Happy Boxing Day! (Stand-by For a Bit of Turbulence)

Date: 12/26/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 15 to 30 mph, W Weather: Cloudy, 48º 23 flights at $14/flight

I didn't go shopping and I didn't "box" up any kites, I went out a flew one. Even with my vented Rev the wind was very very bumpy, with some gusts around 30 mph, maybe over 30. But with the current heat-wave (almost 50º at Christmas in northern-western Minnesota), it wasn't too cold to fly. There almost seemed to be a layer of slightly slower wind near the ground, but I still got pulled around some today.

Christmas Nirvana!

Date: 12/25/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 100' Wind: 6 to 8 mph, SW Weather: Cloudy, 41º

Merry Christmas! Today was a wonderful day to fly my Nirvana kite! The wind was just right and it wasn't too cold. It was not a "White Christmas," but it's hard to fly in "white." I had some runs of Jacob's Ladders that were between 15 and 20 times! Fades were gentle and smooth. I also had some very nice runs of back-spins. I am still not "hitting" well on slot-machines. This was a very fun flying session!

Silent Night Flying

Date: 12/24/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 8 to 14 mph, W Weather: Sunset, 39º 22 flights at $14.64/flight

We went to the 100 Acres Park very late (for such a nice day), starting the flying session after the sun had set. There was a nice sunset that I mostly didn't see because it was behind my back. But it was still a fun kite fly. It was interesting to see (or try to see) the "Sunset" kite as it got darker. This kite was actually designed by people who fly near Las Vegas to be fairly visible at night, since it's often too hot to fly there during the day. I think that they succeeded nicely. It was surprisingly warm for so late in the day on a Christmas Eve. Also, the 1/4" of snow that we received yesterday was practically gone.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Date: 12/22/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" 3-wrap on 70' Wind: 6 to 10 mph, W Weather: Sunny, 38º 17 flights at $15.18/flight

Happy Solstice! The sun is coming back again and the days will become longer.

Variety makes flying kites fun and flying a kite I haven't flown for a while is makes it so I never get tierd of this sport. The sun lit up the black and red colors of this kite so that it looked very striking flying through the deep blue winter sky. This kite has a different feel to it than the vented Rev. It feels more lively, more responsive to gusts, and less forgiving -- but definitely still lots of fun to fly.

Last Day at Microsoft

Date: 12/21/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 9 to 14 mph, NE Weather: Sunny, 36º 21 flights at $15.33/flight

My job as at Microsoft ended this morning unexpectedly and without any explanation. But at least it was nice weather out for some kite flying to take my mind off my work situation. The sun and warmer weather made for pleasant flying. The wind was great for my vented Rev "Sunset" kite.

I practiced infinity-signs and bow-ties (infinities with extra small loops in the center). The sun was somewhat in my eyes, but that made the sunset colors of my kite shimmer and look great.

The Wind and Sun at My Back (at a Microsoft Field)

Date: 12/18/2011, Sunday Place: Microsoft Field, Fargo, ND Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 8 to 14 mph, SW Weather: Sunny, 46º 20 flights at $16.1/flight

I had to work today, Sunday, because I traded with a co-worker. (He wanted Christmas with his kids.) It was strange working on a Sunday. The day was very warm (for this time of year) and sunny and since it was Sunday and there were hardly any people working at the Microsoft Fargo Campus,  during lunch I decided to fly my kite in the field near the parking lot I usually park in.

The wind was very nice for the Sunset Rev. The sun and the wind (of course) were at my back. I did a lot of the usual flying. I worked a bit on hovering upside down and then sliding the kite sideways left and right -- a hard skill. Flying up and then (with no spinning at all) down at different slanting angles worked well today.

And, no, I didn't break any Windows at Microsoft!

A Jacob's Ladder Monster

Date: 12/17/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 100 Wind: 6 to 8 mph, W Weather: Sunny Sunset, 35º

It was a nice day for flying the Nirvana! Not too cold yet and the wind was just about perfect for this kite. And still no snow other than a skiff of snow on the grass. The sunset was not very colorful as great sunsets are, but still nice -- and way too early in the day (about 4:30). We are approaching the Winter Solstice.

My Nirvana kite was a Jacob's Ladder and Back Spin "monster" today (monster in a good way). Those two tricks went very well today. I only did one so-so slot machine. That trick is going to need a lot of work. I wore some new winter gloves and they seemed warm enough for at least today's temperature and wind.

Is it Spring Again Already?

