RobB

Good stuff ! I really like to see someone who has the bug, and is so enthusiastic about learning dual line flying. I get that... been there, for many years. The Fade at the end of the last video stuck with me. That was nice. I like to see how long I can hold a fade, which can seem like a boring exercise, but it really helps to get the 'feel' of the kite. The gentle inputs that a fade teaches you translate directly to the types of inputs need to hold a stall or a slide. 1/2 axels ? It took me forever to learn them, and I still don't know if I do them right. I do a fast snap stall input, but don't let the kite go tips horizontal, but give the axel input quickly after ditching the speed (when the nose is pointed at 10 o'clock or 2 o'clock, depending on which side I'm flying). I choke the axel just as the nose is pointed in the right direction (left or right, horizontal) and quickly take up the slack either with a step back or an arm sweep, or sometimes both if the wind is low. That's the best I can describe it, and like I said, I'm not sure if my 1/2 axels are 'real' 1/2 axels... Was the first video just the I2K, or did I see a different kite in there, too ? Maybe an Ozone at the end ? Different kites are going to be stronger with certain tricks, and I have to say, the I2K is a very difficult kite to trick. I really only like mine with the Spoilerz installed in higher winds. I don't like flying it without in lower winds. As a matter of fact, the I2K is the only high wind duallie that I have in my bag. I have an Alien, too, but we don't get along, and it stays home. I like the music & the creative editing. You've found the exact reason I film my flying, to watch and see what you're doing wrong. Or right, sometimes... Finally, about the weather watching... tell me that you can't drive past a flagpole without looking up to see which way the wind's blowing ?!? 8)

Yes, congratulations ! There's nothing like a set of custom straps. Red & Green for Port & Starboard !

What a pretty kite. I always liked those...

Thanks, I am frustrated a little with my timing. I was behind the kite all day. The lines are 25m. That was a sloppy stall at 1:32 that happened to slide a little. I was trying to do that cartwheel landing thing, and didn't get the stall just right. That's more of my hoppin' and poppin' thing. I try to get the kite to fly, but not quite. It helps me to get the feel of the kite, and the balance between flying and not flying.

Thank you, Jon. Next time you're in NY & have time, I've always got kites in my car. The winds were around 8mph, almost getting too high for me. I've been spoiled by flying Revs, they're much more relaxing !

I'm in... As long as its not too late. I could use some nice straps like that!

Thanks, I'm still working on it. Next time out, I hope will find my timing for the rest of the tricks. One thing I noticed with doing so many slides was that either the leading hand or trailing hand could control the slide, with equally good results.

It's been a while. A long summer with next to no dual line flying, really, the last good session was April or maybe May. I spent the time on the beach trying to get back some of the timing that I had lost. Rough going, but when the going gets rough, I return back to probably my favorite 'trick'... the Side Slide ! Full screen & HD. It's hard to see in the little box...

I saw a lot of good in this video... one thing that I always end up telling myself, and that I'd say about your video... more slack. Walk slowly towards the kite as you have it in a slide. Faster if the wind is higher. But, except for the lowest end of the wind scale, walk towards it. Your axels, pretty much the same thing, take at least a step towards the kite, right after the input for the axel. That gives the kite time to go all the way around before the lines tighten up & the kite flies away. You want to get that timing as close as possible to when the nose is pointed up. Hope this helps, your flying is looking good !

The major problem for our friends overseas is the VAT tax. It could potentially double+ the cost of the lines...

This festival would've been even bigger if the weather had cooperated. Most of the shots of the dual and quad line flying were in between the raindrops, and if I had looked back to the North, where the big SLKs were flying in the morning, there were only a handful still flying. The sport kite crew was a heartier bunch, and the skill level was over the top. They all still make me feel like the newbie, but in reality, I am. Most of these faces are the same ones that I remember when I walked onto my first kite festival field over 10 years ago. I only see these people once or twice a year, but it is certainly a pleasure to see them all again. Sunday was to be my last day there, as I had to work on Monday. I woke up to a driving rain, 40mph winds, so there was no reason to hang around. I was still cold & tired from the day before, so I packed up and headed home with the seat heater going full blast to sooth my aches & pains. Yup, welcome back to New York. It was nice to have a vacation from this, no matter how short. It's amazing how far away you can get from this with only a few hours of driving !

