RobB

Hi there... Right off... I broke more kites learning ground recoveries than learning tricks. The 'walk of contemplation' isn't as bad as a broken kite. Just want to throw that out there. Now that I can do them, ground recoveries do save alot of time. One move to stay away from is the dead launch... Stalls & side slides are pretty easy to learn. Lazy Susans, flic-flacs & fades are also some of my first tricks. It took me around a year to learn how to axel, another year to learn the 540... it's tough to learn from videos, so if you can find someone to fly with, that would be a huge help. One group of videos you'll find very helpful would be... http://kitebox.net/mama74/ http://www.youtube.com/user/DPmama74 These really helped me, but watch anything you can find. There are hints and tips in all the videos out there. I'm anxiously awaiting the KiteLife 2 line tutorials... ~Rob.

Very dissapointing news... I was looking forward to flying one before it got too hot. The best flying around here is late september to early may. I guess it's better to wait and get it right, than to release a bunch of problems like some manufacturers. I guess keep us posted... BTW, is there an UL in the works ?

Congratulations, JR ! That kite will look as nice on your wall as when You're flying it. What a beaute ! ~Rob.

Hey John... Thanks for watching... glad you enjoyed. You know where I started, and your advice & encouragement helped a great deal for me to get to where I am now. Learning on your own is a slow, frustrating process at times, but watching videos like your Sea Devil demo provide the light at the end of the tunnel. You know, I watched that video, and ran right out to buy a Sea Devil. I was so disappointed that mine didn't fly just like yours the first day I flew it ! Well, here's another Fearless video for anyone who has time to watch & listen. It's the vented light version of the Fearless in ~10mph of wind. ~Rob.

It darts UP ? I would think a failed flare-fade would sent the kite flying DOWN. If it does pop from the flare back to flying down, you need more slack. Most videos show the pilot and kite separately, you need to find a video that shows both at the same time, slow it down, and watch the timing of the inputs, and notice the slack. Try this video at ~2:00... Martin's inputs are small and efficient, but maybe you can see how he gets his flare-fade. You should also check out RandyG's tutorials, they'll start you off in the right direction... RandyG's Tutorials... We'll have to make do with these until John comes out with his own 2 line tutorials... Good luck ! ~Rob.

Hi Jynx... Glad you enjoyed ! It's so nice to fly now that all the summer crowd has gone home to watch football ! ~Rob.

Hey there... I thought I would share a little flying from my local spot with everyone. The kite is a Sky Sport Design Fearless Tattoo. One of my favorite low wind kites, I'm just starting to click with it after trying for a year. ~Rob.

Hey Tom, I think within two weeks of my first subscribing to Kitelife, I won an Acrobatx. I flew the wings off that kite ! Such a step up from what I was flying at the time... Congratulations on the nice score, Brad ! ~Rob.

I think it's lack of interest, and lack of will for people to do anything active & fun anymore. Kite flying is one of the least expensive hobbies to remain involved in. Once you have your kites, the wind is free... and kites last a long time. As far as competition, I for one have no desire to compete at something that relaxes and challenges me. I don't have the time to travel to more than 1 or 2 competitions each year, and actually resent the large space that the competition takes away from the kite field. I had no place to fly (dual line) at Wildwood this year within the boundries of the festival, because the competition was taking up one entire field for one person to fly at a time. That field could have easily held a dozen dual line fliers at one time, if not more. The upside of that was that I was able to spectate more and take some pictures. ~Rob.

Kiting is dead where I live. There used to be a strong kite community with people meeting up every Sunday at local beaches, heck, everyday after work. Now, it's an uncommon sight to see another kite flying at the beach. I live on an Island with hundreds of miles of coastline, a flier's paradise. 3 million residents... you would think that more people would be flying, but to the rest of them, the beach is seldom visited, and never between Sept.10th and May20th. Thank Goodness ! But really, it would be nice to see some other people kiting once in a while. If it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't have any access to great kites & great kite people. ~Rob.

Best of luck with that new wing ! I think you're going to enjoy flying full size, and would bet you'll soon be in the market for a full sized standard, as well. There aren't many things better than getting a triangle box in the mail... Maybe this video inspired your choice ? When I first saw this video, I came VERY close to buying a SF, too. JB's videos are an excellent sales pitch for whatever kite he's flying. His Sea Devil videos inspired me to buy 2 Sea Devils. ~Rob. BTW... the black kite is a Fearless Tattoo. It tricks in 1-10mph wind.

Generally speaking, the extra 2mph of wind range at the bottom is HUGE. Don't believe that the standard Acrobatx can fly in 3mph, either. You would be spending all of your energy moving backwards and pumping your arms, there wouldn't be any tricking before 5-6mph. I think you should think twice about the Shadow. Forget about how a kite looks... it's how it flies. The Shadow will actually fly in next to nothing and trick at 2-3 mph of wind. The only thing I didn't like about it was the oversteer. It's very similar to the Exile UL in that respect, and the wind range is similar, too. I'm a huge fan of the Shadow, mine is out on loan right now, and I miss it all the time. I would skip the 4D, it's too small and fragile to be much fun, although there are some people out there that can get it to do amazing tricks, it takes years of practice to get even close to that good. If you're just flying a Jazz right now, you really need to be looking at getting a full sized kite as your primary goal right now. If you don't mind a used kite, a used Prism Zephyr would be a great kite for you, or if you can spend $200 (MSRP is over $250), I know where you can get a new one. It will get you flying in the low winds, and keep flying up until 15mph. Once the wind's up to 15mph, it's time to go home, anyway. I don't have any of the SF line, but do have an Acrobatx. It flies great, it's almost full sized, but it breaks every time I take it out. I would never consider the UL, because the standard is so fragile. This is just my experience, but if you stick with Prism, you'll have alot less breakage. If you're a Flying Wings fan for some reason, they also have the Airwave Zero that is right in your budget, full sized, and supposedly zero wind capable. I will leave you with a picture of my favorite light wind kite to date... light wind flying is my favorite kind of flying, I have over 20 ULs & SULs, but this one kite could take the place of all of them... ~Rob.

