Glitch Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Hey people!,,, Didn't really see a place for new member introduction. So I'll post it here. If need be I hope one of the mods would nest it in its proper place.. I am Glitch AKA Doc Martin AKA Marty. My story begins in China watching some very skilled craftsman flying their custom made eagle kites. Made with splints cut from bamboo and not sure of the type of sail cloth. Hand painted to look like Eagles. They used very light spoked hand reels, flying with or without wind. The days with no wind they would throw the faux birds and rapidly turn the line reel to release the line tension. Then as the kite would bank left or right the line would be reeled back turning the kite to quite realistically mimic flight. The bird kites would sometimes fly seemingly forever.... Flying so close to the ground, then the next flight might be circling like a condor looking for lunch. I stayed in the park till after dark watching the kites and the masters flying them. One man seen my interest and put one in my hands. With my wife translating I repeatedly crashed the mans kite. Hehehe. He did not seem concerned and the bamboo seemed to take the abuse. After I had embarrassed myself enough and a couple very short semi successful flights I gave the man back his kite before I damaged it. Being very polite, he told me for my first time I did very well. A few years have past since my trip to China but I have always seemed to have a interest in windless kites. Occasional online searches never seemed to find anything, maybe due to choice of keywords used in my searches. About five or six months ago I googled a few "windless kite" searches. Then I started seeing some really slow indoor glider kites online. Something about the calmness of slow flight really appealed to me. I had never seen these before. I seen the iFlite gliders, the Feather glider and some others. I found and read Spence Watsons article "The glider craze" and checked out some of the kites he had mentioned on there. I found the Zen glider made by Daryl Yea. Wow! Very difficult to get one it seems.. But absolutely love the flight! So calm and slow. Watching Daryl flying with the Tai Chi type movements reminded me of the kite makers in China. I've seen the two line stunt kites or trick kites... Whatever you call them. Really cool to watch but never made me want to go out and buy one. Then I seen some cat named John Barresi flying Daryl Yeh's Zen glider. But what was that thing he was flying before that!? Reading the YouTube upload description Nov 10th 2010 Indoor Rev. What is a indoor rev? Don't know... Ask google. That's when I found it all. First was Spence watty Watson flying to the Stones "Paint it Black" Then I found the revolution kite website. Then gwtwforum. Then I found kitelife. I googled and watched so many videos I used all my data on my monthly satellite plan and had to buy more to get me through the month.... Learned the name John Barresi without ever hearing the name vocalized. Hehehehe The ambassador of the kite world. Then.... After two days of cranial kite osmosis I realized I needed to go to bed so I could go to work Monday morning Ever since.... Daily I come home from work, do what I must at home, then read kite forums and watch videos! Hehehe I have since joined as a Kitelife member, studied all the different aspects of the different models of Revolution kites, even met some really cool kitelife members after accidentally stumbling into the chat room. Hehehehe. "I thought the 2 at the top of the forum page was unread messages" silly me... Now... Sunday October 4th I just applied for membership to the American Kitefliers Association. Pretty much have explored all the different kite stores online sitting for the longest time with my chin propped on the palm of my open hand like I did as a kid looking at the Sears catalog. Hahahaha ... Now if I could plan a way to quit my job and retire early... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Well welcome aboard, Glitch AKA Doc Martin AKA Marty, or whoever. You'll find a bunch of friendly people here, and an absolute TON of great information. Just ask, and you shall receive...............Welcome to Kitelife ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Hi, Glitch. Welcome to the forum. All kites are fun, and fun shall ye have! In all forms. Single, dual and quad, if you want. But be aware of the addiction. I too have pulled many overnighters just watching the videos. Time flies when you're having fun. Looking forward to flying with you someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevRookie Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 What you seem to be missing is time on the lines. Watching someone else do it is not the same as trying it for yourself as you found out with the eagle kites - so often it is much harder than it looks... but that is where the reward is. So what's it going to be? What kite has grabbed you enough to be your first. There's a thread somewhere on here where people reminisce about their first - you never ever forget your first REAL kite! You know lots about them in your head, but now it's time to move it down to the heart and hands. Dive in the deep end and see where it takes you. We're all addicts here so we understand completely. I don't know the US scene well enough to know if there are fliers in Joplin, but if you do make contact, I'm sure you will be able to try before you buy. Good Luck and welcome to a new passion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted October 5, 2015 Report Share Posted October 5, 2015 Hi Glitch - I LOVE stories like yours, glad you found the roads to help, and welcome to KiteLife! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 What you seem to be missing is time on the lines. Watching someone else do it is not the same as trying it for yourself as you found out with the eagle kites - so often it is much harder than it looks... but that is where the reward is. So what's it going to be? What kite has grabbed you enough to be your first. There's a thread somewhere on here where people reminisce about their first - you never ever forget your first REAL kite! You know lots about them in your head, but now it's time to move it down to the heart and hands. Dive in the deep end and see where it takes you. We're all addicts here so we understand completely. I don't know the US scene well enough to know if there are fliers in Joplin, but if you do make contact, I'm sure you will be able to try before you buy. Good Luck and welcome to a new passion! What kite? I believe it's going to be the rev B standard. And a rev B full and the only color I care for at all is the B series night at wind of change. The website is really easy to navigate. The brother has picked the best color combination for a rev kite! And folks on here have pretty good things to say about him. only problem is we are coming into our winter pretty soon and work just went to 10 hour days for the rest of my life it seems. not cool... Dragonfish advises me to go ahead and make the purchase and fly when I can. Good advice I think... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted October 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2015 Thanks to everyone for the welcome. Waiting to hear something from the AKA on my membership. Looks like I missed a good one in Enid Oklahoma... Tons of kites in the air! Looking at several single line kites with hopes to get my wife involved. Love watching you people flying. I'll be doing the same soon.. Thanks again... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted October 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Ok folks... Here's the skinny on what's going on... Placed my order Tuesday morning!!! 50# 75' 90# 75' 150# 75' Kites & accessories 1 standard 1 full vent both night colored b series One race frame upgrade for$1 One snag less upgrade for $30 One set indoor handles 100' roll bridle line 1 red ITW Skate 1 orange flame Prism Zero G If you didn't know about awindofchange upgrade race frame swap for $1.00... Now you do.. That will give me four different frames to choose from. Might need to stick a broomstick in the leading edge till I learn how to fly!! Hehehe The store owner had a family emergency today so my order won't go out till tomorrow. Still I can hope that it might make it by the weekend.. Then hope I am free this weekend!!! My day job is sucking the life out of me. Till then... Watching videos and trying to fill my brain... Thanks to JB and all you members for posting your thoughts and experiences for people like me to learn from. Thank you John for your time .... Time to make and post all the videos... Time to create and maintain the websites. Time you have freely given to everyone. Hope to maybe meet some of you good people... Ten more years till full retirement... Hope I make it!! That is what the plan is with my kites as well as some of my other hobbies... Peace Oh... Thanks for creating the New member introduction area.. Look at them all coming to the forum now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Glitch, you're crazy! Just like me! -- Well, I guess jumping in with both feet is good. Worked for me, just took a little longer to hit the ground. I look forward to flying with you sometime. I love the night B-series. Would have been my choice had I seen one when I was starting out a few years back. Opted for Red-White-Black, the IKE club colors. By the way, join IKE if you haven't already. It's free and Illinois is fairly close to you. ikeclub.org Watch the tutorials, especially set-up, line management, and basic control over and over until you are sick of watching them, and then watch them a few more times. Everything in each video is relevant, John did not throw in anything trivial, and they are hard to digest in one sitting. If you watch again after you fly, you will probably say, "Aha, that's what I was doing wrong!". I have been flying for seven years now, and I still watch them all two or three times in season and a few more times over the winter months. Always find something to work on. Have fun, don't get frustrated if it's not happening as fast you'ld like. If you'll be learning on your own, like I did, there will be a few rocks in the road. Watch the line management video until you can recite it verbatim. Tangled lines are to be avoided any way you can, and what JB tells you in the video is GOSPEL. Listen closely! Smile and don't forget to breathe. Remember, it's just a kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 May I ask why the indoor handles? I only use mine on my Indoor Rev, never outside. And 150# lines are a seldom needed item in the Rev world, 90# will be all you need unless trying to fly in a hurricane. The 50# work really well in light winds, use them in lots of lengths, 30', 50', 85', 120'. But they will tangle faster than 90#. Sounds like a good