Happy New Years Eve! - 2009 Statistics

Date: 12/31/09, Thurs.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 8 mph, NW
Weather: Sunny, 28º

This was my last day of work as a full-time employee at eMINTS. I'll be working half-time for a couple of months - hopefully. They let us off early and it was sunny, so I went for a kite fly. The grass was wet with a some light patches of snow, but there was a gentle "floaty" wind that was very nice for flying the E2.

I had a nice set of flic-flacs, some floaty back-flips/lazy-susans, some 540s on the left and half-axels. Twice I got a yo-yo wrap, kind of hard to do with the E2, which has no yo-yo stoppers.

2009 Statistics













Number of days I flew a kite: 226 (out of 365 days) = 62% of all days!

Layoff Notice - Black Grass

Date: 12/17/09 Thurs.
Place: ARC , Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0.5 - 1.5 mph, SW
Weather: Cloudy, 45º

Today I got my layoff notice from my job at eMINTS (this was due to state budget cuts), not totally unexpected, but not very welcome either. So I did a 2o-minute fly at the ARC on my way home from work. When I arrived the grass looked very black. Then, very impressively, the black flew away! It was hundreds of blackbirds feeding in the grass.

I did some 360s, up-and overs, and some spirals. I didn't need my winter coat, nor gloves.

Buzzzzzz

Date: 12/13/09 Sun.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12', 3d on 20'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph, S
Weather: Mostly sunny, 42º

I started out with the Echo and was only able to fly a couple 360s due to the wind picking up. I was still able to do some up-and-overs, some spirals, and some fades.

When the wind came up I switched to the 3d. I did get two 360s during a lull in the wind, but mostly flew loops and axels, some nice and low and slow.

There was a guy with a radio-controlled car, and the buzzing became very annoying.

Missourian reporter (again!? I must be an easy target)

Date: 12/5/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 6 - 11 mph, S
Weather: Sunny, 36º

It's sunny and the grass is still green, but the temperature is now back to a more expected value for December. I flew the E2 and had it do some tricks for a Missourian reporter, Katheryn. I'm not sure if this actually generated an article.

I was able to do most of the usual tricks: Flic-Flacs, Back-spin (left handed), 540 (also on the left), Back-flips with Lazy Susans, and some nice axels into fades. Another nice day for kite flying.

A Warm Goodbye to November

Date: 11/28/09 Sat.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 6 - 11 mph, SW
Weather: Mostly sunny (with high cirrus clouds), 68º

It's lots warmer today and the grass is still green. I doesn't seem like November!

I did some more "blind" flying, even trying some loops. I had some very nice sleeping beauty launches and practiced some wing-tip stands. I also practiced side slides more than usual. I did some 540's mostly on the left, some cascades, and some back-spins (higher up in the wind window than usual).

Black Friday - Don't shop - fly a kite!

Date: 11/27/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 9 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 52º

Wow, T-shirt weather at the end of November! But the park was very empty of people. (Wonder where they all were? Shopping?)

It was a "perfect" wind day again and with the average wind speed I was able to stay in one place and hold a fade without it rising nor falling. I did some 540s including one on the right. I also did a few nice back-spins, cascades and half-axels -- most of the usual tricks. I think I only had to walk to the kite four times.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Date: 11/26/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: Micron on 65'
Wind: 6 - 15 mph, W
Weather: Mostly sunny, 42º

There were some dark gray clouds surrounded by blue sky with a gibbous moon. That was the background for the red and purple Micron which had the sun shining on it!

The lower spreader came completely out, but was luckily caught on the tail of the kite.

Flying Blind

Date: 11/25/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 11 mph, W
Weather: Partly sunny, 45º

I got off work at 3:00 -- so I had enough daylight and time to fly a kite!

I did some 540s on the left, some cascades, one nice Jacob's Ladder rung, a nice set of Flic-Flacs, and some sleeping beauty launches. For something new, I tried flying with my eyes shut. I mostly did some back and forth flying with a few loops. It worked more easily than I thought it would.

Leaf Knots (twice)

Date: 11/23/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 9 mph, SE
Weather: Mostly sunny, 62º

Today's wind was very nice for almost all of my tricks! It was maybe a little more gustier than the last couple of days. Three days of great winds in a row!

Did 540s, Back Flips, Lazy Susans, Flic-Flacs, Fades, Cascades, plus a Jacob's Ladder rung and a couple of so so Coin Tosses.

Twice leaves on the ground caught on both of the lines such that I had to untangle the knot by hand. I had never seen this happen before, and today it happened twice.

There were some "angel rays" from the sun. The E2 looked great flying near them and the sun!

My Corner of the Sky

Date: 11/22/09 (Sunday)
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 9 mph, SE
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 58º

Another excelant day with a little bit more wind than yesterday''s (almost) perfect wind. I felt like I was flying in "my corner of the sky."

I did about four Jacob Ladder rungs. With cascades I found that it helps watching the spine of the kite as it axels around. 540s and Back Flips both worked well today. I also had some nice Back Spins.

A Perfect Wind (?!) Flic-Flac Heaven

Date: 11/21/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 7 mph, SE
Weather: Cloudy, 56º

It felt like an almost perfect wind today -- very steady! It was Flic-Flac heaven. I was able to hold fades without moving forward or backwards. I even got several Jacob's Ladder rungs. It seemed much easier than usual to do almost all the tricks I know. I did some good cascades.

A very fun day!

Flying on Nightwings

Date: 11/20/09, Fri.
Place: ARC, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph, NE
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 50º

This was another very nice 30-minute fly immediately after work. With a slightly stronger wind than yesterday, I was still able to pull off some 360s (uneven 360s).

Today I was notified at work that it is about 99% sure that my job would only last until 12/18 -- a two-week notice.
:^(

Crescent Moon Fade

Date: 11/19/09, Thurs.
Place: ARC, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, N
Weather: Partly cloudy, 47º

This was a 20 minute fly after work. With darkness approaching, there were very nice clouds, orange with the sunset. And a crescent moon! I flew the usual Echo tricks: 360s, up-and-overs, spiral-down helicopters, axels, and fades (into and out them). I had two successful up-and-overs into fades (I may need to come up with a name for this trick). I flew until it was dark and finished up with holding a fade with the crescent moon in the V of the Echo's wings.

Sweet Light Wind

Date: 11/14/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20', E2 on 65'
Wind: 4 - 6 mph, S
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 65º

With the 3d I did several 360s. At one point I lost one of its standoffs (I have a spare at home).

With the E2 I tried to run a 360 -- and failed. But on the other hand, I was able to do some very nice flic-flacs and a decent (for me) cascade.

Happy Friday the 13th

Date: 11/13/09, Fri.
Place: ARC, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20', E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 8 mph, S
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 55º

This was a nice 20 minute at the ARC on my way home from work. I flew the 3d only a very short while because the wind was a bit too strong for it. The E2 was more fun with this wind. As it got darker and darker, it was interesting to see the streetlights through the clear Mylar part of the kite!

November T-shirt Weather

Date: 11/8/09, Sun.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', Beetle (Kelsey's)
Wind: 8 - 15 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 60 - 70º

9:00-10:30
I helped Kelsey fly her Beetle. I he lped her learn to fly a loop. She got better at launches.

10:30-Noon
I flew my E2 as the wind got more gentle -- a very nice wind! I flew a little bit of all the tricks I know, including a Jacob's Ladder Rung. My 540's were snappy on the left, and I only succeeded with one 540 on the right.

Possible 1080 (bicycle polo without kites)

Date: 11/7/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 9 - 15 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 70º

There was too much wind for the tricks I like to practice so I ended flying a lot more loops and figure 8's than usual. I had a lot of wing-tip wraps. I did succeed with a "540" that may have actually been a 1080.

A bicycle polo tournament was happening in the park. Quite a few bicycles rode past me, probably admiring my kite flying (?), so I went and watched them compete for a while - quite a rough sport.

No Power Kite Jumping Allowed

Date: 11/6/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Micron on 65' (with tail)
Wind: 14 - 25 mph (gusts to 25), S
Weather: Sunny, 72º

I got off work early to go to Booneville for a Missouri Folklore Society event. But, since the wind was blowing, I decided to do a little kite flying on the way out of town. There was a strong wind, and as I arrived I saw four young men packing up (a kite?) and preparing to leave. I talked to them a few minutes and they said that they had just started flying a power kite and as soon as they jumped a little, Cosmo Park Security told them that they could not do that. Evidently, if a kite pulls you off the ground, then it puts you in the classification of a hot air balloon and you need a costly permit!

I got out my E2, but immediately switched to my Micron because of how strong the wind was blowing. The Micron flew very fast and survived several good sized crashes, including one where the lower spreader came totaly off the kite (both ends).

A Cold Frosty Morning

Date: 11/5/09 (6:00-7:00 AM)
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - .5 mph, NE
Weather: Clear, sunny 35º

It was a cold frosty morning and it was dark, with moonlight, followed by a sunrise. It was cold enough that the toes of my Crocs became as frosty as the grass.

During the dark part, I flew by "feel" mostly. I did some 360-side-slides. The Echo bobbled some -- I'm sure that this trick will be much easier in true indoor conditions.

