Greg Brouelette Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I took my new Prism 3D out today. As you may remember I tangled the lines so badly yesterday that I had to cut about 10' off of the end and then re-sheath the lines. I change the strings on one of my guitars today so I had an E string which, when bent in half, made a perfect sheathing tool. This also guaranteed that I had two equal length lines. I found a park with a light breeze and gave it a try. I was still flying for only a few minutes at a time before the wind would die, but it was much easier to keep the 3D in the air. And when it did work it was wonderful. The kite is controlled almost with finger motions rather than arm motions. When it flies it's beautiful. I even got a glide to happen a few times where you bring the kite to the top of the wind window, spin it nose down, and then release the tension so it glides away form you. If you walk quickly you can regain the ground you lost by walking backwards to keep the kite up in the air. I could actually feel myself breaking a sweat and getting my heart rate up. There's a surprising amount of movement required with this light wind flying. I'm not sure how you guys can fly this kite indoors. That's some serious skill right there. But I think I may have doubled my total flight time to, let's call it, 20 minutes. I decided to go find another park with fewer trees. There's another park across town where I've tried to fly a couple of times but there were soccer games going on so I headed home. It's still not a day of good wind, but at least I got out and got some exercise and built my own skill set a few minutes at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPhelps Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Congratulations of something not going completely wrong with a flight! When the wind dies completely I often slowly walk away from the kite as I fly it in circles around me rather then land. If you were on ten foot lines which I'm guessing you were this is pretty easy to do. I fly on a 4D and have never tried indoors but if you're already on ten foot lines and can find a place to fly It might be less work than unpredictable breezes. Good luck with everything, I hope you can get a good enough day to get an hour or two in soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Not sure Prism ever did make a true indoor only kite. Yes the 3 and 4-Ds will work, but there are better sails for the job of indoor, Some are out of production, some are new, some older designs, but there are better indoor choices than those 2. PS: and don't forget about the Indoor Rev!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHBKF Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Keep up the good work. Learning light wind skills will help you with all kites you fly in the future. As I fly in inland mountain valley conditions I am very experienced in changing & dying winds. Light wind techniques were some of the first "tricks" I learned. Sometimes the trick is just being able to fly at all. These days I will be flying kites in light winds that are faint enough that casual spectators will comment, "How's he doing that?" I take special pleasure in being able to fly large foils in wind that is lower than they are rated for typically. It takes big movements but is still basically the same as flying my beloved Prism 4D. SHBKF http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5835-4d-on-short-lines/ http://kitelife.com/forum/gallery/image/5706-/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobB Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I'm glad to hear you got some time in the air after reading about your frustrations with the K-kite. Once it's repaired and you actually do get some time on the lines with it, I'm sure you will like that one just as much, if not more. Yes, light wind flying does keep you warm... I frequently break a sweat flying in the winter here in the NorthEast, I have flown on snow here in February in shirtsleeves ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 Once you get the hang of light wind flying, you will begin to look for those light wind days. I don't work up a sweat. I prefer to fly without moving or even sitting down, so to that end I have built some kites, mostly Rev-like, that will fly easily in wind as light as 1/4 mph. As long as it's steady, I can sit down and fly while others work up a sweat just trying to stay airborne. It's like anything else. If you put enough time into mastering the task, it comes easy. Therefore, keep flying the light stuff; it will make you a better pilot overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Brouelette Posted November 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 JPhelps: Actually, I cut 10 feet of of the original line which was around 40 to 45 feet long. So I have a li e set that's about 30 feet long now. For really light wind that feels pretty good. I can imagine it being much harder to deal the extra slack of a 40 foot line. So maybe my little leaf tangle helped me out in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPhelps Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 OK, gotcha I had thought you had said the lines were originally 20 feet for some reason. My mistake. I was wondering how you were flying on 10 footers outside,that's a small wind window! Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 10' is indoor length for most! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 I use 50# lines for light wind flying. Have made up sets in 120, 80, and 40 feet. I like 40 over 30 because it gives me a bit larger wind window to fly in, and you can still catch and throw with ease. With the 50# spectra there is very little parasitic line drag, even on 120-footers. The kites I use for low-wind are either one-piece sail 1.5 with bridle, bungee, and end-cap modifications to reduce weight, or home-made sails. Framing is Diamond rods, 2-weight, or P90 Skyshark depending on how much flex I need to load the sail. Once you can keep the sail loaded most of the time, you can fly sitting down in 1/2 mph wind if it is steady. Keeping the sail loaded is the key in any wind, but especially in low wind conditions. If the frame won't flex, you're flying a "barn door" which just slides out of the air. Leader adjustments become a major factor in low wind. Each sail will have its own "sweet spot" which invariably is very close to the maximum amount of brake you can give it and still move forward. If you don't use a ton of brake, you won't be able to keep the sail loaded. I have lately been cinching down tight on the leaders at points between the knots to find that sweet spot. Play with all the variables, one at a time, to see how each affects the performance. Also remember that your control inputs will need be much less than in normal winds. The same input you give the kite in normal wind will merely jerk it out of the sky in the light stuff. Last of all, and most important -- Have fun, smile a lot and don't forget to breathe. Remember, it's not rocket science, it's a kite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 parasitic line drag Quote of the week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 parasitic line drag Quote of the week. Stay tuned, the next edition of "quote of the week" will debut shortly, and will expand upon the controversial issue of "symbiotic line drag as induced through exponential usage of uncontrolled leader extension". I'm shooting for early April, as it will take several months to gather all of the pertinent data. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Dowler Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Care to translate that into plain English for the rest of us?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Care to translate that into plain English for the rest of us?? You'll have to wait until April, Wayne, and then I'll explain it, but only if the data I've gathered supports my theory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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