flexikite Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Not sure what was being used in those pix, but just a few years ago someone was using a big trash bag and 2 broom sticks for handles! Had to be in motion all the time to keep it filled with air. Most indoor gliders have some spars - LEs, spine, and a spreader. Wing material varies from plastics to Icarex to ripstop nylon. I just haven't seen many/any sparless kites being used by competitors, here on the West Coast. Maybe out East, not here in the PNW. For videos of recent events, type in - Windless Kite Festival (held in Long Beach, WA), WSIKF indoor (also in Long Beach), Milton Indoor, or Lincoln City Indoor - and google that on YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted November 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Post deleted by OP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 No routine, just a bit of fun. Lots of movement needed to keep that bag/sail inflated, If I got the date stamp correct on the pix, this was before I started flying indoors! I'm not sure where this event was held at, it doesn't look like the gym used in the Long Beach Windless festival in Washington State. Usually see a couple of different designs of glider at an indoor event - Skates and/or iFlites are just one type in the delta shape. Also see Plutz styles, Platz styles, and even outdoor gliders like Pterodactyls being used! Some with or without the use of wands. Dual lines I've seen used include - 4-D, INak, Wren, itrix, Echo, Reflection, and a small indoor from Lam Hoac. All used well by people up here in the PNW. Then there are a bunch of us that fly Indoor Revs. I fly mine in conjunction with several gliders to keep from wearing myself out. Age is no deterrent, I didn't start til close to 60! And I have a bunch of medical issues I've overcome, so join in and enjoy the ride!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted November 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 You mean Spence Watson's video, I'm sure. Have you checked on Kitebuilder.com for any indoor plans? All indoor kites have some mass due to the framing! It's a blend of light weight but enough wing to support it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 Any weight you can shave off the total weight will help. This includes every part of the sail, including the type and amount of thread used in the stitching of the sail, the type of material used as the sail, the frame members, the hardware used to hold it all together, and the type of bridle (if any at all) used. The frame only needs to be strong and stiff enough to withstand the most radical move you intend to make; anything more than that is "dead weight". This applies to all parts of the kite, indoor or outdoor. Most commercially made kites are built much stronger and heavier so they can withstand the abuse of less experienced flyers. No one likes a multi-hundred-dollar kite turning into splinters and torn material the first time they fly it. Once you are familiar with the flight characteristics of a particular design, you can build it extremely light. Then you can fly with ease while most others are either struggling to fly, or totally grounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted November 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 Try to find and use the thinnest, lightest spars you can. The iFlite is a great example of using compound spars ( 2 different diameter rods spliced together) to achieve the strength and stiffness needed, but keep the weight down on the overall kite! Each one is hand made in Singapore by a gentleman named Patrick Tan. He has setup a network of dealers here in the USA to handle his products. He even has a page on Facebook devoted exclusively to them called -" iFlite - the windless wonder ". https://www.facebook.com/groups/300505349966546/ link included They are for sale at any of the shops he has included, click files and "see more" in the about box over to the right side of the page. Good Luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted November 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 In love with Prism? There are many indoor dual lines kites as good or better than a 4-D. 4-D is good outside though, I flew the 3-D for years. While it can be used indoors, there are better options, IMHO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted November 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 23, 2014 Report Share Posted November 23, 2014 Very much a difference between a glider and any multi-line indoor kite. Really isn't an intermediate step, it's a jump in type thing. The easiest to fly are gliders, hands down!! And the variety of them is stunning, from the basic delta shape to more exotic types. Any 2 or 4 line indoor stunt kite requires a lot more movement than a glider. With practice, the amount comes down, you learn to move more efficiently, but you still need to move. You can almost be stationary flying a glider, although most of us don't do that! Learning to let the kite do a lot of the work is one of the toughest things. We want to tell it to do a hundred things, way before it's done doing this first. Slowing it down has been a key for me - I call it the "wait for it moment". Giving the kite a chance to finish something before going to the next. This also bleeds over to my quad indoor flying. Wanting to go on to another move, needs to wait for something being done, to finish. Doesn't mean not to prepare, but to wait for one thing to finish before going on! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted December 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted December 9, 2014 Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Saw it before it said - operation timed out. Very pretty as a demonstration, not practical as a solo performance. Yes they float (fly), but really aren't nimble or even controllable. My preferred flying weapon is the Indoor Rev, highly maneuverable and able to do just about anything you can come up with. That and my gliders are what keep me flying indoors, all winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted December 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 not able to see on my end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Post deleted by OP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Try for the up and over flight! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Prototype flown in small room. Not much space so the kite was flown mainly doing 360s and is more like a parachute when flown that way but once one walks backwards you can see it transition into a full fledged kite. http://youtu.be/pSqz4QYzqyI That's pretty freakin' cool... I saw someone flying a tarp like that at a festival a few years ago. I've also seen a beach tent and a Prism roll-up bag flown like a quad, but all of those require a good amount of wind, certainly not indoors... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted January 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted January 11, 2015 Report Share Posted January 11, 2015 I would try using semi-flexible battens to stiffen and shape the sail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexikite Posted January 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Post deleted by OP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reved Posted January 12, 2015 Report Share Posted January 12, 2015 Or maybe bamboo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_(on-light)110px.png.f871ac6915a5dfb149c2fb26bbaf0493.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.