Date: 12/11/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 12' Wind: 0 to 1.5 mph, NW Weather: Sunny, 44º

What a nice day after the cold days we have been having. It kind of felt like the start of spring. The 44º with the sun shining, no hat, no gloves, and just a  just a T-shirt and a very light fleece, and practically no wind, made for a very nice no-wind day flying the 4d. I did lots of spirals, 360s, axels, half-axels, and fades. It was good to get some exercise moving around with a dual-line no-wind kite. And it was very peaceful, and much more quiet than usual. I didn't see any geese flying overhead, nor even hear their honking.

Happy Birthday Ron!

Date: 12/10/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" 3-wrap on 70' Wind: 5 to 9 mph, SW Weather: Sunny, 36º 16 flights at $16.13/flight

This was a nice sunny no-snow wintery day. Annett walked while I flew my kite. I had more line trouble than usual, a knot at the start and then several times the kite got stuck upside-down on the ground and I had to walk to it and make it right again. It was maybe the lightest wind day I've flown a quad-line kite in. Usually if the wind is this light I fly a dual-line kite. But at the start of the flying the wind seemed too strong for a dual-liner. There were lots of geese again, but mostly to the east of where I was flying. 

Ron was my 1st best friend until I was 10 and we moved from Livingston to Bozeman, MT. I still remember when his birthday is.

Infinity Plus or Bow Ties or Lazy 8s

Date: 12/3/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 8 to 12 mph, NW Weather: Cloudy, 30º 19 flights at $16.95/flight

While not exactly a "bow tie," I practiced a lot of lazy eights, a figure 8 that is laying over or is actually an infinity sign. the bow tie effect is when I add an extra spin at the crossing point. I also practiced flying up, then back down at different slanted angles.

I think that soon it will be too cold to fly outside in the Fargo/Moorhead area, though at least for now there is no snow on the ground.

4 - 5 Gusting to 6

Date: 11/27/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 46' Wind: 4 to 6 mph, SW Weather: Sunny, 32º

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and even though it was only 32º it seemed warmer with the sun shining on my back and only a gentle breeze blowing. Annett walked in the park while I flew my kite. It was definitely a 4d day. The wind was 4 - 5 mph, with gusts (?!) to 6 mph. No 360s and spirals today, but all the other tricks were possible. Fades were easy and glorious. With me standing in one place a fade would gently and slowly rise or just stay in one place in the sky. I could control the fades with just a twitch of my fingers, not even using my whole hands. A dive, a flair to a pancake, then a pull to a fade was the easiest way into a fade this afternoon.

An Opposite Day From Yesterday

Date: 11/20/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 100 Wind: 9 to 5 mph, S Weather: Sunny Sunset, 22º

It wasn't quite like a night-vs-day difference from yesterday, but almost. It was a balmy 22º and the sun was shining and the wind was not a gale, so it was actually pleasant flying. I wore the same coats and layers as yesterday (where I was cold) and today I had to unzip my coat and put my hat's ear flaps up because I got too warm. This was also partly because today I was flying a dual-line kite and I always move around more with a dual-line kite than with a quad-line kite.

Justin flew his parafoil for a while until the wind died down too much for it to make that kite fun. Then he was able to take some more video. It was a very nice wind for my Nirvana. I was able to show Justin some tricks that I had not shown him before, namely: Jacob's Ladders (The Nirvana excels at this trick), Back-spins, Back-flips with Lazy-Susans, and a couple of Slot-machines.

Zero Flying

Date: 11/19/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 18 to 25 mph, N Weather: Cloudy, 15º 18 flights at $17.89/flight

Justin, my best friend from Minneapolis, was visiting for the weekend, and since I got him interested in kite flying, we had to go out and fly, even though it was frozen-finger weather. I also wanted to show him a real-life quad-line kite flying. I demonstrated many of the things I do with my Rev's, flying the vented kite since it was blowing a gale, which made the wind-chill temperatures around zero! Justin took some video with his new camcorder. This also froze his fingers enough that he passed on flying his parafoil. Maybe I'll post some video sometime when I have time to edit the raw-footage and figure out how to post video on this blog. We were rather crazy to even try and fly in this kind of weather. I found out that I really need to add some tabs of some kind to make it much much easier to undo the larks-head knots to un-attach the line from the kite's bridle. My fingers really got cold putting my kite away.

Kite Switching Wind

Date: 11/12/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 100', 4d on 46' Wind: 3 to 7 mph, SW Weather: Partly Sunny, 52º

I switched back-and-forth between the 4d and the Nirvana. Overall, it was a better wind for the Nirvana. Because the wind was sometimes on the lite side I got more wingtip wraps with my Nirvana than I like. But, it was also a good wind for trying Slot-Machines. I succeeded with three on the left.

11/11/11

Date: 11/11/11 Place: Ed Clapp Park, Fargo, ND Kites: 4d on 20' Wind: 4 to 8 mph, SW Weather: Mostly Sunny, 54º

The wind was very variable, but is was nice to move around flying the 4d. There was too much wind for 360s, but I did do some spirals, and some good fades. This was another mid-day lunch-break kite-flying session. On 11/11/11!

