RobB

Oh, I'm in ! I would love to put a pin like this on my kite-flyin' hat !

As I haven't had the Zen very long or flown it very much, it is still bone stock. I will be ordering up some new sticks for it the next time I make a supply order, but I figure I should get to know it a little until that time. I'm not as worried about adding weight to it as I initially was, but it is good to hear that the hybrid frame actually weighs less. That's almost reason enough to swap out the LE. Paul, I thought that I had a good amount of brake dialed in, but I will try a little more the next time out. I only have two sets of Rev handles, and they're both standard length. A bigger steering wheel makes sense, though. I've had a number of big cars, and they all had big steering wheels ! I'm not sure about spending the extra $$$ on diamond sticks, as someone at my level might not appreciate the difference. It's one of those things that I'm waiting to try them before committing to. Just like the magic sticks... Once I try them, I'll probably kick myself for not getting them sooner. Wayne, as far as 'locking in', I would say yes, the kite was powered up when it locked into that path. I'm sure the wind wasn't over 5mph, but it was certainly powered up. It's certainly different when the sail has wind in it, versus the loose & floppy feel that it has in very low wind. I see myself flying the Zen more, especially in the low light of Fall & Winter. It's a lot easier to see than my mostly black full sail 1.5.

Wow, for less than $100, you couldn't go wrong ! I saw a stack of about 25 of these one year at Wildwood.... very impressive ! I have a stack of 3 Hyperkites that are pretty beat up, but make a nice mobile hanging from my son's bedroom ceiling. *edit*... glad you grabbed them up ! They should be a blast, but kinda hard to hide from your wife ! 8)

Cool, a couple I hadn't seen yet... I'm surprised how much line you have between the kite & camera in that one shot. Is that in an effort to keep the camera more stable ?

Just an update... I flew the Zen today for the third (real) time, in winds that were probably 1-5, variable, off shore kinda wind. There was plenty of wind to get the kite to fly, even enough to get it to hover a bit, and slide a bit (right side up, upside down). I flew on 80' lines this time, just to make the window a little bigger for the big kite. 80' lines, BTW, put me within 10' of the water, so that's about as long as I could go. Hmmm.... spongy... and what I would call 'oversteer' if I were flying on 2 lines. Kinda like driving a 30-40 year old American full sized sedan. Comfy, but don't try any fast moves ! I've only flown 1.5 Revs before the Zen, so it's one of those things to get used to & take in perspective. I chose the Zen over the 1.5 today because the Zen is mostly white & easy to see in the failing light. Glad I did, because it was fun, in a laid-back kinda way. Not too much work to keep it flying, and I just have to work on the proper touch. One thing... what's the deal with the Zen choosing to track on a line (locking in ?), and fight turning off of it ? A few times, it wanted to head right for the edge of the window & beyond unless I used a great deal of restraint on one of the brake lines... Making for an awkward turn to get back on track.

Thanks, Bill ! I thought the new KAP rig was pretty stable, so I tried to use it for some video. No, not as stable as I thought, and you can hear the lines binding. Oh, well, I thought it would be neat.

I took a little time after work this week to get out and do a little flying... it's not going to be long that it is dark at 4:30 and this will be impossible. I used a park bench as an anchor, so getting the Power Sled 24 up & flying took no time. The Rev MidVent was the kite of choice on this day, an offshore, choppy wind dictated that... This beach & parking lot is absolutely packed with cars in the summer... it's amazing to me, as it is much more pleasant to be there when it's not so hot ! The water has been very clear this year, the water gets deep very quickly on the North Shore of Long Island... the visibility is probably 20' or more. (that's good for around here...) Caught the MV's colors in this shot, I really like the red/black kites ! I use the SLK to practice flying close to another kite, in case I get to fly side-by-side with someone else. Another shot of the 'clear' water... More hover practice ! Hope Fall's been treating everyone else to some good winds !

