RobB

It might be... the pictures on the ground don't do it justice. I got to see it in the air, and even in the dark grey skies, it lit up.

The best beaches are the ones that you can actually drive out on the sand, find a quiet spot & enjoy the day. We don't have too many of those by me, and you need special permits & equipment. Not to mention 4wd. Cars & parking lots kind of take away from the serenity of being at the beach, but this time of year, at least the parking lots are empty...

Getting a chance to fly with other people certainly helps, although, there's not as much flying as BS'n. That's a good thing when you don't frequently see others on the field, though. Thanks for enjoying the videos, I enjoy making them, and they help me to see what areas I need to improve on. I watch all the videos I can find, and have for years, and find something to learn from in just about every one. I think that's the great thing about kite flying, there's so much to learn, you'd be lucky to take it all in in a lifetime...

Yes, that's some harsh looking terrain for the ripstop sails, and the lines for that matter. Looks like you've got pretty solid wind to play with there, though.

Something new flew in my door this week... I had to take a shot to give it scale... I always say... Bigger's Better. Unfortunately, the wind just wasn't strong enough to give it a proper flight. It's kinda heavy, but did get off the ground a little bit. Just too much work in ~2mph winds. Stay tuned for a video once the wind comes back...

You know, I've seen videos of the top pilots flying freestyle & in competition, and the flying looks like it flows, kinda like a dance. I have to study up and figure out that next level of flight. This is one reason I can fly a quad for only an hour or two before getting bored, but I can fly a duallie for 3 or 4 hours before getting to the same point. I wish I had more opportunity to get out and fly... it's getting dark so early (4:30-5:00) now that it really cuts into the typical flying time...

Ooooh... that looks like a vintage Micron (better in my book), not like the ones that are easily available now. Good luck everyone !

Not as much flying as I had hoped for this fall... lots of kids birthday parties, school activities, and other social commitments, not to mention that four letter word... WORK. I was lucky enough to get out last weekend for a couple hours and enjoy the good winds. It was around 10mph, down the shoreline, so reasonably smooth. The Mesh Delta floated almost to the ground at times, and almost over-flew to the side at others. The long tail helped. I've been working hard on learning to control the Rev, but now I'm trying to figure out how to fly so it looks nice. I feel like a musician that knows his scales, but I haven't learned any songs yet. Maybe music is what's missing, I only listen to the sound of the wind, waves & birds when I fly.

The Prism Hypnotist would be my choice if you have winds 7-25 mph. It is an amazingly durable kite, and capable, too. I couldn't say that the other kites mentioned could fly in any lower winds, and I doubt that they would be more durable. I have a NewTech New Jam which is similar to the Jammin' kite, and an original Maestro (1?). Neither was very durable, and I wasn't a big fan of the way the Maestro flew. Good luck with your choice !

What great scenery ! I would love to fly some kites there !

That moonrise was super-cool ! Not sure what time that was by you, but that could've been shot around here @ 5pm this time of year ! Give it another month, 4pm...

I need to find a kite for that wind less than 5mph. The Sled was no use, I tried for a half hour, just couldn't get the sled up over 20 feet in the air. Normally I would've been flying an UL or SUL. I don't have a Delta kite that I trust for KAP. The Ghost Deltas are the best fliers that I have, but not really appropriate for KAP. The other Deltas I have are unreliable in the air, I certainly wouldn't trust them holding my camera over the water. The DoPeRo might do the trick, but it is big to carry around & time consuming to setup. I've only had one successful flight with it, there will be more testing before it gets to hold a camera. I don't know... standing in a water-front park in the Bronx with a perfect view of Manhattan and a kite that wouldn't fly was the most frustrated I've ever been with this KAP hobby. Almost as frustrating as showing up, getting the kite flying and finding the camera battery to be dead !

I love the way they move... you've added something else to my list of things that I 'need' to fly !

I can not wait until my son can fly solo, and I can fly along side of him.Right now he's at the point where it's just as much fun to fly as crash. Wish there was a four line equivalent to the Prism Quantum... a bullet-proof kite that you could death dive into a parking lot, and fly away laughing!

Thank you... the great flying conditions almost make it worth living here. If I could spend more time at the beach, it would make it totally worth it. Summer is only one season out of four... you can see from the pictures that the beach isn't very popular during fall, winter & spring. Mine mine mine ! Gimme gimme gimme ! If we could just have a lull in the weekend storms, I might get some real flying in... Hurricanes are infrequent & exciting when they do come, but we have 2 or more storms a month that have winds around 50mph. They all seem to be coming on the weekends this year ! If you like the Berk Rev, you might want to contact Tom @ Highline kites, he may have a few still stashed away...

Just a picture of how the WindBreaker winder works as a cleat to hold the load of the kite to the anchor...