I guess that just goes to show that EVERYBODY is still working on something. I'm looking forward to see how you do things, even the basics, to compare to how I do things. I'm sure I could do alot of things better... I'm always working on tricks that I all ready know to make them better when I get frustrated trying to learn something new. I spent months recently just learning to gain more control over all aspects of my flying without learning any new tricks. Videos from fliers like you are invaluable to fliers like me that hardly ever see anyone else flying a kite. So, thanks for doing that... ~Rob.

Some of the most helpful 2 line instructional videos for me can be found at.... http://www.youtube.com/user/DPmama74 Believe it or not, Martin claims to have been flying for only 6 years ! I can't wait to see some official KiteLife 2 line videos, the 4 line videos are really good ! ~Rob.

If $$$ is an issue, you should look into some of the used kites for sale. Half of my kites were purchased used, and I have only gotten a junker once. The rest of the kites that I bought were next to new condition, and half price or less. Once you have the basics down on the Jazz, you need a full sized wing to learn tricks on... ~Rob.

Pictures would certainly help. I've been flying inland winds to try to get better at flying... the beach is too crowded this time of year by me. It can be really frustrating at times, you need a light wind kite one minute, a vented the next. I have a 'vented light' kite that makes lemonade out of lemon wind, but even that has it's good moments, and bad. Good luck... ~Rob.

OK... I have to add this... You need to get a full size kite. You will find it easier to control, and you will learn much faster. Get something like a Prism Hypnotist to use for a while. Once you've got your basics down, a Blue Moon or a Sea Devil will accelarate your learning curve even more. There are actually so many kites in that range that are awesome, it's hard to recommend just one... once you're done breaking kites, step up to something in that range. Keep watching the videos, and close your eyes and visualize the tricks. If you can find someone to watch, or teach you, that would work the fastest... Good luck ! ~Rob.

Hey Ant... It's been a while... your little guy is getting BIG ! We had our first this year, and what a blast. Maybe Ethan can teach my little guy how to fly with four lines someday. We're currently working on our 2 line skills... ~Rob.

Hey hellyskiia1, Sounds good ! I might suggest to contact Lanie from Lanie's Way in Port Jefferson. She is the closest thing to a kite shop around here. There aren't many, if any organized flying clubs on the Island. I fly all over the Island, mostly on the NorthShore. Let me know if I could be any help, but I'm just one person, and don't know too many locals into flying. ~Rob.

Hey Tim... I have all the kites you mentioned above. Go for the Hypnotist, it will do the most for someone getting started. It is more trickable than the Quantum, and just as durable. Plus, it comes with the Prism DVD. Don't waste your time with a half size kite (Nexus), and the E2 is more like a second kite. ~Rob.

Hey All... Thanks for the advice & suggestions. I have been breaking the Zephyr down and repacking it in it's hard case each time I fly it. I've gotten pretty good at it, all though it kind of sucks to untie those knots in the winter when your fingers are numb. But it only takes 5 minutes to set up, and to break down. The Zephyr is my most frequently flown kite in winds less than 5 mph. It has a great forgiveness for mistakes, and non- precise inputs. I find it easier to trick than the QPro, although both are pretty easy to trick with. Ant... as far as the sleeve... I have yet to get a sewing machine, so I just recently ordered a QPro sleeve from Prism. It was cheap, and now I'll be able to leave the Zephyr long, stored with the rest in the roll-up bag. ~Rob.

It really sucks to see New Tech tuning out. I got my start with 2 line kites on Dodd's 'Exposive' series. Multiple times, Chris from New Tech send me new parts when I broke this or that... Hopefully they will pull through and come out with some new products. ~Rob.

Hey Jared... The Qpro is a more demanding kite than the Zephyr. You get out what you put in, no more, no less. The Zephyr is very forgiving, and makes you look better than you are... I can tell you that the build quality is excellent, what you would expect from the Prism flagships. I do have a couple of Flying Wings kites, but not the SilverFox. I would say that they're good kites for the $$$, and my Acrobatx is super tricky. The SF seems like a tremendous deal, you can get the STD and UL for the price of one QPro. And good luck trying to find a QPro SUL, UL, or VV. Let's see... from a dollar standpoint, you've got almost $1000 for the QPro suite vs. less than $500 for the SF suite. Another thing to keep in mind when you're considering spending $300 for a kite is that you can get something like a Blue Moon or a Sea Devil, etc. for about the same $$$. So many choices... ~Rob.

I would go for the Silver Fox 2.5 (STD or UL). No need to lay out that much $$$ Surprising answer... I though you were a Prism guy. I've been tempted to get a SilverFox, but never got around to it. I do have a QPro, though, and can heartily recommend it. Between the QPro and Zephyr is where three quarters of my flying time is spent. ~Rob.