Sunny Lunch Nirvana

Date: 11/10/2011 Place: Rendezvous Park, West Fargo,ND Kites: Nirvana on 100' Wind: 10 to 6 mph, W Weather: Sunny, 40º

Today was a better day at work than yesterday, and a much nicer day for lunch break kite flying, too. It was a beautiful day, and warmer (because of the sun), with skateboarders out trying tricks on the ramps in the park. The wind was a little on the lite side for my Nirvana kite. But, it was still fun doing some dual-line tricks.

Very Gusty

Date: 11/9/2011 Place: Ed Clapp Park, Fargo, ND Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 20 to 30 mph, NW Weather: Cloudy, 39º 17 flights at $18.94/flight

Today was rough at work and it was very nice to get away for a long lunch again to clear my mind with some kite flying. It was a lot colder than yesterday, but I was dressed appropriately. It was a bit of a challenge flying with such gusty conditions, but kind of fun, too.

A Rendezvous For Lunch

Date: 11/8/2011 Place: Rendezvous Park, West Fargo,ND Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 14 to 18 mph, S Weather: Sunny, 50º 16 flights at $20.13/flight

I had a long lunch today because I worked extra late yesterday (not on purpose), which worked out great because it was a beautiful afternoon for flying a kite. The Rendezvous Park is 5.1 miles from the Microsoft Campus where I work.  The temperature was not too cold and the sky was a very blue, marred only to the west where some slash burning was happening. Flying the "Sunset" kite in this wind (not too strong) was nice. I worked on the usual, which is getting more precise with my flying.

A Lot of Bumpy Wind

Date: 11/5/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 17 to 23 mph (Gusts to 30 mph), SE Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 57º 15 flights at $21.47/flight

A very windy and gusty day. The wind was so strong and gusty, I almost  didn't get my kite out. And it was a little scary flying it in these conditions. But, the kite did OK, and I didn't break it. It was very hard to fly it steady as the wind kept changing.

 There were a lot of geese sitting in the next field over. They seemed to be able to fly into the wind, but not very fast.

Quarter Moon and a Sweet Northwest Wind

Date: 11/2/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 100' Wind: 8 to 3 mph, NW Weather: Sunny/Sunset, 43º

This evening's flying session was on the short side. As the sunset, the wind also disappeared, but before it was gone, it was very sweet, gentle, and steady.

I tried out a new line-set: 100'x100#. It didn't come with wrist straps so I had to "borrow" some from another line set. The line is yellow and I found it very hard to see against the blue sky. Otherwise, the line is of the best quality.

I did some nice Jacob's Ladders, a back-flip with a lazy susan, some nice flic-flacs, and one OK slot machine. I tried more slot machines, but found that I kept wrapping the line around the wing-tips. Also, as the wind died down, I ended up in the "dead-launch" position, with many "walks of shame" -- at least no one was watching :^)

Happy Halloween

Date: 10/31/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 15 to 20 mph (gusty), S Weather: Mostly Sunny, 57º 14 flights at $23/flight

Today's wind had lots of gusts, more than I've dealt with before. It felt a lot more gusty even with the vented kite. I just flew the usual types of patterns, mostly trying to maintain control in the variable wind. There were heavy clouds to the west so the sun set early behind them rather than at the ground horizon. I'm not sure how many more evenings after work I'll be able to fly outside, probably only the rest of this week. This coming weekend is the change to DST and then also on Monday I switch to a 10am - 7pm work schedule for the rest of November. I could them fly in the morning before work, but then, of course it will be much colder. Brrrr.

Halloween Eve

Date: 10/30/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 14 to 17 mph, NW Weather: Cloudy, 41º 13 flights at $24.77/flight

It was a very windy and cold day. The vented kite did great with this wind, though. After a while my fingers got cold and so I took a break in the middle of the flying to warm them up in my van. I tried flying some squares again, but they weren't very square. Flying back and forth with downward turns at the ends and a propeller turn in the middle did go well. Also, hovering upside down worked pretty well. Some geese flew over very low (below kite level), but I didn't have my camera with for photographing them. It is nice, though, to have a kite that I know I can land easily and quickly without crashing upon moments notice.

120' x 4 = 480' of Line

Date: 10/29/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 120' Wind: 11 to 17 mph, S Weather: Cloudy, 50º 12 flights at $26.83/flight

It was a blustery late afternoon fly. The wind was a bit cold, but I was able to do more of the kite setup with gloves on. This was the 1st time I've flown a Revolution kite with 120' lines. The kite appeared to be a lot farther away from me, but it was nice having a bigger wind window. I can see why teams would want to fly with the longer lines. I also used the newer handles that came with the Rev 1.5 - b-series which have about five knots to attach the lines to so that you can adjust the forward/reverse controls. I tried two settings and I think I'll try these settings when it's warmer out, or if I feel the need to practice a lot of backward flying.