Thanks, all. Glad you Prism heads enjoyed ! Fred.... yes, you can send your Proph for a vacation back east. Sky Eldorados are fun to drive around the sky, even if my flying is more like drifting.

An indoor kite ? Sounds like something you can make good use of ! I'd say smooth breezes, but you won't need those...

Here's a kite that rarely gets to see the light of day. I am so worried about damaging the kite, I only bring it out when the conditions are perfect. The wind can't be over 8mph, the beach can't be crowded, the tide can't bee too high... This was the first time this year I got the Prophecy out, and I was dead set on flying it. When I got to the beach, the wind was 5mph and falling fast. The Prophecy is a BIG kite with alot of sail, so even though it's heavy like a 1976 Eldorado, it can still catch air in winds that I would normally fly an UL kite. Not a lot of tricks in these winds, just keeping it from crashing is the biggest trick... Anyway, here's what it looks like in flight...

Wow, it took me a while before I could fly like that ! Nice flying... I've been working with my son a little on the quad lines, but he still has a bit to learn. We're still at this stage...

I've always wanted to try one of those... didn't like the Maestro too much, so never bought the Infiniti. Still wondering how it flies, though.

I think you can find them at a Chinese grocery store. That would be my first stop...

Pregnancies last the rest of your life...

Will, I guess you have to know when to say when. Winds above 20mph are getting unpleasant to stand out on the field and fly, especially with a single line kite. At least with 2 & 4 line kites, you move around a little bit ! I only have 2 fuzzy tails, but maybe a drogue tail would work. Maybe making a loop with the fuzzy tail would add more drag, too.

I have had interested by-standers from time to time come over and talk, and sometimes they're even interested in taking the lines to try. This weekend, one of them actually came back... with his own Rev ! I am excited that there may be a new flier in the area, I did my best to set him in the right direction, but unfortunately, the wind was failing for the day. Hopefully he'll be back out soon ! PereiraM, It sounds like you have a great opportunity on your hands... I hope it takes off for you. Let us know if you need some training kites, I'm sure some old wings will shake loose from Kitelife members for a good cause.

Well, my birthday is in a couple of weeks... fingers crossed that my wife's been talking with Lam. He knows that I've had my eye on the ABS xtra vent...

Well, it looks like the Zen will stay in the bag as there's not much interest. An Extra Vent will find its way to my bag one way or another....

Getting into KAP is really easy if you have a GoPro. The rest of the equipment required only costs ~$100, and your time. Post or PM if you're interested...

I got another couple of KAP sessions before the end of summer, not a lot of pictures, as each session was only about 1/2 hour. The new KAP kite (thanks, Nick !) & rig hanging off of it. The winds were over 20mph this day, and the pull from the Ultrafoil 15 was manageable. It did have an unnerving tendancy to dart off, almost horizontal to the right or left, but stayed in the air the whole time. I suppose gusts were up around 30mph. You can see from the ripples on the water, the wind was really ripping ! This is Mount Sinai Harbor, NY. And I was lucky enough to catch the Full Vent Rev in flight... This is one of our local town docks. I've wanted to KAP some of Port Jefferson harbor for some time... Finally got to it. This spot is a short walk from my house. ('bout time ?) I had my assistant with me for this session.... You might be able to see my house in this shot, if the leaves weren't on the trees ! I can actually see the tall tree in my neighbor's yard. This spot will have to be revisited later in the year, once the town goes to sleep for the winter !

Agreed, some nice shots there, S. Something about KAP'n from a dock, makes for some good material. I shot from a dock in a marina recently in some iffy winds... I was really close to dipping the camera a few times ! Underwater KAP, anyone ?

Nice kite, wondering if it has the lower spreaders & standoffs (not shown in pictures...)

The purple kite on the left looks like a Benson Phantom...

Once you poke it out with something like a straightened coat hangar, just use super glue, krazy glue, whatever glue you have along those lines. make sure you get 50% in the spreader, and 50% sticking out before it sets... it sets fast.

Congratulations, Robin !