Paul LaMasters

Napier does't come out often, but has been seen at Dory Park by me as of last June. I will be at Blue Ridge again this year but it won't be the same without Terry Murray on the soundboard and mic, hope to see you too. -plm

next time, edge bind the parameter of the sail first and then buy a "pre-made" leading edge sleeve from Eliot (YES they are available and worth every penny, Paul dugard has made a couple of his Vickis with 'em. A laser straight leading edge can be thrown very easily and tracks like the kite rides on railroad tracks, a pronounced curve (2-1/2 to 4 inches) built it will cup and fill the sail with power and make an easy to fly ultra light. These two objective are opposites, a compromise does both pretty decently, experimenting is almost as much fun as having it all dialed it y=to your personal preference.

A few of us will be down at the whalehead club this next weekend, fletch, Melissa, Dugard, Conklin, sir Paul, maya, and the other Paul, building our cherry blossom team routine. you all should enjoy your gig equally as well

the reflex 1.5 and their newest "classic" model come with 1/4 inch Green Race rods Almost everybody got paid for their past contributions, some in coin, some in kite and linesets, some in recognition Bazzer and Freidlein latest efforts also remarkably resemble the B-series panel layout. Surely that surprises none of us. We saw knocked-off Shook Mesh kites at SPI too.

despite the politics,...... the new Classic 1.5 Reflex is an excellent kite, worthy of your attention, funds and time applied to mastery of it's flight dynamics. How many of us HATED the indoor when it came out? How many of us REFUSED to fly that little 1.5 format (trying to creat a better following than the original Rev One had)?

I do not allow lessons taught in forward flight for new people. Why bother, every kite goes forward. The quads are about "control", you must first learn to back the kite up from inverted on the ground, or at the very least "cartwheel" it over to upright again! The are a couple of ways to slow down a kite, but the best way to "control" a kite is thru a big dose of DOWN in the tuning. All the cool tricks and extraordinary team stuff comes from controlled pilot commands to the bottom lines. Oh sure you manipulate your thumbs, but the effect is brake, adding or lessening impact on the flight dynamics. And for everyone laughing at the new Rev Classic (B-series sail & Reflex mechanism combined into one kite), get over it, it is for real and you will own and love one eventually too. A huge wind range that starts with negative numbers! It flies like a dialed in SUL and can work in a team environment when others are on mid-vents. The most significant difference between the original reflex model and this current configuration is that lack of pronounced oversteer. All powered up has a new meaning The line thru the handles on the Reflex grips must be much more securely fastened down, before it is the equal of "no-snags". Wiggling bits and sloppy commands dilute the fun. Maybe yours came different than my, by mine needed some effort to raise their standards. I used two lines, affixed to each other in opposite directions so they pull each other tighter not alternating 'tween loose and tight with every thumb flick

little tiny magic sticks create the same effect as the Reflex model offers, a shaped 3D sail. You make 'em really tight too, so the frame is distorted (bowed down spars). How much? Depends on two factors "risk and reward" Too much and the frame members may snap, too little and you don't get the effect you're seeking. That's fun and maybe a great solution in some decent beach wind (as it bleeds off some pressure and offers a killer float with all 4 lines slack). But a shaped sail also diminishes the lower end of the wind range dramatically. You can eliminate the "connectivity" between the two wing halves if you create the 3 point Magic Stick affixing method instead of the usual layout. Dave Ashworth uses this method and I have a couple of his indoor kites rigged this way (Orcon sails, 1/2 the weight of the indoor Rev, down spars are 1/8 pultruded tubes). The truss line doesn't go across the back of the sail connecting the two halves. There's a truss line from the center of the leading edge and another from the bottom wing tip and the last is an outside leading edge corner. They all meet at a point 098 end cap (I know it a tight fit, force it on there!) Ideally there will be no knots to snag on. Double wrap the string around the endcap (after passing thru the hole) and affix it permanently (stationary with nail polish) effectively creates two of the 3 strings necessary for the independent solution. Personally I prefer the connectivity of the stock sticks (Shook's Magic Sticks) Placement? The fitting on the down spar is correctly placed when you can release the tension on the strings (the kite is on the ground, leading edge upright), by suddenly throwing your arms forward or lunging at the kite. It should fall backwards and roll over flat to the ground, wrapping the strings around the leading edge EFFORTLESSLY. Some recommend a wrap in the strings first, to keep 'em centered. Obviously the kite needs to be near dead center down wind (only if you want to unroll it successfully as the next step). If the kite won't roll up almost all by itself then the sticks which make the magic are in the wrong location. How long: The length of the magic stick tube has a profound impact on flight dynamics. Too long & you can't catch the kite, instead it horseshoe shaped flights around above you to to back down wind. Too short and it won't roll-up into the string (it's officially called a "Clam shell roll-up") It's lots of fun to experiment around and doesn't cost a bundle or permanently impact the kite, in fact it easy to back to stock. Get some friends together and see what happens with the variables.

