makatakam

Backlit is just WOW!

I've been watching FliteTest for the last couple of weeks, almost everything they've done since day one, paying special attention to the soaring/glider videos and then found the Dynamic Soaring reference which I found fascinating. I actually suggested kites to them for days when the wind makes it hard to fly RC, but it was probably more people than just me suggesting it to get them to do it. Gonna go watch it now and come back with my response. Edit: Watched the video. Pretty cool. I hope they do tests of other types of kites in the future. I think they can get a lot of new people into the sport. I'm going to go to their site and suggest more kite videos.

Congratulations, Mike.

Yup, and save all the bridle you don't use for other kites and future replacements. Just remember that you're moving the bridle further away from the kite. You may have to adjust if you don't like the way it feels. A bridle that is further out makes the kite feel spongier.

You're getting better at an exceptional rate. Keep it up and you'll be Master Level in no time.

Ok, here's a challenge. Use a quad kite to catch a fish. Not to just drop a bait out in the water. Line and bait attached to kite. No rod and reel. Catch it, pull it out of the water with the kite and land it.

You're sure you don't mean Handel rap? That's what Google would ask.... ...but seriously, just grab a pop can, empty or full. Place the can against the aluminum part of the handles and wind around the can and handles. You do carry rubber bands or velcro strips in your pockets or your kite bag so you can secure them on the can when you're done winding, right? Now you do.

Very nice. Two years, huh? Watch out, @John Barresi, here he comes.

Hey, stop that! You're scaring the fish away. Cool.

Yup, making lines. Even if you don't regularly tie your own to save money, it's good to know how it's done so that when you have to, your day isn't ruined because you can't. Knowledge is everything, and I'm sure you remember everything he said, right? You can leave the kite end unsleeved. Less weight and air resistance that the kite must pull. Try it. You may like it. Just tie a knot at the end of the loop for something to grab when untying the larkshead. Less drag means you can use more brake and still keep up with the others. Less drag means your axels will swing around more easily and/or faster. Your throw after catching will make it to the end of your lines easier, etc. I'm sure if you think about it, you can come with a couple more benefits yourself.

Sacrificial bridle loop pictorial. Create a 2 to 2.5" loop using single overhand knot. Trim and flame end. Put bridle leg loop, the one at the end of the bridle, through endcap. Attach sacrificial loop to bridle loop. (square knot ) Tighten and pull square knot through endcap. Loop sacrificial around endcap as you would normally the bridle loop. Tuck that ugly knot into the hole if you don't like the way it looks. It's gonna be a little tight in there, but that's ok because it will reduce movement and, therefore, wear. I have not done this on any of my kites, but going by Paul's description, this should work fine. I wouldn't bother extending the center frame loop. Just replace that shorty as necessary. This will put your bridle about 1-1/2" further out from the sail. If you don't like the feel or performance you can tie a knot(s) in the bridle loop to shorten it to the original lengths, or just shorten the bottom ones to improve axels. You knew about shortening the bottom of the bridle to make axels easier, didn't you? P.S. -- You guys owe me 9" of bridle line that I wasted on this picture shoot and a million dollars for the pics 'cause they're priceless, or 6000 words because that's what six pictures are worth.

I just thought of something. We could use sacrificial lengths of bridle line that would add an inch or two attached to the caps. Replace when worn with new ones. I wonder if it would make much difference when the bridle is an inch or two further from the sail. Replace just the one(s) that have worn should be really quick, even on the field. Just carry a half-dozen pre-tied loops in the accessory compartment. Knot of the loop goes at the cap, while the bridle is attached square knot style.

It hurts just to look at that. You absolutely need to get a vented, or stop flying when it blows that hard! Of course who am I to advise you. Look at what I do with a full vent.

Ground contact, especially on the beach is what kills them. If you fly with that one before your replacement comes in and it snaps, just drop the handles, literally. If the kite begins to spiral very fast you will break a frame member and possibly puncture the sail. You can buy bridle line and tie your own in the future. They are quite easy to tie, don't have to be dead on, just symmetrical side to side (mirror image). Should be able to knock one out in less than an hour without using a jig. With a jig -- you would have to make your own -- 10 to 15 minutes once you've done a couple or three.

A stretched sail should still fly very well. Bill will get it on the right track. He probably has at least one that's even more stretched.

It's more of a Falcon than a Pinto, but you'll still appreciate the Ferrari. Of course, you could start with a Corvette and move up to a McLaren.

The ideal would be to come out of the cap at about 30 to 45 degrees from the tip, but anything from 0 to 90 degrees will work 317% better than the original hog rings. (The percentage of 317 was found to be accurate in a government-funded study.:)) You just need to make sure the leaders are not rubbing against the edge of the screw which will cut through them. You can add a "sacrificial" extension from the screw to the leader that can be quickly and easily replaced when it wears through instead having to tie or buy new leaders. The leaders will eventually wear, but you can extend their life considerably by using the extensions.

Good, you'll learn a lot and quickly with a bit of hands-on instruction. What were you using before? I know you mentioned it somewhere, but I'm too lazy to look for it.

Jeez, they're making it into rocket science. The 1.5 frame length and height remain the same but the tube diameter may vary, so the worst case scenario will be changing out six endcaps for ones that fit both sizes of tube diameter. Not a major deal, but still some minor expense and definitely a p.i.t.a.

Win7 should not pose any problems. Most of the time it's the size in of the photo file. You'll get a message that says something on the order of "photo file size too large". You can use a photo editor to make a copy, change the size (usually 50% will work) and save it as a separate file (give it a different name like if the original is Joe, call it Joe2) and try posting again.

Cool. Very cool.

That should do the job quite nicely. Well done.

Did he fly with you, or is it just the kite that makes the difference?

Way out, dude.

The EXP, SLE, B-Series, B-Pros, and many others all use the same size of frame called a 1.5, while the 1 and the 2 are larger and smaller respectively. Rev made a Reflex model that was built on a larger frame, but not as large as the 1. Most Rev-style quad line kites that you will come across will be the 1.5 size, so the answer to your question is most probably yes, but not always, depending on what you buy. If you are not sure, ask. The people on this forum have flown almost every kite out there.