Wayne Dowler

JB - What would be the other 2 you would put in "your" top 3 other than the ProDancer? My low wind choice as of now is my old, out of production, Prism Ozone. Don't get me wrong - it flies great in it's range, but can't compete with the PD for pure light wind flying.

My Rev bag outer pocket gave up the ghost, so I ended up getting an ITW dig bag. Easily holds the 5 kites I use, lines, handles, fix-it kit. I carry a bunch of stuff in my hydration pack, it was built to be a small backpack as well. My concession to age was to get a Wheel-Eze beach cart. Went to Costco and got a folding milk crate. Make up the crate, attach to the cart, load my bag, pop up, hydration pack, ice chest, and any extra clothing - pull it like a golf cart to where we are on the beach. No more "schlepping" my stuff around!!!!

YER on YER OWN with this one, fella!!! What ever suits your eye best is what works here! Don't even want to know how many hours I've spent on that colorizer .................................................. ...........................................................!

Got a set of 150# but have yet to use them. LPG comes in 50, 90, 150#. That is mostly used by kiters. I use 50 or 90#, 50# for really light winds and 90# for just about everything else. Skybond comes in 50, 100, and I think 170#, and I have used the 50 and 100#. Depending on how you fly and where, either will get you up and going. Since you will be getting them separate from the kite, 80-85' is a good learning length. If you ever have aspirations of team, then 120' is standard. As was mentioned as 120's wear out, they can be cut down into shorties, like 30' or 50'. But to learn on - stick to the 80's. One piece of advice on learning - if the kite is going to crash - LET IT! Resist the instinct to pull! Learn to - Give to the Kite! Step forward and don't pull! All that pulling does is drive the kite harder into the ground. Better to walk down and set it back right, than go down and find it broken. This is one time to RESIST!

CONGRATS!!!!

Djinns? Kaijus? Djinndors?? Possibilities seem endless!!

Bada bing!!

Kite is still reasonably new on the market, problems should start to arise with it, if they are going to show at all. All we can do is wait and see.

Several have suggested other fittings. Jon is sending different fittings as some replacements from here in the US, but not sure if any better or ? Some have suggested taping the spar, eliminating the sharp edge. We'll see if anything gets settled .....

Got some needed FaceBook help: should find on Jens Schneider's page

Time to get loud and wake the RNG!!!

I don't see the pic, my computer skills are minimal, search doesn't turn up anything. I believe it was someone that is in Europe that made the post with pic of torn fitting. At Fuerteventura??

Looking, but not finding yet. They had pic of it. Maybe not seated fully, but they stated it happened on both their std and vented models.

Someone posted on FaceBook about their Fulcrum fittings tearing! Not sure if it was used in too high a wind, but some suggested different fittings that are "stronger"? Can't tell you much about them - only got to try someone else's and that at the wrong time for the kite.

Might be even JB missed this!! Hey John - how about it??!!?? I decided to try the quiet route - not sure it will work any better, but trying anyway!

Before you put your quad set of lines out - watch JB's tutorial til you are sick off it - then watch some more!! We all have little personal twists to it, but the basics don't vary. Once you find a system that works - DO IT THE SAME WAY!!! Create a habit by doing it the same - everytime!!

Even smaller that Watty's "Y" shapes!! He made a bunch of them and connected them, but left empty space for venting. Let me see if I can find an image to post.

Comes down to purpose I guess. Small light sticks might be OK on indoor gliders and maybe single line kites (SLKs), depending on size of kite. The bigger the kite gets, it puts more force on all the frame members. Small will break. As was stated, there are better materials to fabricate a kite. Fiberglass, solid carbon rods, hollow carbon spars, etc all make a more consistent product for size and flex. Wood has inherent flaws and can break at them. That said - I do have an older (late 80s) SLK that uses wooden spars for both the spine and leading edges (LE). Cheap to replace,( 5/16" and a full 36 or 40" long) but subject to taking a set, depending on humidity. I've thought about replacing them with some more modern materials.

That's certainly something you want to consider. As a new pilot, you will have some unexpected, unplanned meetings with Mother Earth. Your kite needs to be robust enough to survive them. On the flip side - it also should have the ability to handle some beginning tricks. That way you don't outgrow it too soon. And that depends on what you expect from your own flying. Are you satisfied with just tooling around the sky or wanting to become a trick master? That should play into your decision......! As you have read - many favor the Quantum as a good beginner kite. It is strong and can survive the learning curve, plus it does most of the tricks. In a beginner's hands, it does take a decent wind, but light wind flying is not the place to start anyway. No fun trying to keep a kite aloft AND learn how the controls work. And it comes with decent lines! Some of the cheap stuff comes with crap lines, they stretch while turning and you loose control easily. No matter what you decide - get good lines!

