Wayne Dowler

Many older kites used a thick rubber band type thing to larkshead around both lower spreaders at the "T". My older Stranger uses it and never had the LS's ever come out, even with a good impact! Probably make one from something like a bicycle inner tube.

Need a bit more info to comment.

Here in the USA, the three most popular brands of line are: Laser Pro Gold, Shanti Skybond, and Shanti Speed. All good lines but as you said - spendy. All can be bought in either pre-made sets or in bulk. A couple mail order sites - The Kite Shoppe, A Wind of Change, and Flying Smiles kites .I believe AWOC is the only one to carry all 3 lines. Remember to add winders and sleeving (if used) to your order!

Shouldn't feel a lot of difference, maybe a little. I'd wait til they wear some, then cut to replace the 85's when they wear. Eventually they become urban lines or go in the trash. PS: lines do wear out after time!!

Developed a worn spot on the lines or still pretty new? Shortening can get rid of that bad spot where lines cross all the time. Really depends on where you feel in that learning curve, if 15' makes that much a difference.

Just remember that the shorter you go in length, the faster your reactions must be. Too short gives you much less time to pull out of any situation. 75' - 85' sounds about right. I have some 50' - 60', but started using them well into my flying experience.

The "Classic" is based on JB's "B" pattern, in both shape and panel layout. The Reflex is a whole new animal with different spars, panel layout, etc. Also not as many models in that line, I believe. The "reflex" spring system can be used on either, I believe, but comes std with the Reflex. Think it is an option with the "Classic". Just getting around to caps that will allow the use of both the 5/16" and/or 1/4" spars with slight bunji adjustments. Open to any correction ...

That would not be my cuppa either! I want control, not pull. Why there are so many options in the Phoenix sail range, customize pull to suit your wants.

Fell into using an indoor soccer center. Just days during the week. They make all their money on games at night and all weekend. They stay open - I have a place to fly.

Some do it every time they fly! Some do it every couple times. I do it whenever I think things feel worn to me. Once both sides are worn, they are only good for solo flying. They will lock up in team stuff! If you follow the video on making snag-less handles --- BEWARE, there is a nasty burr/flake where the holes for the rings were drilled. IT WILL LAY YOU OPEN if not treated carefully!! I speak from personal experience here!!! BE CAREFUL!! And deburr when reassembling!! Take care not to ruin the vinyl caps unless you have more at hand, you reuse them!!

Congrats Joanna, you will like it a lot! I have one of Richard's older designs and it flies beautifully. That is one of the biggest challenges to indoor - finding a place to fly!

Salt and sand are the worst enemies of sails or lines. Get in the habit of doing these things to get the longest life out of your gear. 1 - Rinse your kite with fresh water at very gentle pressures. Knocks all the sand off, cleans all the salt out. Bridles too. Both will eventually eat your stuff, but you can delay that with good cleaning habits. Got a Rev 1 from about 1998 in my bag in great condition. 2 - Rinse your lines regularly. No need to unwind, it does help to wind loosely though. Just put winder and lines in a tub big enough to hold them. Maybe add a few drops of detergent to the water. Place on a towel to dry after the soak. You'll be surprised to see how much sand comes out of them. And the soaking dissolves the salt crystals and prevents build up. Lines do wear out eventually. As a team flier, I go though almost 2 sets every year. Crossing lines is very wearing. 3 - Swap your lines end to end. If you have always used your lines in one direction, try turning them around. The wear spot from crossing will happen in a different place. Never tried the Sewer's Aid myself, sorry. You can remove the rings on the handles and make your own snag-less ones. Use an 8-10 wallboard anchor and screw to replace them. Works really well and is a cheap alternative to buying new handles. That video walks you through the job, should take around a hour to do a set, less if you're handy with tools. Holds up for a very long time.

Don't need a stake in this scenario - Setup kite on its back, LE towards your flying position. Put some snow on the LE, then run your lines out to handles. Gradually pull the tips up as the LE is held down by the snow. We use this method a lot at festivals that have limited space and kites need to be cleared off the field for other performers. We call it - "red bulling" - gets you on and off fast!

