makatakam

This sudden feeling of Deja Vu settles over the contestants like fog in the marsh. Could it be ...... Look, up in the sky -- nope, just a bird.

Will an "air kite" video qualify? You know, like air guitar.

Melt a small hole, 1/16 to 1/8" diameter, through the sail and install a grommet. Will last forever. Not really, but 4X as long before it frays is about right as long as there is no lateral force on the sail material. With lateral force the sail will begin to come apart at the outer corners of the frame.

I'm in the Chicago area. I'll be happy to teach you in person. Room and board from December 1st through April 1st and I will be your personal instructor, and you'll be flying better than you thought you would in just a few short months. You are somewhere warm in Mexico, right?

I can't fly that because it would interfere with my new diet. I don't eat GRASS anymore!

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

It's not red. Nuts.

.....and when you're flying your kite on spectra lines, avoid single line kites, the small cheap stuff like the plague. The "string" that those kites fly on will cut through your expensive spectra like a hot knife through butter.

Great idea, Wayne. Simple and effective. And you only have to do the ends that are worn.

Google "wind map" and you can see how the wind is constant flux and how many different directions are happening at the same time. Now imagine that the map of the country you are looking at is only the county you are in. Well, there won't be quite as much variation locally, but obstructions like moutains, buildings, wooded areas, depressions, river valleys, cold and hot areas of ground will all affect the wind a bit. It never all comes from just one direction except from off the ocean. Too many variables to "pin" it down.

OSK has quad-line 90# by 82-foot set on special right now at 60 dollars. They don't specify the manufacturer, and it may not be as tight a weave as LPG or Skybond, (tight=slippery=good) but judging by the price it's a decent spectra line set. OSK is a reputable kite shop. If you're going to own just one set, don't buy 50#, get 90#. You'll get much more than $5 of extra durability and longevity.

That 2" loop that came with the new bridle replaces the one connected to the leading edge. I would just replace the worn piece with the new one, no sacrificial in that location. Just keep it simple. If you make that center loop longer it will make the kite lose a bit of stability. Depending on your flying style and what you want the kite to do, you may or may not like it. One way to find out is to try it. You can also try shortening it. Both will have noticeable effects on performance. Give it a shot. You can always make the way it was without much effort. Some of my home-made kites have bridles that are adjustable at every point where it attaches to the frame. Each has a length of line attached to the caps and the center point, that has about 10 knots in it like the adjustment knots on your handles, about 3/8" apart and the loops of the bridle larkshead to these. Voila, totally adjustable bridle. Great for tuning in bridle length for kites you build that are a different aspect ratio than the common Rev. Really dial in on what the wind is doing. Extremely helpful on my home-made extreme ultralight to help match the frame flex to the wind speed. The knots limit the flex in 2-mph wind (strong for this kite) and allow more flex in 1/4-mph wind.

Shanti Skybond, or Laser Pro Gold (LPG) will do fine. If you fly alone, just for grins, then 80-foot or 100-foot will do the trick. If the lines came with the kite when you bought it they were probably 80-foot. The two I recommended is what is commonly available here in the states from just about any kite shop. If there isn't one near you, just Google kite shops and buy online. Just so you don't drop dead when you see it, I'm gonna tell you about the upcoming sticker shock. Be prepared to spend as much as $100. The next time someone intentionally runs over your lines get his plate number and call the cops. And take good care of that SLE. Its a discontinued model, but a well-made durable beast of a kite. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe. P.S. -- Don't buy the cheap stuff from China. It has a looser weave, and is not as slick. It will stretch like a rubber band. It will collect dirt like a magnet. It will wear out in half the time. It will hinder your performance. In time you will shout obscenities at it.

...Sonoma, Mendocino. FO SHO

That wind that keeps changing direction is what the weatherman describes as "variable". Sometimes the winds blow from two or three directions and come together at or near where you are flying. Depending on which direction is moving/gusting faster at the moment is the direction that prevails, although only momentarily, and is the direction you feel. Then it changes. Sometimes it changes direction very quickly, sometimes it may take a few minutes -- variable! Sometimes there is no wind, absolute calm. Then suddenly it blows from the west. Then nothing. Then east, etc. This usually happens after 11 am on bright, sunny and calm days. What you experience in that case is a thermal (bubble of air warmed by dark ground that absorbs the sunlight and gets really hot) that rises and air rushes in from all sides surrounding it. If the dark ground surface is large and you are surrounded by it there will be multiple bubbles rising together or alternately, which accounts for the change of direction. Realize that one bubble may be a mile or more in diameter, or as small as an asphalt tennis court. Wind is weird stuff; once you begin investigating its behavior it gets weirder. If you feel or your kite reacts to vertical air movement, either up or down, you are exactly at the center of the bubble (up), or just outside its edge (down). Strange critter, this wind thing. There are a few other (dozens of) possibilities that explain the direction in which the wind moves and the reason for it, I just don't want to type 80 thousand words tonight.

Buff. Buff, buff, buff, buff. Buff, buff. Buff, buff, buff.John, take the buff off the Djinn. Let the sunshine help it bloom and ripen.

Also "Old Pros' Knowledge".

It's late next month already. It will soon become "distant future".

Your best bet, since you're in Washington DC, is to get together with Paul LeMasters. He's over in Germantown and flies near and in DC all the time. He'll probably pop in here and say hi to you since he is quite active on this forum. You may have to wait until Monday cause he's usually out flying on weekends. The best low-wind kites to be found in your area are in his bag and those of some of the guys with whom he flies. Definitely get together with him as he can advise you better because he has so much experience with the "no wind all summer" conditions in your area. The SUL model that Rev made is the go-to production model for low-wind flying. I'm not sure if it is still being made. The best kites for low-wind flying are made by the people who fly them -- in other words, home-made. Low wind flying is quite difficult if you don't have a lot of experience, but flying in it is the best way to learn, so go for it. The Supersonic is a Speed Series kite, and will not leave the ground in wind less than 4mph. At 5mph it is difficult for a pro to keep airborne. When the wind is fast enough it is a total hoot to fly and will do a couple or three things that a standard Rev can't. The Reflex will fly in wind less than 2mph with a lot of footwork and a ton more experience. If you have a ton of time on the lines you can do it. I have home-made kites in my bag that come in at less than 4.5 ounces in weight. They will fly if someone farts. Production kites are no match, so don't expect too much from them. It would be good to sit down and discuss this with an experienced pilot, so that's why I recommend you get together with Paul and the rest of the DC crew. Good luck. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe. P.S. -- The DC guys will insist that you try all their kites before you decide what to get. Don't argue, just do it. It will make them feel good.

Thank You.

Congratulations.

Good lookin' kite. I may have to get one.

If you put it one photo and it freezes on the second and you have to refresh, that's the file size. Use a photo editor to resize the image.

Hey, when you're going to an event, post up here in advance a week or two. Maybe some of us can join you. Yeehaw.

I don't like wrapping onto the foam part of the handles. It leaves impressions in the foam that disappear eventually, but that I find annoying for the hour(s) that they last while I'm holding the handles and flying. I'll wrap onto the handles occasionally, but only if I have no choice. I would rather fly the kite out to the side and park it along an edge or barrier, or somewhere out of the way.