I flew a few new patterns  such as some square shapes. The vented Rev is the only kite I have that can fly (relatively) safely with this amount of wind. It was a fun afternoon session. I packed-up before the sun poked out of the hazy clouds before approaching the actual sunset.

Last Training Day at Work

Date: 10/28/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 15 to 10 mph, NW Weather: Mostly Sunny, 50º 11 flights at $29.27/flight

Today was the last day of the 6-week initial training at work (Volt/VMC/MS). We got off earlier so -- time to fly my kite! The wind was a bit cold so I wore the only hat in my pockets, a blue hat that says, "Microsoft Fargo" on it.

The wind picked up since I flew yesterday so I got to fly the "sunset" kite again. As usual, I practiced getting more control over different flight patterns. I practiced turning where the axis of the turn was an end of the leading edge.

Spinning This Way and That

Date: 10/27/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 75' Wind: 10 to 6 mph, SW Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 49º

It started out with a little too much wind for the Nirvana, but it slowed down to a very good speed. I seemed to get a lot of wing-tip wraps this evening, especially when I was trying to do Slot Machines. I wasn't able to successfully do any Slot Machines at all today. Maybe next time. Back-spins worked well and I even got the start of a back-spin cascade (spinning one time around then switching directions, then repeating that). Flic-flacs worked well and I did a few combos of various tricks. As the wind died down I ended up against the softball fence a few times. This was a fun flying session, except for the tip-wraps which were frustrating.

Surprise - It's Not Windy

Date: 10/26/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 20' Wind: 0 to 2 mph, W Weather: Mostly Sunny, 51º

Today had the 1st no-wind conditions I've had in a long time. I guess a good measure of "no-wind" is if the conditions allow for 360s, then it's "no-wind." I did quite a few 360s this evening. Fades take much more effort with no-wind. I thought about flying with 12' lines but was doing OK with 20', and was too lazy to change lines.

I watched some beautiful storm clouds in the distance as the sun set.

On Longer Lines - It's a Different Kite

Date: 10/25/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 46' Wind: 1 to 3 mph, NE Weather: Cloudy, 52º

I flew the 4d this evening, which had almost identical flying conditions to yesterday, on 46' lines instead of 20' and it felt like an entirely different kite. I was able to do some dives, flare out to a pancake then pull to fades. Once I got the kite to yo-yo then un-rolled it to a crash. Also, a few times it almost did a flic-flac. I did do a few back-spins (with both hands), but only one at a time, recovering to a fade. A fun session.

Lots of Wind for Hard Dives

Date: 9/16/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 10 to 17 mph, S (gusty) Weather: Cloudy, 57º $51.6/flight

This is the most wind I've flown the Rev in! I did OK with this wind, and only dived into the ground (actually, not too hard) a few times. There was not too much fine control, or any hope of it with this wind. But, I still had fun.

A Switch to Low-wind

Date: 10/24/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 20' Wind: 1 to 3 mph, NE Weather: Cloudy, 54º

Flying the 4d in low wind was a nice change from the Revs and the Nirvana. It's almost always a pleasure to do a different style of flying with a different kite and that has not been flow for a while. And to get a bit of good exercise while doing so.

Tricks: Axels, 1/2-Axels, a 540, lots of nice floaty spirals, and nice fades. But, it was too windy for 360s :^)

I Learned a Way Not to Swap Frames

Date: 10/23/2011, Sunday Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap and Race on 70', Nirvana on 75' Wind: 11 to 8 mph, W Weather: Mostly Sunny, 58º $32.2/flight Sunset"

This late afternoon fly was nice but a little confusing about which kite to fly. I started with the Nirvana and immediately found that there was too much wind for any tricks. I switched to the vented Rev with a 4-wrap frame (which was already in the sail from last time). It worked OK but there was not enough wind and the kite seemed heavy. So I swapped to the race frame. I inserted the race frame into the leading edge without taking out the 4-wrap first. They kind of got stuck in there together and I couldn't get the 4-wrap out. I ended up taking all the leading edge rods out and then successfully inserting the race frame. Oofda. At the end of the session the wind died down and I flew the Nirvana again and though it was still a little too much wind some tricks worked better than earlier.

Extra Spins in the Middle

Date: 10/22/2011, Saturday Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 70' Wind: 10 to 15 mph, S (gusts to 20 mph) Weather: Sunny, 64º $35.78/flight

The wind switched 180º since yesterday and so the sun was at my back today. And it's warmer, too. The vented Rev was again the best choice for the wind that insists on regularly blowing fairly hard in the Fargo/Moorhead area. This fall has actually been very nice without any snow or nasty cold fall rain. The days have been almost all sunny with some wind.

