makatakam

Google Dodd Gross and go to his YouTube channel. Watch all the beginner vids. Most excellent demos and explanations.

Very interested in the bridle setup. Wondering how similar it may be to alternate bridle designs I've had in mind.

Here's some ideas if you guys want to give 'em a shot. And a vickie.

Stake the handles down. Unwind the line down wind from the handles. Set up the kite and attach the lines. Pull the lines tight while standing the kite up so it leans away from the handles. It will not launch by itself when it is leaning back. Go back to the handles and untwist the lines while keeping the kite leaning back. Launch. When you land the kite in a position you can't launch from, stake the handles down, walk out to the kite and set it up leaning back again. Walk back to the handles and continue. There are ways to recover from crashes back to the launch position that you must learn. Watch the beginner dual line videos on this forum. Also, Google "Prism kites the way to fly" and "Prism kites the advanced way to fly" and watch both. Choose a couple or three of the moves you've watched and go out and try them. It will get easier, and with time you should be able to recover from any position the kite ends up in. Take frequent breaks and don't overthink what you're doing. Shoot for the feel rather than the visual of what you're doing. Remember to have fun. Force yourself if necessary. Some things will be easier than others and it varies from person to person. Don't let it frustrate you -- it will come. Do everything to the left and to the right so you don't become "handed", and this includes recovery moves. There's a lot to absorb. Don't try to do it all at once. Gradual repetition is the way to go. You will soon be amazed at what you can do compared to the first time out.

It's different and depends on how easily you acquire the muscle memory. Flying a dual before may be helpful, but don't count on it. If you're learning alone, it won't be easy, but the effort is definitely worth it. It's a whole different beast in that you can stop the kite anywhere in the window, move the kite bacwards, sideways, do crazy spins around the center of the kite and a few other things you can't do with a dual. Of course there are also many things a dual can do that a Rev can't, and that's what I meant when I said they are different. On the average learning basic control on the Rev may be a bit harder, but learning the tricks a Rev can do is a bit easier. So, overall, I'd have to say that it's going to take about the same effort on your part. You will have twice the number of lines to deal with, but if you watch the line management videos several times you should have little to worry about. Personally, I pretty much gave up on duals when I started flying a Rev. I still have a few but they don't come out of the bag very often. I love the quads.

As the kite begins approaching the center of the window, walk forward just fast enough to keep it stalled. How fast you move depends on what the wind is doing. As long as you can maintain that balance the kite will continue to slide. Putting your index fingertips on the line may help you feel that balance better.

Hi, Rafael. It's good to see you take an active part here. Looking forward to seeing more of your creations posted here. Many things you can help others here with your experience.

@John Barresi So on the Kymera you are increasing or decreasing the amount of spine weight instead or changing the position of a fixed amount of weight? What if both and/or LE weights were used in combination? Could be fun to play with the rotational capability as well as the center of gravity.

Move the tow points toward the nose about 1/4" and try it. This should make a marked difference. The triangle will still be there, but its upper legs will be shorter. If it still oversteers more than you feel it should, move them another 1/4". Repeat if necessary.

First, check your lines to make sure they are equal. There are three things that will make it oversteer. 1. How far back the bridle is adjusted. -- To decrease oversteer move the adjustment towards the nose of the kite in measured increments, being sure to keep them equal on both sides. Check bridle legs for symmetry. 2.The length of the lines used to fly. -- The shorter your lines are the quicker your kite reacts to inputs and the less time you have to react to what the kite does. Lengthen the lines to decrease oversteer. 3.Your level of experience with the kite. -- Self-explanatory. Get out there and fly more. Plus, each kite and how it is adjusted will be different. It will take a couple minutes or more for your brain and muscle memory to adjust to the kite when you switch to a different one, or when you begin flying after you set up. Time on the lines seems to be the cure for most problems.

I'm liking the second one going across. The others look too Darth-Vaderish.

Yup, either end. Pick one. Do, however, put a lot of tension on them, then equalize. In other words, get as much of any stretch left in them out before you equalize, then you won't have to do it more than twice before they stabilize.

For now. I sincerely hope that changes. You're gonna love it ---------- eventually.

Two dorts for twice the fun!

