RobB

Hey WY... I agree that the HQ is going to be more durable, but I've found that any light wind kite is a little twitchy. It's just something to get used to, and it helps to tune your skills for your regular kites, too. I thought that the NikNak would be a lot less twitchy than the HQ, being that it had a much larger wing span, but not so. I have learned to fly them both reasonably well, it sure beats packing up and going home when the wind dies. I also use a kite with a 10 ft. wingspan for light wind. It just floats around in 2 mph wind on light lines. Super fun, and not twitchy at all. I don't know what kind of lines your HQ came with, but I use 50# 75' lines with mine. I've tried 50' but I thought they were just too short. Have fun... ~Rob.

Hey WY... .I have an HQ Floater, and I think it's similar to the Tango. It's not bad in little to no wind, although a little twitchy. I have been able to do LazySusans, Axels, Slides, etc. with it. It's a good kite for variable-no wind conditions, because it doesn't seem like it will break easily in an unexpected gust. I got a NikNak more recently, and have been flying that more when there's little wind. I would get the HQ kite out though, if there was any hint of unpredictibleness in the wind. The NIKNAK is not built for abuse... ~Rob.

Hey Jambo... The Hawaiian kites are treasured collectible items now. They still fly as good as they did 20 years ago, work best in a 15+mph breeze. I don't think the flexifoils have changed much, and they're still sold. The Peter Powell kites are in the same catagory as the Hawaiians, no longer made, but worth good $$$ to collectors. I have a bunch of old similar kites that I enjoy flying once in a while, but the new kites have such greater capabilities in the trick department, that the older ones are almost boring to fly in comparison. I guess if you're out for excercise and noise making, fly the Hawaiians, they're awesome kites. If you want to fly in low and medium wind, pick up a new kite, it will blow your mind what they can do now. Have fun... ~Rob.

Thanks, Ant... you must have some good pics from the other side of the bridge...

Hey there, I try to fly in as many places as possible. I am a field tech, so I drive hundreds of miles a week. Always have some kites stashed in my car. I know it's not very exotic, but here are some shots from all over the NY area... ~Rob. By the way, if you squint, you can see NYC in the KAP picture...

Hey Ant... I am so bummed out. I will be on Cape Cod this weekend doing a family reunion thing. I would so much rather be flying with you guys. I hear the weather's going to be good, too. Have a great time ! ~Rob.

Hey All... I just got a Prism Zephyr, and had a general question about it. It comes with this great hard sided case that fits 3 line sets and 2 kites inside. The problem is that you have to collapse the leading edges of the kites to fit them into the case. It seems like collapsing and folding the leading edges would lead to extra wear in the sail at the hinge points. I always leave my leading edges assembled in my kite bag, even though none of the Prism sleeves are long enough. It saves time setting up & breaking down, which is better when you only have an hour or less to fly. I guess my question is, is it better for the kite in the long run to leave it half assembled, and only break it all of the way down for packing light, like when you go on an airplane ? Should I only use the excellent hard case when nessesary ? Is there a drawback to leaving the leading edge assembled ? By the way, the Zephyr is awesome. I only got to fly it for an hour so far, but it seems like an excellent kite with alot of potential. I would love to see someone that knew what they were doing fly it. It was able to do most of the tricks I know, but was a little resistant to backflips and flic flacs. Maybe better with the spine weight. ~Rob..

Hey All... Here's something interesting that I found on a beach near me... This is especially ridiculous because there probably aren't more than 10 kite fliers on Long Island... By the way, this picture was taken right on the eastern edge of 'field 6', so I guess you could fly right on the other side of the sign. This is one of the beaches that you have to pay $9 to visit during the season, and on weekends throughout the year. Imagine paying that kind of cake, unloading all of your stuff, walking 3/4 of a mile to the beach, and finding this sign. ARRRRgh ! ~Rob.

Hey KT... I use a screwdriver that's about 15" long. It works in all ground types, even the hardest packed dirt field, soft sand, rocky sand, I've even jabbed it in between the cracks in the pavement of a parking lot. In sand, angle it back towards the wind to give it extra holding power. If you're worried about catching air under the kite at the beach, just put some sand on the kite to keep it in place while you set up. Once you pull back on the lines to stand the kite up, the sand dumps right off. The Quantum looks big when it's set up inside, but you'll be happy it's that big when you're flying it. It doesn't look so big when it's 75' away from you. Good luck ! ~Rob.

