RobB

Well, here's the thing... as explained to me by the nice NYPD officers who pointed the signs out to me... Kites can be unpredictable and accidentally land on the highway (which is only 150' away). The two of them had never seen a sport kite, and watched me fly for about 15 minutes until they approached me. They said that back in the day (when kites were popular) that there were dozens of kites flown at that site, and a few went into the roadway, causing havoc. They had no problem with me flying there, because they realized the kite was totally under control and there was no possibility of it going into the road, but they said the next officer to come along might give me a ticket. I've flown there numerous times in the last 10 years, never any trouble. The attached photo is from the parking area at that spot... also check out the tell-tail ribbon attached to the 'No Kite Flying' sign. That way, when you pull up, you know what the wind's doing !

There's plenty of room out in the outer Boroughs, these were taken in Brooklyn. Here's one from the other side, in Staten Island... That's the Verrazano Bridge, I believe it is still the longest suspension bridge in the world. Pretty cool, except for the $15 (!) toll to cross. The funny thing is how abandoned these beaches are...

It is the perfect way to blow off steam ! I frequently stop on my ride home for a quicky-fly. And CV was right, the kite in the picture is a Prophecy... I stop at this spot whenever I'm going by, and the wind is up... even though kite flying is prohibited. One of the signs posted at the rest area / scenec overlook. The first kite I won as a Kitelife subscriber prize... Another Prism kite at the same site... And SR, this is my 'Lix, not at the same spot...

Congrats, Nick... enjoy it in good health !

I don't know if you've heard how bad traffic can be in NYC, but sometimes you just have to pull off and fly a kite...

Hey Nick... You are so right... but we didn't have sunscreen back then. I remember peeling sheets of skin off from sunburn when I was a kid. I wear sunscreen now, and a big Tilley hat, but the damage has been done. Attached is some incentive for anyone looking to remember their SPF 50 & a hat ! ~Rob.

Oh yeah, I'm In ! Everyone's seen my crusty old screwdriver kite stake... I could really use an upgrade ! Thanks, OCR !

Yeah, I'm convinced Prism put that in their video so they could sell more kites & parts ! Although it CAN be done, a little walk never hurt anybody... Funny thing is, old Prism kites are really the only kites that can do this recovery reliably, because they have a slightly up-turned nose. Eclipse, Illusion, I2k, and Elixir. Not really a good idea with any modern kites...

That's exactly why I don't dead launch... it is almost guaranteed to end in disaster !

Nice score, congratulations ! Have fun with those...

OK, RNG... I have 2 reasons why I need this kite... I've got 2 friends hooked on 4 line flying, and my Sunday 'kite church' is short on mid-vents. Although the wind has been full vent wind so far this fall (and 50' tails) I think their first Revs should be mid-vents. I've taught my friend Charlie to fly in less than an hour, and my friend Dan picked it up in under 5 minutes. Now we just need to get more than 1 kite in the air at a time !

There is no operational difference between 32bit and 64 bit. By that I mean that there's nothing different to learn for the user. You can order Win7 machines from any of the major manufacturers, don't buy off-the-shelf from Best Buy. Even if you did get stuck with a wonky Win8 machine, all you have to do is download (for free) ClassicShell, and your Win8 machine will operate either like an XP or Win7 machine. I know change is tough, we're all human, and humans have a natural resistance to change. I deal with it every day, put a new unfamiliar operating system in front of someone, and do my best to teach them how to use it. http://classicshell.net/

You might still be able to get certain PCs with an XP 'downgrade', but you'll pay more for them. I am in the process of changing out over 200 XP computers for Win7 machines. There are no issues with Win7, unlike Vista. You just have to get used to a new look, and things being in different places... BTW, support for XP is being discontinued next March, so there will be no more updates from MS. All industry machines will be switched out by then. XP has been mainstream for at least 11 years, more than 3 times the life expectancy of the average PC. Time marches on...

Yeah, I've been tempted to get a 36, BUT, the 24 is a beast in 15mph wind. The 24 will lift a GoPro without even noticing, but it did need at least 10mph of wind to lift my old remote controlled rig, but it weighed probably 5 times as much. Maybe more...

Another thing tied to the PS... It will lift just about anything in the right wind...

This is one of my 'happy places'... It's what makes it worth living in NY and dealing with everything that gives NY a bad name. Scott, the PS 24 is certainly worth the $$$, it sets up and flies in less than a minute, it takes another 30 seconds to hang the camera. AND, it's durable... I've had mine for years, and still jumps into the sky on a moment's notice, hauling up just about anything that you tie to it.

One more, taken from the west end of my flying spot... you can see that it's almost totally surrounded by water, an actual isthmus...

Just a GoPro hung from the line... comes up with some neat pictures. I have to get this rig out at more locations... it's quick & easy with the Power Sled 24 !

Agreed, since the only other kite chat over at GWTW has been dead this year. I'm sure with this group it would be a little livelier...

You'll get alot out of the mid-vent... especially when the wind is up/down/all around. I hardly ever fly my full sail 1.5, it's either the mid-vent or full vent. The mid can fly in pretty low winds, and if it can't fly, I'm flying duallies anyway. The full sail doesn't seem to be able to fly in much lower wind, anyway...

I've been putting time on the lines... I'm almost ready to fly with you guys ! I moved back to the 120s, and they make the 1.5s seem slow. Maybe I need a B2 ?

No, I really liked the video. I was so impressed with the flying that I only noticed that one warp in the beginning. I don't think I could control the little kite that well, or probably any quad line. You gave me some stuff to work on, Thanks !

Nice score, mtGrizzly. That's a good lookin' kite.

Well, I need to bow out... I've bought too many kites this year all ready. I'd really like to be able to fly '4' in low wind, but it just isn't in the budget. I fought with myself over buying those no-snag handles... a Zen would be a lot more ! Maybe next year...

Congratulations ! What an awesome prize... I'll bet it's got SOME pull in 20mph winds !