OK... day 2. I gotta say, I am totally exhausted. Something about walking around in the sand in the rain all day, I guess. Well, not rain all day, but as the forecast read, it rained 60% of the time. Didn't care, I was there to fly, and even at times when my kite was the only one in the air. But a really good time... it was good to see these faces that I only see once a year, and all the friendly residents of Long Beach Island. They're something else, so welcoming and friendly, just like kite folks. When I woke up, this is what I saw out of my window... these were taken from my balcony. Yeah, I guess I got up late... This is turning into a 'real' kite festival. Even with the grey weather, the turn-out was very impressive. This is only the second year that this festival has been held. These guys had an actual real-deal Buffalo Cody. First time I've seen one of those in person ! Wow, just Wow. I've seen this stack before, it just doesn't get old. So, what could top a stack of Rainbow Revs ? How about a Jimi stack. I got to examine these up close... the intricate sewing was very impressive. Of course, every 'real' kite festival needs a Bol race. I think I need to look into these for my kids, it looks like a good way to tire them out ! Yeah, those again. Did I mention I really like these ? 8) Something different, Dual Line and Quad line mega-fly ! Yup, some dual lines, too. I couldn't identify this kite yesterday, I suspected that it was something kinda rare, but it was confirmed today that these are 'Machines'. Not something you see everyday... and not one, but two !

This is the Second Annual Long Beach Island festival. Last year was such a fun festival, that it was really tugging at me to go to this year's fest. Traffic wasn't too bad for a Friday before a holiday weekend. I got into town about an hour before dark, and ran down to the beach with my bag, eager to take advantage of the smooth onshore 10mph breeze. There were a surprising number of kites in the air, I guess I missed the first full day. I guess I'll have to take off the whole day next year and get here earlier ! So... there was a wedding going on while the kites were flying overhead. I wonder if they planned the wedding to be under the kites, or if they were really surprised to see this going on right next to and over them. I came across this guy, flying the heck out of this kite. I never did find out what kind of kite that is. Saber ? Machine ? something Euro ? I was tossed as to flying 4 lines or two, as the wind was around 10mph. I stop flying duallies and fly the Revs right about at 10. Hmmmm..... what to fly ? The Skyburner Solus won the grab... Looking forward to tomorrow, even though the forecast looks kinda wet. Hey, there's a 40% chance that it won't rain. Here's hoping !

If you can get your hands on a Skyburner kite, jump on it. Which kite were you thinking of ?

Yup, it's happened. My boy is officially a Duallie pilot ! I am so happy, so proud. Words can not express how happy I am to have someone to fly with. This empty beach with such wonderful wind, and after years of flying alone... I've got someone to fly with who is truly enthusiastic about the kites, and is eager to learn more... I started out today's lesson with a kite that I didn't care if it got trashed, the Prism I2K. Not exactly a beginner's kite, but it was the least of the kites in the bag I had today. Not really true... notice the big-ish foils in the background. We started by flying those. I wanted to see if he liked power... nope, they were boring to him since the wind wasn't too high, and he's flown smaller foils before. We'll revisit those when the wind picks up... I nearly fell over when Mick demonstrated good form & control. He was eager to learn new stuff, so we worked on shapes and punch turns. Horizontal ground passes, all that good stuff. He even took the camera for a while... I was showing him some stuff and he was holding the camera. It was a nice surprise when I dumped the camera and found shots that he took. Yes, it's still a little warm here. He was barefootin' it, but still needed a sweatshirt. BeachFootin' it, according to him... He was doing fine, so I had to pull out something a little more fun to fly... WidowMaker Spider was a fun choice ! I think he's still boggled about slack line tricks, but it was still fun to fly figures. Yeah, my heart skipped a beat. This wasn't a nose-plant, but it was close. Eh, whatever... these kites are tough. Besides, nothing can compare to the value of having a new kiting companion. I've taught many people how to fly, but Mick is by far the most rewarding, and hopefully this has just begun. Yeah, this has been a long time coming...

Someone please buy this kite. I only have a few minutes flying experience with a Nirvana, but I was impressed. This is a good deal for a legendary kite... I won't be able to resist much longer...

Try a punch turn to quickly change direction 180*. I think I may do a combo turn, but it's more punch heavy. Punch, step forward (lunge), and use the other hand for steering input into the landing. It's all very fast and difficult to dissect. But I think that's how I do that one. When a light kite is stuck on it's back, try pushing forward on both lines, then pull it back out of the turtle. I remember that bugging me about the Shadow, too. The Fade is easier in lighter wind, and more dangerous to the kite in higher winds. If you lose the Fade in higher winds with the nose pointed down, it's only a split second before it turns into a high speed land dart. Lazies can be done without much risk in any wind, but look better in lower wind. I like them to go around slow & graceful, it just looks better to me. Fast yank & spank flying kinda looks like the kite is out of control... Hopefully some of this may be helpful, I enjoyed reading your blog. I would be lucky to fly with someone who has the same enthusiasm as you do, it's nice to talk with someone who speaks the same language... at least I can read about it.

So much better of a choice than investing in another intermediate kite. Bang for the buck ? BOOM !

I actually got to fly in a different location for once. I went up to Cape Cod to visit with family for a long weekend, and brought some kites along. Even though I've been going there all my life, I've never flown kites there, so it was a nice first for me. I also got to give some instruction on the Rev to my father (a natural, it took him less than 5 minutes to figure it out) and my brother-in-law, who added a couple year's worth of wear to my new Rev inside of 10 minutes ! I was actually glad the wind died out, there wouldn't have been much left of the new MV if he flew it much more ! Anyway... I only got one shot with my phone...

If the wind is over 10mph.... I don't try many tricks. Axels, 540s, yoyos, lazies... Save all that for under 10. Over 10? Revs. [emoji90]

I have a few... They're good because they hold kites & they're cheap. But... You get what you pay for...

BTW... all of the kids are training on multi-line kites. I can't wait to see them all solo. Can't wait to sit back in my chair and watch them all fly together. All in good time...

Third week of Kite Season... I couldn't leave my smallest family member out of the fun, so this week it was Ceci's turn to have a little play time on the beach with Dad. She's been sitting on a Minion kite that she got as a gift a while back, still unflown, in the box. After seeing the other two go out and have a fun time flying, she was very vocal about it being her turn this week. The Minion kite was another X-Kite, pretty decently made for a cheepo retail kite, and once again, flew right out of the box... It was actually pretty big for a kid's kite, and the pull was exciting at times for her. She's flown plenty of SLKs before, so she knew what to do. There's a size comparison, the Minion was flying at the same height as the Ultrafoil. Even though the summer crowds are gone, the off-shore summer breeze was still here. A close-up of the two kites together. This photo was optimized to bring the colors up, it was really kinda grey today. We only had a couple of hours to spend before dinner, so these were the only two kites that made it into the air. Frustrating, since I have two kites that are itching to fly... a red Kymera and a new-to-me MidVent with magic sticks. Soon... they've both taken up residence in the car, so they'll make it into the air soon ! The only distraction from kite flying today... Beach Glass ! Ceci thinks they're valuable jewels and can't resist grabbing a few while at the beach.

That is what I mean about a 'full sized' kite. Between 7-8 foot. I could see how people trying to learn on a smaller kite would quickly lose interest, as the size goes down, the difficulty goes up.