I practiced the usual and added some spins. On the horizontal passes I tried to add a single propeller spin in the center exiting straight sideways. I also tried figure eights (actually infinity signs), first as usual, then with an extra spin in the center.

Sunset Nirvana

Date: 10/21/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" Race on 70', Nirvana on 75' Wind: 12 to 5 mph, N Weather: Sunny, 57º $40.25/flight (Rev)

A very nice after-work evening kite fly. It was warmer than the last few days, so my fingers didn't freeze setting up and putting away the kites.

Since the wind speed went up and down and dropped off in general as sunset approached, I was able to switch back-and-forth between the Nirvana and the "Sunset" vented Rev. Near the end of the session there was barely enough wind to fly the Rev.

With the Nirvana I did most of the usual tricks including some nice back-spins (both hands) and Jacob's Ladders. I also did one very nice slot machine. (I looked it up and that is the correct name.)

Race Through the Sky

Date: 10/19/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" Race on 75' Wind: 8 to 10 mph, NE Weather: Sunny, 45º $46/flight

This was the first time I used the race frame with a Rev kite. And it worked great! Even though the wind was on the lite side for the vented sail, the frame made the kite light and responsive.

For some reason I really like practicing horizontal flying with downward turns at the sides without losing altitude.

I drove directly to the park after work. During this flying session I was looking almost directly into the sun and the kite's sunset colored panels again shimmered with the backlight of the setting sun.

Only One-half Handle Twist

Date: 10/18/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 75' Wind: 12 to 18 mph (gusts to 25), N Weather: Sunny, 44º $53.67/flight

When setting up this kite, when I picked up the handles there was only a half-twist to undo with one hand before the handles/lines were read for launching the kite. Usually there are several handle twists and the left and right sets are also twisted, and many times one handle has been passed through the lines of the other handle. It's usually a challenge getting the lines untangled -- Urrrg.  Today was happily easy.

The setting sun made the "sunset" kite shimmer as different panels in the sail caught different amounts of backlighting from the sun! Very beautiful!

It was quite a bit colder today than yesterday. Brrrr. I drove straight from work to the park to fly.

Hang on to Both Handles

Date: 10/17/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 75' Wind: 15 to 21 mph, NW Weather: Sunny, 52º $64.4/flight

This was a nice wind for the vented Rev. And it was a very pleasant evening, sunny and not too cold. I flew until about 20 minutes after the sunset.

At one point I lost hold of one of the handles. I'm glad the wind wasn't too high at that time -- the kite just settled to the ground.

I practiced moving the kite in different directions without changing the orientation of the kite. I also practiced diving the kite (leading edge first) and then braking right at the ground then letting the bottom lines go forward so that the kite is basically "parked" on the ground. This is a fast way to land the kite. Another skill I worked on is to have the kite upright on the ground and then take-off, immediately do one propellor spin and then land the kite again upright.

One more skill I worked on is to fly the kite back and forth across the wind window with a downward turn to switch directions, but without losing altitude. I pull on the "top" hand lines to slide the kite up a little just before the downward turn. Then a pull with the new "top" hand as it comes out the turn. This seems to work well.

A fun evening!

Lots of Wind! (20-30 mph)

Date: 10/16/2011 Sunday Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 75' Wind: 20 to 25 mph, NW, Gusts to 30 mph Weather: Sunny, 53º $80.5/flight

This afternoon was probably the most wind I've ever flown a kite in. The Sunset vented Rev handled this wind with ease! I had the kite mostly under control most of the time. I even practiced hovering the kite upside down and sliding it in different directions without changing the orientation of the kite. I wasn't always very successful at this, but it was fun trying. Sometimes I flew it without any tension on the lower brake lines -- it flys forward fairly fast and makes a buzzing sound.

Photo Opportunity

Date: 10/15/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 75' Wind: 10 to 17 mph, NW Weather: Mostly Sunny, 52º $107.33/flight

I flew for about 45 minutes while Annett walked. She took some photos:

 Annett really liked the "bouncing" trick. It was fun flying this kite again. It has a really nice feel while flying. It looked great back-lit by the sun. Some of the panels looked shimmery in this light. I practiced flying backwards in an up direction and sliding the kite sideways.

Flying With Geese

Date: 10/14/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 75' Wind: 10 to 17 mph, NW Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 53º $161/flight

There were lots of geese flying around the park tonight, some directly overhead and not very high above the kite. I did take some photos:

This evening Ashraf was able to come to the park and try my new vented Revolution kite. He really liked how it handled. There was plenty of wind, including some gusts to demonstrate how a vented kite flies well with higher winds. He also took a few photos of me flying this kite.