I like mustard on my Petzl. 🤣

Spine weight. You'll be moving that to change the kite's stability. Towards the nose for tracking. Towards the tail for tricking.

Ok -- bad move. That's an oopsie. Unzip-tie them. You will be moving them left and right, towards and away from the spine and the leading edge and towards or away from each other, depending on wind speed and how you want the kite to fly. Do you want it to trick, or track, heavy wind or light? You can adjust for the extremes or blends of what's in between. You can even make one side fly different than the other one, if you have something special in mind, but usually they will be symmetrically adjusted. You can use them also to put more billow in the sail. More on that later once you're flying in very light wind confidently.

When you set up to fly, check everything! Visually inspect for twists and tangles in the bridle. Check the bridle settings and the Prussik knots to make sure everything is symmetrical and locked in. Verify that your lines are of equal length. Verify wind direction. Relax. Launch. Fly. Smile. Breathe. Rinse and repeat. You'll have less and less days like that as time goes on and you begin to do some of the basics automatically, without thinking about it. You'll eventually be able to tell the lines are off, one second after you launch. It gets easier every time. Hang in there. You'll survive. Take frequent breaks. Choose your wind so it will help you. If the wind sucks don't fly. In time you'll be able to fly in that crap and you won't realize it happened until you're flying in it. It's all about time on the lines. You'll hear that phrase repeated often. Experience beats the crap out of everything else. You'll get there. You've already covered a good portion of that distance. P.S. -- There's only one s and two i's in shiitake (shitsake).

Many of the SLK (single line kite) guys I know will double the strength of the recommended line for the kite. The line will make contact with the ground, things that are on the ground, trees (arrrgh), line hardware and other things that will cause wear. The line will be damaged by contact with these things and each time will have its strength reduced. Each ding and dent in the line weakens it, and it may end up with spots that are 1/2 of the original strength. Sometimes there may be slight inconsistencies in manufacture which will also create weak spots. Lines should be checked frequently and repaired or discarded depending on the type of damage. Safety first, and it doesn't hurt to protect your investment unless you've got thousands of dollars to throw away.

I'm not into the laundry and lifter kites so you'll need to wait for the other guys who know more about it. The one thing that does come to mind regarding the setup you described is safety. Should the main line fail you don't have everything running away from you, especially if each piece of laundry has it's own separate anchor. Not super critical on the smaller stuff, but once you get into big lifters and lots of laundry, if anything gets away from you it could cause injury or property damage, or if nothing else you could be out a lot of money and/or have to do a ton of repairs. Protect your investment. Better safe than sorry.

Really good looking design. You'll learn a lot about bridling and balance points from this build.

And the tips, too. No tension = no sail stretch. Also, check EVERY time you fly if your lines are equal. It'll sneak up on you over time and you'll wonder why your kite flies weird.

Hi, and welcome to the forum. It's good to have you on board and back into kiting.

Dinner and a movie? Your going through the same growing pains that every other kite flyer went through as a beginner. Don't let it frustrate you. Remember, this is fun. That's why you're doing it. You will survive the unknown territory and arise victorious. With time. Give it some. Each time you fly you get better and learn something new. If you are learning on your own without help from someone with lots of experience then it will be a bit more difficult but more fulfilling. I learned on my own for the most part of two years. As far as difficulty doing circles -- Check that your lines are of equal length. When you start a circle push one hand toward the kite and the other away from it, even behind you. If you're still having problems there may be an issue with the bridle. Check that all bridle legs are not wrapped up around something, twisted or tangled. All parts of the bridle should be symmetrical, left and right. If none of this helps, make an effort to get to a kite festival or a kite shop and ask. Take close up photos of the kite parked on the field and post them here. We can take a look and maybe spot what's gone awry. Just about any time anyone plants the kite face down on the ground with the nose towards them, it's time to take a walk. Unless the kite has a bowed leading edge, it is difficult to recover. Even if you're good at it, if you're flying on sand it's just like dragging your kite across concrete. It will cause much wear. I always walk. Once you've been flying long enough those moments will become rare, but even the pros manage to do it.

Hi, Pete, and welcome to the forum. Four-line suicide bedsheet with broomstick on ice skates here. I know what you mean!