Hey KT... I use the screwdriver trick for the solo launches as described above. Couldn't be easier than that. The suggestion of waiting until you have a 10mph day is also a good one. To much wind or too little wind will just make you frustrated. It's not worth it, trust me. The exercise of unwinding lines, assembling the kite and trying to fly in too little wind, only to be followed by winding the lines back up and packing the kite back up with no flight time in between is unbelievably frustrating. May as well not even get started. Too much wind and ground recoveries both end up with the same result. Broken kite. I have learned how to do all ground recoveries except nose down towards you. After breaking countless times... If you don't have a spare kite in the bag, the walk of shame isn't as bad as a broken kite. Also, I would suggest to find some spare parts before you break for the first time. It usually takes at least a week to get spare parts, and that week WILL have the best wind you've seen in a long time. There aren't any kite stores within 100 miles of me that carry spare parts, so my only option is to order them online. ~Rob.

Hey KT.... So sorry to hear of your loss. I hope that flying your kite will bring back good memories of your friend, keep your life full, and help you to keep those memories close. I know you won't be disappointed with your choice, and it will serve you well in all conditions. Take care... ~Rob.

Hey KT... Don't get me wrong, the Acrobatx is an excellent kite... in the right wind. Too high, too low, it's not a happy kite. It's too heavy to be fun in low wind, and the whole breaking in half thing when the wind's up around 20mph... Spending an extra $20 or $30 up front will prove more than worth it in the long run. You'll save $$$ on replacement parts, time, and aggravation. If you break a spar in the kite, it costs $5-$15 for the replacement piece, and around 1/2 hour for the repair. I haven't flown a kite I couldn't break. Even kites that are extremely durable never claim to be entirely indestructible, just virtually indestructible. The strongest, most durable kites I have flown are the Prism kites, hands down. ~Rob.

Hey KT... Just yesterday I flew the Mirage/Hypnotist in a choppy wind that was gusting to 20+mph. I got the Prism kite out after my Acrobatx kite snapped in half after 2 minutes of flight. There were no issues with getting dragged down the beach, you just have to set your stance and lean back a little. It's actually quite a rush. If you hang out on the edge of the wind, it's effortless, and then when you take a cut across the wind, it goes supersonic and makes alot of fun noise. There are ways to adjust the kite so it doesn't pull too hard in a strong wind, but I was flying using the factory setting, and it was certainly not a fight, even in that wind. I have never broken the Prism kite in the air, the only time it broke, I was trying to do a ground recovery. If you're heading for a windy place, I would only consider the Prism kites. I've had 3 of my New Tech kites implode in mid-air, as well as my Acrobatx (yesterday was the 3rd time), due to too much wind. There are some days that you just shouldn't fly, at least not a kite with spars. That's when you get out a foil and go for a drag. Getting pulled and lifted is fun, not something to avoid. ~Rob.

No matter how many times I watch it, or how much better I get at flying... I still walk away shaking my head... How Do They Do That ??? Seriously, that DVD is really good, I've learned a ton from it so far. ~Rob.

Hey KT... I have the Cherry Bomb and the Quantum. The Quantum is a great kite if you were only going to have one kite. The only reason I have a Cherry Bomb is that I got a good deal on it. I figured I would keep it for a loaner kite. I have other New Tech kites, and they do offer alot of Bang for the Buck. The only problem I have with them is that they are easy to break. They fly GREAT when they're in one piece. New Tech is very responsive to customer support e-mails, and they sent me new replacement parts on two separate occasions, no questions asked. I have the Pyro, Big Bang, and Firestorm that I love to fly, and did my first tricks on them. The Prism kites that I have (Mirage and Quantum) are VERY hard to break, and fly in a wide range of conditions, well over their advertised ratings. Once again, very durable. I would recommend the Quantum over the Nexus only because it's bigger. 7' to 8' is an excellent size for a two liner. You can find Quantums on eBay for $70 or less. I paid less than $50 for mine... ~Rob.

What a sensless crime... so sorry to hear about your bad luck. It's not even like someone else could fly a bunch of custom kites without being recognized. Sounds like a crime of spite to me... I'll keep an eye out on the East Coast... ~Rob.

Hey KK... If you want to go low budget, I put this setup together for less than $100. I all ready had the camera, and I adapted an old remote controlled car to be the radio control trigger. The kite I've been using is a Power Sled 24. I bought a Dopero, but haven't lifted the camera rig with it, yet. I need to figure out how to adapt a pivacet suspension to it to smooth out the ride for the rig. I've gotten some pleasing results, but it is kind of random. Coming home with hundreds of pictures, and deleting 75% is kind of disappointing. Good luck with your project... ~Rob.