Breezin - if the rods have an Ultralight designation - yes - 3 wrap. 150# lines?? Never needed more than 90/100#, even on a 1.5 x/v. 150# is way overkill and may be too heavy in lighter winds. Age of manufacture is not as important as overall condition. We use a 1 to 10 scale to rate the condition, 1 being garbage and 10 as close to new as possible. When buying, ask and hope they are honest in appraisal.

Dependable shops - The Kite Shoppe, Ocean Shores Kites, Into The Wind, Kite Connection, and Flying Smiles Kites come to mind. Sure there are more. Have done business with all of them - 100% dependable. Hope you get your issues resolved.

For me - the hardest part was learning to trust my balance again. I was a good athlete before my stroke. Vision was messed up, can't run anymore, can't even throw a ball properly. But I remembered how to fly. Certain directions didn't come easy, the kite would face left and I'd be all relaxed. Kite faced right - PANIC BUTTON!!! Couldn't even remember how to turn it away to the left, I was so froze up! But I kept working at it and it started to get better. Then I got involved in team flying and the rest is good. Now a member of 2 teams! About 8 years ago, I got reintroduced to indoor flying. Still had balance and vision issues, and was concerned about keeping up with the kite. Amy Doran lent me her Skate glider for one of the indoor festivals held out here in the PNW. She set it up and let me use it all day. Get tired, put it in the corner over there, use it as much as you like. Lucked out and the designer, Paul de Bakker was there too. He watched, asked to make adjustments, and away I went. So much so that I was asked to join in on the "mystery ballet". OK, sounds good, what is the mystery ballet? Well, flying to music you have no choice over is the mystery ballet. UMMMM OK!??!??!??! 1st up, no backing out, they played a Beatles song that I knew the words to. Sang and flew and never noticed the crowd watching. Natural ham!!! And I got to try a Rev. Couldn't fly it for beans. But fell in love!!! A couple months later, picked up a used indoor Rev from their forum Looked for a place to fly and ended up finding this. In the beginning, 4 - 5 days a week, 3, 4, 5 hours at a shot. Paid off. Most see me now and say - "You make it look so easy!" They don't know how many hours were spent on that floor!! Anyway the point I wanted to make - a physical therapist used to bring his little boy over. I would retreat to one end to give him room. One day we struck up a conversation. He said - "I bet flying has been good for you?" Well yes. "I deal with many stroke victims and many have balance issues. Flying must get your eyes up off the floor, not down at your feet!" I thought about it some and realize this was true. I had started to trust my natural sense of balance again. Think about it - when you walk or run, your eyes are focused on where you want to go, mine were down at my feet! Indoor helped me return to a more "normal" life. (NO crap from the peanut gallery!!!! I know too many of you!!) Anyway, the point is that flying, in or out, can help your body and mind overcome a bunch of obstacles!!

Lam's new VIP Gravity 2 is actually an indoor kite. Not sure it would translate to using 120' lines, when it was designed for 10'. The 20's were an experiment in outdoor use.

Try making those circles for the spins as big as you can. Try to walk in straight lines as much as you can. Can you fly the kite backwards? Try going forwards and backwards while walking straight from end to end. Try flying one big square around the court, tracing the borders with the kite, but you making the same, just a bit smaller. Up and overs bother you?? Another good recovery move. Just try to make things as slow as you can. I've a stroke survivor and have balance issues. Indoor flying has mostly been with an indoor quad and gliders. I find the quad a lot less frantic than the dualies. More float and glide in that bigger wing. Gliders are a whole different ballgame. Depending on what you want to do, they can be as active or gentle as you make them. I'm fortunate, I have access to an indoor soccer field!

Really depends on how soon you want one. If you are willing to shop around, watch the used market, in general wait; or do you want it now? If interchangeability is a concern, most of the available quads other than the new Revs, are open to you. Like Paul and riff have said: the new REV Reflex system is using a different size tube that isn't compatible with all the stuff already out there. And not everyone likes the spring system either. But that is what is offered with every NEW Rev model, if I read their sales literature correctly. And now there are many other good choices out there. Different prices, color combos, color patterns, and all with good quality. Your suggestion of a B vented makes sense, especially if you are looking to have a matching set. So the choice is yours ..............