makatakam

Congratulations @GrantL.

Yes, you have to be super careful, especially around kids. If you've ever gotten a line cut while fishing you understand what damage is possible.

I've seen news articles reporting kite fighting line injuries in India for the last 60 years. It is a persistent tradition and the day of the festival is well known throughout the land and a large percentage of the population participates. If you get the same amount of people riding bicycles at once there will probably be as many deaths and injuries, if not more.

A classic beauty. When you assemble the kite for flying, the upright spars go on the back of the kite. If they are in front it will make it VERY difficult to learn. Watch the beginner tutorial videos on KiteLife until you're sick of watching them and then watch again a couple more times. Believe everything John says in them. It is proven and works really well. Watch the line management one and listen carefully. It will save you some grief. Fly with an experienced pilot if you can, especially the first couple of times out. Have fun and enjoy the journey. P.S. -- The cookies are magic. They become whatever you have in mind, so don't think about broccoli because broccoli cookies....

Now, that's funny -- thanks, it made my day. 😂

I think he's urging Breezin to learn quad-line.

And we all thank you for your insight and benevolence. Keep up the good work.

When I started on Facebook some 6 or 7 years ago I was both skeptical and a bit paranoid about giving them the information they required. Since then my paranoia has decreased dramatically. Facebook is, in reality, quite benign. I have had no issues and it appears that their security is up to snuff. I believe they require that info to keep infiltration by unwanted "entities" (bots and such) to a minimum. I do recommend using a good ad blocker as you should already do if you are using the internet.

I hope not. The 1/4" frame is inherently more flexible. I'm hoping that those who make them work more on increasing response rate at the same level of flex, or even increasing both simultaneously.

And that's probably why you won't see them from most manufacturers. The sooner the kite wears out, the sooner they can sell you another. It's a fine line between price point and durability -- one that every business needs to consider. Repeat sales are always welcomed and help a company stay in business. If a product never wears out the market soon becomes saturated.

Or, if you must land, spin the handles or the straps in the same direction until the lines are no longer crossed once the kite is on the ground. In time you end up with a good idea in which direction they are crossed without having to think about it. It starts to become second nature with time on the lines. You can also spin your entire body to the left or right around if you want more exercise.

Hi, Kylepk, and welcome to the forum. Sure, if you are referring to the flying lines. How short is up to you, but keep in mind that the shorter you make them the smaller your wind window (the area that the kite can move around in) becomes and the speed of the kite increases. Be sure to keep the lines of equal length. I wouldn't go any shorter than 40 feet on a 1.2 foil but I have flown one on 25-foot lines but it's hard to keep the kite from making contact with the ground at that length which puts a lot of wear on the kite. A 1.2 foil is in its comfort zone on lines from 60 to 85 feet.

Google kite shops in NC if you're anywhere within an hour and a halfish of the coast. Kitty Hawk Kites and Flying Smiles Kites are the two you should consider. Just wonderful folks who will go out of their way to get you started, and there should be a few fests and club flys before the end of the year where you can meet with people who can help. There's lots of events up and down the coast you can attend. Use Google to find them and go. You won't be disappointed. If you must start out without any help just go for what moves your spirit. There is no "perfect kite". You'll soon find out that everyone's idea of the right kite is different. So will your's and your son's be. Pick something and jump in. If you like flying and stay with it you will most likely end up with at two or three kites for different conditions, possibly dozens if you get addicted. Just keep in mind that shortly after the first one you'll probably want another, so budget yourself so you can.

Yup! And be nice to that black race frame -- I think it's no longer available. I may be wrong, but the new ones are not the same and I'm sure the veteran flyers will concur.

You can fly the standard, but it will help stretch the sail prematurely and will be difficult to control. With time the sail will stretch no matter what wind you fly in, so to fly or not is your choice. I would fly the FV with #3 frame. I think with more experience you will begin to prefer vented over standard. They are much smoother, especially in gusty wind. However, if the wind keeps dropping under 10mph and then going back up in prolonged spells you may find it more convenient to fly the standard and just hug the sides or top of the window when it's blowing strongly.

I'm thinking more "Vickie" than full vent -- perhaps frame only, no sail.

Cool. Keep us up to date on the build.

The black line attached to the kite in the photo is the bridle. No intent at smart-ass remarks, just want to make sure you guys are talking about the same thing so there's no misunderstanding. Also it should be mentioned whether the kite comes with the storage sleeve.

Everybody -- back up!!! Jamesy, you're overthinking this. Way over. First of all, welcome to the forum. You're in good hands here. Any kite, including the cheap Walmart kind can cut and slice a hand or finger. Just don't wrap the line around anything and don't grab it with your hand and you'll be fine. As far as the bridle being sewn or tied -- again, massive overthink. You really don't need to worry about that until you get into really, really expensive kites. Talking $600 and more. Sizewise the 1.8 will give you decent pull and manageable speed, and as long as you don't fly in extreme wind conditions, either high or low, will give you manageable performance. You don't need to set up a training setup for your son, even if he has any physical limitations. If you're both starting out at square one, you are the one who will need the safety setup. Kids learn fast and your son will outpace your efforts with ease. You can increase or reduce the speed of the kite by using shorter or longer lines. Bottom line is get whatever rings your chimes and get out there and fly it. You will have some challenges, frustrating at times, as you learn to control the kite, but that's the same thing you experience with all things that life presents. Just smile, have fun and don't forget to breathe. P.S. -- Contrary to popular belief, a kite doesn't always need a tail, especially kites with multiple control lines (anything more than one). The stability necessary comes from the pilot's input. Tails are nice visual effects and the only effect they have on performance is to reduce speed. To someone just starting out on sport kites they can be a hindrance.

Flying twitchy and not in straight lines is a result of a combination of these: 1. The nature of the beast. 2. Wind quality and speed. 3. Pilot's experience level. 4. Size of the kite. To tame it down use longer lines or fly a bigger kite and fly in smoother wind.

Choose whatever intrigues you, but leave room for dessert. Don't limit yourself to only having one kite.

The top spreader fittings look like they have moved down towards the tips. Move them back up and fix in position. They should ideally be in the center of the LE cutout made for them or just slightly above. In the photo you can see the left one and how far down it is. I'm thinking the right one may be similarly positioned. I think this should be all you need to do, but it wouldn't hurt to check the bridle for symmetry.

Hi, Don. Welcome to the forum and the dark side.

I feel your pain. Damn the rain.

Congratulations.