makatakam

Low wind separates the wanna's from the be's. Definitely bring those uprights down at least an inch, ideally flush with the leading edge.

My guess would be the handle end, right Wayne? Unless you crash and tangle a lot. The end is near. That's my line and I'm sticking to it.

Anything built by Bazzer is worth having. I'm glad you're enjoying it, but be very careful. Before you know it, you'll have five quads or more to cover all possible wind conditions. Did I mention extra frames, line sets, handles..........?

@John Barresi and @Paul LaMasters. No, no, no, you guys misunderstood!!!! I mean have the kite do a 450-degree spin on the throw so it goes around 1-1/4 times before hitting the end of the lines. The axel is initiated by the throwing motion created by the pilot.

You put the lime in the coconut.....

Cool. Remember, though, that you'll have to fly it upside down in the northern hemisphere.

Congratulations.

Hey, cj. Welcome to the forum. I look forward to crossing lines with you some day.

Good informative post. I believe a lot of people thought that a tying jig is a complicated, high-tech setup, not realizing that it can be as simple as a pine board with a few pins placed at the distances between knots plus the length of the knot if so desired.

Reviewing this thread made me think, so I took some Excedrin for the pain. Seriously though, when doing a catch and throw, it may be possible to make the throw an axel in itself. Has anyone here tried it? And with one spin in the right direction put into the lines before the throw, the axel would also unwind the lines.

It looks just like the sleeved lines, only imagine two figure-eight knots instead of two overhand at the base of the loop, and a loop that's two inches longer, and no sleeving. You can tie one more figure-eight knot in the distal end of the loop so there is something you can grab easily to undo the larkshead when breaking down the kite.

Yup, easier to get that sharp pop past your hip on shorter lines. Throw lots of slack with the other, more than you would with longer lines. Easier to see the way it reacts on shorter lines too. Midvent in 6-9mph is axel heaven. Any more than 9, work it closer to the edges of the window. Practice both directions so you don't become "handed".

Winner is elmo264. The random.org page is a photo, not a link.

Drum roll, please. The winner is: Congratulations, @elmo264.

Ok, it's 8:00 pm. This is the cut-off post. No more entries after this post. I'll be back in a few minutes to post the winner. Good luck!

When you feel like you have almost no control over the kite, you should have switched about 5mph ago. When it hits 15mph I'm already on my full vent. I don't like a lot of pull and find greater satisfaction in precision and control. If you like the pull and the speed, make your next kite a Rev Supersonic. You'll literally hoot flying that puppy! Give it a try next time you see someone flying one. Just remember, things are gonna happen really fast. It flies backward nearly as fast as your midvent flies forward.

I will draw the winner at about 8pm Central time tomorrow, 9-21-17, using random.org to generate the winning number. That gives you less than 24 hours to get in on this drawing. Good luck to all.

The upper limit of the manufacturer's specified wind range, or a few mph less than that if you take gusts into consideration, is a good point to move to the next venting level. Although most kites can be flown well above that recommended upper limit, it will prematurely stretch the sail material. Now, I say "prematurely" because the material will eventually stretch anyway. Pressure of the wind in the sail will make it happen and there is no way to stop it. You gotta face the fact that it will happen, because kites-- like cars -- ultimately just wear out from being used. So knowing that, there is only one question left to ask: Are you gonna fly, or you gonna watch? If you can afford to replace the kite sooner than expected, go for it and fly. If your budget is limited, switch kites or fly someone else's, or pack it up and watch. It's up to you and please know that the kite will still fly fairly well even if the sail is stretched. It just won't be at peak performance depending on your style of flying. If you're into precision, I think it actually performs better. A new crisp sail is better for a yank and spank style and tricking.

Hi, Arctic Cat ZRT, and welcome to the forum. It is easier to fly in low wind conditions if you have tons of experience (hundreds of hours), but don't let that disillusion you. It only gets easier with each time you fly in those conditions. Although I can fly a dual, I'm more of a quad-head and not much into tricking the duals, even though I own a few higher-end ones. I'm going to let the more experienced pilots here guide you in the selection of a kite for the conditions you described, which are pretty much the same winds that all of us inland flyers have to deal with. I have only chimed in on your query to make you aware that there is a chance that you will not "click" immediately with any kite you select, as some flyers are not comfortable flying a kite that another flyer may absolutely love. Once you start selecting kites for a specific purpose, it becomes very much a matter of personal preference. It is good sense to "try before you buy", if you can. If not, then trial and error is your only option, but don't let that scare you, as it is unlikely that you will absolutely hate the kite you choose. Good luck in your venture. I look forward to sharing a field with you some day. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe.

