RobB

Hello All, First, let me say that I never confront them aggrressively. I land on the edge and wait for them to pass. There is plenty of beach where I fly to walk around. It's not like I fly on the public beach where the bathers are. I fly about a mile away from there. Fully out of the way of anything. And I am the first one to offer the handles to an interested passer-by. That being said... You guys don't understand about morons & idiots. I live on an Island that has 3 million people, 3/4 of them are morons/idiots. Ever been to Long Island/ New York city ? Then you know what I mean. If you had to deal with these people every day for the last 30+ years, you might have a different opinion. Kite flying is a way that I get away from the hell that I live in. When the hell comes to mess with this one little thing that I have that keeps me sane, I get a little aggitated. That's all. ~Rob.

Hey SF... I have the same problem no matter where I fly here. I fly mostly at the beach, and since I am there all year round, the space is mine, right ? I actually fly on an out of the way spot at the beach and the IDIOTS still walk out of thier way to get into my flight area. Or parents that let their little monsters chase and play (attempt to catch ?) under my kite. There isnt much space per person here in NY, so I guess we all have to get along. I usually just land and wait for the morons to move along, all the while giving them a harsh stare. If they are the real stupid kind, I'll have to ask them to stand behind me if they want to watch. It is amazing the low levels of common sense and common courtesy that's out there. I guess it's just another TEST of your patience. ~Rob.

Update on the stubborn 1.8 meter foil... Thank you all for your input, I got a chance to fly the foil in 20-25mph wind. It flew pretty well, and had a good amount of tug to it. It's surprising that it just won't fly until the wind gets close to 20mph. After an hour of flying, the wind died down to 10-15mph, so I got out a stunt kite and practiced stalls & slides. Awesome to fly in New York in January with bright sun & 65+ degree weather ! Thanks again... ~Rob.

Hey Antman... This foil was supposed to be a 2 liner, but it may be possible to convert. It is just like my 4 line foil with too much brake adjustment. Goes up and hovers about 15 to 20 feet above the ground until the wind goes up around 20 mph. THEN it takes off and flies like you would expect. I'm only looking for something to zip around with, or to hand to someone that's just starting out. The 3 meter foil that I have is often too intimidating for a beginner. They think it's real cool until I try to hand them the handles... Thank you, Penny, also for you input, but I'm not really looking for power out of this foil. I guess in 30mph it might get some pull going, but this time of year, if it's blowing 30mph, you'll find me inside. I'll roll it out in my shop and see if I can figure something out, otherwise, I'll just use it when it's stupid to fly anything else. My resolution this year is to try to break less kites... Happy New Year All ! ~Rob.

Hey there, I just got a 2 line foil (1.8m) just for messing around with. It's strange, but it won't really lift off until the wind is over 15mph. Is it possible to adjust the bridles, similar to a sparred kite, to get more lift in lower wind conditions ? The foil is made by Radsails, and I can't find any info on their web site on this topic. I have a larger foil made by the same company, and it flies in 3 mph wind. Thanks... ~Rob.

Hey Warren... I didn't really get the whole bridle adjustment thing until I saw the Prism video that comes with the Hypnotist & E2 kite. They have a section in there that shows perfectly how to adjust the bridle, in less than 20 seconds per side. Before seeing that, it took me up to 5 minutes to make a bridle adjustment. Like Antman says, mark your 'good' spots. You'll find a different sweet spot for high wind, low wind, and then spots for stalling vs. sharp turns. Happy New Year ! ~Rob.

Hey there, You can fly without the M line, it's not needed to fly. The elastic loops are probably supposed to hook over the ends of the leading edges to provide tension to the sail. The kite should be nice and tight to perform properly. Hope this helps... Happy Holidays. ~Rob.

Hey Warren... The Ion looks like a decent kite. It's big enough, and will fly in light wind. Get ready to fix it, I broke my Rhombus kite on the 2nd or 3rd time out. Then again, I think I've broken every one of my kites at least once. The line that runs from the wingtip to the center to the wingtip is for advanced tricking, preventing tip wrap with the lines. I think they call it a M line. Have fun with it, and I'm sure you can find an internet based company that will ship to you, it will probably just cost more than the kite... ~Rob.

