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!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
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).
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).
Saturday, August 29, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, August 24, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Cool Ground Fog!
Date: 8/23/09Place: 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.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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
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
Saturday, August 15, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, August 14, 2009
"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!
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!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
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!
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!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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.
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.
Monday, August 3, 2009
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.
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.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
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. :^)
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.
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.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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.
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.
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