Thanks, Nick... there have definitely been better days to fly there. Not like it's winter cold, yet, but the wind kinda cuts through you when it's damp & cold. This was just ahead of the weekend storm up here... The heavy purple strap is in my main SLK gear bag (a large duffle with many spools of line, a half dozen sand anchors, dogstakes, collapsible shovel, gloves straps, carabiners, etc...), I carry the simple rope strap in my KAP backpack. The backpack has only one sand anchor, one strap, gloves, flying line, 2 foil kites, and KAP rig. Not everything you could ever need, but enough for most situations. I was setup & ready to fly the other day in an awesome spot overlooking Manhattan, but didn't have the wind to get the foil kite flying. I was thinking of Scott with his Triton... he would've come back with pictures that day, I came back empty handed !

Since it was Halloween today, I took off early so I could get home & go trick-or-treating with the kids. Well, I got off a little too early, and had my lunch at the beach. Not that I hadn't Kap'd this spot before, I used this opportunity as practice, and maybe the hope of getting a few good shots. This is the fishing pier at the end of my flying beach. You can see what a popular place it is once the temperature goes below 70* I decided to let out more line than I usually do. The grey almost-November sky kinda tells the story of how unpleasant the 15mph breeze fealt. Yeah... wasn't it just summer last week ? Maybe you can see why this is one of the best spots to fly on the North Shore of Long Island... it's an actual isthmus... I mean where do you see that word, other than on an SAT test ? The wind is good from just about any direction. Reeling the kite back in... I'm using a strong strap tied to the dock railing to hold the pull of the kite. Just like reeling in a big fish, I walk back, and then walk forward while reeling the winder. The Power Sled 24 is a beast to reel in straight, hand over hand. Almost there... And a close-up of how the WindBreaker winder can be used as a cleat to hold the line. It's just a couple of figure-8 winds, and the last one looped over. Just like a cleat on a dock...

Yeah, love the look of that Zen !

Yes, I should've mentioned that a carabiner on a strap or a pulley is even a better method. I've used the heavy leather gloves for years, first for digging the hole (even though I have a collapsible shovel in the bag) and then for handling the line. There's always a place for improvements, I still haven't invested in a pulley. You can actually see the burn marks in the palms of the gloves from the line in the video. It's no joke... you NEED gloves when handling larger kites ! Cuts from flying line really hurts...

So, more wind today, the off-shore was next to nothing at times, and maybe getting close to 10mph at others. The Zen was a lot of fun to fly when the wind came up. I followed Paul's suggestion of more brake, and that pretty much solved the tracking in a groove issue. I actually found the kite very responsive & precise when the winds were maybe 5-8 mph. And reasonably easy to keep flying when the winds fell to almost nothing. I think I found the Zen's niche ! All I know is that I walked away tonite with a big smile. Even with the springy Zen rods... with the stiffer sticks, I can only imagine !

That was a special accommodation from John. I was unable to change it myself... The Must86 has lost it's meaning to me since my life is kids & kites now. Thanks, John !

What a cool spot to fly ! I think I saw some KAP pictures from this festival... did you see someone flying a camera ? I think I saw them in the KAP group on FB... https://www.facebook.com/groups/225565374151080/

That's an amazing looking kite... an BIG, too. I would fly it on ~300# line, maybe heavier if the wind is high. Not knowing it's top rated range, I wouldn't fly it in winds above 15mph. Look for a day ~10mph to see how it flies, and that will give you an idea how it will fly in higher winds. With a 17' wingspan, I would expect it to be able to fly in winds starting around 5mph. A dog stake might be strong enough to hold it if it's screwed all the way in to solid dirt, but a fool-proof way is to use a strap and carabiner. The Wind Breaker bobbin is a really good bet, as you have to use a separate cleat with a hoop spool. The Wind Breaker is it's own cleat. The best way to launch a big kite that I know of is... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iZFN-6ZXIM&list=UUrEMVTjF2Yh5aCjWO_qp8-Q Just substitute the sand-anchor for whatever you're going to use. Also, notice that I am using a piece of driftwood as a cleat in the video, and not the Wind Breaker itself.

True SUL kites... The Pro Dancer is certainly one of the best I've flown. It can be flown in 1/2 mph wind without moving. It is difficult to trick, but most true SULs are. I'm sure it can be flown indoors, but I've never tried. The Prism Ozone is another true SUL that is a little more robust, and a little easier to trick. Although it's not produced anymore, it is still pretty easy to find one on the used market, and should be half the price of a ProDancer. Forget the Prism Vapor, unless you're hung up on the way it looks. It can be flown in zero wind, but is a little more work than others. Plus, you'll always be nervous about damaging the fragile sail. I sold mine to a collector who will probably never fly it. The Prism 4D is easy to get, and cheap. It will fly in no wind with ease, but... it's small & twitchy. It's enjoyable only if you don't have anything else to fly. Some others to consider would be the Jordan New Millennium ($$$ !) Skyburner I-Nak and there's one called the Syncro that I've seen to be popular for indoor. Good luck finding what you need !