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Urban flying


JWharton
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Hi all, just ordered myself some shorter lines that I'm going to practice with in a big space for a while.

I've got a few tight spaces that I want to give a go no overhead lines.

 

Reading back through previous posts pilots talk about getting your kite street ready, one of the main things I've picked up on is the use of rubber going over the end caps. What exactly are you guys using if anything to go over the end caps.

 

In advance thanks for hopefully differing answers

 

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Anything that will grip any surface you land on or take off from enough so the kite doesn't slide more than you want it to. Vinyl caps, rubber tubing that can slide over the plastic endcap that can be easily removed and replaced as it wears. Its only purposes is to give you a moment of stability when you land so the kite doesn't slide and fall over, and to keep the plastic ones that the bungees run through from getting all chewed up. This applies to surfaces like concrete and blacktop. If you fly in small grassy areas it's not necessary. On very smooth surfaces, like gym floors, you may even want something "gummier" than rubber or vinyl.

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plastic dip from the home improvement store, like you'd coat a set of plier handles with for improved grip.  

Surgical rubber tubing (wears out faster, but super easy to replace in a moment too)

Vinyl tubing (Hey, you can set rare earth magnets into this harder stuff on the top of the down=spar end-caps and lock two revs together in flight)

I don't recommend aggressive flailer techniques to dead-launch from a parking lot

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The rubber boots aren't to improve friction but more to act as a sacrificial material to protect the plastic end caps.

I found some end caps that have a nylon bolt that threads in that has been working well.

My "next" street sail I will put some tape along the Leading Edge. But it will have the full Barresi Treatment.


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The rubber boots aren't to improve friction but more to act as a sacrificial material to protect the plastic end caps.

I found some end caps that have a nylon bolt that threads in that has been working well.

My "next" street sail I will put some tape along the Leading Edge. But it will have the full Barresi Treatment.


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What sort of tape you using if I may ask, didn't think about protecting that leading edge. Nothing sticky I take it sticky residue and all that

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plastic dip from the home improvement store, like you'd coat a set of plier handles with for improved grip.  
Surgical rubber tubing (wears out faster, but super easy to replace in a moment too)
Vinyl tubing (Hey, you can set rare earth magnets into this harder stuff on the top of the down=spar end-caps and lock two revs together in flight)
I don't recommend aggressive flailer techniques to dead-launch from a parking lot

Surgical rubber tubing sounds easy and quick, thanks

Sent from my SM-G903F using KiteLife mobile app

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4 hours ago, SparkieRob said:

The rubber boots aren't to improve friction but more to act as a sacrificial material to protect the plastic end caps.

I found some end caps that have a nylon bolt that threads in that has been working well.

My "next" street sail I will put some tape along the Leading Edge. But it will have the full Barresi Treatment.


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Indoor requires extra friction, while outdoors requires extra protection. Again, like all other things, there is some compromise, since the material that gives you more friction is softer and wears out faster outdoors. What you use depends on what you do most. The ideal method is one that will allow a quick change from one to the other.

I consider indoor flying to be a type of short-line urban flying that doesn't require wind. Some have used their indoor kites outdoors in zero wind, and you definitely want to protect ALL the tips when you do that.

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When it comes to trying things with a Rev for the first time, I'm a " just go for it" kind of guy which usually spells disaster.
City living means very limited spaces to regularly practice. I have a nice spot nearby however if the wind is coming from the East, not so great. I decided to give a parking garage a try. 5 stories high and basically empty top floor on weekends. I take my beat up EXP and give it a go. 2 things I didn't consider. Concrete is not as smooth as I thought. Lines got caught on the ground quite a bit and would easily get sliced if yanked on too hard. Second thing…damn lamp posts. Of course I had to push my luck and play around the posts and of course the lines got caught and I had to break one of them to get the kite down. Good thing is, I now have a nice set of 30 foot lines.


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We were flying (rev-like) kites with lights off the balcony in Corolla. extremely small window of opportunity.. if it made it in the wind shadow of the house, you had to have a friend spot while you pulled it up for relaunch.. Was still fun though..

Not trying to hijack, just pointing out the wind act very differently around buildings.. Just another factor that comes into play..

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  • 1 month later...

That should work. Look for vinyl caps, the kind that go on the ends of the rods on wire shelving, only big enough to fit very tightly on the endcaps. You don't need to force them all the way on. You can leave some empty space inside. They are available larger than what I have here at most hardware stores. I just grabbed whatever was handy to photograph. Not as much weight as the tubing, but they wear faster.

IMG_1488[1].JPG

IMG_1489[1].JPG

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  • 2 years later...

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