RobB

I fly flat tails on my SLKs. I had a similar sized DC that I fly 2 24' flat tails from. I fly my 12' double DC with 2 48' and 2 24' flat tails. Once the kite is up 100 feet, you can't tell if the tails are flat or tube. I only have one tube tail, it's 25' and 8" in diameter. It's a real drag, even for the 12' Delta that I bought it for. You need at least 10mph of wind to get a kite to lift most tails, tube tails will need more wind.

Hey, the north shore ! Let's hope the wind isn't out of the south that day... I'm always ready to fly.

We are all, not quite as good as you are ............ If you flew your dual line kites as much as you flew your Revs you would be !

The Microns can take up to 35mph wind, I've done that with my 5 stack. The only other option it a vented kite like the QPro vent. That can also be flown up to 35mph (I've done that, too). But this is exactly what got me into quads. Dual lines, even vents aren't very much fun to fly in wind over 20mph. Unless you like to run a lot, that is. I got a full vent 1.5 and haven't looked back since. The funny thing is, the full vent Rev was so much fun, I had to get a midvent & a full sail 1.5 as well. Now I don't even need my dual line kites unless the wind is really light.

Now, now. You can stop a dual line kite dead in its tracks, and then bang it back into motion at will. It just takes a little more foot work to achieve the same effect. Duals are easier to fly to a driving beat, though. I agree that you could fly a quad to any music you could think of. Without having to run down the field...

I use my wind meter to confirm what I all ready knew. It doesn't come out of the bag very often, but it's fun to measure the wind at the extemes. Like when you're flying in low wind, get out the wind meter to see that it can't even register, but you're still flying. Or when you register 25-35mph, it confirms that the wind is abusive. Here's my favorite... when the wind's really good, you can measure how good....

OOOoh ! They have my favorite sand cruiser bike on the same page.... sounds like a trip to the newsstand is in order !

I would try taping instead of tieing. Also, a thicker tape like 'crime scene' tape might show up better. I don't know about how that would affect the low wind capabilities of the kite, though. 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'm in !

I think Tom's video is filmed using a totally stock setup on shorter lines, but those may be the stock lines, too. I fly mine on 30' lines, I just cut the stock lines down the first time I flew it. The 50' lines were just too long for me to fly the little kite on... It was hard for me to see it all the way out there !

I'm still pulling for Pete... I think it would be a perfect BD present. It's not everyday that someone from this forum turns 70. Just think of it this way, Pete, in dog years, you're only 10 ! If you win, I think it should be sent around so we can all sign birthday wishes on it...

vented kites are supposed to have holes !

Hey Chikokishi, What length lines are you using ? That kite should fly in less than 5mph, at least on short lines. Get a set of 50'-60' 90# lines... shorties make a big difference when you're looking for a couple of mph lower. You could have an issue with lack of ground-wind... does it fly better if you get it up 15-20 feet ?

My son has beaten the 4D to what I'd consider 'poor' condition, but it still flies. I was good for him, because a full sized kite would've overpowered him when he started. I would recommend the ProDancer if you just want to fly. If you want to trick, too, keep looking to the Ocius or Aura SUL. Thanks, John, I take what I get, this was just luck of the draw... Thanks, WS. I'd love to see some flying from your neck of the woods... Nick, that's the north shore for ya ! New England sent us all their cr@p in the last glacier ! Our south shore beaches are wide & have that perfect sugar sand. I just never take the time to travel, I just want to fly ! I was loading my arms for the sweep back as the kite climbs. If you use a large arm sweep, you don't have to walk as much. It's just my way of keeping my place in the field. The wide angle makes the close up stuff look wonky, it would've been easier to see if the camera was right behind me. Glasses ? I wear either Revos or RayBans, I couldn't say what I grabbed that day. Totally agree... east coast mountains are lame ! As far as beaches, Fire Island out to Montauk, LI's south shore beaches are world class. Unless you need mountains in the scene, too !

Thanks... I tried to get in the frame a little to show the movements. The ProDancer is very twitchy, I think it needs to be tuned. You can see that in the side slide attempts. The only other outdoor SUL kite that I have that flies easily in that little wind is the 4D, but it's half the size of the PD. Other SULs require a lot more foot work.

There's been nothing but light wind or off-shore garbage wind for months here. I went out with the intention of getting some footage for the current round of VF, but the wind let me down. Still had a good couple of hours out flying... until it got too hot ! It's only June, I'm all ready starting to melt... Can't wait for September ! This video's a SkyBurner ProDancer SUL. Hands down, the best outdoor no wind/light wind kite I've ever flown. It's an old design, so it's not very tricky... as a matter of fact, I can't get any tricks at all out of it. But it does give a strong pull on the lines in wind that doesn't even register on my wind meter. The wind came up a little for a while, maybe all the way up to 2mph ! So this was my best attempt at getting tricks for the contest. The Sea Devil SUL is the lightest kite I have that can do tricks, so here it goes... http://vimeo.com/69441474 A little Pink Floyd thrown in for those who like that kinda thing ! * Edit... uToob blocked the Floyd... uploading to Vimeo... View on Vimeo.

Have you guys ever heard (seen) the Live from Pompeii DVD ? It's a mix of earlier and pre-Dark Side stuff. Pretty Awesome, but maybe not flying music ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1yxNjU7u_8

The 1.5 full sail that I got has a Poly sail. It is a custom that was made for the Berkeley Kite Festival, and Tom had them specifically made with the better sail. I would've bought it anyway, it was just an added bonus. One thing that made a huge difference in my flying was to dump the 120' lines for 75' lines. I know 120s are the standard, but I never fly with anyone and really don't have the room for long lines where I fly. The 120s seemed to delay my inputs and be more difficult to keep the kite going in lighter conditions. It's hard for me to really tell, though, as I haven't flown on the 120s since I got the shorter lines. I wouldn't recommend 120s as a first lineset, though. I think they slowed my learning in the beginning.

You know, that was just awesome ! Love the backstory, too. I am so glad you got it on video. There's no way that I wouldn't have tried that 20 years ago when we were out on the water every day, if I had only been more into kites at the time... I traded my power boat for a canoe & kids, so, at least I can take my kitebag to an uncrowded beach, and if the wind is right, get my Power Sled to drag me there. How are you going to top this ?!?

I am really interested to hear how you guys launched the kite... did you start from a dock, toss it, or water launch ? I've pulled my canoe with a big single line, always wanted to try with a two or four line foil, just couldn't figure out the launch. Glad to see you're having a good summer !

'Learning to Fly' ? Into the distance, a ribbon of black Stretched to the point of no turning back Flight of fancy on a windswept field Standing alone, my senses reel Fatal attraction that's holding me fast Now, can't escape this irresistible grasp Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky There's no sensation to compare with this Suspended animation - a state of bliss Yeah, that's the one... or maybe Pigs on the Wing ?

'Learning to Fly' ?

Not that it's the BEST tail winder, but this is what I use... a piece of driftwood ! This is 150' of tails wound up...

Wow, inverted slides are the tough ones for me. I finally got my inverted hover reasonably stable, but sliding it ? Ha... not all the way across the window yet.

I was listening to Get Your Wings that day, though I do have Toys in the Attic. Most of my toys are in the garage, though. BTW. It's been a busy year so far, but I hope to get down your way by the end of summer, so maybe we can hook up and fly on one of those windy beaches that steal all of our wind! That would be great. Trigger's going to be in our area this summer, looking to fly. It would be cool to get a fly together.