I'm with Paul on this one - Lighter wind = longer handles for me. I use 3 different sets - 13", 14", 15" for different wind conditions. The 14" are my "standard handles", probably used 75% of the time. They are a good compromise set - a little longer, but not too long, for almost all my usual flying. 13" work great in screaming wind and I'm on my X/V, no need for all the extra leverage the long provide. Shorter give me more control. Light winds see the 15" come out. I just feel more comfortable with them in light winds. Not sure if the "technical" term is leverage, but I feel a bit more lift, a bit more control, with the longer in those conditions. If you're wondering how I have 14", since the way they are measured from the factory is before bending and Rev only offers handles in odd inch sizes (13", 15", etc), I had mine made for me. Same gent that makes JB's dogstake, made them. I had him bend them a little flatter (less), more like my Indoor handles. Gives me a bit extra brake already built in! Gotten so used to them that picking up stock handles with the rings, takes a bit to readjust my inputs! And that is my roundabout way to say it is all about developing your own personal "feel"!

Bridle too. Use as gentle a spray as you can find, then let dry completely. Neither salt or sand are good for the kite, get in the habit of rinsing after using for, say a weekend. Keep them clean and they last.

Spelled Freilein and pronounced (free line). Many good options out there to choose from - all the reputable ones are fine fliers. Up to your color and pattern choices.

Got pix of your handles and leaders? Having the vertical rods move too much could be from over controlling with your inputs. Try a gentle touch (will also help in that inverted hover). Too forceful a move and you could get the dreaded "flipping a wing!". Just ease the thumbs towards your kite, maybe step back slowly, the kite should rise inverted. What Edmund is explaining, is that most new fliers have way too much "drive" in their kites, or have their top lines pulled in too close. Depending on the leaders used, you want to have the tops out as far as you can. How to tell? Put them as far out as possible and try to launch. Not successful? Move a knot closer. Do this test til launch is successful. If the top leaders are short, you can tie knots in the bottom leaders and shorten them up instead. I use the leaders JB sells here and fly with my bottoms out at the end and my tops 3 or 4 knots in depending on winds. YMMV

Speed control - easy to get used to just zooming around and enjoying, another to keep everything slow and smooth! It will also help you when you get to do team someday! Practice crawling that kite across the sky! Hovering - in any position! Again being able to put your kite anywhere, anytime, shows off the control of quads. Some learn "top down", meaning they take the kite to the top, invert, and slowly start down. Gradually they can fly so slow, things come to a stop. Others go "bottom up", starting the kite on the ground and slowly learning to control the hover there, No "wrong" just different paths that hopefully get you to the same place!

I'm looking at a rod to rod comparison, no extra ferrules for added stiffness, etc. Just a straight comparison. I find the P rods just a little "mushy", but stupidly strong. Got stuck on a wrong setup and flew our Ashes in midvent winds and the P-100s performed admirably. Probably would have destroyed a set of Diamonds ....! So if there is anyone out there ..........

If there is anybody else trying these and has sets of P rods to compare against - I'm all ears. Right now I'm using P-100. P-300, and, P-400 frames in my Phoenix sails. A little more bend than I'm used to in other rods I've used before. Wondering on the "snap-back" of these others.......

Do you also have P rods? Be interested in a comparison between those sets.

Perfect record still intact!! LOL!! Congrats Ralph!

ll I do have a perfect record to protect - LOL!!

South?? Maybe! Flew more dualie this year, than the last several years combined! Might be a nice addition ........

Throw factory wind ratings as far away as you can! Numbers is all! How does it "feel" in your hands, that's all that matters here. I once put a midvent on my 50'x50# lines because I was too lazy to swap lines. Kept on flying. A friend came over, scratched his head, and said that's one way to adapt! PS: I'm not putting it on any feet!! Got others to switch to!!!