle or slender probe (the hardest part of the whole job). Slide the sleeve up the line and tie an overhand knot at the very end to prevent the sleeving from slipping off. Slide the dacron sleeve back and match it to the short line. Fold the dacron in half and tie an overhand knot EXACTLY matching the position of the knot on the opposing line. Tie another overhand knot at the short end as shown in the photos of this website… http://www.jmamede.com/kitesen/ Voila! Matched flying lines. Like Monkey says, it takes less than an hour and quicker the more often you make a new lineset. That’s how I do It. How do the rest of you guys do It? Do you all do It naked or fully clothed? Post photos if you do It naked!!!! kitepilot
  16. Where in California does your sister live? Lots of kiteshops out here, GREAT customer support! Don’t be afraid to drop in at any of them. Helping other kiteflyers is good for business! If you bought the Beetle 2100+, you have quality Dyneema lines. Only 1% stretch. But with eighty feet of line, that’s still a stretch of over eight inches. I thought stretch was like a rubber band. Nope. The stretch stays there. Kiteflyers naturally pull harder on one line than the other, so there’s that one string that will always become longer as you use a new lineset. I’ve also seen several instances with both Flying Wings and New Tech where brand new lines are uneven. This forced me to learn to retie the sleeving of my lines. You shouldn’t be inhibited by this, patience and accuracy are all that’s needed for the learning curve. I used this website to help me. http://www.jmamede.com/kitesen/ Click on Tips and Tricks. A kiteshop verbally explained how it was done, but these pictures helped a lot more. I’m on my way out of the door right now, gonna teach a guy to fly a Trlby he’d bought and was afraid to fly. I get a picnic lunch and a new friendship out of it. Be back tonight with details of retying your sleeving. Would also like to learn from the rest of you guys out there how YOU cope with this problem. By the way, for every ten feet in height of an obstruction, there’s 7 times that in wind turbulence. Don’t give up on your Beetle, it’s the best beginners’ kite I’ve flown! kitepilot
  17. Thanks, Kitecrazy. Enjoyed the pics and I wasn't even there. I WILL be at WSIKF next year. And I'll recognize everyone if they're walking away! Especially enjoyed the artsey photo of the bols. Good eye! Kitepilot
  18. http://www.cafepress.com/kitelife.10879110 Do these come in day-glow colors? That seems to be the fashionable color referred to in other posts on this board. Penny, Moon, Planegirl, Trilbymousie, what's your favorite color? Anybody willing to post a photo modeling these thongs in day-glo colors? kitepilot
  19. You piqued my curiosity. Went to Shelby Farms, Memphis at http://maps.google.com/ to see if I could find the windmill. The satellite maps have definition to rooftop level. I've used maps.google to find several flying sites in San Diego County. So, is the windmill at Mullins Station Rd., Brister St., Show Palace Arena, or the Grove at Shelby Farms? Plug in "Mira Mesa Recreation Center, 92126" and you'll see the Mira Mesa Community Park where I do a lot of my kite flying. (The little gray circle above the words Mira Mesa Blvd. is the big American flag I use for wind direction.) kitepilot
  20. An interesting new Avatar. Do the Cody Kites always attack you like that? Kitepilot
  21. Hi Scott, enjoyed your post and had to put in my two cents worth. CLTKiter posted a nice photo of the UFO on the Kitelife Forum -> Sport Kites -> Indoor Flying section of this board. And info to convert it to a quad liner, if you’re confident with stringing bridles. I’m heavily experienced with the Flying Wings Beetle 2100+ and love it. It’s the lightest and sturdiest dual line stunt kite I’ve come across. I can fly mine in squirrelly 3mph winds if I walk backwards a lot and finesse it a bunch. Five mph and above and it’s easy magic. Llamaguy has written approvingly of the New Tech dual line Desire Ultra Lite that fly in one mph winds, and warns not to fly it in winds above nine mph. I imagine you could keep five kids quite busy with single line kites. The Premier Parafoil-5 does really well in very light to heavy winds. (And it’s kid-proofed because there are no breakable spars). The Premier Easy Flyers are great kites in 4-5mph and above. The New Tech single line Deltas are outstanding flyers as well. Read Kitelife Forum -> Single Line -> General Discussion on this board for more kite reviews. http://www.flyingwingskites.com//merch/lis...tkites.beginner - Beetle http://www.premierkites.com/pages/kites/single/easy.html - Easy Flyers http://www.newtechkites.com/ntk_products.p...esID=1&sGroup=1 - Deltas http://www.newtechkites.com/ntk_products.p...CategoriesID=13 - Desire UL Long-winded again, my two cents worth has become a nickel’s worth (modern inflation?). And bear in mind this is all my own personal opinion. Every kite flyer has their own favorite. kitepilot
  22. Thanks for posting on this board, Bob. I feel like I’m following the history of the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk as I sit in my computer chair and read of your adventures and the learning curve. I’ve added your website to my favorites list and will follow your exploits from now on. There’s a typo in your website address in the above post. Add a ‘c’ to reord and it’ll be correct for anyone reading this and wishing to surf the website. http://www.kiterecord.org/Kite%20altitude%20recordu1.htm Also would like to thank you for the THOROUGH accumulation of information on your website. It’s a learning experience on every page. Never knew so much before about kite lines. The photos are great. Keep us posted. kitepilot
  23. Hey godric, here's a thought...why strap kites to your recumbent bike? You've seen those guys buggying around with parasails, right? Now there's an idea!!! Post the photos!!! kitepilot
  24. With my luck, I'd wash ashore with one kite, the cooler, my woman, and no kite line set!!! kitepilot
  25. A welcome I wish you, RevMaster. http://maps.google.com/ must you try. A view through the eyes of an electronic metal bird will you see. May the Force be with You! Kitepilot
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