Paul LaMasters

walking thru is fine, ....remember though, "we are allowed to chase spectators on the grass, just NOT the sidewalks" at the DC national mall, per the Park Service Police! So thanks, for making it so easy on us and entertaining the onlookers as you try to escape a group of dedicated quad-heads giving chase. few of us actually stake down the handles, but a stroller pulled thru a half dozen unoccupied line-sets is surely to be avoided I'm more concerned with those folks who perceive a slightly open ground area and feel they can drop their picnic basket and enjoy the day right there with the kids' strollers lined-up! Or frisbee, football, kick-ball, soccer invaders seeking an opportunity, HA not on first Sunday!!! We can't show the uniformed officers a hard boundary we have imposed, that prompts a request for documentation on a permit. No stakes in the ground or tying-off on trees, signage or heaven forbid an actual monument marker either! Gotta land all the kites and wait for the all clear sign when presidential helicopters are departing or arriving. I love flying for a crowd, so all the other associated crap is secondary in my book. Onlookers means some of pass by too close, but some of 'em can help but to stop and chat on their way.

We demarcate our field with the neon yellow/orange paint bucket spill lips from a home repair store,... kind of like safety cone, but much shorter, more flexible too and you won't trip over em either stepping backwards. Typically they are laid out in a circle, with the music and our base camp at the center. As the wind shifts you just move around the circle, keeping the center point common and holding an area (w/o a permit!). Not even holding an area, just encouraging the public to respect our boundaries for their safety purposes. 25 or 30 of em fit into a backpack, or just a long bread wrap type of twisty-tie. you drop them 25 or 30 feet apart, using the staked-out 120s from the center as your guide as you walk in circle around the parameter.

mounted on a revolving base seat which is then affixed to the bed of your pick-up truck, like for landing the big one on a fishing excursion but no standing necessary!

I owned that kite once, but only for a few hours of the afternoon. As a builder I found some aspects of it's production "different", particularly with the white layers on the front of the sail!

Or search out "Steve Santos", he flies two Deccas at once, one-handed w/one and one "no handed" at all, plus has a cool catch at the end of his routine. Kinda' a barreled roll-up type of thing (from overhead) that is simply amazing and must have taken decades to figure out! https://kitelife.com/2005/12/01/issue-45-kites-at-the-us-open/ He and his lovely "significant other" are both cohosting the indoor at WW this year. NEW for WIKF 19 – World Indoor Kite Show! Sky Festival Productions along with facilitators Steve Santos and Sue Moskowitz is super excited to announce the inclusion of a completely new aspect of our indoor kite flying festivities, the World Indoor Kite Show! While we have always incorporated the World Indoor Kite Competition, this year we are stepping it up with a multi-faceted and generational indoor kite flying experience to take place at the Wildwoods Convention Center, East Hall, on the last day of the event, Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day).

I'm the other side Wayne, test unmercifully until failure,... nobody ever got better skiing without an occasional fall on the slopes. Some were downright terrible crashes, but you've learned something along the way too,.... maybe about yourself, or the conditions that day, maybe even about your own equipment, or that cute surgical nurse for rehab? If you could change one item, what would it be? How would that impact changes things? Possible example?, owned a little Prism kite (3D), didn't connect with it at all until I rigged it for quad and flew it in utterly outrageous conditions. In between trees and power lines in a booking wind. It was totally worth the money that day and wasn't even used according to it's design. So can you fly in the full power zone with an indoor kite? sure if you can dump some pressure and preserve your smile doing it! Otherwise explore the edges of the wind window. Make up some new "yank and spank" technique for underneath the tree limbs. Lam Hoac can jump rope with/over his indoor kite, or throw it a dozen feet sitting in a chair and catch it back again. Work on your rolled-up launch, (maybe released down a smooth wall as you gently walk backwards?, I've seen 4 or 5 revolutions happen seamlessly) Kite's all aquiver?, whipped around in too much wind? Then consider another option. There's no bad weather, only a poorly equipped kite flier. Terrible conditions? Hey it's time to borrow someone else's equipment and see how it handles that abuse (OPKs rule)

