makatakam

The Aussie kiteflyers are multiplying quickly. Pretty soon they'll all be flying kites. WoooooHoooooo!

Yep, it sure is. I just looked at it on Google Maps, on the "earth" view, and it is literally in a hole surrounded by mountains. Even if there was wind, it would be coming from different directions every 10 seconds.

I hung under a 15' traditional box in a seat harness about 90' up in the early 60's. I could see all of Lakes Elizabeth and Marie in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin from up there. Aluminum angle rods, braided steel cable rigging and "flying line" and handmade leather shoulder/seat harness, similar to a parachute harness.

I like it. Very nice, subtle color play.

But few here have actually been line laundry.

Schaumburg, Illinois, USA. NW suburb of Chicago.

Congratulations -- enjoy.

I'm old enough to remember many things that were optional items, like a radio, that today are considered necessities. I wonder how much the average vehicle would sell for nowadays if it was only "basic transportation". One can apply the same question to a kite. Average drug store paper kite back in the sixties was less than a dollar. Today $5 ? What is the minimum price possible taking all production costs into consideration? What is the maximum most consumers would pay? Somewhere in between is where the entry level unit is usually priced. How do kites compare? If you have built your own you could say they cost much more than they should. But have you added the cost of labor? And how much is fair pay? How much are wages in China in comparison? Should a kite manufacturer be allowed to make a decent living? Damn, now my brain hurts!

This would be better satire if it had the original audio, but I'm still ROFL.

Hi, Eric, and welcome to the forum. Glad you could join us. No matter what your level of experience is you will find the people here friendly and helpful. Smile, have fun and don't forget to breathe.

That show still confuses me. It aired in the US on public broadcasting stations (PBS), and unless you caught it from the beginning and saw every episode, you stayed eternally confused.

Sure it does. That's the definition of the word. Best performance, least waste. Inspect the panels for weave direction and you should find no variance. Those patterns for cutting the cloth were established years ago to maximize performance and minimize waste. As long as the panel dimensions don't change there is no reason to cut them any other way. Now on the Reflex and Spider, well . . . . . As far as weave bias is concerned, they knew how that affects the kite way back in 1988 when the Neos Omega was invented.

They will probably cut the fabric in the same and most efficient way that they always have. I'm willing to bet that it won't change. No custom colors sucks, though.

I hope everything goes well. Tell her Mark says "Get well soon so you can help your dad fly a kite".

They just don't want lightning and skeleton keys raining down from the sky, because you know that's what happened when Ben Franklin flew his.

I suck at remembering people's names and faces, but I would probably remember the kite.

The Prism Freestyle DVD has good relaunch info as I recall. Wrist straps can be ordered online and are light enough so shipping is minimal.

That never really goes away, just becomes less frequent. Besides, we can all use the exercise!

Yep, and about 6 or 7 more. He'll be in good hands.

Hi, Deke. I believe we met at Busse, or somewhere. There are at least a half-dozen flyers who regularly show up at Busse Woods to fly. Most of the time it's during the warmer months, or if we get an exceptionally warm day and we can get everyone together. Keep an eye on the IKE forum, under the club and/or quick fly topics. If it looks like a decent day someone will usually post up in the morning by noon. I don't fly when it's cold because of bad blood circulation that makes me very cold in a hurry. When the days start getting to about 60 degrees, feel free to call me at 224.227.0638 and we can get together. Put my number in your phone. My real name is Mark Kmiecik. I have the guys whose numbers I have listed by their first name and "Kites" as the last name. Or create a group. Once the weather is a bit warmer they will all start coming out.

Wrist straps are fine for now. Eventually you will want to better feel what your kite is doing and how the wind is moving it. At that point you can adjust your wrist straps so that you can put a fingertip on the line to feel the more subtle feedback that your kite is giving you, but until you can actually feel the difference there's no point to it. Once you begin stalling the kite and getting it to side slide consistently you will be ready for the changeover. The wind speed will also dictate whether to use wrist or finger straps. Make sure to broaden your horizons each time you fly. Try new and different stuff and become flexible in your approach. Be able to use whatever the situation calls for. Most experienced pilots get rid of additional clutter and larkshead the line to the kite. The cleaner the setup, the cleaner it will fly. Remember, the kite has to lift everything attached to it; in light wind this additional weight may be the difference between flying and not. The leaders between the flying lines and the bridle are there to decrease the amount of wear to the sail and the flying lines when doing roll-up tricks like yo-yos. Until then, don't sweat it. And remember, we do this to have fun. Don't get frustrated if it doesn't happen for you instantly. Some things come easy while others don't. Have fun doing what comes easy, then throw in a minute or two of practice on those things that don't.

Maybe something even better! I noticed that you're not wasting any time -- kudos.

Cool. This clears up a lot of questions regarding how the B-Series and B-Pros came to be. With the above made clear, I will say that if I were the owner of the company I would want the association between the company and someone who has been devoted for so long to the use and promotion of the products I make and sell to stay in a satisfying, meaningful and profitable relationship for eternity. I would do what I could to keep it from ending. Personally, I think all the angles of everything are wrong on every Rev. It is not really designed to present maximum sail area possible while still retaining its inherent control and agility. Some will not agree, others will. I would have done a ____-load of "tweaking", and I only have 7 years of experience with the kite, not 30-ish. I have flown the "springy" original Reflex in very low wind and was not impressed. I'm hoping to try one of the "best Revs ever" this year, but I doubt it will do anything that will make me want to buy one on the spot.

I have given serious thought to buying every B and B-Pro that I can find as an investment. In about 2 years should be able to triple the money put into it.

Or a Vicki.