makatakam

Cool beans! I built a quad similar to the dragon quite a few years ago. In certain conditions it will "flap" its wings. Feels weird and its a bit unsettling at first, but once you get used to it it's fun. I don't know if you can get the dragon to do it, but if you play with the tension on the cross-spar you may be able to make it flap. The tiger print is sweet.

And once you gain enough experience, your initial opinion of each kite will change. Once you can appreciate what each was intended to do, everything you thought you knew is out the window. That's what makes it fun and a lifetime of learning. Don't forget to breathe.

....and the winners in the "JB for life" raffle are TK and Luca. Congratulations!

Pokemon have been spotted flying their kites in Schaumburg, Illinois area and probably many others today. Here's a photo:

I replaced all the spars in my kites with steel i-beams. Now they don't break anymore. Of course, the kites don't fly anymore either, and they're way too heavy to carry around around, so I just leave them at home when I go to festivals and fly other people's kites. If something breaks it doesn't matter. Not my kite.

Try to have exactly the same equipment for the significant other as you have for yourself. If it's different then there's always the excuse that "your stuff is better than mine" available to be used, and, truthfully, some kites just won't fly when the one you're using will. I was heavy into fishing back when I was married -- and still am -- and my wife got into it by default, and eventually began really enjoying it. I made sure that we had the same tackle and it put her on a level as my equal, which is always good in any relationship. If there's any chance that another person feels they are being deprived, especially of having fun, it doesn't go over big with them. Another option is to let her use the better stuff, but that is kind of like saying "I'm better than you and can do what you can with inferior equipment". Until she has the knowledge and experience to choose her own . . . .

I don't know offhand. I only have 1.5's, B-Pros, etc. I have flown an RX once, in very low wind, and didn't connect with it. Not saying I don't like it, just that I haven't spent enough time with it to fully appreciate it. There's a lot of good discussion on this topic here. Use the search option to find what others have posted. There's a bunch of politics involved, but if you disregard that you can find some answers.

There are things a dlk can do that a qlk can't. There are things a qlk can do that a dlk can't. It is good to be good at both. JB is one example. Once you discover the absolute precision of a qlk, it draws you mercilessly. Good luck not getting hooked.

I was into RC soaring back in the day. Didn't care for the noise and fumes of powered flight. The cost of flying RC gliders is pretty close to that of powered aircraft and that was another consideration. I got into quad line kites and found that the initial expense and continued maintenance cost me less than a quarter of RC sailplanes, and I could have 20 wings for the price of four, and they fit into 1/10 of the space. Win/win. I still fly some RC quadcopter, but in the less expensive form, like under $300 total. I also have been drawn to flying things in just about any form, including rockets, and see that a lot of kite flyers leave other types of flying behind for the simplicity and elegance of wind-powered flight. For me, kites were a logical transition.

Nope.

Hey, Breezin. Great to have you on board! Kites are a great way to deal with taking your mind off the pain, and are a form of rehabilitation also. You move all parts of your body that you can and some that will surprise you in the morning, so don't overdo it the first few times out. I look forward to sharing a field with you someday.

I would lean towards buying longer lines, like 120's, and (maybe, eventually) cutting them down to two sets of 80' and 40'. The longer lines will probably only cost 20% more than an 80' set, but only about half of what buying two sets will eventually cost. If the extra 20% is not in your budget, find out what length sets the other kites come with so you don't end up with too many of the same length. If you keep on flying kites, buying bulk and making your own and/or buying longer sets will always be more economical in the long run.

Congratulations.

There is not really any particular starting handle position for this move, since it can be initiated from any direction, position or other move that you are doing. One way to learn tip turns (pivots) is to fly SLOWLY in a circle in either direction and keep making the circle smaller and smaller until the kite is pivoting around the tip. You can even make it pivot around the top tip of the upright if you make the circle small enough. Usually it will be easier for you in one direction than the other. Practice both directions so you can do both equally well. Spend some extra time in the direction you find more difficult. On a side note, if your lines, bridle, etcetera, are not all symmetrically adjusted, one direction will always be "a little bit off". There isn't really a good way to explain how to do this. It will come to you automatically if you just practice making your turns tighter and tighter each time you fly. Basic explanation is that you are retarding motion in one tip while flying the other forward. That means brake to one and forward to the other. Ladders will look better, once you have your tip pivots down pat, if you abruptly stop all motion at the end of each half-circle. There is no miracle instruction that will allow you to just go out and do this instantly. These are refinements of the moves you are already doing that will become smoother and tighter with time spent flying. Watch the basic control tutorials and keep an eye on what JB does with his hands. Happy Thanksgiving.

Sins I apologize for hijacking this thread. Please disregard everything that I said.

And then you vary the strength and length of the lines in the mix for that "ohh yeeeaaaahhhh" combination. That's what makes kiting a lifetime learning experience.

And I hear he's gonna use a Supersonic, so there's no point in running.

Everything in SketchUp is 2D until you give it thickness. It gives the backside a different hue so you know it's not the front. In other words it's 2D, but you can swing it around and look at the back or the edge. If you look at the edge it's only as thick as the line you drew it with, even if you zoom in. And, trust me, it is so much easier to use than most other apps of this type that are available as freeware. Play with it some more -- it will grow on you.

Yup, most people, most of the time, will find this works well. The one exception is very, very lightweight kites in very light (1mph and less) wind. Any exaggerated input with longer handles tends to pull the kite out of the sky. You can get used to the longer ones, but you have to make the transition each time you switch to that kind of kite. With short handles you don't have to spend the time getting used to making decreased inputs -- the shorter handles make it possible to use the same inputs you would use with a standard kite -- making the transition automatic, which keeps your muscle memory consistent and intact. In other words, you're not confusing the brain with different data to achieve what it has already learned.

I've been using Google SketchUp and am very pleased with it. It is a 3D application, and even though you only need 2D to do the design, it gives you the option of including frame members and fittings in your drawings if you want to get really creative. I have also used APM Graph Lite which is a 2D app, but somewhat tedious as far as use goes. These are both freeware. I really like SketchUp and heartily recommend it. It's overkill, but in a good way. Here's a couple of samples of what you can do:

.....and just because I couldn't resist the temptation. It's not the length of the handle that's important, but how you use it.

The only way you'll get it to last a lifetime is to never fly it. Forget that noise! Get out there and spank that puppy.

Your flying style and the size of the kite make a difference. Longer handles allow you to use smaller input motion to accomplish the same result as would a greater input with shorter handles. A smaller kite, like a Rev2 doesn't need as much input and therefore doesn't require long handles. At this point you throw in personal preference and physical ability. For instance, old farts like me don't have the arm strength and stamina to apply the force needed to apply leverage to a longer handle without tiring and pain, so I prefer shorter handles on the average. Folks with handicaps may use longer handles in some situations to increase the input to compensate for small range of motion in their arms. In other words, whatever works for you is best, but you have options if you understand what is possible. You find out what can be done by trying various combinations. When you fly with others try their setups and pay close attention so you can duplicate that setup when you need it.

Gospel. Definitely make sure you don't burn bridges as you cross them.

Something just seemed wrong, but I couldn't tell what it was at first. The kite just looked wrong. Then I saw the mesh the logo and the uprights, but no bridle, and it became clear what was up. We should make this a test question in the novice to intermediate exam. If you can't tell what's wrong with it you have to spend another season in novice class. This was fun. Let's do some other stuff like this.