new leaders are a must, it "tames the savage beast", making the kite wait for instructions instead of demanding you apply brakes to gain the slightest FOOTHOLD OF CONTROL. Colored flying lines? I've seen Red spectra but the best is Skybond Yellow

some seat belt webbing can create a strap over your shoulder or surrounding your hips, you can use that combined with a large Carbiner to bring down the kite, dragging it out of the center of the window as you go down-wind Sand anchors are easy to set-up and light weight to remove afterwards, most friends sew a square tarp in an "X" with more seat-belt webbing as the across striped members, then use those four new corners to pinch the sand beneath and hold the kite (yes w/a larks head knot too!). Recommend you put an extra or TWO behind that first one, just in case of failure. Check with some big kite inflatable fliers like Andrew Beatty from the UK for more particular help and accessories to simplify your efforts, increase the safety measures.

vinyl tubing like a home builder would use for fittings will "break-down", turn yellow and fail (Dave Ashworth's old kites in the shed) as will non-shock corded solutions like automotive oh-rings used as tensioning alternatives with belt loops sewn into the sail (no KNOTS!!!!, but high wear point, we chose another path after several years of experiments with baby Ryvolution kites by Harold Ames) this is a decade problem not annual

I have stored kites in the hot car for 25 plus years of Reving, even in south Florida summers. Storage in the outbuilding shed is more problematic, those aren't used often enough or are put away wet occasionally, they smell and have foreign visitors on small legs in between my usage. The best or current favorite kites anyway, they get to ride along with me like my driver's license and glasses.

move the anchor point higher towards the kite (on the highest piece of laundry), and equally spaced along that flying line if add'l pieces are being applied. If the line has sufficient drag overflight is impossible, the laundry is also effecting flight dynamics, just as an inflatable show-piece kite sports a stabilizing kite lifter (flow form or similar styled-kite) above it. Not necessary but everybody uses 'em anyway, makes for a cleaner, smoother, more stable flight.

then go bigger yet on the laundering, eventually it (the kite) can't pull the line laundry high enough to overfly, put two on, or four, It will certainly work I PROMISE!

you could alternatively place a piece of line laundry (part way up towards the kite on the flying line) and that will also deflect the over-flight effect. A batch of streamers tails together or a spinning windsock, even better! The line can't get overhead regardless of the kite's activities and it looks better, more visible to spectators and fellow kiters alike!

Quite a unique sail, as the white/light pieces are in front of the darker colors

I use a tapered 2P in my 1.5 SULs as the vertical. Heck I even have a set for my Zen (oh man are they ever delicate, NO hard flailing allowed) The one I prefer is called a "Response" it's painted and silky smooth finished, alas long since discontinued too. I have 'em in different strengths. Like a set in my Shook Mesh Hybrid 75%. It carries the 150 CLX fat spars in the LE (more curvature OVER the leading edge make a better glide, ~ like a frisbee compared to a dinner plate) The SULs get one that weighs 12 grams @ 32-1/2 inches long. I cut down the FAT end to fit, keeping as much bottom strength as possible. The tube is also reinforced thru the use of Magic Sticks pushing from the other side. "Response 12" Through the use of a tapered down spar you have effectively pushed more weight towards the LE, in my opinion that always helps create a better glide. Add a little momentum and you can fly when others struggle. something for nothing! You can go further to the outside edge of the wind window too. Keep the hard flailers away or at least warn 'em, if you've framed very light w/tapered tubes These tubes were blemished and got 'em for a like 2 bucks a piece, easily 15 years ago. So although delicate don't think they aren't durable. Skyshark makes a great product for a profoundly ridiculously low price. Try a set of their fat tubes (CLX-150's?) too. The whole frame is like $36. Insane value, I mostly only use the LE unless it's really bookin' outside. NOTE: This tube REQUIRES Rev end caps, other knock-off brand caps will have to be swapped out. Experimenting with the "travel-frame format" allows even more personal adjustments to be found. Plus it breaks down smaller

the difference is what you want the adhesive to do,... I want the bond to survive a hard thrashing, banging superglue is how you break that bond, it isn't flexible in the slightest. Say you were making a rubber band powered glider, parts of it are superglued (those are intended to break away on impact ~ like each of the wings from the fuselage) and parts of it are assembled with 2 part epoxy (available at any hardware store, you mix it on a paper plate, a couple of minutes to turn milky colored with a toothpick or stick from the yard). These are pieces that are intended to survive an impact without separation,... epoxy has a little flexibility. Say the rudder and tail section, they probably wouldn't be the first point of impact from powered flight ending anyway. <LOL> Cleaning out the release agent and roughing up the edge of the ferrule may seem like overkill, but it's not that tough to do it perfect. You need an emory board for finger nails (or some other gentle abrasive), a paper towel and skinny insertion device (like a coat hanger) heck even an ear cleaning swab with alcohol on it, or windex will work. You don't want to adhere to the releasing agent (used to get the stick off of the mandrel when it was made!) Building up the stopper thickness with electrical tape makes a nice clean bonded edge (also prevents over insertion), as it just removes the excess epoxy overflow as unwrapping takes place. Wait for it to dry first!!! I carry a repair kit, you can bet both kinds of adhesive are in there too. But if I can wait until I get off of the beach I can do it right! Placing the ferrules into the outside pieces of the leading edge assembly just seems like a no-brainer to me. No "both ends sealed with solid ferrules", also the kite "breaks down shorter" (my A-bag is an oversized fishing rod case from Orvis). Lastly, on a personal level, I run a different bridle from most folks so my kites bend on the other 3rds instead of in the middle, therefore I also prefer a varying degree of flex in the LE. That is accomplished by use of a travel frame layout with stiffer members in position two and five from the other 4 spots along a six piece leading edge. Usually green race (2) and diamonds (4). for convenience these tubes are taped together in pairs making a three piece LE. I want more stiffness at the intersection of the down spars and LE. Having the ferrules on the outside 2 LE pieces makes changing the flex easier for me on site. I will grant that I do almost nothing as others do, I've spent lots of time experimenting and testing for my own preferences,... over decades in fact. The great thing about kiting is .... "you take the best and dump the rest!" As you'll hear hundreds of ways to get to your promised land.

WAIT don't push the flush ferrule inside further, that will change the flexing of the overall shape on the LE don't re-glue it with superglue, instead use two part 5 minute epoxy (less brittle), Build a stopper with vinyl electrical tape so it can NOT go in too far. Clean out the releasing stuff from the inside of the spar with a toothbrush and some windex, rough-up the end of the ferrule that will be accepting the adhesive In the future, affix the ferrules to the outside tubes instead of the center one, it breaks down shorter length overall and you'll never have this experience again! "Feel along the spars" during assembly, to insure this doesn't happen on other kites. I carry a long skinny (point 125" carbon) tube to push thru the leading edge members, if necessary. There's no easy solution to the tube you cannot currently use. I carry spares but that doesn't help you. See if the other side can be loosen up and removed entirely. Then push out the stuck ferrule with a carefully straightened-out coat hanger? sometimes the stuck ferrule can be tapped out against a piece of soft pine wood, but don't count on a complete lack of peripheral damage

My wit and and wisdom shared,.... from my own experiences #1./ Stake all four lines down TIGHT (insure they are each clear and straight, no wraps or nesting) and yank the handles backwards towards your eyes like your were sighting along a weapon, slowly give slack and the longer line "will show itself". Make any necessary adjustments until those two TOP lines align perfectly, at the handles, when pulled tightly. Best to do this act directly downwind. Now switch the handles to the opposite hand (you should mark 1 with vinyl electrical tape, so you always know which one goes into your left/right hand) and try it again! Do they align perfectly still? This action is like a front-end alignment before taking the race car out onto the track. Is perfectly aligned really, absolutely necessary? No you could counter-steer the "pulling towards one side" out, as the driver. But wouldn't you rather have it "track true and straight" all by itself? Next, do the bottom lines (the same way). Put the opposite handle into your left hand and align the handles together, holding them perfectly aligned next to each other. Now pul tightly, then SLOWLY give slack until you can't see any differences. Again "perfectly aligned". Maybe that correction is using different knots, close together (on your leaders) so you can make little tiny bit adjustments, maybe you add an overhand knot into the leaders on the longest flying line. (if you don't use sleeving, make sure your knot is a figure of eight ~instead of a double stranded overhand~, so the knot can't travel away from your desired destination) When completed both the tops & bottoms should pull back tightly (you had better have placed that stake into the sand VERY well!) and align perfectly. your lines don't need to be even, nor do your leaders, but that whole rig had better equal "perfect", otherwise you kite will turn easier in one direction compared to the other. #2./As you work on stuff,.... make sure you do it both ways. If you can only "throw an axel" going out from the center towards the left bottom corner, then guess what? You can't do it yet! Work on both directions immediately. Want to fly one-handed,... don't you dare work on your weaker hand for the first 14 years (like I did!) No, you work one hand for a few minutes and then immediately switch to the other for some more practice. Do the reverse-octagon in both directions.

Good times and appreciative crowds, temps in the 70s and wind after lunch, eventually "big wind" late in the day. Watty won sport kite building and Brian Bevans won Hot Tricks Shootout. Easily 35 thousand there, seems like everyone of 'em had a kite. From 17th street to the Capitol, as far as you can see on the national mall. Crowd favorites?, Chris Shultz bugging inside the space of a baseball infield and Jeffery Burka's huge inflatable flying horse, and the Harold Ames' "flag ceremony". Fantastic backdrops of Blossom trees thrown in,... you should try to make one of these if you never have, truly worthy of the effort and expense. Video ends with shameless plug for WoW

Harold (Kitsquid) Ames had an industrial sewing machine that could stitch a couple of times THRU a quarter. He could source kite building stuff from Mars. I could buy a 1/4 width but Squid gets a six inch roll! We had some great times doing cooperative building projects together. Alas other interests have been deemed more important, but I miss the big fella

swapped a 100% Shook for a new Zen +1, Got a Djinn standard +2, A new "Ashworth Unfair Advantage" joined the bag too, for indoors and dead calm (we have that about 5 months per year)

On an SUL you'd want that killer glide, it is available w/o reflex springs, you want to assemble (end-caps, washers, holes thru LE, etc) such that you introduce a pronounced curvature,... over the top of the leading edge. Your palm should fit between the sail and leading edge, touching neither. The bridle choice doesn't matter, we each have our preferences, only that all this crap is locked down, rigid, tight. You are after a glide where where you can toss the kite parallel with the ground, and it goes like frisbee,.... no handles or flying line, it flies an unbelievable distance straight away from you. Test1 i prefer a bridle configuration where you are gripping outside of the frame,.... any wiggling in your choice of bridle smooths out flight by deminishing pilot commands, first take out the wiggle slop! how much mass is necessary for enjoyable flight dynamics? Not enough and the kite needs tending on all four lines (like a Decca), too much and you have to flail and run around to MAKE flight. straight or bent leading edge construction? My no-sew experience had 'em straight, but we used SLE 7/16 inch tubes in ours, so they "threw" like a javelin! Years later 18 and I've learned a lot since those experiments folded over leading edge sleeve, or thicker choice to add some mass? All spectra bridle, figure of eight knots and nail polish painted, to dry over night! 3M'sVHB 9460 bonding tape and a craft iron we want pictures and enjoy the journey, I've been on it since 1993

Man, flew the Shook 100% for a last time Saturday and it was like parting with a child, went home and told the misses "write me a cheque payable to Justin and I'll make sure his wife knows we're offering cash instead too!" She just laughed heartily and said "no way is he giving up that swap" (La-)master piece. Sunday during the exchange, (neither kite was correct) so we spanked a B-2, Frenched, micro-carbon sticked and a new dualie kite of Harmer's by Lam with our buddy Fletch. Monday I took the new Zen to the Soccreplex field, slapped in a travel frame (diamond leading edge) and black race down spars, cut off the original Dacron bridle, but left the loops and affixed the new French to those loops. Adjusted the attachment points to suit my tuning preferences and tested it with 75 '/100# Skybond. After some more bridle adjustments the knots were "painted" with black nail polish for permanent placement. (I had to take off and unwind some wrapped-up legs) That thing is all dialed in now, much better than the stock bridle, but I did test it beforehand. Anyway, both of us got used kites that we are thrilled with, great swap all around!!!

I'm set now, thank you ALL for your interest in my offering too!-plm