A bit confused Where to start?

[makatakam]

4 hours ago, SHBKF said:

Guess I am just getting soft in my old age. But after all I have always thought it was best to get better, not bitter, as growing older.

You're not getting soft. You're just losing your frame.

[Breezin]

If you find you are not drawn to the tricking  here are some hard pulling , noisy and some of them really fast kites to research. From Hq kites Fazer( different sizes), Ninja, Bat kite, Whizz, Delta Hawk and Eliminator. From Elliot Mirage(different sizes), Jet Stream and Gladiator series. Starting out and for the money might be hard to beat the Into the Wind Panther. The Panther comes with 100' x 200# line set that can used on the HQ kites. They don't come with lines. Watch some of the you tube videos of the Delta Hawk. A few are hysterical. If you can hang on in 30 mph  to 45+ that  little kite will take you for a ride.  

[Exult]

On 5/6/2018 at 7:49 AM, makatakam said:

Choose your wind to fly in so you can fly the kite easily. Until you become very familiar with it, low wind flying will be very difficult and you don't gain any muscle memory because you are not repeating inputs consistently.

I have at two different times put my HQ Shadow in the hands of two different absolute beginners in barely no wind conditions with good result. To already from the start get them out of the idea that the kite absolutely must constantly rush forward on powerd  lines (an idea that will cause several powered crashes as opposed to the soft "crash" on slack lines), I tell them to barely fly. First only half a metre up (several times) and land, then a metre (and land), then two metres... Of course there were a few unplanned landings during the following more normal flying (the above is no magic method), but none of them were destructive nor got me worried even briefly.

Low wind is kind to your kite and is an opportunity to practice to give slack on the lines. A useful skill to handle any crashes of framed kites so that they will not require repairs.

[prighello]

Just a quick update. I’ve taken the kite out a few more times. I’ve also discovered that kite flying is banned year around in many places up and down the coast here due to a bird…crazy. Some of the best places I’ve found to go are banned from kites yet ATVs, dirt bikes, and 4WD trucks are permitted. So odd.

Anyway, I found a park where the wind was high but very unpredictable. The kite would go tearing across the sky then the wind would die and the thing would fall before another gust. It was interesting but tricky and I crashed A LOT, but no broken parts 😊 yet!

I also found a small section of beach where dogs and therefore kites (cuz they go together somehow in the minds of regulators or environmentalists) are permitted. I went out one evening when the wind was blasting and had a great time! The kite was really moving and pulling me a good bit. I was able to do some neat landings/stalls where you spike the bottom of the leading edge into the sand. I also did some lateral  swoops where you graze the surface of the sand with the edge as well. I suppose I should tape the kite if I plan on doing this stuff much.

One thing I am having a hard time with is circles. I can turn just fine but the kite (or me) seems to need a lot of airspace to complete a circle and I almost crash most times I try to complete one. Any advice on how to get better at this? Practice I suppose. I am hopeless at recoveries as well, once the kite is buried in the sand it is done for me. No worries though, I am not shamed by a little walk.

I also, I think I need to even out my lines are they appeared to stretch a bit uneven. This is next for me to resolve before I take the beast out again. Anyway, it is fun and I am glad to have jumped in with a pretty durable kite as it has yet to fail me even with some good spills.

[makatakam]

On 5/22/2018 at 2:03 PM, prighello said:

Just a quick update. I’ve taken the kite out a few more times.

Dinner and a movie?

Your going through the same growing pains that every other kite flyer went through as a beginner. Don't let it frustrate you. Remember, this is fun. That's why you're doing it. You will survive the unknown territory and arise victorious. With time. Give it some. Each time you fly you get better and learn something new. If you are learning on your own without help from someone with lots of experience then it will be a bit more difficult but more fulfilling. I learned on my own for the most part of two years.

As far as difficulty doing circles -- Check that your lines are of equal length. When you start a circle push one hand toward the kite and the other away from it, even behind you. If you're still having problems there may be an issue with the bridle. Check that all bridle legs are not wrapped up around something, twisted or tangled. All parts of the bridle should be symmetrical, left and right. If none of this helps, make an effort to get to a kite festival or a kite shop and ask. Take close up photos of the kite parked on the field and post them here. We can take a look and maybe spot what's gone awry.

Just about any time anyone plants the kite face down on the ground with the nose towards them, it's time to take a walk. Unless the kite has a bowed leading edge, it is difficult to recover. Even if you're good at it, if you're flying on sand it's just like dragging your kite across concrete. It will cause much wear. I always walk. Once you've been flying long enough those moments will become rare, but even the pros manage to do it.

[prighello]

On 5/22/2018 at 1:03 PM, makatakam said:

Dinner and a movie?

Cracked me up with this line

Flew twice this weekend in good winds. I've got circles down now for sure. I've tried to do the slack line tricks but well I'm not very good at them. I really just like zooming the kite around and doing spirals and stuff. Thank you for all the advice! I'm thinking that I might look into getting a Rev since they appear to do precision and spins well. I see that you are a fan of them. Are they easy to pick up and fly or is the learning curve greater than a dual line?

[makatakam]

11 hours ago, prighello said:

Cracked me up with this line

Flew twice this weekend in good winds. I've got circles down now for sure. I've tried to do the slack line tricks but well I'm not very good at them. I really just like zooming the kite around and doing spirals and stuff. Thank you for all the advice! I'm thinking that I might look into getting a Rev since they appear to do precision and spins well. I see that you are a fan of them. Are they easy to pick up and fly or is the learning curve greater than a dual line?

It's different and depends on how easily you acquire the muscle memory. Flying a dual before may be helpful, but don't count on it. If you're learning alone, it won't be easy, but the effort is definitely worth it. It's a whole different beast in that you can stop the kite anywhere in the window, move the kite bacwards, sideways, do crazy spins around the center of the kite and a few other things you can't do with a dual. Of course there are also many things a dual can do that a Rev can't, and that's what I meant when I said they are different. On the average learning basic control on the Rev may be a bit harder, but learning the tricks a Rev can do is a bit easier. So, overall, I'd have to say that it's going to take about the same effort on your part. You will have twice the number of lines to deal with, but if you watch the line management videos several times you should have little to worry about.

Personally, I pretty much gave up on duals when I started flying a Rev. I still have a few but they don't come out of the bag very often. I love the quads.