RobB

Well, I hope that everything is well in NC... and the cleanup isn't too bad. I cleaned all of the kids' toys out of the yard and secured what I could. The 85mph winds that they're calling for are on par with the Nor'easters we get in the winter, so hopefully the storms last winter cleaned all the weak trees and branches out all ready. Fingers crossed... ~Rob. BTW... the last big hurricane we had come through here (hurricane Gloria) knocked our power out for more than two weeks. I might not be online for a while...

Of the kites mentioned, I guess the Widow would be the best choice, but why limit yourself ? The only way to get kites & supplies is online. You're really missing out if you shut out the online market. HQ has the Maestro and Shadow that are worth flying if you're going to stick with the HQ & Premier brands, but you're really settling for less...

Might I suggest... http://intothewind.com/shop/Stunt_Kites/Trick_Kites/ITW_Kymera_Barresi_Stunt_Kite That should keep you going for quite some time. It's on my birthday wishlist... If you're set on going for a Widow, I would say to spend a little more and get an actual Widow Maker. They fly like a dream, and are very neutral and forgiving. I used mine for my VF20 entry...

The tail weight changes the balance point of the kite, changing the way the kite flies, making it easier to do certain tricks. It might be fun to mess around with the Vision, add the weight and you might notice that the kite stalls or slides easier, or that it flies slower in higher winds. If you're starting to think that you want to learn some slack line tricks, it's time to step up to a more trick oriented kite. I had a Vision, and it was a great kite to buzz around, but it's kind of limitted in it's capabilities. It is indestructable, though. ~Rob.

You get some of the best kite flying just before a hurricane (calm before the storm). I've grown up enjoying hurricanes, it's fun & exciting if you take it with the right attitude. As far as the 'quake... what 'quake ?

I made my own out of an old RC car...

Yeah, John, I know it's a little long and I should've left more on the cutting room floor. That's why I tried to choose some fun music to listen to. As far as camera angle... well, I wish I had someone to take the video that knew more about videography than Mr. Tripod ! It would probably also help if I could learn some more tricks ! ~Rob.

Well, that's the North Shore for you... if you don't like a rocky beach, get in you car and spend an hour on the road to get to a crowded South Shore beach... oh, and spend $10-$25 to park... 8) I won't have much time in the next few months, either, as my 3rd child was born on Monday, but you can expect to see me out there for a few hours on Sunday mornings, as long as it's not raining too hard ! ~Rob.

OK, Airhead... Here's my latest kite, all the way from Sweden ! The kite is a work of art, and tricky as H3LL ! You've been out to Cedar Beach ? Not a world class beach by any stretch, but the wind is. East, West, North wind is unobstructed, and the South wind isn't bad, either... Give me a holler when you're needing a break from classes, I'll bring a bag of kites ! ~Rob.

I have a car and extra kites. Let me know when you're out this way... I usually fly on Sundays in the AM. ~Rob.

Hey Airhead... I was going to suggest that the Tracker may be a Skynosaur, but it looks like John beat me to that one. I think I've heard of a kite called the Marlin, but don't know anything about it. One thing I do know is that you listed your location as StonyBrook, only 5 miles from me ! What's up with that ? We'll have to meet up for a fly sometime, there are some decent places to fly around here, and no one flying them. ~Rob.

Hey there... My best guess to those numbers would be the 38th Nebula made in December 2007. Like I said... just a guess.... Post a picture of it if you get a chance, the Nebula was real hot for a little while, but then interest for it disappeared. The only other one I've seen is the Four Winds demo kite... ~Rob.

I have a full set of Nebulas, but they were made by Erv Crosby. They're very special to me because he made them for me just before he passed away... I think they may be the last kites he made. They are more geared for the tricking, but I think they can cut a corner and fly a straight line. They are a little quicker, though, because they're not full sized. ~Rob.