By the end of this flying session my clothes, including hat and gloves, were all very wet from condensation.

The VOX article featuring me came out today. Kelsey (and the editor) did a pretty good job!

A Frosty Full Moon and Sunrise

Date: 11/3/09

Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12', Skate
Wind: 0 - 1 mph, NE
Weather: Clear, 41º

I met Kelsey in the park at 6:00 AM. The grass was a little frosty before sunrise and the full moon was up providing most of the light for us (a street light provided a little, too) until the sun rose. I showed Kelsey the tricks I can fly with the Echo with no wind. Then I got out my Skate kite, and showed her how to fly it. She caught on very quickly and had fun flying it, while I flew the Echo some more. During the hour we were there someone (Kelsey insists that it was her) stepped on the single string kite winder ($5 in 1985) and broke a piece off the edge.

It was definitely a beautiful morning for low-wind/no-wind kite flying!

Backyard Hazards to Avoid

Date: 11/1/09
Place: Skye Wynd Backyard, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph
Weather: Clear, 48º

This was a 20 minute flying session in the morning before work. The short days and lack of light before and after work are not allowing me the flying (and exercise) time that I like.

I flew the usual Echo tricks (up-and-overs, spirals, 360s, and axels), all the while avoiding the house, power lines, tree branches, and mole holes in the yard.

Flying Session #200 - VOX Photos

Date: 11/1/09
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 7 - 15 mph, W
Weather: Sunny, 57º

This flying session was, if I have my records correct (and know how to count), number 200 for the year!

I met Kelsey, a new enthusiastic dual-line flyer (and VOX reporter), at Cosmo to help her fly her learn to fly her new Beetle. Two VOX photographers also showed up. It was a little strange having them lurking around taking lots of photos. Kelsey was a little nervous with them there, so I got my E2 out to give them a demo of some trick flying. I flew fairly well for this demo, but was not able to do any decent flic-flacs until after they left. Kelsey was called in to work early and also left. I flew for another hour since the wind and weather conditions were so nice.

Happy Halloween!

Date: 10/31/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 12 mph, W
Weather: Sunny, 45º

Happy Halloween. And, no, I didn't dress up in a costume for flying, nor did I dress up my kite either. I was surprised to see an official soccer game being played in the park so late in the season. I flew some snappy 540s, but only on the left side. Also, some nice fades and flic-flacs.

1st Lumix Video

Date: 10/25/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12', E2 on 85'
Wind: 0.5 - 5 mph, SE
Weather: Cloudy, 51º at 8:00 AM

I took some video with my new Panasonic Lumix camera of myself flying the Echo. It will probably be a while before I have a chance to edit this footage. I was able to do a few 360s, but there was really too much wind for the Echo. I wasn't able to fly into any fades, but flying out of them worked well.

When the wind picked up (4 - 8 mph), I then switched to the E2. It was unusual to "jump" directly from the Echo to the E2 without flying the 3d in-between. I had about the best set of flic-flacs I've ever had -- about 10 of them linked in a row! I also practiced my cascades a lot.

One week since flying last

Date: 10/24/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 8 mph, W
Weather: Sunny, 58º

It has been a whole week since the last time I flew a kite, mostly due to my having a bad cold. It was a bit depressing to be not able to fly.

I flew while Annett walked in the park. Today's wind was a touch gusty, but I still had a great flying session. It was warm enough to wear a T-shirt with no coat. I didn't really work on any new tricks or skills (I haven't had any new stuff for a while). So it was mostly refining the tricks I already know.

Back-lit E2 (Tony Hawks Exhibition)

Date: 10/17/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 10 mph, N
Weather: Partly sunny, 50º

There was no soccer or football, but all the park's parking lots became full due to a Tony Hawks Skateboard Exhibition at Cosmo Park. I didn't "fly" at the exhibition, but did go watch some amazing skate boarding after a nice flying session with my E2 kite.

I did some 540s, nice fades, backspins, backflips, lazy susan's, side-slides, and flic-flacs.

Happy Columbus Day (what did he "discover"?)

Date: 10/12/09
Place: ARC, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20', Echo on 12'
Wind: 3 - 0.75 mph, NW
Weather: Cloudy, 51º

I flew lots of axels and only a few 360s with my 3d kite. The wind speed dropped enough so I switched to the Echo. I did all the usual tricks. I tried to do the up-and-over to a fade combo, but was not able to do any.

One Sky One World

Date: 10/11/09
Place: Bethel Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', Purple/Black Beetle, Tumbling Cube
Wind: 5 - 9 mph (gusty), E
Weather: Mostly sunny, 45-55º

One Sky One World is a festival that may happen in lots of places around the county (and maybe world?), but in Missouri it is a kite festival in Columbia, MO. Being half way between Kansas City and St.Louis, it is a nice opportunity to have a laid back kite fly near the end of the general kite flying season. This year due to the St. Louis flyers attending the national AKA fesitval in Rochester, MN, no one from St. Louis came. There were a few people from Kansas City and I finally met John Grimshaw from Columbia, and Andy and Bonnie from Jefferson City.

A few new (to kites) people showed up: Tara (a reporter from ?), Kelsey (a reporter from VOX, a UM school newspaper), my friends Dan, and Pat, from the Irish music group I play tunes with. I helped these three with a flying a purple and black two-line Beetle kite that Ryan from KC brought. Kelsey was so enthusiastic about the kite flying that she later ordered a Beetle of her own.

I flew my E2 and it did fairly well in the squirrelly and gusty wind conditions. Bethel Park is not my favorite place to fly (a not-too-spacious sloped field with trees and buildings too close by). Tricks that worked well: 540s, axels, 1/2 axels, backflips/lazy susans, backspins, fades, and flic-flacs.

I flew my tumbling cube a while and also let Pat try it -- actually I said, "Here," and handed the line to her, and stepped away to talk to someone. She had fun with it.

(Frosty) Morning Has Broken

Date: 10/10/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.75 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 37º

This was a 7:20-8:20 AM beautiful frosty fall morning with a sunny sunrise and a pretty quarter moon hanging in the sky! Some leaves have turned red and gold, contrasting the leaves that are still green. There was frost on the grass and so I "crunched" along as I was flying my Echo. I could see my breath and after I had flown a while, I could also see steam rising off my fleece. There was almost no one in the park, quite a contrast with the soccer and football of last weekend.

I flew the usual Echo tricks. I had some nice catches out of helicopter spirals: two tail catches, two or three wingtip catches, and one spiral to fade to catch!

On my CD player in the van: Cat Stevens singing "Morning Has Broken"

A Yo-Yo into my Hands

Date: 10/7/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph, SE
Weather: Cloudy, 60º

The wind was a little strong for the Echo causing helicopter spirals to work only marginally, with only a few good ones. But it was good conditions for flying into and out of fades. I also tried some backflips with one yo-yo-ing right into my hands. Now that was an "accidental trick" that really surprised me! Maybe someday in the future I might work on such a trick like that on purpose.

Banished to the small soccer fields

Date: 10/5/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 65' <--- "shorter than usual"
Wind: 4 - 8 mph, NE
Weather: Mostly sunny, 68º

It was beautiful kite flying weather after work today - warm with a "perfect" wind. And all my usual fields were taken with soccer and football and kids goofing around. With the very nice weather, I don't blame them, but they should not have been playing on my field. But the conditions were too good to not fly, so I ended up flying with shorter lines than usual in a tight area of small soccer fields. I had to dodge the soccer goal-posts and nets.

The wind was very nice for slightly rising fades. Flic-flacs worked well and I practiced cascades -- I still don't have the timing down quite right on them yet. I was able to do one Jacob's Ladder rung and a few sets of nice 540s.

Ten-four good buddy

Date: 10/4/09, Sun.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph, NE
Weather: Sunny, 44º

A typical weekend morning fly with my Echo. I did all the usual Echo tricks including some fades. My kite and my pants cuffs got extremely wet from the dewy grass. Soccer families then arrived and out of dozens of people only one acknowledged me with a "hi."

Yesterday once more

Date: 10/3/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', Micron on 65' (with tail)
Wind: 7 - 14 mph (gusty), W
Weather: Cloudy, 53º

Today's flying was practically a repeat of yesterday's flying session. At one point I had 20 twists in the lines with the Micron.

Sort of like last Spring

Date: 10/2/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', Micron on 65' (with tail)
Wind: 7 - 14 mph (gusty), W
Weather: Cloudy, 60º

The wind was a little stronger than I usually like and it reminded me of the flying I did last spring when I wasn't very good at low-wind flying yet. So I did the tricks that I had under my belt last spring plus some 540s. The wind was a little tricky for fades, but I was able to pull off a few anyways. I flew one backflip all the way to the ground.

Since the wind was strong enough, I also flew my Micron with its tail. I did a bunch of fast loops and since it was gusty, also some slow loops.

One-half of a sunset

Date: 9/30/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 65'
Wind: 4 - 7 mph, ESE
Weather: Sunny/Cloudy, 64º

I actually started out with the 3d but there was too much wind for it, at least, more wind than I prefer for this kite. But it was a good wind for the Zephyr.

The left half of the sky was solid dark-gray cloud and the right half had just a few clouds, the perfect amount for a nice sunset. Plus there was an almost full moon. It was a very striking sky!

I did a couple sloppy 540s, some 1/2 axles, yo-yo's, plus some good fades with the Zephyr.

Dark at 7:15 pm

Date: 9/29/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20', Echo on 12'
Wind: 3 ---> 0 mph, NW
Weather: Sunny sunset, 65º

I flew from after work (5:45 pm) until dark (7:15 pm). I was a very nice sunset with a gibbous moon.

With the 3d it was a little disappointing, probably due to the wrong wind for this kite. I did some low/slow axels and one more-or-less helicopter spiral, and 2 0r 3 me-moving-fast 360s, but was not able to do an up-and-over with this kite.

With the Echo all it's tricks worked well including a couple up-and-overs into fades!

On a little hill

Date: 9/27/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Beetle on 90', Micron on 65'
Wind: 8 - 15 mph (gusty), SSE
Weather: Mostly sunny, 70º

It was a nice sunny day at Cosmo and there was several fields of Little League Flag Football going on. I flew the Beetle (first time since it came back after the bridle was redone) and it worked just fine. I flew it with the "stock" Dacron line that came with this kite. It is definitely a good beginner kite, very forgiving.

Then I flew the Micron on a little hill (8' high) between a very small soccer field and a walking path. And there was "enough" wind for this little kite today! This little kite is fast, fast, fast! I did a lot of loops, 8's, dives, and traverses (and a few crashes).

Confusing Spirals

Date: 9/26/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', Micron on 65'
Wind: 5-8 mph
Weather: Partly cloudy, 65º

I felt a little rusty with the E2. I was able to do some OK flic-flacs and a few sort-of-sloppy 540s. The saving grace was a single rung of a Jacob's Ladder.

There was not really enough wind for the Micron.


Place: Skye Wind backyard, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph

There were some odd wind currents that left me confused on the directions of spirals. Otherwise, it was a nice short fly right at home.

Before the rain

Date: 9/24/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1.5 mph
Weather: Cloudy, 64º

Another after-work fly. I played "stay inside the circle." The wind was a little bit variable and I was tired (not enough sleep). I did a lot of the usual Echo tricks, and packed up and left with perfect timing just before it started raining.

El Papalote

Date: 9/23/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph !!, SW
Weather: Cloudy, 68º (humid)

My Echo kite was extra fun to fly today (after work, before dinner). I did lots of all its usual tricks, and even a couple of nice running-backwards fades.

I talked to a Latino family that were watching the football (American football, not soccer) practice at the fields. I asked them what the Spanish word for kite is -- it is El Papalote. I like the sound of that word!

Until Too Dark to See

Date: 9/22/09 Sat.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12', 3d on 20'
Wind: 3 - 0.5 mph, SE
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 68º

This time I started with the 3d and then when the wind continued to die down I switched to the Echo. There wasn't really enough wind to have much fun with the 3d. I did a few 360s and some lazy axels.

The Echo's abilities matched the wind and I had fun doing spirals, 360s, and up-and-overs until it was almost too dark to see -- definitely too dark to see the lines.

Red Sun Sunset

Date: 9/20/09 Sat.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12', 3d on 20'
Wind: 0.5 - 2 mph, SE
Weather: Cloudy, 72º

This was an evening fly with a nice very-red-sun sunset. The Echo faded well this evening and also did some nice graceful helicopter spirals.

There was a little too much wind for the Echo so I switched to the 3d. I did three 360s, but had to run rather fast to pull them off. I did a nice downwind glide. The 3d pops into a fade and then flies well in it, but doesn't like to fly out of the trick. This could be one of those "faults" of the pilot and not of the kite itself.

Saturday Sunrise

Date: 9/19/09 Sat.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, SE
Weather: Mostly sunny, 60º

Ahhhh, a nice quiet sunrise at Cosmo Park to start the day.

I flew a lot of nice lazy helicopter spirals, some 360s, and up-and-overs. I was able to fly the Echo into and out of fades!

Anyway it was nice until a lot of vehicles started driving by and parking, mostly vans with kids for soccer and football, and maybe even softball. So time to pack up and go to the farmer's market for a breakfast-burrito breakfast.

Zephyr Repeat

Date: 9/18/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 70'
Wind: 5 - 10 mph, NE
Weather: Sunny, 77º

This kite flying session was practically a repeat of yesterday's session. And yesterday's was fun!

I did one not-so-sharp 540 on the left (with the right hand pulling it), possibly the first 540 with the Zephyr without the tail weight. 540s work much better with a little weight in the tail.

Yo-yo's between Soccer and Football

Date: 9/17/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 90'
Wind: 5 - 10 mph, NE
Weather: Sunny, 75º

This session was after work and I ended up being wedged between soccer and football. They don't usually have both sports happening in the park at the same time.

I haven't flown the Zephyr in wind like this -- a stronger wind than I usually fly it in. I flew some nice flic-flacs, axels and 1/2-axels. I did some yo-yos with unwraps, one unwrapped into a fade!

A small hole-punch in my E2

Date: 9/16/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 8 mph, NE
Weather: Partly sunny, 76º

This flying session was a good one for me with the E2. Except for the small (top spreader size) hole I punched into the E2's sail. I thought the spreader was going into the fitting just fine, when it slipped and punched a small hole near the other repairs in the the sail. I decided to keep flying even with the hole, but not try any radical maneuvers (like I really know any super radical tricks (other than a wicked "lawn dart"!)).

Left and right 540s went OK, but only right-handed backspins worked today. I did some "old favorites" such as backflips, lazy susans, fades, and flic-flacs -- I even got a really nice side slide.

Heavy Zephyr with a Lite Tail

Date: 9/15/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 65'
Wind: 4 - 7 mph, E
Weather: Cloudy, 65º

The Zephyr seemed very heavy in the lite-ish wind after the past few days of Echo flying. The Zephyr also has lost its tail weight (today?). Without the tail weight it doesn't do 540s and backspins very well. I was still able to do a couple 540s, but they were sloppy and not at all snappy. I was able to fly this kite into a few yo-yos and one even unwrapped into a fade! Axels and 1/2-axels were fun today.

The Wind Out of the Sun

Date: 9/14/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 1 - 4 mph, NE
Weather: Mostly sunny, 64º

The sun is getting up later and later. I flew my Echo mostly before the spectacular sunrise. The wind was coming straight out of the sun.

Several times to get downwind I had to fly 360s with a traveling circle pattern -- moving backwards faster when facing into the wind and almost turning in one place when facing downwind.

Backflips only worked marginally. I did one (accidental) backflip into a yo-yo. The Echo doesn't have yo-yo stoppers and it didn't fly well at all in a yo-yo wrap, and then wouldn't unwrap in the air. I had to unwrap it by hand.

I flew into a fade once, and flew out of fades fairly consistently.

Yellow Tevas

Date: 9/13/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO

#1
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph, ENE
Weather: Sunny, 62º

I arrived at Cosmo Park just after sunrise. With the very light breeze I only did a few 360s. But I practiced lots of Helicopter Spirals.

#2
Kites: Micron on 65'
Wind: 7 - 12 mph, NE
Weather: Mostly sunny, 75º

The Micron flies mostly fast loops, figure 8s, and dives. It has some overspin coming out of spins. I was able to do very short 3/4-backflips.

My Teva's (not the usual Crocs) got very yellow from grass pollen.

No wind -- veeery niiice!

Date: 9/12/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 mph
Weather: Sunny, 65º

This was an excellent early Saturday morning fly. There was no wind at all, so the Echo shined! I must be getting better with the Echo because the workout seemed much less strenuous. I flew a lot of Helicopters, or maybe I should call them Spirals because they spiral down from the top of the wind wind usually twice, but sometimes three times around. Lots of 360s and up-and-overs, too.

I also flew the Tumbling Cube for a short while. I think I need to reinforce the tape on this kite.

After work

Date: 9/11/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 2 - 4 mph, E
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 78º

I flew my 3d kite right after work. It was nice to fly a "non-electronic" kite after a long week of doing computer tech support. I practiced some very low-to-the-ground axels and tried to not touch the ground with even a wing tip. I flew a couple backflips. I pulled 2 or 3 360s and I had to run backwards fairly hard to succeed at those.

Usuals and Unusuals

Date: 9/10/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 4 mph, ENE
Weather: Partly cloudy, 65º

The usual: 360s, Up-and-Overs, Axels, Helicopters

The unusual: Fades (plus flying out of the fade), one Backflip, one 1/2-Lazy Susan, and a few catches.

Three or four mph is getting to be near the upper end of the Echo's wind range.

Echo Demo for Annett

Date: 9/9/09
Place: Skye Wynd backyard, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - .5 mph
Weather: Sunny, 75º

This was a short fly in a very lite, but squirrelly wind. Annett (my wife) had not seen me fly the Echo. I was able to show her the usual tricks that I can do: 360s, Up-and-Overs, Helicopters, Throw Launch, Catch (from a helicopter).

Out of the three or four Helicopters, I caught two of them and one catch was dead-on by the nose of the kite!

My kite flew across the moon

Date: 9/8/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 2 - 5 mph, NE
Weather: Partly cloudy, 68º

When I left the house I thought there was no wind. On the way to the park I saw some flags and thought that it would be enough wind to fly the Zephyr. But it turned out to be in-between -- a 3d wind. It was nice flying my kite so that it crossed over and flew around the 3/4-moon. At one point, one of the bridle knots slipped and it caused the kite to not feel right while flying. I fixed it and the kite flew true again. I was able to fly the 3d into and out of fades a few times.

The Echo Fade Secret

Date: 9/7/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph, NEWS???
Weather: Lite fog - cloudy, 67º

At the start of this morning's flying there was a very light breeze from the NE. (It later changed to a lighter breeze that constantly changed direction). While the wind was mostly from the NE, I practiced doing Helicopters. And that went really well. I was initiating the trick much more consistently. At least with a very light wind, you fly the kite towards the side near the top of the wind window and then you initiate a turn towards the outside. This might be just a little different in a true no-wind situation.

I also discovered the secret to popping the Echo into a fade from the ground! The kite doesn't pop-up from the ground well. Trying to pull it into a fade from the ground usually just causes it to pop up vertically, and then lawn dart straight into the ground. But, if the kite's tail is about 30 - 40º up from the nose, then a quick pull on the lines pops the kite into a fade.

Micron's debut

Date: 9/6/09

#1
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Cloudy, 65º

My lower back has been bothering me for the last few days so today I was a little more tentative with moving around while flying. Moving is probably better for my back than sitting. I worked on Up-and-Overs and Helicopters, rather than the more strenuous 360s.

#2
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Micron on 50', 3d on 20'
Wind: 2 - 4 mph, N
Weather: Mostly sunny, 74º

Today is my new Micron's debut. When I left the house I thought there was a good wind for it, but found upon arriving at the park that there wasn't really as much wind as I expected. The Micron did fly but it was a chore trying to keep it in the air. It will do much better with a stronger wind. And it will be very fast! With today's wind it was a little unstable with some over-spin. I flew it without a tail -- less weight and less stability.

With not enough wind for the Micron, I brought out my 3d kite which seems to excel in this type of wind. Sometimes during slow axels it seemed to almost pause while the kite was horizontal and nose-away from me. The 3d was very pretty with the clouds and sun today!

Sun/Moon/Birds/Jet/Kite

Date: 9/2/09

#1
Place: Skye Wynd backyard, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - .25 mph
Weather: Sunny (but flew in the shade), 58º

I woke up late and didn't have time to drive over to Cosmo Park. So I did a short fly in my backyard. I did the usual 360s, up-and-overs, and axels. Several times I wasn't paying attention and tried to throw the Echo out for a launch with the line still wrapped around a wingtip. This, of course, doesn't work at all.

#2
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 70'
Wind: 8 - 3 mph, E
Weather: Sunny, 71º

This evening's flying was while looking towards the setting sun. The green Zephyr looks great back lit. An almost full moon was rising. At one point the sky held a setting sun, rising full moon, a large flock of black birds, a jet contrail, and my Zephyr!

I did some fades, flic-flacs, yo-yo's, 1/2-axels, and two sloppy 540s. Twice I got a 1/2 yo-yo (only one side wrapped) which just settled all the way to the ground. And I had one fairly nice helicopter, a trick I've not done before with the Zephyr.

Catch That Helicopter

Date: 9/1/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph, NE
Weather: Sunny, 55º

It was a peaceful sunrise and I had Cosmo Park to myself. I didn't see anyone else, no runners, no walkers, no cars, nor parked cars.

I worked on Helicopters with some success and even had a few that I caught.

More fun than expected

Date: 8/31/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO

#1
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, NW
Weather: Cloudy, 57º

I had more fun than expected today! And I wouldn't be flying kites if I didn't expect to have fun. :^)

I did a few 360s at the start of the fly, but as the wind picked up I moved on to other tricks. I practiced some Helicopters with some decent success. I flew into and out of some fades, which is generally harder with the Echo than with my other kites.

#2
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph, N
Weather: Mostly sunny, 68º

It was so nice out after work that I couldn't resist a 2nd fly. I went out thinking I would fly my Zephyr, but there was a lighter wind so I flew my 3d. There was a sunny sunset with a large dark gray cloud nearby so the light was great, making for a beautiful background for the purple and teal of the 3d!

I flew a few backflips down to the ground and even got a very nice lazy susan. The 3d pops up from the ground very nicely now into fades, a trick I used to find difficult. I flew a lot of very low, very flat, and very slow axels. The 3d seems to be very good at this type of axels, but it takes a very light touch on the lines.

Another thing of note is that the 3d (on 20' or shorter lines) is the only kite I own that I can launch from the the belly-down, nose-toward-me, "dead launch" position. I'm able to lift the nose enough that the 3d is able to take off.

Again, this evening's fly was more fun than expected!

A Van Go Kite

Date: 8/30/09, Sun
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12' and 20', Zephyr on 70'
Wind: 0 - 7 mph, N
Weather: Sunny, 50º

The morning started off sunny, but cold. (50º at the end of August in Missouri is cold!) And the grass was very wet with dew. The wind started off calm and got progressively stronger over the two hours I was out flying. I started with the Echo on 12', then with more wind tried it with 20'. With more wind it flew better on the longer lines.

When I was done flying the Echo I landed it perfectly so that the wing tips touched down and then the kite leaned back a few degrees to lean against my van!

There was too much wind for the Echo, and not enough for the "big Z." I did do some nice axels and half-axels, and one 540, but not much else. I felt like the kite kept "painting me into the corner" of the soccer field (followed by a walk to the other end).

Short Lines and Shorter Lines

Date: 8/29/09, Sat
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12' and 6'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, WNW
Weather: Some fog then sunny, 60º

I almost didn't fly today (to rest my knee). But I couldn't resist a very calm beautiful morning.

I tried the Echo on both 12' and 6' lines. While flying with the 6' lines there was a little too much of a breeze, making it hard to fly -- a bit fast. It was a challenge to keep it from touching the ground with the short lines. I think that the very short lines might be fun to fly with inside in a true no-wind environment.

Good Morning for Echo Flying

Date: 8/27/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 70º

This was a good morning for Echo flying. I flew the usual 360s and Up-&-Overs, plus a few backflips that I managed to hold all the way to the ground. This is a relatively new trick for me with this kite. With a gentle breeze the Echo almost flies without losing altitude while in a backflip position. I flew the kite into a few fades, and out of a few fades -- not necessarily always the same fades :^) though. I worked some more on helicopters, but can't always initiate them.

While moving quickly backward (more or less in a straight line) I twisted my knee a little. I was able to keep flying my kite, but was very careful with my knee. Later that day it seemed OK, but sometimes ached a bit when it was in one position too long.

Backflip-1/2 Lazy Susan-Fade Combo w/ 3d

Date: 8/26/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 2 - 4 mph, S
Weather: Sunny (sunrise), 63º

The wind was very steady for this morning's before-work 3d fly. There was too much wind to do any 360s, but the breeze was steady enough that I was able to do some backflips, and backflip - lazy susan combos with the 3d kite. New tricks for it.

And once, I did a backflip, with a 1/2 lazy susan, then pancake flipping it around into a fade!!! This is most of a Jacob's Ladder rung!

And, of course, I flew the usual axels and loops.

A Beautilful Sun-Zephyr-rise

Date: 8/25/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 70'
Wind: 3 - 7 mph, S
Weather: Sunny (sunrise), 62º

So I had a Zephyr sunset yesterday and a Zephyr sunrise today! The wind direction changed during the night so, although not directly back lit like last night, I still got a few nice kite/sun colors with the sun more or less behind the Zephyr.

I got one 540 on the left and some nice flic-flacs. I kind of "went with the flow of the wind" and got some un-expected combos. (The wind was flying me kite.) No backspins, but I did get some nice down-wind glides. The dewy grass got the kite wet, but it didn't seem to affect the Zephyr much.

A Beautilful Sun-Zephyr-set

Date: 8/24/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 70'
Wind: 3 - 7 mph, E
Weather: Sunny (sunset), 73º

I flew my Zephyr at sunset and with an east wind the kite was between me and the sun. The different "cuts" of nylon and the translucent panels shimmered as the kite changed angles with the light making for a very beautiful display, that I didn't anticipate.

I flew a few yo-yos -- I'm still not too good at initiating them. I did one 540 -- the Zephyr is not so good at those (may be the driver). And some very solid fades.

I ended the evening by flying too close to a tree and draping my lines over the branches. It was time to go anyway so I just unhooked the lines from the kite and they pulled easily out of the tree.

All in all, it was a fun, but a little short, beautiful evening. As I was almost out of Cosmo Park a deer ran across the pavement in front of my van.

Cool Ground Fog!

Date: 8/23/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.25 mph
Weather: Ground Fog, then Sunny, 54º

I arrived at Cosmo Park shortly before the sun did. And there was very cool ground fog for a while and no wind, not even a slight breeze! It was kind of magical to fly the Echo with the foggy background.

With no wind the Echo flew very well, the conditions that it was meant to fly in. And I got a great workout. I did lots of the usual 360s, up-and-overs, and axels.

After the sun came up some of the axels were directly in the sun and being blinded (temporarily) by the light and was flying for a few seconds only by the feel and tension of the lines.

The kite got wet from the grass after a while, but it still seemed to fly OK. I took a photo of my tracks in the dewy grass.

Before I left I flew my Tumbling Cube kite for a while.

A Three KIte Morning

Date: 8/22/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12', 3d on 20', E2 on 85'
Wind: 3 - 8 mph, NE
Weather: Sunny, 61º

It is cooler today and should be a beautiful day with a high of 77º. I slept in until 6:00 and so missed flying during the sunrise. The grass was extremely wet again. That seems to be the rule here.

I started flying the Echo and it did OK, but it really does best with no wind at all and today started out with a lite, but gusty wind. I only pulled off one 360 during a lull in the wind. I soon decided to switch to the 3d. It flew better than the Echo, but still ended up crashing a lot. The bottom spreader even came out a few times. I was video'ing the flying and that probably caused the kite to crash more often :^)

The wind picked up and so I thought it would be fun to fly the E2, too. And it was! The wind was maybe a little on the lite side for the E2. I was able to pull off a 540 on the right and then on the left. Backspins worked OK, but these days they generally end up on the ground after the backspin part. So I need to work on those sometime. It may be that I'm not moving forward enough, or possibly that I'm pulling slightly at the wrong time causing a drop in altitude.

Kite Hitting Ground Zaps Memory

Date: 8/20/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 2 - 5 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 68º

It was a nice morning with a nice sunrise and I was looking forward to flying the Echo kite, but there was too much wind. So I flew the 3d and it was more fun than I expected. Twice I did an axel-to-a-fade on purpose, a trick that I don't think I've done before with the 3d except by accident.

I've noticed that I generally can more or less keep track of the twists in the lines as long as the kite is in the air. But as soon as the kite hits the ground -- kapowie, my memory of which direction the line is twisted gets zapped from my brain. And then I generally guess wrong on which way to fly the kite to untwist them. Hmmm.

Grass On Kite

Date: 8/19/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 8 mph, SE
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 69º

The grass was wet and freshly cut. Grass was soon stuck all over the wet E2 -- lots of it. This made the kite heavy, and with a lite squirlly wind it made for tricky and rather frustrating flying. I did get a few decent tricks in such as some good flic-flacs, but mostly it was a strange morning with the kite not flying well and me not flying it well either. The kite was often on the ground with not enough wind to get it up for long. It seems that my backspins are often ending up in dead launches on the ground rather than flying off to do some other nifty trick. Maybe I'm initiating them too low.

On the bright side, the top spreader didn't come out even once. And there was a decent sunrise. That's always welcome. Mister sun is getting up later and later, though, providing less usuable flying time before work.

The Foggy Dew

Date: 8/18/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph
Weather: Foggy then Sunny, 68º

After too many days of blustery/gusty wind, today is finally calm again. I was glad to see no wind (of course you can't really see the wind, let alone "no wind") at my house. I drove out to Cosmo Park and it got more and more foggy the closer I got to the park. I was excited that I was going to be able to fly a kite in brand-new (for me) weather conditions. And it was as fun as I thought it would be. The fog was not so thick that I couldn't see the kite, but the surroundings were all foggy and soft-looking. I flew the Echo for about fifteen minutes before the fog started to thin and the sun started to come up, a nice soft sunrise. The grass was dewy and pretty soon my kite was also very wet.

I was able to fly the usual 360s and up-and-overs, but helicopters didn't work too well. I don't really have the inputs learned for helicopters yet. They mostly still happen by accident.

Tumbling Cube Video

Here is my first kite movie, starring my Tumbling Cube. It's only 1 minute, 37 seconds long so you should be able to make it through the whole movie even though it lacks an intermission.



I think I did well for a first try!

I decided to record the music, a traditional Irish tune called The Butterfly, myself so as to have no chance of having a copyright infringement. I did play both the high and low D whistles on the soundtrack myself (using my split personality). Don't sit on the edge of your chair waiting for the soundtrack to be released on CD -- it probably won't happen any time soon :^)

You can also watch the video in a larger resolution on YouTube: Tumbling Cube

Look Ma, No Top Spreader!

Date: 8/15/09, Sat.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 9 mph, SE
Weather: Sunny, 69º

I missed the actual sunrise by about 10 minutes. The grass was very wet again and the E2 very quickly got heavy with water. If I could only keep my kite off the ground!

Early in the flying session the wind was at that almost perfect speed where I could hold a fade with the E2 without me moving forward or backward. I was able to do almost all the sport kite tricks that I know, including some really good flic-flacs and one snappy Jacob's Ladder rung. I did one flat slowly-rotating 540 with my right hand on the left side of the wind window followed by a flat slowly-rotating 540 with my left hand on the right side of the wind window to unwind the lines.

The top spreader of the E2 came out and got wet by the wet grass causing it to subsequently come out more often that it should. So for a while I took the spreader completely off the kite. Without the spreader it didn't seem to fly quite as "snappy" -- a bit more mushy. But for the most part I was able to do the usual range of tricks that I can do.

Towards the end of this flying session the wind picked-up, got less stable, and more gusty. And the day started getting warmer, too. I'm glad I went early.

"Flying Kites is Weird"

Date: 8/14/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', 3d on 20'
Wind: 2.5 - 6 mph, SE
Weather: Sunny (humid), 67º

It was about 6:30 AM on a Friday morning and it was very quiet at Cosmo Park. A car went by and a teenager yelled out the window, "Flying Kites is Weird." It was ironic that that teenager was almost certainly headed to the skateboard park (part of Cosmo) and I bet that skateboarders are never called freaks or weird :^) So is flying kites weird?!

The grass was so wet that I think my kite's string has never been wetter. At one point I kind of snapped the lines while the kite was flying and the light was just right for me to see a good sized cloud of little water droplets fly off the lines.

I did one rung of a Jacob's Ladder (it may be a while before I can do two or more rungs -- 1st I have to consistently get the parts of one rung linked together well and then also get those parts in the other direction (with the opposite hand inputs), and then link the rungs together!). Anyway, for today's rung, I did the snappiest flare pulled to a fade that I've ever done. It was cool!

Another fun trick combo I did was three left backspins, immediately followed by three right backspins, ending up by flying out of the fade position. It was also a good day for flic-flacs.

When the wind was too slow, I flew the 3d, with lots of loops and axels. I also did several launches into fades that I held for a while.

It was a fun/weird(?) morning for flying kites!

E2's One Hundred and Eleventeenth

Date: 8/13/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', #111
Wind: 3 - 5 mph, SE
Weather: Sunny (humid), 69º

Today was the 111th time I've flown my E2 kite! I may have miscounted somehow, but this is the 111the post in this blog this year that I've put the "E2" label on.

It was very early, but after the sun had come up, and there was no wind at home so I only packed my 3d and Echo kites and drove to Cosmo Park only to find that there was too much wind (5 mph). So I drove back to the house to pick up the E2, then back to the park again.

It turned out to be an excellent low-wind day for the E2. It was just right to do flic-flacs. I also got one rung of a Jacob's Ladder and a few good backspins.

Even though there was not really enough wind to try many 540s, I was able to do one 540 on the right followed immediately by another 540 on the left!

Yipper Dog Didn't Yip

Date: 8/11/09
Place: Skye Wynd (back yard at my house), Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph
Weather: Sunny, 77º

I flew from a bit before sunset until it got too dark to fly in the smallish area that makes up my backyard. I did the usual Echo tricks (360s, up-and-overs). There is a small dog across the back chain-link fence that barks, or rather it yips, most of the time and especially when I am out. This time it maybe yipped a couple times, and then ignored me -- yeah! I did well backing up on the uneven ground.

It was nice to fly again with no wind. It seems that whenever I "have" to fly one kite (i.e. a full-size kite) too many times in a row, that it's really nice to fly anther kite (i.e. a no-wind kite) -- and vice versa.

Sinister 540s!

Date: 8/9/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 10 mph, S
Weather: Sunny (humid), 78º

I did lots of great (for me) flic-flacs, a few backspins, and many of the usual tricks.

Sinister is originally a Latin term for left or to the left (and by extension, left-handedness)

So the highlight for today is that I finally succeeded with sinister-handed 540s on the right side of the wind window! I did four of them and two of the four were even very crisp. I had been trying this trick on my "off side" for a while now without any success at all. So it's very satisfying to finally have it work.

The only drawback today was that my right eye was seeing slightly blurry and so got a little sore trying to focus. Otherwise it was a great day!

Got Up Late - Missed the Sunrise

Date: 8/8/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 12 mph, S
Weather: Sunny (gusty), 76º

It was 6:40 AM and I missed the sunrise -- oh my what a late sleeper I am! The forecast was for 95º by afternoon. I'm glad I got up early to fly my kite and get some exercise.

I did a really snappy 540. And some so-so backspins, side slides, and fades. The top spreader popped out a few times due to some inadvertent (of course) lawn darts.

Full Moon and Sunrise

Date: 8/6/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 3 mph
Weather: Sunny, 68º

It was a beautiful morning with both a full moon going down and a full sun coming up!

There was a little too much wind for getting a real aerobic exercise session, but is was still fun doing some very nice 360s, up-and-overs, helicopters, and axels.

Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Tumbling Cube on variable'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph
Weather: Sunny, 70º

I flew my Tumbling Cube kite at Cosmo Park and took some Flip-Cam video. Hopefully, I can get this edited and online somewhere/sometime soon. The TC Kite was fun to fly again. A spar connection failed once or twice so I may need to reinforce the kite in a few places.

Evening:
Place: Dorothy and Bob's backyard, Columbia, MO
Kites: Tumbling Cube on variable'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph
Weather: Evening, 80º

I flew my Tumbling Cube kite in Bob and Dorothy's back yard. They were hosting the weekly Irish music session that I play at and I took a break from the tunes to demo this kite. It was very fun to fly. Bob especially liked the kite, but kept wanting to fly it in more wind, maybe missing the point that it is flys just fine, maybe even better, in low-to-no wind. Fred was impressed and a bit puzzled about this kite's aerodynamics -- how it can fly out straight and more or less stably (without a tail!) and then become very unstable the next moment. I put it away and then got it out again when Amy arrived so that I could demo it for her. I let her try it and she liked it, but was giving it more effort than needed when trying to "shoot it out." I did pull out the Echo to try to show her that kite, but there really wasn't enough space, and there was too much wind, and it was flying over an asphalt street near power lines. Another time for an Echo demo for her.

Orange Sunrise

Date: 8/5/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph, E
Weather: Sunny, 66º

I had a very orange sunrise at my back for this flying session. I was able to do only a few 360s (due to too much wind) and no up-and-overs (due to the kite). But, I did fly lots of axels and also a good fade.

Gusty Flic-Flacs

Date: 8/4/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 10, 15 mph, N
Weather: Cloudy (rain sprinkles, gusty), 74º

I had one set of good backspins and a few good flic-flacs, two sleeping beauty launches, but no backflips, lazy susans, nor 540s. The wind was a bit gusty.

Flic-Flacs and BS (BackSpins) at Sunrise

Date: 8/3/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 13 - 6 mph, S
Weather: Mostly sunny sunrise, 72º

It was a little strange flying the E2 at sunrise. Usually it is too calm at sunrise for a big kite and the wind only picks up later as the day warms up. It was a good day to work on flic-flacs and backspins.

Photos? Police Car?

Date: 8/2/09
Place: Skye Wynd (back yard at my house), Columbia, MO
Kites: Tumbling Cube on variable'
Wind: 0 - 3 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 84º

I flew my Tumbling Cube kite in the back yard. It was very fun to fly. It flew very well even though the wind was very squirrely. This kite seems to handle unstable winds quite well. The "weird" breezes just make it tumble a little more strangely.

Later Annett told me she saw the light flashing off the kite's Mylar onto the living room walls and her first thought was that I was taking flash pictures. Her second thought was that there was a police car outside with its lights flashing. :^)

A Wet Grass Morning

Date: 8/2/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1.5 mph
Weather: Sunny, 68º

The grass was very wet this morning and soccer players started arriving at about 7:30, otherwise it was a typical early morning low-wind kite fly (actually the wet grass is very typical). I did have some nice runs of flying without the kite ending up on the ground.

Fading In and Out

Date: 8/1/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2.5 mph, ESE - E - SE
Weather: Cloudy, 65º

I flew the Echo at Cosmo and shot some more video of me flying my Echo. I propped the camera with its little tripod on top of a recycle bin at the edge of the grass aimed towards two trees. Then while flying I tried to fly the kite as much as possible between the camera and the two trees.

I had a couple of really great fades moving towards and then away from the camera including one that I flew the kite out of the fade back into regular flying. There was less wind at the start of the fly (360s and up-and-overs) and then it picked up a bit (axels and loops).

This was a Sat. and the Show-Me Games are still on, so when the soccer players started arriving I packed up and moved to the ARC field near where the Farmer's market was happening.

Place: ARC field, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph, SE
Weather: Cloudy, 68º

The wind was just enough to make it very hard to fly 360s, but I was able to do a few of them. I flew a lot of loops and axels, with some of the axels very flat and low to the ground.

A young man named Tyler who will be a 3rd grader came over to talk to me and watch. I let him "help" me launch the kite a few times.

I packed up and went to buy a very yummy breakfast burrito at the Farmer's Market. As I left the market it started raining -- perfect timing for me not to get wet.

Flip Cam Echo

Date: 7/31/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, SSW
Weather: Sunny, 61º

It was a sunny sunrise for kite flying. And no wind, no problem. I flew my Echo with the usual 360s and up-and-overs. And videoed some of the flying with a Flip Cam. I think I got some good footage.

And I wore a hat. :^)

Will the Circle Be Unbroken

Date: 7/30/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Sunny, 69º

I played some more "Fly the Kite ... and Stay Within in the Circle" and generally was able to keep the Echo in the air for longer before landing or crashing. It was nice that the grass wasn't too wet. I have some ideas for a video with flying the Echo.

Later in the day after work:
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 3 - 7 mph, WNW
Weather: Sunny, 79º

It was very nice flying weather so I couldn't resist a 2nd fly today after work. It was also very nice to fly a full-size kite again. The wind was just about right for fades and flic-flacs, both which seemed easier to fly than usual. I flew a nice set of five flic-flacs in a row!

I Took a Trip

Date: 7/29/09
Place: Skye Wynd (back yard at my house), Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph
Weather: Sunny, 70º

I flew a lot of 360s and up-and-overs. And due to the uneven lawn in my backyard and walking backwards to fly the kite, I tripped landing on my butt/back. The grass made for a soft landing. The kite crashed, too, but came out of the incident unscathed (like me).

I "discovered" that if the kite is flying fast enough during a 360, then the wind or a small gust of wind has less effect on the kite. Normally, a bit of wind blowing from the kite towards you will cause the kite to lose its lift and crash. How fast do you need to fly the kite? For lack of interest in doing the math and physics, experience will have to tell me the answer.

No Morning Dew (Dry Grass)!

Date: 7/28/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Mostly sunny with a nice sunrise, 68º

This was the first morning in a long time that the grass at Cosmo Park was not wet with the morning dew! And there was a very nice sunrise.

There was a circle outlined at the center of the soccer field. So I played a game I call, "Fly the Kite as Long as Possible While Staying within the Circle." OK, I need to come up with a better name for this game. I was mostly successful which means I'm definitely getting better at flying the Echo with very little or no wind.

I had extra fun this morning! Maybe even more than my share of fun (someone else somewhere is not using all their fun, so I was able to have more of it!).

Summer "Skating" with 50¢ and 0¢

Date: 7/26/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Skate on variable' with 50¢
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph
Weather: Sunny, 68º

I flew my new Skate kite on its maiden flight(s). This is a single line no-wind/low-wind kite that can either fly as a kite or as a glider. To fly it as a glider, you put coins in the nose pocket of the kite. It came with 50¢ and at Cosmo Park it was fun to fly it as a glider with that amount of nose weight. The Skate is very graceful and easy to fly. It looks and swoops like a manta ray. Focus Designs Kites used the manta ray concept to design this kite. The kite took more energy than I expected to fly it, so I got a mini-workout.

It was a sunny morning and I flew early to avoid the heat and the Show-Me State Games. When the soccer players started arriving, packed up and drove to the field by the ARC.


Place: ARC field, Columbia, MO
Kites: Skate on variable' with 0¢
Wind: 0 - 2 mph
Weather: Sunny, 72º

With no coins in the nose the Skate flew more like a kite. Though when the wind died down (from 2 mph) it was still able to glide around. I like flying this kite. I would like to try it with 35¢ (a quarter and a dime).

A Kite in My Own Back Yard

Date: 7/25/09
Place: Skye Wynd (back yard at my house), Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12' and 6'
Wind: 0 mph
Weather: Cloudy, 68º

This was the first time I've flown a kite in my own backyard (except for the short fade practice once with my E2). I flew lots of 360s, up-and-overs, and slow axels. I had to pay extra attention that I didn't get too close to the trees, power line, or my house. It was a humid sweaty workout, but it was kind of nice not having to drive anywhere. It was also a good idea to fly on the 12' lines first when I had more energy, then fly on the short 6' lines when I was more tired.

An Echo Sunrise

Date: 7/24/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph
Weather: Slightly cloudy sunrise with wet grass, 68º

A nice sunrise! I flew lots of 360s, up-and-overs, and slow axels. A typical very-low wind Echo day.

540 on the ground?!

Date: 7/23/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 7 mph, NE
Weather: Sunny, 84º

It was a nice after-work fly with a nice lower-speed wind. And it was nice to fly a full-sized kite again for a change. It was a bit warm so I didn't move too fast. It was great conditions for flico-flacs (I like the typo, "flico-flac" so I'll leave it in)! Once the kite ended up doing a 540 practically on the ground. In fact, at one point in the middle of the 540, it's wing tip did a gentle stab into the ground for a moment.

3d 360s on 20' lines

Date: 7/22/09

1st:
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 20'
Wind: 0.75 - 3.5 mph, NNW
Weather: Partly cloudy sunrise, 70º

Today had a sunrise with soft fuzzy clouds and some beautiful pastel colours -- very nice!