 Ashraf flying my vented Rev.

I learned a new trick (sort-of a trick) with this kite from Ashraf. You dive the kite down and brake the dive near the ground, but let the kite bounce of the ground a little. Then back the kite up to either stop and hover or fly away.

It was a fun afterwork kite fly. I got off work a half-hour early (4:30) due to a half-hour lunch. The extra  daylight for flying was very welcome. The sunset was again very nice.

Pink Thunderclouds!

Date: 10/12/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" 3-wrap on 75' Wind: 8 to 12 mph, W Weather: Mostly Sunny, 62º $17.2/flight

It was a beautiful evening after a frustrating day at work (training). The sun sat behind me and illuminated some thunderclouds to the east making them pink behind the flying kite.

 I tried to take some photos while flying the kite and sort of succeeded, though it's extremely hard to hold the control handle and camera in one hand at the same time and snap a photo that turns out OK.

The kite flew fairly well with the 3-wrap frame, but was near the upper range of wind for that frame.

It was a relaxing and fun evening. There won't be too many more before it gets dark too soon to fly after work.

Competed For Sky With Model Airplanes

Date: 10/10/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" 3-wrap on 75', $18.43/flight Wind: 4 to 9 mph, SSW Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 60º

This was the first time I flew a Rev with a 3-wrap frame (the carbon-fiber spars are made with 3 layers). The grass was a little wet from the rain earlier in the day, but not too bad. My back was to the sunset so I didn't see much of it. Two people flying model airplanes were at the park, too, or should I say parking lot. They didn't really compete for the same airspace, but did get a little close once or twice. I practiced the usual moves, trying to get better control with the four lines.

Starting today, but it will be retro-active for all my earlier Rev flights, I'm calling the red and black Rev the "Hawk" because red and black were my high school colors. And the Night Rev will be called "Sunset" because of its bright sunset colors.

This Way and That

Date: 10/08/11, Sat.
Place: 100 Acres, Moorhead, MN
Kites: Nirvana on 75'
Wind: 8 - 0 - 5 - 8 mph, SE - SW
Weather: Mostly Sunny, 66º

It was a nice afternoon for flying my kite while Annett walked for some exercise. The wind kind of came an went and switched directions over 90º. It was a good day to practice some back-spins in both directions and even did a few sloppy slot-machines. Lots of the usual tricks too, such as flic-flacs, jacob's ladders and axels.

First Flight For Night

Date: 10/5/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5-b "Sunset" 4-wrap on 75' Wind: 8 to 16 mph (gusty), S Weather: Mostly Sunny, 88º (Hot!) $322/flight

Sunny, but hazy, and very hot for October. This was the debut of my new "Night" Rev 1.5-b Vented kite. I think I will call this kite "Sunset" because of its colors. This was very fun to fly! The kite, even with 4-wrap spars flexes a lot more than the Rev with a Super Leading Edge. The vents made for less pull and softened up the gusts. The flex allowed for greater precision and control, more forgiving on the inputs. And it's very pretty (Shiny)!

Monster Tangle With Four

Date: 10/4/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 75' Wind: 7 to 14 mph, SE Weather: Sunny, 83º $19.85/flight

There was a nice sunset, but it seemed to get dark quickly. I did "waste" a lot of time untangling a monster knot with the four lines during the setup of the kite. (first big tangle with a quad-line set). The wind was a bit gusty, but it was still fun flying.

A Big Water Bill

Date: 10/3/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 75' Wind: 6 to 11 mph, SE Weather: Mostly Sunny, 82º $21.5/flight

I flew on grassy ground that was very hard. The sunset was very nice. Flying was fun and my kite attracted the attention of the groundskeeper and his son. I demonstrated some of its maneuvers, not super precise, but not too bad either. I talked to him for a while and found out that the water bill for just that park for one month last year was $45,000!

I Can Rake the Leaves Another Day

Date: 10/2/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 75' Wind: 10 to 15 mph, S Weather: Sunny, 82º $23.45/flight

A beautiful and warm late Sunday afternoon kite flying session. I can rake the leaves another day!

Looking into the Sunset

Date: 9/30/2011, Friday after work Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 75' Wind: 4 to 6 mph, E Weather: Sunny, 62º

I was looking into the sunset and the back-lit Nirvana looked great! It was a nice easy wind, maybe on the lite side. So I was backed-up into the softball fence a bunch of times.

Tricks: Jacob's Ladders, fades, backspins, flic-flacs, 1/2-axels. I was able to do three (slightly sloppy) slot-machines.

A very nice evening. Nice sunset, though I did actually see the last part of it setting.