It's not one of mine. I just grabbed the image as an example, but I have flown similar kites. Flies like a vented Rev, maybe just a touch smoother with a lighter feel until you get to really, really strong wind. Kind of like being slightly "disconnected" from the kite. Like flying a ghost kite. Hard to explain, but I think you get the idea.

I have sleeved and non-sleeved sets in my bag also. The ones I purchased came sleeved at both ends. The ones I made are sleeveless at both ends. When I cut old worn lines down to shorter lengths, I use the sleeved ends at the handles and the unsleeved ends at the kite/bridle. I like the speed with which unequal/stretched lines can be adjusted to match the others simply by tying knots into the loop. I make the loops about 8" long and use two figure-eight knots at the base to form the loop and one at the distal end to form a tab I can grab easily to remove it from the bridle when breaking down. The three figure-eight knots eliminate slippage in the slick spectra line. I use overhand or figure-eight knots near the base of the loop, depending on how much the line needs to be shortened, to adjust line length. I can equalize a stretched line in ten seconds. I have never had any problems with the line cutting others, cutting itself, the bridle, or the handle leaders any more than a sleeved line would in the same conditions. I do like sleeving at the handle ends of the line for ease of handling when adjusting the amount of brake and as something to grab when doing catch and throw, but the pull-tabs I tie in the ends of the loops and the very long leaders I use on the handles, as much as 14", render the sleeving a preference, not a necessity. I believe that the cleaner and simpler solution is the better one. The less junk attached, the less problems and maintenance will be encountered. No sleeving at the kite end also reduces weight and drag, and even though it is just a gram or two, if you're really into low or no wind flying, every little bit adds up in the long run. In the end, whatever you feel comfortable with will work for you. There is no absolute method, and what floats your boat is what you should use. As materials and understanding of their use get better with time all this will change. Heck, Revolution used to attach metal clips to the bridle to hook your lines to. Those kites are now ancient collectors' items. Experiment as much as you care to, and keep the community informed of any techniques or modifications you have made that look, feel or perform better than the original. I have made so many modifications to my kites that some of them have become very noticeably different. Some people will like a certain modification, some won't. You should be aware of all the possibilities, try those that you find interesting, and use those that make you a better pilot and give you more satisfaction. Have fun, smile and don't forget to breathe.

You can get a used EXP or SLE model pretty cheap and do this to it:

This is the point at which the fun really begins. If you want to progress more quickly from this stage use all the brake you possibly can for any wind conditions you encounter. Each time you fly go through all the moves you know how to do very, very slowly. This is how you build muscle memory and acquire precision. If you can't do it slowly with precision, speeding up the move only magnifies every imperfection. For the same reason, it is good to practice new moves as slowly as possible to build the muscle memory required to do the move at normal speed. Without a solid foundation the structure will crumble and fall. Take frequent breaks when learning new stuff. It will give your muscles time to return to a neutral state, and lets your brain reset. Don't forget to have fun. If you're not having fun, pack up and go home. Don't fly if your mind is on something else. Remember, smile and don't forget to breathe.

While grosgrain fabric is generally black, it can be many different colors, and grosgrain ribbon comes in a large variety of colors and patterns. "Grosgrain" is commonly used to refer to a heavy, stiff ribbon of silk or nylon woven via taffeta weave using a heavy weft which results in distinct transverse ribs.

Take a B-Pro and a P-Pro and put one on top of the other (fully assembled) and check the shapes of the sails. I don't have a P-Pro yet that I could compare to my B-Pros, but I suspect there may be contour differences that may account for differences in flight. Changing the aspect ratio even slightly will make a noticeable change in performance. That's why kite manufacturers use templates to cut and assemble the individual panels once the performance characteristics they want the kite to have are achieved. Staying as close as possible to the same dimensions yields predictable performance from the finished sail. I believe that Bazzer, over the years that he's been building kites, has developed a pattern that differs slightly from the Revs and gives his newer builds a significantly different feel. You can alter the ratios of a sail and still keep the same size frame members. I would love to sit and talk to him strictly about the technical aspects of kite building.