Rich was true friend that didn't need anything from you, he was fun all by himself or in a crowd! He will be missed at every gathering, but the suffering he experienced has finally ended, RIP

Tangled mess, not throwing a six pack

enjoy, you'll have fun there all together

Ken McNeill is the original guy using a shaped sail in stunt kiting. I had an AirFx probably a dozen or more years ago and it was a monster in low wind. That sail had straight lined edges sewn to curves, so it was 3 dimensional (more like a half dome tent than a tarp) I've seen some of his kites with faces on them, imagine trying to make that image line up across the cantenary cut! He said the famous blues bros kite donated to an auction (2004) represented the building time, materials and efforts of 3 normal kites, taking panels apart, minor image adjustments, etc. Harold Ames owns this kite now I think.

I used to live nearby (Hoffman Estates) and fly there at Busse Woods too back before '93

The first test of tuning is always the same. Set the kite up inverted (leading edge resting on the ground), if, when you push your thumbs towards the kite, it won't back-up, then it isn't tuned correctly! Now maybe in low or no wind, this actually also includes you having walking backwards too. ANY kite flies forwards, the sooner you work on inverted hover and reverse flight the better off you'll be as a quad-head. ALL the cool tricks and perfect control of team flying are "brakes related". Without a big dose of reverse tuning gusts are tearing that control out of your grasp even when flying alone. The first exercise to practice if I am teaching is usually the "cartwheel" so folks know how to roll it over from an inverted landing, instead of dragging the leading edge sideways to regain forward flight. Slow, steady control, imagine landing the kite into a trash barrel,..... Do it forward, left tip, right tip and then again inverted. Land into the trash-can! When you can replace that trash bin with a soda pop can you are one of us. If you wanted to really impress everyone, you'd land into the hole of an empty pop can, balanced on top of a fence post!!!

a couple of quick jabs Wayne and they will watch out for you instead, one rib punch, one crotch stab & a hip pointer snag ought to do it!

I just wore out one of the spring wire mechanisms on my Reflex. It snapped off next to the spar edge going into/against the tube. I was flying in a dead calm basically on 135 feet of 50#, on super long throw handles (to offset those stretchy lines). When I was done for the day I say the wire was in two pieces. I have enjoyed the kite stock, now it's time to try out some modifications, other than the addition of magic sticks. Lolly will hopefully ship me a couple of replacement down spars before the weekend. Foolish Hat Day and 1st Sunday club flys are at Sandy Point State Parkon the first of January. That darn oversteer is so different in flight dynamics compared to my other kites though, it's like learning to fly a quad all over again!

but not an ole beater, a crispy new one

zen

I use a diamond frame in a 135% Shook mesh (my highest wind kite), but then depending on conditions it could also sport a hybrid frame of 4 wraps and green race too. You want it bendy in low wind and pretty stiff if it's howling outside. Shook mesh kites are very versatile when a couple of framing choices are included. I have seen their 40%, next to 75% and others are on 100% or 135%,.. each person thinks they have the correct set-up and all the other folks are insane for using their arrangements, all flying on the same line-up next to each other..

you can assembly a hybrid frame too, using the "travel-frame format" as a guide. You can mix diamonds with Green race for example, stiff at the junction of the two spars and flexible everywhere else. You could run a tapered tube as the downspar, after all the bottom edge/end has less sail surface area, so rightly it should also need less strength to support it, correct? I like a lot of flex on the leading edge when alone, but need it much stiffer to do team gigs or track a straight line instead of flailing P-90s are like diamonds just a crossbow matches a long bow from england during robin hood times. They both throw an object down field, intended to maim or kill. HOW that object arrives is dependent on both the person shooting and the weapon itself. Green Race works almost always as a tube choice, diamonds allow you to fly the wrong kite in the right conditions. Experimenting with framing cost money, but so does all of the other fun stuff I'm addicted to in my spare time.

No, just keep practicing, eventually the lines get longer too

it can be tough to keep an area clear of spectators in DC, we generally keep at least one kite in the air while lunching or using the bathroom break for a resting period of time. I also layout a set of safety cones (the short little paint can liners from Home Depot) into a circle (120 feet in diameter) and place the battery/music player at this center. Then as the winds change direction you just rotate your flying position slightly to accomplish the revised mission plan. Back-up when necessary and recover your field to get back to the center again. Line lengths are a personal position. My coach Jeff Burka is probably on less then 35 feet and flying UPWIND, likely one-handed and NOT watching the kite. My travel buddy Paul Dugard undoubtedly has tow kites set up and probably on 100 ft 50# unless he can carry a set of 120's in each hand w/o undue efforts. Myself? I use everything from 50 foot/100# flailing 3-D movements to 135 foot/50# (zen or Reflex ~ both flown slowly. what you want to learn influences the choices of equipment. Throw and catch is best done on short lines to learn, more mass (weight) in the leading edge make it easier to pitch in a straight line. Heck the throw can taught "off the lines" until it is second nature. Want no wind practice?,.. that is field management techniques of body positioning/movement and light weight framed kites. Flick/flak REQUIRES lots of down in the tuning of your leaders. Longer handle lengths make slack line efforts more effective/easier to acquire. In big wind though these handles are down right painful, not just uncomfortable! Team flying is about becoming proficient enough to fly over a trash can with perfect control. (now you can fly a Rev). To be one of us you must remove the trash can and demonstrate your control over a soda pop can instead. Is that 18 months of practice or does it happen in a single hour?, (i've seen both!) the most important part is to enjoy yourself, all the skills will come eventually with time on the lines.

the gray dual-lined kites are being flown by Ron Graziano,... you will never see a finer skilled flyer in the united states! His partner is also impressive. I believe the kites are Ron's own design too and he so flies the stitching out of 'em, this is LBI is is in his home town or close enough to ride a bike to anyway. -plm PS: sunday was booking huge winds all day and rain until about 2:30 pm,.. so windy it wasn't even fun, .... plus my lines were run over and destroyed by some safety marshal in a sand buggy passing by. Kite and handles were recovered and survived the ordeal. I crushed two magic sticks into a mushroomed shape between the still solid ends sticking into the fittings. (Broke a 3 wrapped down-spar too). PPS: For the night-fly Sunday night I was on a Shook 135% mesh masterpiece with 4 wrap outers, a green race center and green race (travel frame) down-spars using 170# Skybond 120' and 13 inch handles. You couldn't sit down and could barely stand up to fly but it was attended by a couple of thousand happy spectators wishing they were one of us! Results: Fletch won MMB against six others using a Reflex,... Lolly was so happy, beating Dave Ashworth, both Willoughby family members, Carl and Laura Berg plus myself flying my wet Zen on 120s. Stave Santos won the Indoor competition, I would have come in 3rd but all my points were stripped away due to a couple of safety violations. I flew deeply into the crowd (overhead only) first and actually landed on some guy's big toe sitting in the 1st row with his legs crossed (then turned to the judges and proudly announced that they "didn't see that!")

Hi Jason, go onto the Kitebuilder's Dot com forum and engage Harold Ames (Kitesquid is his handle). He made kite for the US military to lift test instruments/targets on a ship and it was framed in Revolution spars an inch in diameter (42 of 'em!) It flew on a motorized spool containing approx. 10 thousand feet of 300# spectra I believe. The kite shape is called a Dunton Taylor,... kind of triangular box kite mounted onto/in front of a delta wing. Here's the plan, if made from Icarex fabric it will fly indoors (very well) and still handle 25-30 mph howling breeze without changing anything! http://www.richmondairforce.com/Files/DTplans.pdf Kitesquid's D/T kite was some 22 feet across the bottom edge instead of a the distance between your elbows though. It replaced a balloon, but more importantly eliminate the need for Helium (10 tank's worth)! Tested behind a speed boat at 55 mph as the winds are stronger at sea and higher up. Lift can be created by making the kite shape efficient and material used super light weight if you want to fly in low wind. (the Manta) A big Genki, or the flow-form foil would lift pounds of photographic equipment easily. A 252 square foot Sutton will lift two tails weighing 25 pounds each, 45 foot spin socks built on hula hoops. Good luck with your mission. -plm

the referenced "WoW tree" looks like a huge hand sticking up out of the ground, ....five or six trunks wired together and cut back multiple times. It is a mulberry tree so watch where you drop your stuff or set-up your lawn-chair too <LOL>. Located on the West side on the monument. Bathroom? behind the domed stage, if you were walking towards the Smithsonian Castle. Paddle Boat parking lot (Jefferson's Memorial) is where we park, but Sundays are not on a time limit. Read the signage before leaving your vehicle, if you find a spot there! Do NOT land your kites on the flags (flagstaff ball surrounding the monument ~ Great target ~ big "no-NO") or chase spectators on the sidewalks, no banner pole ground pegs can be placed into the ground or fighter kiting flying on Manja, be friendly with security & the park rangers, they like us! Try not to practice in the wind shadows of the tree or the monument,... that's all swirly crap, even pushing down from above Enjoy and don't give up. I used to live in Chicago (Hoffman Estates) and then Ft Lauderdale,... upon moving to DC none of my kites would even fly! I had to watch and learn, practice myself and acquire new equipment,.... finally no wind is my preferred set of conditions. I secretly PRAY for no wind at festivals and most certainly make small mammal sacrifices at a competition to insure it's dead calm, only then I can beat Smitty <LOL>

We enjoyed ourselves there just this past Sunday, tough wind conditions but as always an appreciative crowd counterbalances -plm