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New guy saying hi


Scooter
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Hi guys and gals, 

I am new flyer in the sunshine state (US Florida) I have just gotten back into kiting. Since was kid. I am older now lol grey hair and all.  Been doing quite a bit of diy stuff. And having a ball. Been steadily flying single liners but have the bug for duals. Again just saying hi now and learning the forum. I have seen some threads about which kites are recommend by you guys to get into stunting. But I was wondering if it might be more beneficial to start on a parafoil. Instead of a Delta.  No frame to break. Lol does anyone have any thoughts on one verse the other.  I am old school and haven't touched a dual line kite. So have lots to learn.  If this is answered somewhere else please point me in the right direction. Also does anyone know if there are any kite clubs in central Florida. I saw something about TIKK but they haven't posted anything since 2014. Thanks in advance

 

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Welcome Scooter. I've been flying since 11/17. A 1.4 foil is a good place to start. I've got a 1.4 Prism Snapshot that is pretty fast and fun.Don't fly it much anymore but it is something I'll keep.Biggest drawback is most smaller foils need 8 to 10 mph to get going. When I first joined the forums I went with the advice get the best you can afford and justify.So I got a Premier Widow ng(full size).Worked my way up to the higher end kites since then. I still have a pretty inexpensive kite called the Nighthawk(3/4 size) made by Premier. It's a blast, fast, needs smaller light inputs and is very tricky. Even though it's not in the same league as some of my other kites I still fly it a lot cause it is so much fun.No longer produced it's evolved into the Wolf ng.Lots of differing opinions here. Think we all agree though that you should get to flying your new dual ASAP. Your missing out on all the fun :sq_w00t:.  

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Hi, Scooter, and welcome to the forum.

A small foil, 1.2 or 1.4, can be had complete and ready to fly for well under $100 and is a good place to start. The chances with a framed kite are that you'll break something before having enough control to not be crashing anymore. Google and visit a kite shop near you.

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Well it's official I'm a pilot not a string holder..I tracked down my local kite store and purchased a a 1.8 m dual line stunt kite.

Went to fly today thought might be perfect... Alas I have mastered the solitarily launch and the crash. I really think there just wasn't enough wind. But I also know that I have lots to learn.   My longest flght was maybe two minutes.this is probably stretching.it a few seconds. 

I can see  how much fun and addicting it  is. Thanks for the encouragement to take the plunge. Kite is fast. With a pretty good pull. Now on to the mastery of simple stuff

 

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15 hours ago, Scooter said:

Alas I have mastered the solitarily launch and the crash. 

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but crashing and NOT breaking a framed kite really is a skill. When first starting I'd throw 1 or both lines away moving forward. Now just before crashing I can lessen the impact a lot by turning or flaring a kite.Although at times pretty ego bruising you have to learn to laugh at making the same mistake over and over. All the sudden click there it is. Some things quicker than others and it's different for everyone.There's a trick called the Cascade. Year into it I still struggle and most times don't look to good. Some days are better than others. When first learning at times I would wrap a line from the roll up around the wing. Thinking I had a single tip wrap(Insane) I would yank the kite opposite way of spin to exit. That breaks the lower spreader.Broke 5 or 6 LS on different kites before I could see what I was doing wrong.Even after that I broke another. Got a high end vented kite that doesn't skip a beat till winds start going well over 30 mph.Had some really hard crashes in the upper wind range and never broke it. Couple weeks ago winds were around 20 mph. Feeling the groove I was doing tricks from the edge to center trying to get the moxy to trick at center. Just off center before full power tried the Cascade. CRACK!! Been months but danged if I didn't make that same mistake again.Had a spare spreader so kite wasn't grounded. Pretty ego bruising and I don't think I've laughed about it AT ALL!!!! Doesn't look like you'll have any good winds for your foil until Wednesday. When winds are hitting 12/13 make SURE you have the kite weighted down before you walk back to launch. Kite could self launch and some of the resulting scenarios are not good at all.

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Thanks Breezing I think that is the prime reason for me buying a foil. Nothing to break. I'd just be very upset with self if I broke 5 spreaders in a row. Cause I know you did not buy 5 extras to have on hand so I am sure kite was down... 

Thanks for the encouragement . I am glad I am not the only one that has had learning pains. At least on my first day I did experience. That OMG moment that will keep me hooked for a long time..  One part adrenaline 2 parts fear where else can one fine that on the first day.

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It is possible to blow out cells in a foil.   I've crashed a lot and haven't done it yet,  you'r results may vary.   When you crash nose down the air has no place to go and the fabric can RIP and give out.

You could go to a single skin foil kite like a NPW (NASA power wing), dfo  or flysurfer peak.   No cells to burst. 

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Love foils and lots of people start there. Find a flyer nearby and you will progress really quickly with a little help. Lots of smiles when I pull a foil out and fly with my grandkids. Nice thing is they crash and go 99% of the time. Breaking kites is a right of passage and held in great esteem by peers, especially if on film!


Sent from my iPhone using KiteLife mobile app

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2 minutes ago, Mike Klaiber said:

 Breaking kites is a right of passage 


Sent from my iPhone using KiteLife mobile app

 

6 hours ago, Scooter said:

 I'd just be very upset with self if I broke 5 spreaders in a row. Cause I know you did not buy 5 extras to have on hand so I am sure kite was down... 

 

Well thankfully they weren't all in a row. I'm not that good but I'm not that BAD either LOL.A little over a month in I had 4 more kites of different flying characteristics. On my 2nd parts order I started ordering more spare parts.So yeah when 1st trying the Cascade I did have spares except for the Hydra. Hydra has spares now. There's only 2 kites I have that don't have a spare LS . Both are standard full size with Skyshark Nitro framing. Very, very tough and kinda pricey frames. If one breaks I can fly the other until parts arrive 😊.My newest SUL has the leading edge internally weighted by the builder. I got a spare LE when I ordered the kite. I have 2 very different kites framed in 6mm carbon tube and had another that I'll be replacing soon. Nice to have some kites with the same tubes.If I were to go back in time my 1st kite would be the 6mm carbon tube framed Sky Dog Cross Fire Competition. 6mm carbon tubes are cheap compared to others and tough. I sold my 1st Sky Dog Black Dog 3/4 kite to get a higher end machine. Regretted it and got another. When weather and ground is wet it's the kite I fly. For the simplicity of design(by Dodd Gross) and framing it's an amazing flier.Broken 1 LS and several whiskers. Got spares though.Cool thing about most 6mm framed kites is spares cover the leading edges and spreaders.If your next kite is a quad from my reading it's pretty much Freilein, OSK Freilein/ Revolution, Skyburner, Kite Forge in ascending order.Other high end ones are mostly special orders. For duals it gets kinda confusing.Lots of choices and lots of opinions. Heck you might dig the foils so much you get another type. Haven't buggyed yet but it's way high on my to do list.One of the things that's so neat about kiting  is you'll develop your own style and strong opinion. Keep your opinion strong, share it  always but be flexible or you'll miss something simple. Like not having a spare :ani_smoke:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi yawll. Sorry I haven't been around for a few days but the wind has been better. So I've been taking advantage of it. I have been getting a bout an hour a day of fly time and have progressed  so that I can keep the kite up for about 15 minutes till I try something above my skill level. Crash. Today I was able to to recover 3 or 4 times after a crash with out a reset. What a difference a bit of breeze makes. Keep flying . Thanks for the all the advice and guidance. 

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