cant seem to get it------------

[streetrat]

geeez am I the only one who ask questions on here??? anyway whats the trick to this sideslide thing?? seems like I been working on this way too long and its not falling into place. making a fast pass to the edge then a 1/2 loop to an upright position, the kite will stay upright for a few feet then itll want to tip to one side or the other. Ill give it a slight input to bring it back upright and itll over correct and turn sideways.......this is an elixer on 80 ft. lines with a nice gentle breeze, anything wrong with this picture??? thanx for the input

[John Barresi]

Sounds like it's just a matter of sticking with it... That kite has a fairly center-oriented axis for spins, so it will tend to roll more than other kites.

Just keep at your finer adjustments as you go into the slide, and make sure you're walking into it enough to fully hit the stall... Just as you do, clear your head and listen to the strings... A little more conversation and you should have it.

[oyehut1955]

keeping your body fcing the dorection you want thr kite to go is important too.. I would not thik that the Elixer would be a great side slider anyway tho but I could be wrong. Easiest for me is the Mamba or AirFX.

Keep trying

debbie

[ikky68]

Hi Street,

First thing that you should try is to take some steering out of the Elixir. This will make you walk more (and faster) when doing the sideslide, but it'll make tending the kite much easier. What I mean by taking some of the steering out of the Elixir is that you'll need to set it to lower winds.

You'll have to teach yourself to give the kite pushes instead of pulling the kite to correct the tilting. If you pull the kite, you'll give just a little more power to that side of the kite and it won't correct the tilt until the wind pressure overcomes the weight on the other side of the kite.

Timing the release if very important for the sideslide. Once you can enter a side slide the fun begins with you learning a bunch of new things that will help you much later.

*** Remember to feel the tension on the lines as the kite slides. This the amount of tension that the kite will need to be perfectly stalled. This may seem as a no-brainer, but lots of people overlook this information. If you know how much tension is need to stall the kite, you can feel when the kite is about to stall and then pop it straight into an impressive variety of tricks.

*** Practice on both sides. Not very crucial at first, but it'll stop you from favoring a hand for your tricks. Plus you have to learn to give pushes with both hands. When tending a fade in medium to high(er) winds, you'll have to give pushes to the kite or the sail will power up and put you back in normal flight.

*** Move your feet. Move forward when the kite is sliding toward the center and backward when the kite is past the middle of the wind window. The transititon from forward to backward isn't a simple reversal of movement. You'll have to walk in a U type path to keep the kite happy. IF and ONLY IF you want to maintain the slide, walk at an angle and it'll seem like you're sliding the length of a football field.

*** One of the things that I used to do was use ONLY ONE HAND. After a while you'll get the hang of it and use both. But to start, just use one hand to control the tilting/listing of the kite. Try to use the hand that turned the kite inward.

The Elixir is a great kite to sideslide, although I agree with Debbie that the Mamba is easier. The Mamba feels heavier on the lines, read as more feedback, and any extra pressure can be felt easily. The Elixir feels very light on the lines, IMHO. This isn't a bad thing, because a lighter feeling kite just feels more spankable.

If you can, come out to the Indiana Trick Clinic. I'll make sure that Mark spends some time teaching you anything you want.

[jaybett]

One of my favorite quotes is "You can't learn Kung Fu from a book". That is also true of flying a kite.

I voiced my frustrations over how long it was taking me to learn how to fly to John Barresi. I've been doing it seriously for two years. I go out at least once a week if the weather allows it.

Of the many tips that John passed on that day, the one that really resonated was tricks will happen naturually as you grow as a flyer. For example it was a light wind day. He did a few rotations a the top of the window, then said, "to turn this into an axel you just help the kite along". He popped an axel to demonstrate. It was an a-ha moment for me.

Jay

[streetrat]

sounds like ya hit the nail on the head as in--------get around some other flyers and get some help !!! I can dig it BTW being from the whidbey island area Id be interested as in where I can find some flying activity, yall out there???-----cheers

[John Barresi]

Not sure about local fliers, but you'll want to be sure and check out the Whidbey Island Kite Festival in September!

Info/schedule - http://www.nwskl.org

[EBGB]

Streetrat,

You have a fairly active local group right there on the island.

Check out http://www.whidbeykiteclub.org/index.asp

Seems if I remember right they fly at Fort Casey or some city park in Coupeville. Some great flyers there too.

There's a great festival at Camp Casey in the fall as well. One of the most popular in the Northwest.

I think the club is kind of "off" for the Winter right now though.

[streetrat]

re this subject something just crossed my mind, Ive heard some say go to shorter lines, so Im trying 50 footers.......yes the kites closer but ofcourse reacts much faster thierfore if Im coming out of a 1/2 loop at the edge and enter into a slide the kite almost always wants to tilt one way or the other, as in nomatter how little input I give the lines "line" and step into it ,it always oversteers and turns sideways. BTW the bridles on low wind>>>>>>>>dont mind me Im just yakkin

[alaskakid79]

hey streetrat in the slide i use my out side hand to make adjustments and this work well for me but u have to keep moving.

if u are still lookin for local flyers and more advice check out gone with the winds forums gone with the windsteve and the boys are very helpful

**GWTW URL fixed by admin**

Edited February 14, 2005 by John Barresi

[ikky68]

Hey Street,

Can you take the kite to the top of the window and then walk it down to the ground with the wing tips even with the ground? If you're having trouble with the kite tilting when you're doing a side-slide, then just try to walk it down from the edge of the window.

When you fly your kite to the edge of the window, it'll just hover there when the different forces balance out. That's the "feel" of the kite when it's stalled. You're going to have to remember that feel. When you enter a side-slide or stall, you will have to keep the kite close to feel. Walk forward, backward, or whatever you need to do in order to keep that pressure/feel on the kite.

It takes a while to get used to the kite hovering in wind. It is also really important to have steady winds. One little bit of variance can make the kite tilt and power up the sail for flight.

[BAS]

Hello Anyone with Kiting Experience,

I would like to introduce my nephew to kiting, he is 9. I need help; I have a kite I bought from "Into the Wind" about 10 years ago that has never been opened/assembled and I lost the assmebly manuel - or it disintegrated over time - ha, ha. I am a "no experience" amateur that cannot decipher the assembly maze.

The kite is a Sport Kite and was named "Maui". Can anyone help me to find out how to put it together?????

It has graphite spars, "V" shaped, its dimensions are approximately, wing span at rear is 4 ft, and length on outer edge from tip to tail is about 4 ft, and from tip to center tail about 24 in. I has spars in the edges and then eight more to be added - this is where the confusion begins for me.

PLEASE HELP!

Sincerely,

BAS

[oyehut1955]

I may still have a manual.. it might be for the hawaiian but aI have a maui too..

Send me your smail mail addy and I will gwet something in th amil to you.

The maui is a great old kite.. I bought mine for my grandaughter..

Take care,

debbie

oyehut1955@yahoo.com

[John Barresi]

Is that a 3/4 Hawaiian?