RobB

Hey BadFish... Did you see the date on this post ? You are the first person to respond to it. Thank you for that... ~Rob.

Hey there... I have more than 30 dual line kites, and I find myself flying my Prism Zephyr the most. It's not a bad deal when you consider it comes with two quality linesets, and a cool hard sided case that fits one more kite and lineset on the inside, and one on the outside. It has a 1-17mph windrange, and tricks with the best of them. ~Rob.

Hey Jon... I would try a sliding weight sytem, like is on the Big Bang. That way, you can try different C of G, and see what you like best. I think you should be able to do flic flacks fine as is, but you might find roll up tricks difficult. You need to step up to a French Connection II to do all those latest pitch based roll up tricks, I think. ~Rob.

Hey Chet... They don't come much bigger than the Hypnotist. At least not at that price. Don't count on doing tricks your first day out, but if you're going to spend 4 hours flying, you might get some tricks down. Just about any kite will do tricks with the right pilot. The Hypnotist will last a casual flier a lifetime. ~Rob.

The size of a stunt kite has alot to do with how friendly it will be to a beginner. With an 8ft+ wingspan, the Hypnotist is really easy to fly. Nothing happens too quick, and all movements are all predictable. There are alot of great kites out there, but I don't think you'll find a better bang for your buck than the Hypnotist. If you're like most of us, it won't be long before you have 20 kites in your bag... ~Rob.

http://www.skyburner.com/levelone/lo-products.html

Hey ChetR... I would have to recomend the Prism Hypnotist. It is a super tough kite that can do almost every trick you've seen. You can get one for about $100 on eBay. It comes with a great instructional DVD and a quality lineset. I spent 2 years of learning on it, and never managed to break it. It easily has the most hours of flying of ALL my kites. In that time, I have broken my Acrobatx at least 4 times. Don't get me wrong, the Acrobatx is a great kite, when it's not on the workbench. Don't count on it if it is your only kite. The wind blows the best when you don't have anything to fly. So far, I have learned to do stalls, sideslides, backflips, lazy susans, multi-lazies, yoyos, roll ups, and axels on the Hypnotist. There are still more tricks that it could do, but I'm not there, yet. The Prism DVD will take you through eveything you need to know to get going, and to start learning some tricks. Good luck... ~Rob.

Hey Ant... Kiting is getting big ? Where do you live ? I actually know that you live in the East Coast capital of kiting... But kiting is probably only getting big by you because you have so many kites. There is still NO ONE on Long Island flying, except me. It is so frustrating... I actually get excited to see someone playing with their kids, and a ToysRUs SLK. ~Rob.

Hey Gordon... I have a YinYang as well. It is supposed to have a wind range of 3-30mph. I would say more like 5-25mph, in my experience with it. I would use 80#-90# 75-100 ft lines on it. It doesn't have much lift, so it gets dragged down easily. 50# 75' lines would be ideal in the lower wind ranges. As far as the single winder, yes, that's the way it's done. Wind your lines in a figure 8 pattern, like you would hitch lines on a boat cleat. To unwind, stake one end down to the ground, and just pull out with your finger in the center of the winder, it will rock back and forth, spilling the lines out as you walk. It doesn't matter if they have a couple of twists in them, you just fly them out. For the winds you describe, you would be better off with a light wind kite. I love my Prism Zephyr, but I'm sure others will chime in on their favorites, as well. Good luck... ~Rob.

Hey Penny... Wow ! Indoor Quad line is really cool ! Thanks for those videos. I have only flown single line indoors (Guildworks), and I do duals in zero wind outdoors, but now I've got to try quad line indoors. Any suggestions on how to get started in that ? I am geographically isolated from other fliers, but I do have access to a gym. ~Rob.

Hey Penny... I always thought that this is what we did when the weather was too miserable to fly outside. I know, fly inside... I do that, too. When I first got here, all the forums were buzzing, single, dual, quad. I have quad line kites, I just find my duals more challenging, so I spend alot more time with them. ~Rob.

Hey Skitch... I hear you... I don't know what happened to KiteLife. This used to be such an active forum, it's just died recently. ~Rob.

Thanks... Now I'm more confused. I thought it was a Reactor Pro, but it looks a little different than the pictures I can find. I was lucky enough to find it as part of an estate sale lot, but unfortunately, I obviously couldn't talk to the previous owner... ~Rob.

I was wondering if anyone knows what kinds of kites these are. One says it's made by Crystal kites (red & orange), and the other has no markings on it. I was going to list them for sale, but I don't know how to describe them very well... Thanks, ~Rob.

