makatakam

Bamboo, in order to be suitable for use as a kite spar, would have to be laminated from six strips like a bamboo fly-fishing rod. Those can sell for upwards of $1,800.00. Even the least expensive ones would probably sell for twice as much as carbon tubes.

The P100 will not have as quick a return rate as the Diamonds. The kite will feel a bit "spongy" and less responsive.

And you will like it. No choice.

Dark, very dark grey. Charcoal, you could say. Yeah, charcoal. Yeah.

Any time the wing is not moving forward, it is stalled. Just like an airplane. When it is sitting on the ground it is stalled, so even to launch you start from a stall.

Three-point variation of a Frenchie with anchored lower legs?

Try the Zephyr in 4-8mph with the weight in, and the nose tipped back a bit. That will give you the instability to start some serious tricking. It will also make any kind of stall move easier. Stalling the kite equals almost everything you can possibly do with a dual line kite.

This is an extremely steady flier. Great at festivals then there are LOTS of kites flying. It won't move around all over the sky and tangle.

Sync bridle? Explain, please.

It takes a while to build up a rapport with some kites, but once you do they will amaze. The Zephyr is one of those. Another is the Benson Gemini. Try one when you get the chance and you will understand fully how picky some can be as far as the kind of input you give it is concerned.

There's one titled Walk, Don't Run.

Head for the coast. It may be a bit further to travel, but some time flying is better than none at all.

The Quantum will do what you saw in the video and quite a bit more. It is well-made and durable, and should last for many years with reasonable care and minor maintenance. Like all kites, it's not unbreakable, but it's resilient enough to withstand most of the crashes you cause until you learn basic control. It is adjustable so you can start at a point that is user-friendly to a beginner, and change settings as you progress and begin to work the wind more efficiently. It is a relatively heavy kite, so don't expect to fly it in wind less than 6mph early on in your learning curve, and in wind over 18mph it will pull dramatically, possibly enough to plant you on your face. Overall, it's a great kite to begin with, and will get started on the road to tricking if you want to head in that direction. The panel design is pleasing to the eye, and is available in at least two color schemes. The price point is reasonable and you get quality for your money.

Yep, the red white and black is the one that comes to me.

The true test of any kite's performance capability is in Midwest winds. Everyone knows that! So, bring it.

The fractal is totally sweeeet.

Congratulations, Mike.

I was going to try to not spend a ton of time playing with the colorizer. I failed. Here's the first attempt.

Just in case you didn't know -- stay away from airports. Usually a distance of five miles is required by law, and altitude limits apply also. You can bring a plane down if it hits your kite just right. You don't want to be responsible for that. Some smaller local fields, especially those with grass runways -- in other words, low traffic volume -- may be open to it if you check in with them. Definitely stay away from the majors and busy municipal airports. Look for soccer fields and sports complexes and talk to management there. Most are fairly open to kite flying as long as you don't endanger anyone with your flying.

Once it gets up around 60 degrees. I get really cold, really fast.

Nope, just saw it on Google Maps. If you want to use Google Maps to search for places to fly, just look for anything that is a lighter color than the area surrounding it. The areas that have very short vegetation or none at all are usually a lighter color, except for freshly tilled farm fields in the spring. You also have beaches on the ocean that are not very far away. Beach breezes are the best.

You don't. You set up the kite end first. Lay down the kite face up, leading edge towards you with the lines attached. Put some sand on the leading edge. Roll out the lines on the beach, zig-zag or back and forth. Grab the handles with the lines attached and tighten the lines as you walk into the water. The sand you put on the kite on the LE should allow to pick up the bottom tips without the kite sliding.

Northwest RC club field may be a possibility on days when it's not crowded. In my area the RC fields are fair game if the RC guys aren't there or when there's just a couple and you can work together.

And it even gets better. The more you give it, the more it wants. Endless. Joy. Just remember, joy must be shared to be real.

Stand in the water and fly over the beach, or stand on the beach and fly over the water depending on wind direction.