SHBKF

It took me considerable time & money to figure out what is presented in this topic. I just wanted to fly & the day savers have made it possible many times when I would have previously not even tried to fly. Glider kites took me even further. Entry fully into the dark side takes deep pockets. I am still accumulating the different sizes, vented sails, multiple frame sets & various line sets. A 4D & a Micron have saved many days & I now always carry them along with a Zero G. Thank you Prism Kites. Should have all the Rev stuff eventually.

Love the Micron. That's what I'm flying in the picture in "Roadside Flying". http://kitelife.com/forum/topic/5443-roadside-flying/

Bought a nice Kestrel wind meter years ago for winter backpacking. It has been useful for kite flying at times, especially when I first started flying. I would use it at the start of each session to decide which kite to try & which lines to use. Now I don't use it too often as I am more accustomed to watching the trees or flags to monitor the wind conditions. It has it's place in my bag & I will use it in any high wind conditions so I can understand what it took to break my line or spine or spreader & so on. I think it's fun to always be estimating the wind speed by observations then verify it with the little meter. Others don't like them but I personally enjoy mine.

Yes, the B2, gotta have the little bomber before winter comes again. Down coat, thirty plus winds, standard sail, screamin' across the window, in the dark, by the light of the moon, sounds like me for sure! B2 might make a better avatar image with the old rod too! There's a good excuse to get one, right?

Hmmm, as the newbie I am I flew in winds well past this 15 mph maximum. Threw caution to the wind I guess. My Rev 1 experience has mostly been winter conditions with gusty winds. You know, I did break a leading edge so maybe it is a consideration. At the same time I don't want to limit myself too much. Still learning to fly & so on. But I might add too many cautions could influence someone not to try one.

I think that Prism revised the center T on the newer 4Ds to overcome that issue. Mine is one of the first 4Ds, and I haven't had an issue with the center T... yet. The spine has poked through the nose, but that's from my son learning to fly dual line on it. I've had my 4D six months & have flown it in parking lots quite a bit. The abrasive surface has been hard on the nose & the leading edge where the spars join. I have had to sew the nose closed & then coated it with black Plasti Dip to reinforce it for more abuse. I have sourced some black "moonie tape". I will put some on the leading edge very sparingly to repair that area. When the kite starts shuddering in stout winds I fly to the side, land, & get out the little Micron as it flies on the same weight lines. I will try some 30' lines soon as they sound like a good idea.

Others, with much more experience & skill, will undoubtedly have many answers to your questions. But I do have a Sedgwick edition that I have flown a bit. I think it is a natural progression to try all the Sportwings eventually & I will as time allows. It is the third Rev I bought of the four I now have. The big Rev is a different bird compared to the sporty 1.5's. I like a big kite & how it looks in the sky. It's a bit slower than the smaller kites & will smooth out your technique if you are a twitchy flier like me. I plan to go to the beach shortly & I believe the Rev 1 will be the first up. It's kind of the old school kite & I always want to honor the roots of my interests. Many veterans on this forum flew them for years early on & I am an very interested in hearing their comments too. I love mine, many smiles while flying will continue to be my joy.

Like the pictures & the description of how you took them. I've been trying to come up with some way of taking a few myself. The several pictures I have of me flying kites were taken by my wife & daughter but they don't go with me when I'm flying very often. Really like the flag idea too.

I ordered the 18' lines from Prism back when I did not have many line sets. No kite store close to me so I ordered that set, some spare parts & a 3D case. That case allows you to leave the leading edges assembled. Have not broken a spar yet but I did break one of the end tips recently. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. It will teach you about the light winds.

I fly my 4D on 18' lines most of the time. It is a small window but allows you to fly most anywhere. As far as yo yo stoppers I have not felt the need to have them. My tricking is limited but larger kites are better for rolling up IMHO. The short 18' lines have allowed me to experience true zero wind flying & enabled me to do my first ever 360's. Flew all the way around over two times eventually but got dizzy & staggered around laughing, great fun. I will try a tail on mine with 50' lines. I say go for it. Try anything you can. Surveyors ribbon is very light, comes in many bright colors & is cheap. I will try some of that I believe. I fly the 4D more than any other kite because of my inland conditions & the fact that I can leave it assembled in my vehicle ready to go at any time.

Perfect ! Spot on ! You should be able to copy & paste the numbers into the Google Earth search box. I was working in the garage today & came across my floppy copy of Windows 3 Auto map. It was a break-through program that actually was useful for planning trips. I used to run it on a SX386 with 2MB of ram using a graphics mono monitor & printed trip directions, with maps, on my 24 pin Epsom printer. That's been a few years. We have come a long way baby.

Early on I was touchy about having to walk to the kite so often. If I thought someone was watching I might pick the kite up & adjust it a bit just to make it seem deliberate some how. As I learned more ground recovery techniques I spent time dragging the kites all over the field. That was pretty funny to watch no doubt. I still walk to the kite more than most but have gotten to the point of realizing that most spectators don't have a clue as to what I'm doing anyway. The walk of shame has now kind of shifted to the time that I ponder what my next real intent might be.

Yes, I do worry a bit about distracting drivers. I don't fly over the road & when I hear a car approaching I fly to the side of the window away from the traffic going into a slow turn or a stall. I have not flown in any locations with heavy traffic. On the same trip I was flying in a large field in a campground in Kentucky not too far from Fort Knox. A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter came by to check me out. That was sort of strange. Don't know how he found me. I was flying a HQ Shadow on 65' lines at the time. He came in at tree top level right at me & flared into a hover before flying off slowly.

I have broken (lots of stuff) 50 lb 75' lines with a small kite, the HQ Shadow. During the same session an even smaller kite did not have enough power to fly these lines without drooping as mentioned above. I think the light lines are, for me, limited to shorter sets. Longer lines get me into higher winds as the distance from the ground increases. Have flown quad 50' x 50 lb sets with no problems in light gusty winds. If a kite is generating enough pull to move you then think about the strength needed to do that & adjust upward. Others note the sounds of the lines as the wind makes them whine or sing. Big single line kites are in a class of their own as are the larger foils. I have flown a Power Blast 2-4 on the 50 lb lines, but I break things.

This is another great way to get to know others living the KiteLife. I have purchased kites from a couple of the people on this forum & I think of them each time I fly their kites. I am just the guardian of their kites until they leave my hands one day on their journey across the sky.

I resisted the first bit of Karma for some reason. Must be because I'm introverted. I'm in on this one. Hope it's a citrus something....

It's all good - we love questions here, and I especially love "new" kite minds because I get to vicariously learn all over again, over and over - keep the curiosity flowing! Turbulent wind makes flying harder with any kite, especially wide-ratio trick kites like the Silver Fox... Kites with less depth in the sail, or a steeper aspect ratio will tend to be much more stable in less than ideal conditions. You may be able to compensate a bit by raising your bridle points (nose moves away) by 1/8" to 1/2", this increases lift and makes the kite less sensitive, although it does reduce pull and pressure. Also, the Silver Fox is a heavy kite and pretty flexible (not good for generating drive)... I wasn't happy with mine in less than 4mph, and had to be both very active and on point with my inputs to keep it really going in 3mph or less... Just my own experience. More wisdom from The Teacher. I am listening & now understand more of what the adjustments are doing. Thanks

As I have become more proficient I have started flying along the sides of roads where there seemed to be little opportunities to get in some air time. We just returned from a trip to Glacier National Park. A long time desire was fulfilled, driving the famous "Going to the Sun Road". Since I've embraced the KiteLife I took a good selection of kites with us. The turn out over Saint Mary's Lake was empty & the wind was up. Pulled over, assembled the Micron & flew on 50' x 50 lb lines. It was a 177' foot drop off the cliff down to the water so I did not want to use a bigger kite. Plus the Micron handles the gusts well with lines singing along with some shuddering leading edges. So at times I had my kite at about 200' above the lake. Of course you have to be careful about others stopping to park or just driving by. Hopefully I did not startle anyone. I have flown in quite a few spontaneous locations this year & wonder if others do this too. The cliff is in the three o'clock position in the second photo. Google Earth location 48 41' 18.98" N 113 33' 27.14" W

Seeing the pilot especially helps. I fly my 4D so much that I am sure it will be the first kite retired due to heavy use. I have been pondering a Pro Dancer for some time. I have come to realize that twitchy is my style at this point in my KiteLife.

A few days ago I was thinking about the first song I would try to fly to & had settled on a song from the same album, "Careful with that ax Eugene". I still listen to it every Halloween. Bought that album many years ago base strictly on the cover art. Lucky guess that was. Many years passed as Pink Floyd slowly gained momentum in the RockLife. Maybe the second song would be "Joan Crawford has risen from the grave" by BOC.....

Thanks Rob! It really helps me to see a skilled pilot fly in very light wind. Many times I flown in very light wind & just keeping it in the air can be my best trick.

Highly rated by newbie flier Dayhiker. Love mine!

I have not listened to music while flying as of now but I know it will not be long before I do so. Took some time to get to a level of skill where I could fly well enough to fly while talking! Sent from out on the road "looking for America"

We were standing on the porch of The Grand Hotel today after lunch & I mentioned that the wind was perfect for kite flying. My wife said "Look over there." Three kites were in the air on the edge of town to the southeast of us. We walked in that direction a bit later but did not see them again. Shopping in town I started looking for toy stores. Found a store with lots of kites! Looked around a bit & asked them where they flew. They said Windermere Point & that they had been flying there earlier. So we walked down there later to check the location. It is a great spot to fly but is marked for customers only. I suggest the nachos with cheese. Take a kite to Mackinac Island if you go. Or even better support the local store & buy one. We did. Google Earth location 45 50' 47.98" N 84 37' 05.63" W

For holding the trailing edge of foils snow works just like sand. I have used smooth pieces of wood but like water bottles if available.