Sunset Until Dark

Date: 9/28/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 75' Wind: 6 to 12 mph, W Weather: Mostly Sunny, 77º

This evening had a very nice wind for the Nirvana kite. I flew from the start of the sunset until it was too dark to fly. Tricks that worked well today included: Jacob's Ladders, fades, backspins, backflips and lazy susan's, 540s, axels, cascades.

I ordered a quad-line Vented Revolution 1.5 b-series "Night" kite from "A Wind of Change" (in Las Vegas, NV). The vented kite will be able to fly in a higher wind range. The vented kite comes with both  three-wrap and four-wrap frames. I substituted a race-frame (+$30 extra) for the 3-wrap frame since I already have a 3-wrap that came with the Rev SLE kite and the frames are all interchangeable. I also ordered spare parts such that I will be able to fix most breakages without waiting for new parts to arrive. And I ordered a dual-line set, 100# by 100' to replace the 110' line-set that I broke last spring.

Dusty Harvesting

Date: 9/27/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 12' Wind: 0 to 1.5 mph, SW Weather: Sunny, 75º

It was fun to fly with no wind again! The air was a little dusty due to farmers in the area harvesting. It was a nice 30 minute exercise session.

Tricks: 360s, spirals, axels. I did one 360 with the kite pointing straight up!

A Washer and an O-ring

Date: 9/25/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 75' Wind: 11 to 6 mph, S Weather: Sunny, 68º $25.8/flight

I started flying late afternoon. It was a very beautiful afternoon/eve. I jury-rigged the top caps with a washer and an O-ring which seems to be working for  now. I had a lot of fun flying today with a little better control of the kite.

I tried propeller spins with a "turn-tap" with one hand and a pull with the other hand at the same time.

End-cap and Top-cap Lost

Date: 9/24/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 75' Wind: 6 to 11 mph, SE Weather: Sunny, 69º $28.67/flight

I had a little better control at hovering in various orientations. But, I'm still whacking into the ground at times.

Somehow the top-cap (dust cap) came off. When I tried to replace it temporarily with an end-cap, I dropped that into the grass and couldn't find it.

(Back home I bought some washers and o-rings to temporarily fix the kite until I can buy some stock replacement and backup parts.)

Friday After Work

Date: 9/23/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 11 to 6 mph, S Weather: Sunny, 62º $32.25/flight

This was a nice kite session after work on a Friday while Annett walked around the park for exercise.

Gentle End to the Day

Date: 9/22/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 12' and 20' Wind: 2 to 5 mph, NE Weather: Sunny, 58º

There was a nice sunny sunset that I had to look into while flying this evening. I was mentally worn out from work so it was a nice gentle low wind peaceful end of the day kite fly. Annett walked while I flew my kite.

There was a little too much wind for 360s, but fades, axels, and a couple 540s worked well.

1st day of Work/Training at Volt/VMC/Microsoft

Date: 9/19/2011, Monday Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Nirvana on 75' Wind: 8 to 4 mph, S Weather: Mostly Sunny, 73º

This was an evening fly after my first official day of work (actually, being trained) at Volt/VMC/Microsoft.

The wind dropped to zero as the sun actually set (very nice) and then started picking up again. I tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to take some photos of the Nirvana and the sunset while flying the kite.  But this one turned out good.

Where I was flying the ground was very hard (at least to my feet) and dry. And of course with a dual-line kite I move around a lot more. I flew a lot of my regular tricks: Jacob's Ladders, fades, flic-flacs, back-spins.

Press the Shutter and Run!

Date: 9/18/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 10 to 5 mph, S Weather: Partly Cloudy, 70º $36.86/flight

There was a sunset with very pretty clouds.

Once again the wind pretty much died down as the sun set. I took some photos using the timer on my camera. I had to press the shutter and then run 70' to try and get into the picture next to the kite. Most of the time I didn't quite get there in time.

It was very fun flying today. I tried and somewhat succeeded at doing propeller spins just one time around, with a goal of crisp starts and stops.

Half-way to St. Patricks Day

Date: 9/17/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 7 to 15 mph, SE Weather: Cloudy, 60º $43/flight

Bit by bit, I'm gaining more control over this kite. Today I used the orange golfball stake - it works well for this kite.

I practiced sliding the kite up and down while flying back and forth. At the end I tried winding the lines up like I do for a dual-line set rather than with a figure-8 that Ashraf suggested. (seems to work OK)

Cooler Weather

Date: 9/14/2011, Wed. Evening Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 11 to 5 mph, S Weather: Mostly Sunny, 51º $64.5/flight

I flew until the wind died down at the sunset. I tried to get the feel of sliding the kite sideways mostly while flying the kite back-and-forth. It seems that cold weather has arrived -- I wore a hat and gloves.

