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The Winds won today.


Captainbob
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Here is what I can't figure out about flying a kite. Get to the field, with very little wind, but there is some, just enough to launch and fly the kite you have. You start setting up the kite, and unrolling the lines. As you are just about ready to fly, you can feel the wind die down. You try launching the kite, and maybe get it into the air, and the wind decays to zero, or maybe even switches direction 180 degrees, so it falls to the ground, no matter what you do. You wait, and wait, and wait for another breeze, attempting another launch, and finally decide it's just not a flying day for kites. You unhook the lines, and start winding them up, and as you are winding the lines up, you can feel the wind slowly increasing. The closer you get to having the lines completely wound, and breaking the kite down, the wind reaches is strongest point, even stronger than when you first arrived. If you decide, to give it one more try and set up again, and start unwinding the lines, the more line you have unwound, the weaker the wind gets, until you have all the line out, and you are back to a dead calm.

Finally after repeating this routine several times, you decide to quit for good, and pack everything up for the last time, and as you walk towards your car, you feel a really nice breeze.... :cat_shy:

What's up with with that...

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You will learn a few kitisms as you progress.

1.The best way to get wind is to not fly that day.

2.Another way to get wind is to pack up your kite.

3.Best way to get gale force winds is buy a UL or Sul kite.

4.Best way to guarantee no wind is buy a vented kite.

5.Sometimes we lay out an extra kite, just so we can pack it up to generate wind.

Seriously, bring quite a few kites with you. Enough to cover all wind conditions so you can fly no matter what the wind is or isn't.

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I call it "ironic winds". Sort of like when you have all your ultra light stuff with you & that nice forecast for light winds seems to be a bit off once you're in the air. Nice little puffs seem to magically turn into strong gusts in the first half hour. Of course your high wind stuff is back in the car a half mile away so you "run what you brung". Got a few broken spars in my junk pile. Maybe I can make magic sticks out of the longer pieces....

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'Teaser Wind' ?

How's this for a 'Teaser' ? Almost makes it worth it to put up with all the BS that goes with living here !

That's the kind of wind, that I really dislike. I suppose it's ok for your dualies, but I really dislike it for the Revs. Nine gets my attention, and nine, I can deal with :ani_sleep:

:rev_clockwork:

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Well my plan D worked well today, ( D for 4D). Wind was reading 1-2 mph gust to 6. I got out the 4D and had about 1 1/2 hours of flying in the park. lots of light wind practice, which should help with flying the Rev in lights winds too. Glad I got the 4D, I can see it's going to get alot of use on these calm wind days.

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Yep, we had a topic, a while back, something to the effect of "Having a Saver Kite". This of course meaning, having a kite as a back-up, to make sure you could at least fly something, on any given day. Nothing worse, than driving to the flight field, or in your case CB, trekking out from the house a ways, and then, once you get there, the winds are completely out of character, and not at all what you were planning! Now what ?

You pull out your "Saver Kite". :doh:

Now, it seems that your 4-D, is serving as your "Saver Kite", on the low end of the spectrum, and a good choice it is, but how about the day you get there, and it's blowing 25+, then what ? You might also want consider having a "saver kite", for the high end, likewise. Anyway, as a result of that topic, and after giving it considerable thought, I got myself a Delta Hawk by HQ, based purely on the advice of some of our, "across the pond" buddies, that are into speed kiting.

Since that time, especially at the coast, that little Delta Hawk has saved the day, numerous times. Let me tell you, it is fast as hell, and it pulls like a freight train. In fact, it's simply unbelievable, how fast, and hard pulling, that little kite can be, and it's not much larger than the 4-D in size. But for structure, strength, and speed, that little kite kicks butt, all day long, and it is basically indestructible. I know you don't like fast flying kites, nor high winds, but you might want to consider a saver kite, for that day that you've just got to fly something, and the wind is really cooking. One day, it will allow you to fly something, rather than trekking back to the house.............

Oh, and the Delta Hawk is really inexpensive........

post-4670-0-11725600-1393193888_thumb.jp

http://www.shadeonme.com/products/Delta-Hawk-Red-Speed-Line-Stunt-Kite-l-Free-Shipping.html

http://www.afterschool.com/p/hq-kites-and-designs-delta-hawk-sport-kite-red-856016?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_as&utm_term=FPS-186096&utm_campaign=GoogleAW&CAWELAID=1931279142&utm_content=pla&adtype=pla&cagpspn=pla

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