makatakam

Did you ever watch the movie titled Contact? At the beginning, when she's frequency searching on the radio, dad says, "Small moves, Ellie. Small moves." This is exactly what the kite wants when you begin reverse motion. You can kick it up just a bit once it's moving, but too much or sudden input at either point and it will bowtie (fold). The Rev quad does not want to boogie backwards. It's got four forward gears, but only one reverse, just like a car. There are kites that will boogie backwards and we'll get to those later. The way to move backwards is with tiny input. Just think "backwards" and give it a little pressure, not a move but just pressure. More brake helps. There's that more brake monster again. Get used to it as soon as possible. You absolutely got to have it to do the really cool stuff. Also, it takes more patience and some skill to do any kind of move way out at the edge of the window. This is where the kite is most prone to oversheet and drop from the sky. So when you're near the edge, again, "small moves". Once you have a hundred or so hours under your belt, you can boogie out there and not lose it. Hint: down-turns work better at the edge than up-turns.

Any time the kite just drops out of the sky is a sign of oversheeting. It completely loses all pull and you can't feel the kite at all, right? Smaller inputs at the outset will prevent it most of the time. It becomes very apparent in low wind conditions and requires small and smooth inputs to maintain contact with the kite. If you can't feel it, you can't control it. You must have pressure in the sail to remain airborne. Any jerks or sudden moves and it falls. In a slide you are actually intentionally oversheeting the sail slightly. Too much input, especially at the beginning of the move, and gravity takes over.

Yes. Google "da vinci kite" for a few ideas. The Zero G glider kite is actually very similar to the da Vinci sketches with the wing fixed (not intended to flap) and the direction reversed (flown tail first, canard wing). That may be fun -- making a bird fly backwards. A glider built according to his sketches will fly and can be flown as a kite with the flying line attached slightly ahead of the center of gravity which should be adjusted to about 25% to 35% of the mean wing chord back from the leading edge. This type of wing will most probably fly best if the kite/glider is built a bit nose-heavy. Some trial and error will be necessary. It depends on the grade level you teach, whether this will be feasible, and your level of understanding of relatively simple aerodynamic principles. Some research and reading may be in order, but it is not in the realm of rocket science. Keeping it simple will yield the best results, so a stylized version with flat wing surface (as opposed to curved) and a dihedral of about half of what you see in his sketches (about 15 to 20 degrees should do well) will make for a steady flying machine. It can be as simple as one sheet of paper flown on sewing thread up to Icarex sail material and carbon fiber spars. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress. If you have questions you know where to find us.

The double tap is primarily used for launching as John mentioned, especially in low wind conditions or when the wind near the ground is very much slower than it is further up. The wind is slower near the ground as a rule when the terrain is flat and even more so when it is downhill away from you, even slightly. That's when the double tap shines. When the ground slopes uphill away from you the speed at ground level is close to what it is 10 feet up, and smoother. The downhill side of a rise with wind blowing over it in the downhill direction is filled with turbulent air, lots of swirls like the eddies formed in the currents of a river. You have to get above those eddies to reach the flowing air. It is much easier to launch on ground that is sloping upwards away from you, so look for minor changes in elevation in the field on which you fly. Park your kite on any high spot you can find and you will have better wind near the ground. Avoid depressions. Having to use a little extra tap/pull/step backwards when you launch is a good sign that you are using enough brake. Keep letting the lines further out until you reach the point where you just can't launch anymore and then walk out to the kite and put it leading edge down. Go back to the handles and do an inverted launch. No problem launching and it still flies forward when you want it to. You will be amazed at how well. You can launch from the upright position also in this situation by putting both handles in one hand and grabbing both top lines with the other and giving the kite a tug. Be prepared return the handles to normal position and fly. There's other things that can be done too which will put more smiles on your face. Stay tuned. You may even discover some on your own. Watch some indoor flying and see if you can apply any of those moves to your outdoor endeavors. The exaggerated moves you see are the things you can use in light wind. Smile, have fun and breathe. P.S. -- I realize that I get a bit long-winded (pun intended) on many of my posts, but I want people to understand WHY things happen the way they do.

Yes, once you're using enough brake it is easier to launch from an inverted position than it is from upright, which is the position you should be parked in for safety anyway, so it's a win-win situation. For the times you need to launch from an upright see the video above and learn the double-pump as well as whump.

Stay out of air traffic lanes. And you know that that changes depending on wind direction. I'm within 12 miles, west of O'hare International Airport in Chicago. Planes come in to the landing pattern from the west at 900 to 1200 feet at the rate of one per minute during peak hours and just a bit less frequently the rest of the time. You don't want your kite anywhere near within 500 feet of an airplane. If you do fly that close to one, the FAA will send someone to visit. You will not like it. I speak from experience. That said, all it takes to avoid unpleasant contact with the authorities is a little bit of common sense. Put yourself in the airplane pilots' shoes. What would really piss YOU off, knowing that sucking a kite into an engine could kill you and hundreds of passengers? The kite flying rules are rather vague because kiddy kites flown at less than 100 feet (in most cases) and stunt kites that are normally flown at 200 feet or less are generally not a threat to aviation unless flown very near an airport. Even the monster show kites are seldom flown at more that 200 feet. However, some SLK's can reach altitudes over 1000 feet given enough line and a pilot with enough experience to make it happen. If you feel the need to fly that high a call to the FAA is in order. I've done it. They will not laugh at you or hang up on you. If you ask for advice on a location where you can fly at high altitude they will help. They take it seriously and appreciate responsible action. The five-pound reference applies primarily to kites that may cause property damage or personal injury, whether while being flown or if it should break loose from its line or tether. Five pounds of kite with a solid frame coming down on a person's head can cause some real pain or even death. You know from your rocketry experience how deep a balsa nose cone can bury itself in the dirt if the rocket is heavy enough and the recovery system doesn't deploy. A framed kite can do even more damage. Rule of thumb with kites is to keep them under 400 feet and you will have no issues if you're at least 5 miles from any airport. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe.