Hey Wen... I don't have a SF, so I couldn't recommend it. I'm sure John B. could, though. I've seen the videos of him flying it, and it looks awesome... I have an Acrobatx, and I love that kite. It is super tricky, although a little heavy. It's weight tricks me into flying it in conditions that are too powerful for it, and I end up folding it in half (broken spreader). I guess it's like a Jaguar, and excellent sporty model, when it's not in the shop. ~Rob.

Hey Barry... Awesome kite collection ! The biggest kites I've got so far are a Power Sled 24 and my Dopero. Nothing that needs to be anchored to a car ! ~Rob.

Yes, personal instruction... if I lived on the west coast, I might run into more people flying, I'm sure. Stunt kite flying is just about dead in New York, I've only run into one guy that could really fly in the last few years, and I learned how to do Flic Flacs in only a couple minutes watching him. He was flying a Sea Devil, by the way, and made everything look so easy. I watched those videos for a long time, but could never grasp FlicFlacs until I saw them in person. I agree about the soundtrack and naration, but I usually watch them on mute these days. It keeps my wife from asking 'are you watching that video again ?' But without them, I'd still be doing loops, figure 8's, and hovering on the edge of the window. As far as an Elixir, yes, everyone should have one eventually, and I plan to get one someday. Also, a Vapor and a Prophecy. Hard to find, but the thrill is in the hunt. I all ready have 6 Prism kites, and am looking for at least 6 more... ~Rob.

Dude... What, are you high or something ? I learned a ton from that video that came with my Hypnotist. I still watch it from time to time. Yes, it might be a little dated, but there are EXCELLENT tidbits in there that you can't learn from print. It must be nice to have other fliers around to learn from, I don't have any near me. All the learning I've done is from videos and the internet, but the Prism & Dodd Gross Flight school videos are the best learning tools if you don't have a personal instructor. So, my advice would be to buy either the Hypnotist or E2, because they are both excellent kites, and because they come with the video. An Elixir, give me a break... where are you going to find a good one for $150 ? Last one I saw in good shape was over $200, and that was months ago. ~Rob.

John, Excellent idea... I'll try that. Thank you. Bass... check your e-mail... ~Rob.

Hey Bill, Keep in mind those 225# lines may not be strong enough if you go out in winds over 20mph, especially if you put some wraps in them. The 300 # lines would be good goto lines for medium to high winds (15-30) and the 225# are my goto lines for average winds around me (10-20mph). I guess it comes down to your average wind conditions, if you had to choose one set over another. Good Luck & Happy New Year... ~Rob.

Thanks, John. I guess that's why my Kitelife user ID doesn't work. Strange thing is that it says that it's in use & not avaialble. Like I said, I'm just looking for the best way to pass along my starter kites, now that my bag is filling up with 'real' kites. Take care & Happy New Year... ~Rob.

Hey All... Just was wondering what is up with the kite classifieds ? I tried to sign in, and I was not able to, all though I know my user name & password. Are add fees applicable to kitelife members, or are the fees just for guests ? Are the classifieds even a part of kitelife ? I have alot of kites that I don't fly anymore, and I was looking to pass them along to someone who is just starting out. ~Rob.

Hey Bass... I guess it would depend on your weight and personal strength. I can last 20 minutes-half hour with my 3 meter foil, only using my hand/arm strength, in a 15-20 mph wind. That includes 50 ft. slides in the sand and 5-10 ft. jumps. But I FEEL it for a couple days after. If you're used to the pull of waterskiing/wakeboarding, it's very similar. You would last longer with a harness, but then there's the question of what to do when something goes wrong. I'm a little older, and not as durable as I used to be. I don't think I would survive a 20 ft drop as well as I would've 20 years ago. I personally have stayed away from any kind of a harness that doesn't have a safety. The line strengths that you mentioned don't sound out of line for what you're looking to do, though. I just like my 225 # lineset, and they have proven plenty strong for me. I do have and have used the 300# lines, they're just too short for my taste. ~Rob. By the way, the picture is of a Speedfoil 10 after 1/2 hour of flying.

Hey Bass.... I fly a couple of my foils on 2 lines, and I use 225# 110 ft lines with padded straps. I'm including a picture of my hand before I got the padded straps, it should convince you that they are a good investment. I like to fly my larger foils with 4 lines, because you can easily kill the pull if you need to. ~Rob.

Hey Ant... What kind of a harness are you going to use for that rig ? Do you have an anchor to tie your butt to ? With the kinds of winds we've been having, it sounds pretty brave to try to fly not one, but two Blasts at the same time... I've been getting dragged through the sand by a 1.8 meter foil recently. I would think the 200' lines should be good for the flying lines in less than 10 mph, but maybe use them for the brake lines and jack the flying lines up to 300 if you're expecting alot of dragging and maybe some jumps. I think the steering lines on my bigger foil are 300#, and those have been strong enough to take me for a ride. Have fun, and be careful... I don't want to read about you in the NY Times... ~Rob.