I was actually able to pull some 360s with 20' lines! I've done a lot of 360s on shorter lines, but I don't think I've done 360s with 20' lines before. I also did some nice axels and loops.

2nd:
Place: ? Park (bordered by Stewart and Garth and Broadway), Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 1 - 3 mph
Weather: Sunny, 80º in the shade

I flew my Echo for only about 15 minutes because it was so warm. Also, I had come to the park directly after work so I had jeans on -- too hot for exercising today. The wind was a little gusty and very squirrely due to being too close to trees. But I was able to do some up-and-overs, as well as, the usual loops and axels.

Flying Out of the Sunrise

Date: 7/20/09
Place: Field at ARC, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 4 mph, E
Weather: Sunny sunrise, 67º

I flew my Echo before work with the sunrise at my back. It was a beautiful morning!

At the start of this session there was very little wind so I could fly 360s easily. The wind picked up and by the time I left for home the wind was stronger than I really prefer and it was not possible to fly a 360. Still it was a fun morning and I'm learning more about the way the Echo flys in different conditions.

Tree almost ate my Echo

Date: 7/19/09
Place: Again Street Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 3 mph
Weather: Sunny, 67º

It was a nice morning, sunny, with a lite breeze. But I discovered some things that make for a poor place to fly a kite: long grass, very wet grass, trees too close causing squirrely winds/breezes, not enough space, having to have a constant vigilance of where you are in relation to trees and other obstacles. Not paying attention enough, I fly my kite too close to a tree and it was momentarily caught in a tree branch. Luckily it came down without any damage. Whew!

The Echo flew some nice 360s, up-and-overs, and slow axels. This kite is very fun to fly!

Echo...Echo...Echo...!

Date: 7/18/09
Place: Lawn next to Shelter Gardens, Columbia, MO
Kites: Echo on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph
Weather: Mostly sunny, 67º

Today was my new Echo's first flight! It flys great!

360s are easy. And up-and-overs work great as long as there is no or very little wind. It is much more floaty than my 3d. It helicopters down very nicely! Axels are not very snappy, but I think that's because this kite is designed to be floaty. I would like to fly this kite inside in true no-wind conditions.

Its colors are a less bright than I imagined they would be. But the colors do seem to fit very well with the dreamy, floaty style of this kite.

I like this kite already!

Bethel Park - Echo and Skate Kites Arrived!

Date: 7/17/09
Place: Bethel Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 9 mph, ENE
Weather: Sunny, 82º

I got off of work a little early and the weather was great for flying a kite. My usual place to fly is being used by the Show-Me Games. So I flew at Bethel Park for a change. The wind was very squirrely down low and a bit gusty up high, but still decent for some fun tricks. I did some fades (but no flic-flacs), axels, 540s and got one triple backspin.

Today, my new Echo and Skate kites arrived from Focus Designs! They look very nice. I think I chose some good colors. Can't wait to try them! I didn't fly them today because I went straight to flying after work instead of going home first. Anyway, there was too much wind today for these light/no-wind kites.

Slipped a Croc

Date: 7/16/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Partly cloudy sunrise, 71º

The grass was very wet and the air humid. My foot even slipped out of one of my Crocs once. The Crocs have been working very well though for traction on wet grass. The kite got very wet (and heavy). I wish I could find a great dry place to fly sometime (inside or during a different season). I flew the usual 360s and axels.

No Sweat!

Date: 7/14/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 9 mph, ESE
Weather: Cloudy, 71º

I'm still tired, but woke up early enough for a short kite fly before work. It was a kite fly with "no sweat" because there was enough wind to fly a full-size kite and not have to run around to keep it flying.

The usual tricks. Additionally, and this is not something I hope to practice nor get good at, at the right side of the wind window I wrapped one line (but not the other) around an 8' tall sign pole.

Still Jet-lagged (me, not the kites)

Date: 7/13/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 90'
Wind: 4 - 9 mph, E
Weather: Partly sunny, 85º

I was looking into the sun for this fly. This was the first day of work after a week off and I'm a bit tired and still jet-lagged after the traveling. Enough with the excuses.

I did some great fades. Some 540s, but no backspins. Backflips and lazy susans, but no yo-yos. I did more lawn darts (diving into the ground) than usual (not a good thing to do).

Back in Columbia (after Bozeman vacation)

Date: 7/12/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 90'
Wind: 4 - 9 mph, E
Weather: Cloudy, 72º

We're back from our vacation in Montana. I'm being lazy and haven't unpacked my kites so I'm flying my Zephyr which was still put together at home in Columbia. I'm flying the Zephyr with its tail-weight. This makes it fly with more precision than the E2. I got some good fades and one double-yo-yo. Also, a few flic-flacs, though no backspins nor 540s.

I packed up the kite and got into my van exactly two minutes before the rain started -- great timing!

Demos and Photographs x3

Date: 7/9/09

First:
Place: Intersection of 5th and Curtiss, Bozeman, MT
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 mph
Weather: Sunny/shady, 72º

I flew in the intersection of 5th and Curtiss, where I grew up in Bozeman -- no, I didn't grow up in the intersection, but in a house at that intersection :^) This was a demo of no-wind flying for my parents and my friend Gary Guest. I took it easy due to flying over hard asphalt. But I did get some 360s, an up-and-over, and a helicopter! All this in between the cars passing by. Of course, no cars were using the street until I started flying my kite.

Second:
Place: Fields near MSU Fieldhouse, Bozeman, MT
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 8 mph, W, N-NW, NE
Weather: Sunny, 78º

My mom took photos (my camera and hers) and dad watched. This was some very nice flying wind even though it switched directions several times. Mom got some good photos (and some of the sky). I'll add a link to some photos, hopefully soon.

I flew some very nice flic-flacs, fades, and backspins. Also some good 540s, backflips and lazy susans, and, of course, some axels and 1/2-axels. This was a very fun fly with gorgeous weather and lots views of mountains in the distance!

Third:
Place: Intersection of 5th and Curtiss, Bozeman, MT
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Shady, 78º

This ten-minute fly was a demo for my friend Gerry Bishop (also a kite flyer and muscian). Again, some 360s, an up-and-over, and a helicopter.

White Sulphur Springs, MT

Date: 7/6/09
Place: School Track Field, White Sulphur Springs, MT
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 2 - 7 mph, SE
Weather: Sunny, Dry! 85º

I tried to show my sister, Carol, and my nephew, Jacob (who didn't invent the Jacob's Ladder Combo) some of my kite tricks. The wind didn't cooperate. It was very squirrely and mostly died down, so it was not a very good demo, and a rather short fly.

I think Jacob liked the kite and I think I will buy him a good beginner dual-line kite (probably a Beetle) for a birthday present.

3d in Cooper (Pooper) Park

Date: 7/5/09
Place: Cooper Park, Bozeman, MT
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 mph
Weather: Sunny, 60º

I flew at 8:00 in the morning and although it had not rained and there was no dew, the grass was still wet because the city had their sprinkler system going during the night, a smart idea, but not ideal for me to fly my kite. I had been looking forward to morning flying on dry grass. Oh, well.

Cooper Park is nicknamed locally as "Cooper Pooper Park," due to lots of dog owners frequenting the park with their dogs) And several dogs did stop by this morning. You could tell that the dogs hadn't seen kites before and that they didn't know whether to chase the kite or run away from it.

I flew some nice 360s and axels and got a good workout.

Flying in the Mountains on Montana! Happy July 4th!

Date: 7/4/09
Place: MSU Fieldhouse, Bozeman, MT
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 6 - 14 mph
Weather: Sunny, Dry! 80º

It is the 4th of July and a beautiful sunny day. (I didn't eat any watermelon today and so missed my chance to eat it for this year -- a personal rule: I only eat watermelon on the 4th of July.) I flew at the football practice fields near the MSU Fieldhouse in Bozeman, MT. I demonstrated my kite flying skills and tricks for my parents (and Annett, my spouse). My parents had seen me fly a dual-line kite 15 years ago, but did not know all the new tricks that are possible and that I can do now. Back then I could only do loops, spins, and dives.

Today I was able to show them: 540s, backflips and lazy susans, axels, 1/2-axels, backspins (only once), one really good fade, a side slide, and a rather poor flic-flac. The wind was a little stronger than I really like it, but overall my demonstration was a success. And all this with the backdrop of the beautiful mountains of the Gallatin Valley! I'll post some photos when I get the time. Both Annett and my mom took lots of photos and some turned out really good.

Downwind Gliding

Date: 7/2/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 9 mph
Weather: Sunny, 85º

I had some good fades and a few flic-flacs. And I flew some great downwind glides! My kites axels are OK, but the cascade definitely needs some work.

Twice in one day

Date: 7/1/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12' and 6'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph
Weather: Sunny Sunrise, 68º

With the 3d on 12' I flew the usual tricks. With 6' lines I was able to fly some up-and-overs. 360s were much easier with the very short lines.

2nd Fly of the day - after work:
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 4 - 8 mph
Weather: Sunny, 80º

With very nice weather conditions I couldn't resist a 2nd kite flying session today (and with a full-sized kite)! I did lots of fades, backspins, backflips/lazy susans, flic-flacs, axels; the usual lower wind tricks. I almost flew a Jacob's Ladder rung.

I'm flying (not a kite, but in an airplane) to Bozeman on Friday, 7/3, and plan on taking the 3d and the E2 in order to show my family and friends there what I've been up to.

Indoor-flying Outside

Date: 6/30/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 - 0.5 mph
Weather: Sunny Sunrise, 67º

I flew lots of 360s and tried some up-and-overs, though they didn't work so well possibly due to the kite being heavy with dew from the grass. I don't fly it in the grass, but it does land there sometimes. :^) An up-and-over is where you start with the kite somewhere medium low and then pull on the lines so that the kite flys up over your head and then you turn around 180º and fly it down towards the ground and then turn out of the trick.

The air was very still and it felt like I was flying indoors (except for the sunrise, fresh air, sounds of birds, etc.) :^)

Sunny Sunrise

Date: 6/29/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 66º

360s and axels. I did get one axel-into-a-fade combo. And I got the kite into a helicopter with me moving forward to keep enough slack in the lines to do the trick.

He's fading, he's fading, ....

Date: 6/28/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12', E2 on 85'
Wind: 2 - 9 mph, NW
Weather: Sunny, 74-80º

I flew my kites from 7:00-9:00 AM. It was a beautiful morning! (even taking into account the very wet grass and the kiddies playing football nearby)

With the 3d, I was only able to do 2 or 3 360s. Two mph is too much wind for 360s. But, 2 mph was great for fades. I got the 3d into a fade and held it there for a very long time!

By the time the wind picked up and I switched to the E2 the grass mostly dried out. I flew lots of 540s, backspins, flic-flacs, fades, and axels.

Football :^(

Date: 6/27/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12', E2 on 85'
Wind: 2 - 7 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 75º

There are little (dwarf?) football players all over my kite flying field! :^( OK, they have a right to be there, too. But it seems a little strange to me to dress kids up in football helmets and pads to play a "silly" game with the adults, watching, coaching, yelling, and mostly trying to get their kids to be just like the pro football players. And there was room for me to fly on an adjacent field - so stop grumbling, Neil!

The 3d kite holds a fade really well. In fact, it's a little hard to get out of a 3d fade.

With the E2, I got one rung of a Jacob's Ladder. And generally flew the usual medium-low wind tricks (fades, flic-flacs, backspins).

Backwards Fade (by accident) - a "Yo"

Date: 6/25/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 - 2 mph, SW
Weather: Mostly sunny, 75º

I mostly flew the usual no-wind tricks I know (360s and axels).

I did a backflip with the kite and somehow (I have no idea how to repeat this) I got the kite into a half yo-yo, or maybe just a "yo," and then with me moving backwards the kite was in a backwards fade for a short while! The lines were somehow wrapped near the wing tips. This would be a great trick to learn and do on purpose.

As I was packing up I saw Chester and Harry (and their master, Cris Wood) again. Harry is the Great Pyrenees dog that bit through my kite line last winter/spring.

Sunrise at Cosmo

Date: 6/24/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: 3d on 12'
Wind: 0 - 1 mph, NSEW
Weather: Partly Sunny, 75º, humid

I'm getting up extra early so that I can fly/exercise before going to work. This also means that I'm out during the cooler (relatively speaking) part of the day. And I get a nice sunrise!

I flew: 360s, loops, axels, and throw starts. I think I'm getting better at the low/no wind flying -- I'm walking backwards more slowly than before.

Skye Wynd Wordle

Created by Neil using Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/

Kite Fly and Sauna

Date: 6/20/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: Zephyr on 90', 3d on 12'
Wind: 6 - 2 mph, SW
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 84º

I started out with the Zephyr, but it was hard to keep it in the air. The humidity was fairly high and I felt like I was flying a kite in a huge sauna! Flew some axels and a 360 or two with the 3d.

Potentially Bad Crashes (Nothing Broken!)

Date: 6/19/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 18 - 4 mph, SW
Weather: Sunny, 87º

1st-half of the flying session: Too windy. I had several crashes where I thought that something might have been broken, but nothing was damaged (except my pride). 540s worked OK.

2nd-half of the flying session: The wind died down to a nice level and I was able to fly some of the usual tricks before it died down too much for the E2. Backspins worked well.

I flew one rung of Jacob's ladder (but it was a nice one)!

Flying in the Shade

Date: 6/18/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 12 mph (variable), SE
Weather: Sunny-humid, 90º

I flew after work so it was during the hotter part of the day and I only lasted 35 minutes. The wind was gusty and near the ground it was extra squirrelly. I did fly some decent 540s and some solid backspins. There was a tree near the edge of the field that I could fly the kite from, but the wind was not so good in that part of the field so I didn't fly in the shade too long.

What happened?

Date: 6/16/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 8 mph, W-SW
Weather: Sunny, 84º

I'm behind with updating this blog and can't remember anything that happened during this fly. So you'll have to use your imagination. I probably flew the usual tricks. And given the wind conditions it probably was a good day for flying!

Three "not-linked" J. L. rungs!

Date: 6/14/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85', 3d on 20'
Wind: 3 - 7 mph, E-NE
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 74º

Today's wind was on the low side but very steady which made fade-based tricks fairly easy. Three times I got a rung of the Jacob's Ladder trick (not linked together). This trick is going to take a lot of work (play) to get well or even passable. A good steady wind is the best helper for me right now.

The wind died down so I got out the 3d. It started flying very weirdly until I noticed that the bridle was different on one side. Once fixed it worked fine again. I flew some 360s and lots of axels.

A Saturday with No Goal (Posts)

Date: 6/13/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 5 - 12 mph, WNW
Weather: Cloudy, 72º

Today is a Saturday, but there were no soccer games going on. They've even taken down about half the goal posts/nets. That's nice for me :^)

There was a tricky wind, but I think I'm slowly getting better at different winds and this sport in general. No major breakthroughs today or new tricks/combos, just more of the usual with me getting better at "reading the wind" and discovering what the kite wants to do.

Fun!

Very Low Backspins

Date: 6/11/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 8 - 4 mph, SSE
Weather: Mostly cloudy, 72º

I'm still trying to get parts of the Jacob's Ladder trick. I often almost get a rung. I need to pay attention to the "handedness" of the parts of this trick, though I'm not sure which way it is supposed to go.

I got some very low-to-the-ground backspins with recovery fades that almost touched the ground.

In the evening after work...

Date: 6/8/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85'
Wind: 6 - 14 mph (gusty), W-NW
Weather: Sunny, 75º

There was a variable wind with some gusts, but it was mostly within my kite's and my "abilities." I almost got a rung of Jacob's Ladder with several near misses. I flew a lot of lazy susan's, backspins, 540s, cascade (my attempt at one), and a lot of the usual tricks.

Twisted Lines, Sun.

Date: 6/7/09
Place: 21st and Urish, Topeka, KS
Kites: E2 on 85', a single-line "Vic's Fighter Kite"
Wind: 10 - 18 mph, SE
Weather: Sunny, 75-88º

The second day of Twisted Lines started out cooler and with a lighter wind, though still higher than my preferred wind speed. I flew my E2 and it did fine for 540s, axels, 1/2-axels, and back-flips. The wind was too strong for me to do fades and the tricks based on fades.

Later in the afternoon I got out a Vic's Fighter Kite, which is a single-line fighter that I bought in the 1980's. It still works, and actually flew quite well in the moderate wind. I would need some practice to be able to control it very well. You control it by giving it slack so it becomes unstable and wobbles around until it points in the direction you want it go, then you pull to fly it in that direction. I did crash it a few times and crossed another kite's line once, though I didn't cut their line :^)

It started getting hot so Annett and I hit the road for the 3-4 hour trip back to Columbia.

This was a fun kite festival with very friendly people!

Twisted Lines, Sat.

Date: 6/6/09
Place: 21st and Urish, Topeka, KS
Kites: Flip Kite, 3d on 12', Tumbling Cube
Wind: 15 - 30 mph, S; 0 mph, Inside
Weather: Sunny, 88º

Annett and I drove to Topeka, Kansas for the Twisted Lines kite festival. It was hot and sunny and with quite strong (and gusty) winds. There were some medium big items up in the air, such as windsocks. And Steve was flying a Prism with a 100' tail.

It was too windy for me to fly my dual-line kites, but I did try the Prism Flip Kite I had purchased at R.E.I. recently. It flew very well considering the gusty conditions - fun (for a single line kite).

In the evening there was an inside fly at a local high school gym. I flew my 3d for the first time truly inside. It flew much better than I expected. I was able to do 360s and axels. Up-and-overs were not as easy as with the Wren I flew in Grinnell. And the 3d was also not as floaty as the Wren, but still I had fun flying the 3d indoors!

That evening they also had an auction to benefit diabetes. Most of the stuff was for single-line kites or was actual single-line kites. There was a nice dual-line that I should have bid on, but the only other item (besides a T-shirt I bought) I was interested in (actually very interested in) was a Tumbling Cube kite that someone had made. I bid on it and got it for $16! I would have bid much higher for it. I flew it for about 15 minutes after the auction and it flew well and was fun, just like the one Craig Wilson let me borrow to fly at Grinnell.

I took a lot of photos and some videos (using an HD Flip Video Camera from work) and hope to have these available from this blog sometime in the not too distant future.