The slack in the brake lines and slow reaction to turning when you use brake to initiate a turn are both good indicators that you are not using enough brake. Try one more knot of brake each time you fly, and then one more after about an hour. As I mentioned above, you're not going to like it at first, but you will get used to it. It sounds and feels counterintuitive, but the kite will actually move faster with additional brake up to a point. That is the point you want to reach. Most experienced pilots will fly with their brakes set two to four knots beyond this point, sacrificing some speed to gain exponentially more control. The wind is what determines how the kite flies, so the more of it pushing against the sail as opposed to sliding off of it will determine speed, agility, pull and precision. You are trying to achieve a balanced compromise of these to have control of what the kite does. You can fly at the extremes, for instance lots of forward drive to gain speed, but then you sacrifice the others, each to a different degree. Where you set the line on the knots is based on what you want to achieve, but until you are comfortable with ALL of the possibilities you have not learned complete control. If you ever want to be able to fly really well in 2mph down to 0mph wind, or wind that is howling at 25mph or more, you must become familiar with all aspects of tuning. And trust me, to fly in 2mph wind and look like a pro, you will be using near maximum brake, in other words setting the angle of the sail to the wind nearly as square as possible for maximum pressure to keep it aloft. Just keep trying to use more and more brake each time and with time you will be able to feel the difference. And choose good wind to learn in as I mentioned. Bad wind is not helpful. Once you master basic control and can tune your kite to take advantage of conditions you'll be able to handle whatever the wind throws your way assuming the kite you use can handle it too. It's a journey that never ends -- enjoy it.

Thank you. It's five colors of silk flower paint. Navy blue, violet, purple, burgundy and scarlet, in that sequence from top to bottom in a slight arc. The white lattice pattern was made by 2" strips of 3M blue painters tape. Super easy. The whole job took less than an hour. It only looks like a lot of work.

I checked the handles I have modded, and yes, #10 round head screws. The round head also has a thread that stops short of the head by close to 3/32" and I buried the thread within the anchor. I cleaned the burr off the outside of the tube, but left it intact on the inside, figuring it would help hold the anchor when expanded by the screw. I recall that I did have to force a couple of the anchors because of the burr. I used a clove hitch to secure the leader to the screw. I noticed that the vinyl cap does hold everything in position, but I didn't trust that just looping it over the screw would keep it secure so I threw the clove hitch on. I also never had either of the two sets I did fail, and I made these mods more than five years ago. Still ticking. As a note to those who will be making this modification: If you get an idea about how it may be done otherwise, please, do let us know. We're always on the lookout for ways to improve performance. Don't be shy. Join the party!

@SHBKF The bottom leaders on the handles in your picture could be a bit shorter. I usually have two or sometimes three knots in my bottom leaders to allow for on-the-run instant line equalization should the need arise on the field. If you tie another knot or two at the same interval as the top leaders it will both shorten them about 3/8" per knot and allow adjustment when they become necessary. You may leave them as they are, and just keep mind that you can tie one should you need to make an adjustment. Of course, you probably already knew this, but I figured, hey, maybe the newer flyers will take note.

You're not getting soft. You're just losing your frame.

Hi, Sodog, and welcome to the forum. I'm sure we can help you with the bridle issue for the quad. Post a picture if you can. If not the make and model and a description of the problem should suffice. The group here has flown just about every kite ever made. If we can't figure out what you need to know, we can at least tell you who can. It's great to have you on board. Wow, 30 years without flying. How did you survive the torment? 😧 I look forward to flying with you someday.

Just send it to me. I'll bridle it and test it for you because you're too busy. You have lots of things to do. My address is . . . Oh, and I know the purpose/effect of the indent, and I won't tell anyone.

Or just use a larger diameter screw so it is really hard to screw in. That should put enough lateral pressure on the tube wall to keep it in place.

Choose your wind to fly in so you can fly the kite easily. Until you become very familiar with it, low wind flying will be very difficult and you don't gain any muscle memory because you are not repeating inputs consistently. Half of the control you need is learned through repetition. You have to repeat the moves for them to become muscle memory. I know how strong the urge to fly can be, but you are teaching your muscles something new and different each time if it's not consistent. It's a lot of wash, rinse, repeat.

Is it a 1.5 format? Is the slight v in the edge on the end intentional? (See my avatar)

You and I need to get together and make a video. Should be hilarious. We could do an instructional video about the importance of having at least two dozen kites on the field at all times.

I wasn't aware that the Reflex uprights are stiffer. I only got to play with a Reflex one time two years ago for about 5 minutes. I should have checked it out more closely. Live and learn. I didn't connect with the kite. It didn't want to load up as easily, probably due to the springs and stiffness of the uprights. Now that I know more about it I may give it another try.

Thanks. You are the master of IP. (Insanity Prevention)

Hi, spearfish13, and welcome to the forum.

Damn, there's two more that I found a bit further down the list. I thought I was losing it. Can someone in admin combine all three of these?

Oh, one more thing. The Reflex function can be bypassed so it can fly just like the standard EXP, so you can experience both and decide if the new technology suits your flying style.

Bump -- come on John, BUFF!

Nicely done. Congratulations to all. Of course I would have kicked all your butts. Please don't wake me up.😀 Just waiting for the Djinn contest.

I don't have a "B" bag. It's either "A" bag or no bag. My arsenal isn't extensive, but it's deadly.