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Some days I laugh... the wind apps show great conditions and real life is another story. Today was one of those.. App showed 10/15 @ ese, ideal for this ne Florida stretch of beach.. real life was 0 to maybe 8mph..if that... but the direction was spot on. So with optimism,I took the 12 Phantom with some proper spars installed and I set up anyways being I was there. I wanted to finally fly larger than 12m with the low conditions...but alas I was on a small bar...and didn't feel like any over the bar line grabbing today...as I rode fixed bridles yesterday Trusty battery back up fan got me filled and airborne...without the fan it wouldn't have happened. Once airborne and the twinskin moving ...riding began. Nothing spectacular but still achieving smiles. A small climb in wind and I headed for a wider stretch of beach about 1.5 miles away. Played there for a bit....and poof...nadda...not even a puff. Sunset was upon me, so I deflated and rolled up for the walk...2.2 miles later I felt redemption.A block from my "base" the wind was back and stronger than all evening..Still single digits, but high singles and that works for me. I quickly set back up once at the fan...All I could think was one more ride before sunset. I got that and more! Rode until dark and enjoyed some park and ride fun with some beautiful colors over the horizon. Last ride got me the best casual speeds of the day.. A quick glimpse of that ride on Instagram. In the end... never give up. The rewards are always worth the effort. The struggles will only make you a better pilot. Be it buggies.. stunt kites...and yes even SLK. Ride on... until then

Rain...rain...and more rain.... Figured I would take the time and contribute a small amount It has been sometime since I have used the forum and with a busy kiting season approaching, personally and with #TKL , might as well get back into the swing of things. What better place? Since Jekyll Island Buggy Expo this year.... I dove in. Acquired a full size buggy (Elliot Virus?) and a trio of fixed bridle Peter Lynn Vipers consisting of the 3 smaller sizes 2.6m/3.9m/5.3m near the same time a friend got her Peter Lynn Drifter and a full quiver of Peter Lynn Phantoms 6m-18m. I have wanted to do this for sometime and with the addition of a friend interested pushing me along, So be it. After all, I am a #floridakiteflier / Kitebumbychoice and have an awesome beach locally..and Jekyll is just a short drive away. Some struggles at the start, a few rolls , some out of control slides, even ejected the kite once or twice. Once a good onshore and proper conditions hit, I was hooked....literally (Captive). A video of my first good long ride on the 3.9 Viper S and Drifter (Jekyll Island) can be found in the playlist link below. It only took a few rides on the handles and strop before the de-powers were shouting.... " Fly me!!!!! " ..and since I have been in the care of the Phantoms... I did ,once the bigger buggy was acquired Totally different flavor between the 2 styles of kites and buggies ..each producing sore muscles and smiles that make your cheeks hurt. The de-powers are easier on my body in the long run and provide more ride time for me. The larger buggy is luxurious...lol Adjustable too fit me where I feel comfy and holds the body way different than the Peter Lynn. As things progress ...naturally you get faster and braver 😛 I think I have the minimum basics down now....consistent speed in similar wind conditions on the 9m and 12m Phantom (Top Speed 40mph ), the ability and knowledge to scrub speed in a few ways , knowledge and comfort with my gear and most of all.... Common Sense. Looking forward to some good wind next ride, work on some slides ,upwind turns and maybe some reverse play It has been horrible wind/weather and rain for weeks here it seems lately. Next good day is looking like the day after Xmas and I will be there with an onshore of 13-19mph...... Anyways....I have added a link to the Kitebumbychoice : buggy playlist and a few photos of the adventures so far. Look forward to adding more in this section in the near future...... until then.

This is a kite I acquired from the UK. I know that it is a Phantom Shadow. What I don't know is whether this one was one produced by Tim Bensen, or a model produced by High Flyers under his design license. All the high flyers I have seen have a black HF Logo patch below the T on the spine area of the sail. Can anyone shed some light on this? Any help is appreciated. Here is a pic.