Hey Warren... I checked out your "Ice" kite. Looks like a decent kite, it's the right size, good start. I have never flown one of Eolo's stunt kites, but I do have a Radsail parafoil, and think it's a decent kite. At least it's held up to my abuse. I totally agree with Antman about the Acrobatx. It's a kite that will almost teach you how to fly. I also have a Pyro XS and the Hypnotist listed above, and I don't like them as much, the Pyro is too easy to break and the Hypnotist is not very responsive. I would also like to suggest my other favorite kite, the New Tech Big Bang. It comes with the Dodd Gross Flight School DVD and is ready to fly for around $90 or less. Kite flying is like skiing, you can learn in a day, but it will take a lifetime to master. I get frustrated with my progress sometimes, but then I just mellow out and do loops, figure 8s, and boxes. Nobody around here flies stunt kites, so I only have the DVDs and Kitelife to help me figure stuff out. Take it easy... ~Rob.

Hey Warren79... It would be helpful to know which kite you got, different kites behave differently. I've spent tons of time just learning the basics. I would say the most important rudiments to learn would be the stall, and the side slide. Most of the tricks that I pull off are happy accidents, especially if I don't crash. I find the instructional videos helpful, but the best thing would be to find an instructor. Best of luck... ~Rob.

Hey John... I can't get that page either. Maybe it's just temporary, web hosts screw things up sometimes. My website got hijacked once and it took over a week to get it back online. ~Rob.

Hey Dan & AR... Thanks for the link (it makes it look too easy) and the recommondation on the Benson. I've been looking for a new kite, I'm going to keep my eyes out for one. ~Rob.

Hey AR... What kind of high end (more durable) kite would you recommend for a hack like me, or other beginners that might not know exactly how to do a ground recovery ? It looks real easy on the videos, but not so much when you actually get to the flying field. ~Rob.

Hey SF... It's hard for me to say how long I've been flying... I have flown kites since the 70s, but just recently in the last couple of years gotten bit by the 2 line/ 4 line bug. I don't get to fly enough, but when I do, I like to fly... -Acrobatx by Flying Wings -Big Bang by New Tech -Firestorm by New Tech -Spirit Quad by New Tech I have a number of other kites that just don't make it out of the bag much, those are my favorites. Maybe I break kites because I fly inexpensive kites, I'm not sure if the higher end kites are more durable, but I doubt it. Other than ground recoveries, I find the fastest way to break a kite is to land in the water accidentally. The waves have munched a couple of my kites. ~Rob.

Hey Skyfish... I find that the walk of shame is easier than fixing a broken kite. Like you say, once in a while you get lucky and get a safe relaunch, but I have broken more parts attempting ground recoveries than I've broken crashing. ~Rob.

Hey Sleek... Bigger is easier to fly, but more surface area drags the speed down. In the same wind, side by side, I think a smaller kite is going to seem faster. If all you want to do is zip around doing loops and figure 8s at high speed, get the smaller kite. If you're interested in stalling, landing, and more advanced tricking, get the bigger kite. If you're trying to learn tricks, the last thing you want is a twitchy kite. I only have still shots of the Acrobatx in flight, but I can say that the Acrobatx is faster than most of the kites in my bag. The only kites that might be faster are the 5' wingspan kites that I don't fly anymore. ~Rob.

Hey Browser, Awesome looking handles ! They certainly look nicer than the stock handles, If you didn't tell me that you built them, I would've believed you dropped big $$$ for them. Now you need to figure out how to attach them to a harness, unless you're going to use a bar. I've had trouble getting used to a bar, and have never used the bar with the mountain board. I think the handles feel more natural. ~Rob.

Hey Sleek... I don't know if the Nexus would beat the Acrobatx in a side by side race, but I have a 5' wingspan kite, and it's not any faster than the Acrobatx, just twitchier. I haven't flown it in a while, just keep it in the bag to give to first timers to fly. If you want to go fast, I hear the Prism Micron is lightning fast. ~Rob.

Hey there, The Acrobatx should be able to keep up with that kite with the right wind. I've never flown a Nexus, but at 5.5 ft, it's too small for me. I think the Acrobatx is a great choice as a first kite, I wish it had been my first kite. ~Rob.

Cheapie Kite ?!? Don't let Dodd Gross hear you saying that... I love my Big Bang, too. Just wish I got the 'Cool" colors instead of 'Solar Flare'. I have had my best and worst days flying the Big Bang. Water + BigBang = INSTANT DESTRUCTO. BigBang + Big Gust = BigSnap. BigBang + BigCrash = you get the picture. It's easy to break a BigBang, but it's totally worth rebuilding and getting back out there with it. I guess I have to fly a real high end kite to make a better judgement, but my BigBang is up there with the best I've ever flown. Any suggestions on a high end kite that is similar to the BB in size ? I don't break kites as much as I used to, and feel like I'm ready to graduate to the next level. ~Rob.

Hey TXRR... I use my big kite for looping, figure 8s, and big fat side slides. I always try to keep it under control to avoid crashing, because it is more likely to break than a smaller kite. I have seen video of people doing more advanced tricks with a 10' kite, even the Thor's Hammer kite is trickable at 13' wingspan. You won't need extra reaction time with a 10' kite. It doesn't move fast. That's what I like about the big kite, calm, cool, and collected. Not to say that 150' lines are too long, but you need a lot of flying space to use lines that long, especially with a 10' kite at the end. I have trouble at my beach with lines longer than 100' because I run out of room to make a nice landing. You will need a couple sets of lines for that kite, heavy ones like the 300# that you mention, and some lighter ones for light wind days. Heavy lines weigh the kite down, slow it down, and will pull it down if the wind isn't strong enough. I have 225# 125' lines for 10-15 mph days, and use 150# 90' lines if the wind is less than 10mph. I have never flown a Prism Vapor, but for that kind of $$$, you could have your choice of lots of incredible kites out there, or buy 2 or 3 really good kites to round out your collection. ~Rob.

Hey there... Thanks for the link, it looks very promising. Someone had all ready contacted me about building the kite, but I think he lost interest, so I'll try the SportKite site next. AntMan, I never thought of painting a kite myself. I never saw one done, except for a kid's art project. How does paint affect the fabric ? Or, how does flying stress affect the paint ? I guess my design is simple enough to draw with a ruler, and then do a paint by numbers. I'd get out the spray paint right now, but I'm thinking there's more to it than that... I did flame one of my snowboards with spray paint, and that's lasted 10+ years, but I'm sure the stesses of flying and just the difference in materials have got to dictate a special paint. Thanks for your inputs... will keep yous posted on my progress. ~Rob.

Hey Browser... Good to hear you got the kite going. I had the same problem with my 4 line foil when I first started flying it. I actually used the same temporary solution, too. I added length to the pigtails for the brake lines, and it's worked right since. 4 line kites are a pain in the butt when the lines aren't right. You can see that ANY wheels on your feet will allow you to move forward. I use a MBS mountain board, it seems to be well made. http://www.mbs.com/ What makes your handles different/better than the stock handles ? I find my handles uncomfortable after a while, and think they could use improvement. Interested to see a picture if you have one... ~Rob.

Hey KiteSlinger... Are these kites your design ? I've seen these two kites when I first started looking for the DSOM kite. A few people pointed me to pictures of them, but I could never find out if they were available. I was told that they were designed by Ed Shenk (sp?), but could not find a website for the designer/builder. I've seen others that were similar, also, but couldn't find leads on any of them. I can't see how a prism with a spectrum could be copyrighted, unless you used the exact DSOM graphic... The main idea that I have is a black kite with a splash of color to create a dramatic visual statement while flying. I have a FW YinYang that inspired this pursuit. ~Rob.

Hey TXRR, I don't have an Apollo, but I have a kite that has a 10'+ wingspan. I use it in light wind, and up to maybe 12mph. In light wind, I fly it on 150# line, and when it's around 10mph+, I use 225# line. Both of my linesets are 90'-100'. I would use longer, but don't have room at the places that I fly. Pros of flying a BIG kite... IT'S Super FUN. Cons... It attracts people to your flying area, it's not as trickable as a smaller kite, and you need a big car to haul it around in. Oh, it might be DANGEROUS if the wind gets crazy, but to me, that's part of the fun. The Apollo might have more pull than my kite, I see that they recommend 300# line. The bigger the kite, the easier it is to fly, but the big kite isn't your everyday kite, better used as a second or third kite. Good Luck... ~Rob.