Hey JW... I get the lines wrapped and caught all the time on my Hypnotist when I do Lazy Susans or Axels. I just figure I'll figure out how not to do that with more practice. I am really afraid of breaking it sometimes when I get a bad tip wrap. Interesting idea, smoothing out the lines of the kite. I would be worried about adding weight, though. ~Rob.

I've adjusted the nose forward, and it has a diminishing returns effect. To far forward, and it doesn't fly at all. There are two knots on the bridle that seem to be guides. I fly with my bridle adjusted between 1/3-2/3 in light conditions, and 1/2-1/2 in normal to heavy wind. At the 50-50 spot, the kite seems to stall better. I have a New Jam as well, I like my Hypnotist better, though. Much more durable when you're learning how to do stuff... ~Rob.

Hey JW, My Hypnotist is hyper sensitive when its flipped on its back, maybe your right line is just a tiny bit shorter than the left. I guess you could prove that by flying backwards one day, left is right, right is left with the lines. Maybe it will tend to go to the left each time, and that would prove it to be the lines. Maybe it is heavier on the right side, I would think you could balance it or hang it from the spine to determine that. The Hypnotist seems to wobble around on its back more than other kites I have, like its not happy about being flipped over. Hey, I have a question for you about your Hypnotist... my sail has become very noisy (buzzy) lately, and I can't seem to get it any tighter. How loud is yours ? I don't remember if this kite has always been loud, or if I just flew it too much. It still flies OK, but I wonder if it could be flying better. Take care... ~Rob.

I carry a bag in my car all the time with about 8 kites, for all different conditions. It's always great to find a new spot to fly. ~Rob.

Hey Jim, The kite I've got has 3 attachment points on the leading edge, and one at the center T. Is it possible that the bridle is just mis-adjusted ? It seems to fly OK, just with the pull turns loosing the edge. I have some kites that will carve a turn when you just pull, but the NikNak doesn't respond very well at all to just a pull on one line. If you combo turn or just push turn, it responds and turns much quicker, to a point. Does this bridle set-up and handling characteristic sound like your similar kites ? Thanks.... ~Rob.

Ant: No, it definitely appears to be a Sky Burner product...most likely a NikNak. Note the scalloped trailing edge and battens on the tips. The NikNak flies from 0 to 10mph; the Wren is rated up to 5mph. Rob: Either way, both kites are great for their intended use. They are both 'current' products, but just because something is still sold (ie, current) doesn't mean that it's designed to fly the latest tricks. As noted, kites that you should be looking at include the Silver Fox SULs, the French Connection UL, the Acrobatx UL (all available new at reasonable prices), the Quantum Pro SUL, or look for a nice used kite such as a Cdc STX UL or possible a Blue Moon SUL (lots of great kites from Blue Moon...too many models to list here, really). You cold also find a nice Sky Burner Freestylist UL, either new or used, that is a great trick kite. You don't say what your skill level is, but if possible see if other kiters in your area have kites that you can try and see what you like. Jim Hey Jim... Like, I said, whatever it is, once I learned its unique 'feel', I really made progress with my over all flying skills. I have just recently gotten a good feel for flying 2 line kites. I don't have any other local fliers around, so all that I can learn from videos and internet and trial and error have built my skills to now. I have mostly what most experienced fliers would consider cheap kites and factory lines. Being that I just really learned how to do some beginner tricks, I don't know if it's that important that my light wind kite do those tricks, now that I've seen how much can be learned still about stalls and smooth turns. Is it a characteristic of old school kites to not want to do pull turns ? I have a couple of 8ft+ 15+year old stunt kites that can't do pull turns, and I thought they must just be mis-adjusted. They do make ALOT of noise, though. ~Rob.

Hey Ant... This kite should be called the epiphany... I learned more flying it yesterday in 1 mph wind for an hour than I have all summer (not that I got much chance to fly this summer). I was bummed when the wind died as soon as I got to the beach, I had to put my Mirage away after only a half hour of flying, but I wasn't ready to go home. So I took out the mystery kite. It was more than happy to jump into the air. I quickly figured out that it wasn't going to axel or lazy susan, but I could get it to stall after I figured out how to balance it, I could land and do tip stands. It's really cool, because it wasn't a struggle to keep in the air like any of my other kites in those conditions. Anyway, thanks for the info (I never thought of it being a Wren) ~Rob.

Hey Jim.... Thanks for the reply. I thought these kites were current, but I get what you mean about old school. I have a couple of older big wings that have similar flight characteristics. I got a chance to fly it again, and it does have great balance once you get used to the light touch. When I got mine, the upper spreader was missing, and I replaced it with what I had. Do you know if the upper spreader is supposed to be very rigid, or have some flex ? Thanks... ~Rob.