hey Chikokishi, I have to agree with everything stated above. Tricking is the balance between flying and not flying. Much easier to do on the sides of the wind window, unless the wind is really light. Bumpy inland winds are probably your biggest problem, even though you can feel wind at your level, the wind is different at the ends of the lines, 75' away from you. It's different at different heights, too. If you've got a spot 40 miles from you that has clean wind, it might be worth the drive if you're serious about learning to trick. You guys don't have a speed limit in Montana, right ? It shouldn't take that long to drive 40 miles... Here are the online tutorials... http://v2.1.kiteclique.com/wordpress-3.0/wordpress/tutorials/randygs http://kitebox.net/mama74/ Watch any videos you can find, especially the ones that show the pilot and kite in the same frame. The Dodd Gross Flight School video will also be helpful, maybe more so than the Prism one. I think Chico kites is selling it for $10. I don't have anyone by me to learn to fly from, so I learn whatever I can from videos, and written tutorials, like Reggies 'lessons' on the Prism website, and go out and do my best. It takes a long time, but when you do learn a certain trick, it's very satisfying. Good Luck ! ~Rob.

You need to stand in the water up to your waist & fly... It's killer hot up here in NY, too. Too hot to fly kites yesterday, too hot to be outside ! Keep cool & enjoy your time at the beach ! ~Rob.

Hey Kruski... It is fine to leave the LE tensioned on the Zephyr, unless you're storing it for an extended period of time. It's not so important to release the tension on kites that have straight LEs, but if you get a kite with a curved LE, it's a good idea to release the tension after each use. Older Prism kites like the E2, Elixir, Illusion have a curved LE, as well as the Benson Gemini. There are more, but those are some good examples. With the old Zephyr, you had to break down the LE every time, because the hard case was only 1/2 length. After retrofitting the lashings, it made it a lot quicker & easier... My 'quickie lashings' solution. Using the quickie lashings makes it alot easier to set up and break down the Zephyr... These are the stock wingtip lashings. WAY TOO SHORT, first of all. A real PITA to tie and untie. Cut those freakin' things off, and thread a length of bridle line through the loop, doubled over. Notice the handy dandy paperclip tool. Now, tie the loose ends together, and place the inner knot at the perfect spot to hold enough tension on the sail. Loop the closed end of the loop through the nock... And pull the inner knot through the nock. The extra length and knot at the end help in this, which is where the tension is applied to the leading edge and sail. This setup has saved me about 5-10 minutes per flight for more fly time... ~Rob.

No, they're not snapping because they're too short, they're too light. You want at least 150#-200# line for winds under 15mph, and heavier still for winds over 15mph. I remember snapping a #225 set while flying my 1.8 meter foil in high winds. You can more than likely repair the set that you snapped. A little shorter isn't a bad thing... ~Rob. http://www.animatedknots.com/bloodknot/index.php

No, this was the Fearless Tattoo SUL, not the E3. I have a few of the darker colored kites, but this one has absolutely no color other than black. Besides... the E3 could only wish to fly in 2 mph of wind ! I wish I had a good picture of it, but it's not very photgenic... hard to tell what you're looking at because the color hides the lines of the kite... Rob. BTW, that's the 'Freedom Tower' rising out of lower Manhattan off the right wing of the kite. It's nice to see something start to fill that big hole in the sky.

It's a little Sanyo HD-card camera... ~Rob.

The winds were a little tough, but I tried to shoot a little video while hanging out in Liberty State Park, hoping some other kiters would show up. Well, here's what I came up with... ~Rob.

Hey Duane, I actually use the duffel bag that I keep my foil, laundry & lines in when I transport them to the beach. Just fill it with sand, and it weighs an unbelievable amount. Dump it out & load the gear back in when it's time to go home... ~Rob

Congratulations, Brian on the B2. And this whole thing with no takers for the dual line clinic ? WTF ? I can't believe that people would pass up such an opportunity ! Well, John, maybe you just need a weekend off, anyway... ~Rob.

I think there aren't many females as 'into' flying as the guys are, but I know a few... my wife's one (flying a kite twice as big as her above ), and another female friend actually owns a kite store. Have a look in the AKA magazine, there seem to be a number of women involved in all types of kite activities... ~Rob.

I wish you luck... I live on an island with over 3 million people, and haven't been able to get enough interest together to start a pairs team. Getting people out to fly more than twice per year is next to impossible around here.

I think it would be silly to try and fly the 4D in winds over 5mph. It starts to get too fast for any tricks at 3mph. As was mentioned above, the kite may not explode at 10mph, but it wouldn't be any fun. ~Rob.