Martes Trece

Date: 9/13/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 12 to 7 mph, N Weather: Mostly Sunny, 60º $86/flight

Nice sunset and moonrise! Annett walked in the park while I flew the "Hawk" kite. This was the first time I showed Annett this new kite. She took a few photos, which are a bit dark.

Flying this kite this evening was an exercise in just keeping it in the air -- the basics of flying a quad-line kite.

Nothing unlucky happened. "Martes Trece" (Tuesday the 13th) is the Latin American version of our "Friday the 13th."

9/11 - Full Moon Night fly

Date: 9/11/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 20', Skate on variable Wind: 2 to 6 mph, S Weather: Clear, 70º

I arrived at the park just as the sun set. The full moon came up, but it was still a clear fairly-dark night. Ashraf was there flying his Revolution kite with a race-rod frame. The wind was too light for my SLE Rev, but I tried out Ashraf's kite. It flew well with the very light frame. But as the wind died down and with my lack of quad-line flying ability and the dark flying conditions, I found myself continuously backing up.

My 4d on 20' flew just fine in the light wind. I only did a couple of 360s (too much wind) plus the usual axels, spirals, and fades.

I got out my Skate (single line kite) and it flew just fine in the very light wind. But, I got bored enough after a short while that I switched back to the 4d.

Sky-Date: 9-10-11

Date: 9/10/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70', E2 on 65' Wind: 6 to 12 mph, W Weather: Sunny, 84º 2 flights at $129/flight

I did well flying the Rev. I practiced diving down with an abrupt stop near the ground -- this needs a lot more practice. I didn't use a stake, but I can see where using a stake could be very useful, especially for re-launches. Flying the Rev is fun. I can see it will take a lot of practice to have a lot of control.

I tried the E2 at the end of the flying session, but there was too much wind for most of its usual tricks. I did only a few fades, a 540, one Jacob's Ladder rung, but no back-spins. And a few wing-tip wraps.

Interview with VMC

Date: 9/9/2011, Friday Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: 4d on 12' Wind: 2 to 4 mph, NW Weather: Sunset and nearly full moon, 80º

This was a low-key end-of-the-day flying session. The nearly full moon that came up was very beautiful. After flying I noticed some red dust on my feet and sandals. I later found out that it is a type of fertilizer for the grass.

I did  only one 360 (too much wind) and a buch of axels, fades, and spirals.

1st Flight For My New "Hawk" SLE Revolution Kite

Date: 9/6/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: Rev 1.5 "Hawk" SLE on 70' Wind: 9 to 4 mph, S Weather: Sunny, 75º 1 flight at $258/flight

I "accidentally" bought a quad-line Revolution SLE kite on sale at KotiKites! I found out later that the sale was a pre-going-out-of-business sale and that I bought the last Rev SLE kite that they had. I had no choice about the color. I am dubbing it my "hawk" kite since its colors are black and red, the same as the colors for the Bozeman Senior High "Hawks", the high school I attended.

I flew it the same day I bought it. Ashraf was available and came out to the park to show me how to set it up, and give me some basic flying tips. I think I did well for a quad-line beginner.

I also flew the Prism Nexus kite that Ashraf "accidentally" bought on sale, too. It appears to be able to fade, back-flip, lazy susan, and flic-flac. I didn't try some of the other tricks I know because the wind was very light. I'm not sure that the Nexus would be an ideal first stunt kite for a beginner for learning tricks. A larger kite would move more slowly and be more trickable.

Too Much Wind!

Date: 9/5/2011 Place: 100 Acres Park, Moorhead, MN Kites: E2 on 65' Wind: 10 to 15 mph, S Weather: Sunny, 82º

There was too much wind for the E2 kite, or any of my dual-line kites. I maybe need to buy a kite that can manage flying in Fargo/Moorhead winds. I was able to do a couple of 540s and even a short fade a few times, but most of my usual tricks were not possible.

Yin-Yang Debut

Date: 9/3/2011 Place: Fort Snelling Soccer Fields, Minneapolis, MN Kites: Yin-Yang on 75' Wind: 10 to 18 mph (gusty), N Weather: Partly Cloudy, 78º

I was visiting the Twin Cities for the Labor Day weekend and since the weather cooperated for kite flying, Justin and I went to the Fort Snelling soccer fields. It was the first flight for my new Yin-Yang kite. It flies OK, though I won't know which tricks it can do well until I fly it in a lower wind. It seems to axel OK, but with some overspin upon exiting. A back-flip also worked.

I flew Justin's Prism Jazz kite and his Prism 1.2 Snapshot parafoil. The parafoil was fun to fly with this wind, though I doubt I would buy a parafoil. At one point we tied a large sheet from my van onto the parafoil to see if it would fly with it -- it did! I took some photos of Justin's kites: