Valentines Day - It Fades So Quickly

Date: 2/14/09
Place: Cosmo Park, Columbia, MO
Kites: E2 on 20' lines
Wind: 2-5 mph
Weather: sunny, 40º

I started off with 85' lines but quickly realized that there was not enough wind for the E2's standard lines (85' 150#). I think the weight of the lines was a bit of a problem. You wouldn't think that the line's would weigh enough to make a difference, but it does. So I tried the 3D's 20' lines. This worked much better, but I think that 20' is just a little too short for a kite as big as the E2 (91" wingspan).

With the short lines I was rarely able to fly a tight enough loop without crashing. This may also be due to the bridle adjustment for very light winds. On the other hand, I was able to do axels - both right and left-handed!

I did lots of cartwheel launches - easy due to being able to see exactly how the lines were tangled around the kite. I did a few back flips and a lazy susan, but found that these tricks are harder to do (for me, at least) with short lines. I did try two 360ºs and only succeeded with 180ºs. :^)

And I succeeded with a few "fades", a new trick for me! The fade is flying/floating the kite horizontally with its nose toward you and its belly up. I don't know the proper or usual ways to get into a fade, but I found that if I placed the kite on the ground in the fade position with my balled-up coat under its nose, and then waited for the wind to raise up the nose, it would start a fade. So sue me if this is a cheating. Anyway, it's tricky enough to fly a fade because the lines are crossed (so right is left, and left is right (and I'm dyslexic!)) and very subtle changes in line tension affect the fade. Plus, the kite's nose bobs up and down during a fade, which I understand is normal, but mine did a lot of bobbing - just before diving towards the ground. It was fun to succeed a little with this trick.