start though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 May I ask why the indoor handles? I only use mine on my Indoor Rev, never outside. And 150# lines are a seldom needed item in the Rev world, 90# will be all you need unless trying to fly in a hurricane. The 50# work really well in light winds, use them in lots of lengths, 30', 50', 85', 120'. But they will tangle faster than 90#. Sounds like a good start though! Wayne, Wayne, Wayne. You know it's an addiction. He's planning ahead for the kites that will eventually be in his bag anyway, the Indoor and the SuperBlast 2-4 or 4-8, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Don't need what you won't use!! The price of them would have gotten something he could use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Don't need what you won't use!! The price of them would have gotten something he could use! And you can only fly one kite at a time. I've got stuff that I don't use yet but have future plans... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 I believe Glitch already has an Indoor Rev that did not come with the proper handles. Got to chat with him that night he thought he had some messages. Several times people have entered the chat room & didn't say anything for various unknown reasons. I always try to say hello hoping they will chat. I am quite introverted & the chat room has personally helped me come out of my shell. But I am so fascinated by kites that my enthusiasm masks my timidness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted October 15, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 May I ask why the indoor handles? I only use mine on my Indoor Rev, never outside. And 150# lines are a seldom needed item in the Rev world, 90# will be all you need unless trying to fly in a hurricane. The 50# work really well in light winds, use them in lots of lengths, 30', 50', 85', 120'. But they will tangle faster than 90#. Sounds like a good start though! Hey Wayne .... I bought a indoor rev from a local guy here on Craigslist ... He mentioned several places here that will let me fly indoor. After watching several videos and reading several forum posts about setup I realized the handles that came with the kite were wrong. As far as the 150# lines. After watching JB's lines and weights videos he said above 20 mph go to 150# to slow the kite down. I guess it's a matter of staying and trying to fly vs pack up and go home when the wind hits 20? John says it's rarely used but needed at times My time is so limited if guess I am just trying to have what I might need in case I need it. I never thought about wind speed till now so I don't really know what 20mph feels like. Only recently do I look to see if I have enough wind to fly the SLK I have now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 I am a little biased, as I have an X/V to fly when the wind gets that strong!! But you'll find 90# lines are plenty for 99% of your flying! I do have a set of 120' x 150#, but they sit in my bag as an insurance policy. Only thought of using them once so far - gusts to 30-35 mph! Glad to hear you have an Indoor to go with those handles! Just looking on your list, they seemed out of place in your order, made me wonder. Good on you to try indoors, now the season doesn't have to end for flying!! PS: flags, tree leaves, mobiles, all will be in your things to look at for telling wind strength!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbailey49 Posted October 15, 2015 Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 Glitch, get a mid vent and a set of stacking lines and fly a progressive vent stack with those 150# lines. That's what I would do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted October 18, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2015 Glitch, get a mid vent and a set of stacking lines and fly a progressive vent stack with those 150# lines. That's what I would do. Hehehehe. Well I think I'll try to fly one before I try to fly three at a time. About my line choice... I read where the best length to learn on is 75'-80'... Watched JB's video so I chose to go with the different weight lines same length. Just seen another newbe posting about lines and got some solid answeres from makatakam and others. I've read so many opinions I've gotten numerically dyslexic! Would be nice to have a statistical average poll on what does a newbe need in his kite bag.... Well I was pretty excited. Got everything arranged at work so I could have the weekend off but UPS didn't pick up my kites till Friday 11:30 am... not cool. Revolution night color kites are in transit somewhere between Salt Lake City, Utah and here. My zero G and Skate kite are on back order till awindofchange gets them shipped in from the factory. Sucks more because we've had steady 2&3 mph wind for a while now. Today was a nice steady 8 mph. Good news is I ordered a Beetle on Wednesday and it showed up Friday! Yea! What I didn't know was it comes with twisted line and plastic handles... So I prestretched the lines today. Cut them to the same length and made some homemade strap handles. Did some work around the house. Watched a couple videos on how to fly a stunt kite and I'm gonna go dent some dirt tomorrow!!!! Yea!!! Anyone care to tell me what line brand weight and length Is there a favored brand of handles for these? Wish me luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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