Date: 1/31/09
Place: Kansas City, MO
Kites: Skyfox on 75' lines
Wind: gusty 20-30 mph
Weather: sunny, 62-degrees
The Kansas City Kite Club (KCKC) held a kite fly at the Arrowhead Stadium (KC Chiefs) parking lot. If I had arrived 15 minutes later, I would have missed it entirely - they were kicked off. As it was, the power/buggy kite people were still packing up. I went with them to another part of town (north of KC) to a strip of grass between a freeway and a mall parking lot.
It was very sunny and nice, but with higher winds than they expected - 20-30 with gusts. A few of the power kite guys launched anyway and it was fun watching them get dragged around. Sean Beaver, KCKC Pres, launched a few big kites including one that spirled and a huge octopus kite. I'll try to post some photos later.
I flew my old Skyfox kite, and it did just fine in that high wind, though its tubular tail shredded into parts, so now it has two tails, which looks good. I let a few of them fly it and they were amazed at how fast it flew.
It was a fun day and I made a few contacts in the KCKC.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Winter's on its way back (maybe)
Date: 1/23/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85' lines
Wind: gusty 15 mph
Weather: cloudy, 40-degrees
Very different flying conditions than yesterday. The heavier gusty wind was probably due to a cold front moving in. I'm still amazed that Missouri can get such nice 50-60 degree weather in January. (not mentioned is the 10-25 degree weather for the rest of the days)
The kite was much harder to launch. There is a launch technique I found out about later that I'll have to try (and try to explain) next time I have heavier winds. Still I had no major problems and it was fun flying in different wind conditions.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85' lines
Wind: gusty 15 mph
Weather: cloudy, 40-degrees
Very different flying conditions than yesterday. The heavier gusty wind was probably due to a cold front moving in. I'm still amazed that Missouri can get such nice 50-60 degree weather in January. (not mentioned is the 10-25 degree weather for the rest of the days)
The kite was much harder to launch. There is a launch technique I found out about later that I'll have to try (and try to explain) next time I have heavier winds. Still I had no major problems and it was fun flying in different wind conditions.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Side Glide with (newly repaired) E2!
Date: 1/22/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85' lines
Wind: light 7 mph
Weather: sunny, 60-degrees
I was able to fix the ripped E2 sail with a piece of Tedlar Repair Tape that was sent to me at no charge from the very generous The Kite Shoppe. My first repair :^o (I'll probably look back at this post after a 1000 repairs and wonder why a simple repair was post-worthy).
I had my first successful side glide! Translation: While attempting to glide the stalled kite across the horizon, I accidentally succeeded - the E2 glided in a horizontal position about half-way across the wind window. Now if only I can get it to do one whenever I want to :^) I am getting better at controlling the kite and am having fun doing it. A good day for flying.
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85' lines
Wind: light 7 mph
Weather: sunny, 60-degrees
I was able to fix the ripped E2 sail with a piece of Tedlar Repair Tape that was sent to me at no charge from the very generous The Kite Shoppe. My first repair :^o (I'll probably look back at this post after a 1000 repairs and wonder why a simple repair was post-worthy).
I had my first successful side glide! Translation: While attempting to glide the stalled kite across the horizon, I accidentally succeeded - the E2 glided in a horizontal position about half-way across the wind window. Now if only I can get it to do one whenever I want to :^) I am getting better at controlling the kite and am having fun doing it. A good day for flying.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Cosmo Park - Sail damaged, Short lines
Date: 1/9/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85' lines, 3d on 10' lines
Wind: light 3-10 mph (?)
Weather: sunny, 60-degrees
Wow, 60-degrees in January!!!
I found a great new place to fly in Columbia - the soccer/football fields at Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Area (Cosmo Park). This will be a great place as long as soccer is not in season.
The E2 was lots of fun on its second flight. Two "bad" things happened:
The top spreader came off on one side while it was flying. I landed and fixed the problem and checked the kite for damage, but must have missed a small hole in the sail made by the spreader. I flew it some more that afternoon (and had a great time!) and only noticed the damage, now an inch-long rip, when I got back to my house :^(
I also got a monster tangle in the E2's kite lines that took almost 30 minutes to untangle. I almost gave up, but didn't :^/
Towards the end of the afternoon the wind was dying down so I got out the 3d and flew it on 10' lines. This was the first time with such short lines. It was fun to see the the kite and strings up close. Recoveries were much easier. I was still not able to fly a 360-degree circle. I guess that there was just a little too much wind. I accidentally got it into a fade (the kite was nose toward me, belly up, sail parallel to the ground)! I'll have to learn to do those on purpose. :^)
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 85' lines, 3d on 10' lines
Wind: light 3-10 mph (?)
Weather: sunny, 60-degrees
Wow, 60-degrees in January!!!
I found a great new place to fly in Columbia - the soccer/football fields at Columbia Cosmopolitan Recreation Area (Cosmo Park). This will be a great place as long as soccer is not in season.
The E2 was lots of fun on its second flight. Two "bad" things happened:
The top spreader came off on one side while it was flying. I landed and fixed the problem and checked the kite for damage, but must have missed a small hole in the sail made by the spreader. I flew it some more that afternoon (and had a great time!) and only noticed the damage, now an inch-long rip, when I got back to my house :^(
I also got a monster tangle in the E2's kite lines that took almost 30 minutes to untangle. I almost gave up, but didn't :^/
Towards the end of the afternoon the wind was dying down so I got out the 3d and flew it on 10' lines. This was the first time with such short lines. It was fun to see the the kite and strings up close. Recoveries were much easier. I was still not able to fly a 360-degree circle. I guess that there was just a little too much wind. I accidentally got it into a fade (the kite was nose toward me, belly up, sail parallel to the ground)! I'll have to learn to do those on purpose. :^)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
1st Flight for new E2
Date: 1/7/09
Place: Cosmo-Bethel Park, Columbia, MO
Kite: E2 on 85' lines
Wind: light 4-10 mph (?)
Weather: cloudy, 45-degrees
I purchased a Prism E2 from Picture Pretty Kites. It was a demo kite that had never been flown, but that has some grayish string marks on the sail. You can't see the marks when it's flying. The kite looks great! I'm glad I chose the "fire" color scheme - it will be very visible with any sky condition/color. Didn't really try any tricks other than some crash-recovery relaunches, which didn't go too well. I often had to walk up the kite to set it up for relaunching. I did somehow create a good sized tangle with the line, but untangled it in the field.
The "Freestyle Pilot" DVD that comes with the E2 kite is extremely excellent. If you want to learn tricks with a dual-line (not 4-line) kite, this DVD is worth every penny. It explains and demonstrates lots of tricks very clearly. Very inspirational!
Bethel Park is OK for flying. Maybe a little small. They had a be flying event here last October, but I'm not sure where they could have had very many kites here. It's near an elementary school.
I'm looking forward to flying this kite lots and learning the tricks it is capable of doing.
I just noticed that there is now a Prism E3, updated and more expensive. There is no word of this on the Prism website (as of 1/29/09), but is "available" and described at A Wind of Change. This may lower the demand (and price) for E2's (?)
Place: Cosmo-Bethel Park, Columbia, MO
Kite: E2 on 85' lines
Wind: light 4-10 mph (?)
Weather: cloudy, 45-degrees
I purchased a Prism E2 from Picture Pretty Kites. It was a demo kite that had never been flown, but that has some grayish string marks on the sail. You can't see the marks when it's flying. The kite looks great! I'm glad I chose the "fire" color scheme - it will be very visible with any sky condition/color. Didn't really try any tricks other than some crash-recovery relaunches, which didn't go too well. I often had to walk up the kite to set it up for relaunching. I did somehow create a good sized tangle with the line, but untangled it in the field.
The "Freestyle Pilot" DVD that comes with the E2 kite is extremely excellent. If you want to learn tricks with a dual-line (not 4-line) kite, this DVD is worth every penny. It explains and demonstrates lots of tricks very clearly. Very inspirational!
Bethel Park is OK for flying. Maybe a little small. They had a be flying event here last October, but I'm not sure where they could have had very many kites here. It's near an elementary school.
I'm looking forward to flying this kite lots and learning the tricks it is capable of doing.
I just noticed that there is now a Prism E3, updated and more expensive. There is no word of this on the Prism website (as of 1/29/09), but is "available" and described at A Wind of Change. This may lower the demand (and price) for E2's (?)
2nd 3D flight
Date: 12/30/08
Place: ARC field, Columbia, MO
Kite: 3d on 30' lines
Wind: light 1-3 mph (?)
Weather: cloudy, sunset, 44 degrees
This was the first time I've flow the 3d in very low winds. It flies great! I tried unsuccessfully to fly it 360-degrees - probably couldn't run fast enough. Still lots of fun in low wind. May be hard to fly in no-wind.
(In the future I will probably have more details, tricks I tried, etc. For now I'm just catching up on this blog and after the fact don't remember other details (or for that matter, what I had for breakfast today))
Place: ARC field, Columbia, MO
Kite: 3d on 30' lines
Wind: light 1-3 mph (?)
Weather: cloudy, sunset, 44 degrees
This was the first time I've flow the 3d in very low winds. It flies great! I tried unsuccessfully to fly it 360-degrees - probably couldn't run fast enough. Still lots of fun in low wind. May be hard to fly in no-wind.
(In the future I will probably have more details, tricks I tried, etc. For now I'm just catching up on this blog and after the fact don't remember other details (or for that matter, what I had for breakfast today))
First flight for 3D
Date: 12/28/08
Place: ARC field, Columbia, MO
Kite: 3d on 30' lines
Wind: light 3-7 mph (?)
Weather: sunny, sunset
I received a Prism 3d kite for Christmas from my spouse, Annett. This is a low-wind kite, and being anxious to fly, and having relatively mild weather (in the 40's), I flew it at a field next to the ARC (Activity and Recreation Center) in Columbia, MO. Not the best place to fly - too near buildings and trees that disrupt the wind, but close to where I live. But it flew, and I had a great time. I can tell that "modern" kites are a lot more responsive, easier to fly, and more fun that the kites I bought in the 1980's. This kite will have a lot to teach me.
Place: ARC field, Columbia, MO
Kite: 3d on 30' lines
Wind: light 3-7 mph (?)
Weather: sunny, sunset
I received a Prism 3d kite for Christmas from my spouse, Annett. This is a low-wind kite, and being anxious to fly, and having relatively mild weather (in the 40's), I flew it at a field next to the ARC (Activity and Recreation Center) in Columbia, MO. Not the best place to fly - too near buildings and trees that disrupt the wind, but close to where I live. But it flew, and I had a great time. I can tell that "modern" kites are a lot more responsive, easier to fly, and more fun that the kites I bought in the 1980's. This kite will have a lot to teach me.
Wish List
Not in any particular order:
Focus Kite Designs: Reflection by Paul DeBakker.
This is an indoor or no wind kite. Only right now I don't have a good place to fly such a kite.
Skyburner: I-NAK.
This is also an indoor kite. Can't decide which indoor kite to buy.
Sky Sport Design V.I.P. by Lam Hoac.
V.I.P. stands for Vented Indoor Performance. This would be an outstanding indoor kite to own. It may not be in production.
(Now on order!) Precision Kite Co. Wren.
An indoor kite that I've been told is a good floaty kite that is a good first kite for flying indoors.
Prism Snapshot.
This could be a good kite to fly in conditions where I'm worried about damage. A good kite to introduce a friend to flying. I may do a little research to see if there is a similar kite by another brand that would be better.
Prism Micron.
A small portable fast kite that might be a fun kite to fly. It might fulfill the same function that my old Skyfox does, only with current technology and features.
Beetle.
This would be a great kite to have in my collection to introduce friends to flying dual line stunt kites.
Focus Kite Designs: Reflection by Paul DeBakker.
This is an indoor or no wind kite. Only right now I don't have a good place to fly such a kite.
Skyburner: I-NAK.
This is also an indoor kite. Can't decide which indoor kite to buy.
Sky Sport Design V.I.P. by Lam Hoac.
V.I.P. stands for Vented Indoor Performance. This would be an outstanding indoor kite to own. It may not be in production.
(Now on order!) Precision Kite Co. Wren.
An indoor kite that I've been told is a good floaty kite that is a good first kite for flying indoors.
Prism Snapshot.
This could be a good kite to fly in conditions where I'm worried about damage. A good kite to introduce a friend to flying. I may do a little research to see if there is a similar kite by another brand that would be better.
Prism Micron.
A small portable fast kite that might be a fun kite to fly. It might fulfill the same function that my old Skyfox does, only with current technology and features.
Beetle.
This would be a great kite to have in my collection to introduce friends to flying dual line stunt kites.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Kites I own
Kites I own:
I purchased and flew the three Skynasaur kites in the mid-1980's. The Skynasaur Competition was last flown at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in Oregon at an ocean beach and there is still sand in the string and tail. By the way, I have a 150' tail for the Comp!
The Areobat is a lighter wind version of the Comp. I last flew it in Columbia, MO in December 2008. It is not very nimble.
The Skyfox is a great little kite that I like to use in heavier winds because it has a lighter pull. I have never been able to fly this little kite without its tail. Like the other Skynasaurs, I haven't been able to relaunch the kite once it is grounded without a lot of trouble or someone helping.
The Prism 3d was a Christmas 2008 gift from my spouse, Annett. It is a low wind kite. It would probably be a lot of work to keep it up indoors, though I've n
ever tried.
The Prism E2 is a big, fun, trickable (once I learn) kite. It was a demo kite (but never flown) from Picture Pretty Kites and was $30-off (yea!) due to some discolored line marks on the sail, which can't be seen while its flying.
- Skynasaur Competition
- Skynasaur Skyfox
- Skynasaur Aerobat
- Prism 3d
- Prism E2
I purchased and flew the three Skynasaur kites in the mid-1980's. The Skynasaur Competition was last flown at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area in Oregon at an ocean beach and there is still sand in the string and tail. By the way, I have a 150' tail for the Comp!
The Areobat is a lighter wind version of the Comp. I last flew it in Columbia, MO in December 2008. It is not very nimble.
The Skyfox is a great little kite that I like to use in heavier winds because it has a lighter pull. I have never been able to fly this little kite without its tail. Like the other Skynasaurs, I haven't been able to relaunch the kite once it is grounded without a lot of trouble or someone helping.
The Prism 3d was a Christmas 2008 gift from my spouse, Annett. It is a low wind kite. It would probably be a lot of work to keep it up indoors, though I've n
ever tried.The Prism E2 is a big, fun, trickable (once I learn) kite. It was a demo kite (but never flown) from Picture Pretty Kites and was $30-off (yea!) due to some discolored line marks on the sail, which can't be seen while its flying.
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