Tag: Quad Line Kites

Wow! What A Weekend!

I hope everyone had as good a weekend as we did. Ours involved a lot of kite flying time and a lot of time in the sun. Family came down for the holiday weekend but that didn’t deter us from flying our kites. Saturday was family day. We spent time together which was wonderful as we don’t see each other that often. Because it was a holiday weekend, the beach was crowded. Gave us an idea on how to plan for kiting.

Sunday was our regular weekly club fly. The beach was crowded. We got there very late and were lucky to find a parking spot. There were quite a few out-of-town kite fliers there and most of the time was spent visiting and renewing old friendships.  Revolutions were up as well as the blue vamp devil.  People are trying that kite out and it is winning over new fliers.  The light winds made flying stunt kites a challenge. The winds did pick up as the day wore on. There were a lot of single-line kites up. By special request, I flew the three kites I made this spring. My husband finally got his Wala XL together and up. It flew very well and looked great. In fact, there were several Walas in the air.  They are made by Flying Wings and are one of the hottest kites this year.  The rest of our family spent the time relaxing, swimming and shelling. Despite the heat, we spent about three hours on the beach. Except for a picnic lunch under the trees by the visitors’ center.

Wala XL by Flying Wings

Monday was a most spectacular day.  The local maritime museum holds Maritime Day on their grounds by the water.  Maritime Day is a day to get the public out to see what the museum is all about.  They have live music, activities for the kids and the kid in all of us, boat rides and free food.  They encourage the public to come out and have a good time.  It is really fun.  When else would you get a chance to ride in a breeches buoy?  Personally, I’d rather ride one here than when my life depended on it at sea.  Or make a fish print on a T-shirt?  In the midst of all this, the kite club puts as much color in the sky as is possible in a small area.  Or rather as much red-white-blue in the sky.  Because it is Memorial Day, we try to all fly red-white-blue kites.  Of course, other kites are welcome.  The only request is that we leave the stunt kites home as there is not much space to accommodate them.  Most of our out-of-town kite fliers were there.  That made it a fun day.  Plenty of chatting as well as flying.  The winds started out light in the morning and picked up as the day went along.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The predominate kite was the box delta.  Usually with tails or streamers.  There was a regular delta, a parafoil, a diamond and a faceted star in the colors the day.  Because of the lighter winds, there were also a collection of Wala XLs.  They really look good in the sky.  Especially when you have a group of them flying together.  The best kite of the day, in my humble opinion, was the red-white-blue eagle.  I’m not afraid to brag.  I managed to get an original Sky Delight eagle kite.  Signed and dated by Joel Scholz, I have been saving it just for the Maritime Day fly.  It went up right away and hung in the sky the whole time.  Well, maybe not the whole time.  It did have a couple of altercations with the Uncle Sam della porta but they worked things out and both flew peacefully afterwards.

Only two kites bit the dust this year and both of them belonged to the same flier.  The parafoil took a nose-dive into the neighboring brushy trees.  It went in so deep into the stand, a person couldn’t get to it.  But due to the ingenuity of some members of our group, they used another kite to lift it out of the trees to an area where it could be recovered.  It was pretty amazing to watch.  And, of course, I didn’t get any photos of the process.  However, during the recovery of that kite, another kite line was cut and a box delta took off on its own adventure.  Its line snagged on a power pole in the neighboring development on the other side of the field.  So it was recovered also.  No kites lost and some excitement to the day.

So, after adding another five hours of kite flying and sun to the weekend, it was time to go home.  The kite bags are still in the back of the car.  And everything needs to be taken out and re-bagged to where it belongs.  Especially the lines and the anchors.  We can’t find anything.  The next special event on our calendar isn’t for a few weeks.  I expect I will be starting my next kite sewing project soon.  The hardest part will be deciding which one as my list has grown.

Fair Winds All.

Sunburn!

The past two days have been beautiful.  We flew both days in moderate winds and sunny skies.  Yes, very sunny.  And tonight I am radiating heat and glowing in the dark.  I should know better than to stay out on the beach for up to three hours a day and not expect to get burned.  But it’s only April-May and, for me, it’s too early in season to worry about sunburn.  So, lesson learned.  The sunscreen comes out as soon as the weather gets warm enough to wear short sleeves without a jacket.  Now I’ve got to get my legs caught up with my arms so I can wear shorts.  Well, maybe not.  My legs are in no way up to wearing shorts, even tanned.  Let me rethink things.

As for flying, we had two great days.  Forgoing the lawn mowing, the furniture moving, the laundry and the dishes, we went to the beach Saturday morning.  The forecast was for the winds to get lighter in the afternoon so the morning was the best time.  Or so we thought.  The morning winds were light and gusty.  Changing directions every fifteen minutes or so it seemed.  We put up three smaller single line kites but they just wouldn’t stay up for long.  Couldn’t turn our backs or they would be on the ground.  Talk about a tease.  They would hang in the sky just long enough to give us hope and then slowly drift back to earth.  And each time we would put them back up it would be in a different direction.  I finally gave up on the dragon kite with the dolphin.  Back in the bag it went.  I also tried to fly the white owl by Premier.  With some bridle adjustment, it flew pretty well.  The best flyer of all yesterday was the turtle easy flyer delta, also by Premier.  It would lose the wind for a bit and drift downward but then gather it up again and mount into the sky.  Guess that’s why they call it an easy flyer.

Dolphin Dragon by White Bird

Despite the weather forecasts, the wind picked up as it drew closer to noon.  I took the Spirit Quad out for some practice.  I was doing pretty well except for trying to do some inverted hovers and tip stands.  The hovers were turning into hard upside-down landings.  No broken spars, thank goodness.  But I did notice that the center vertical spar was starting to stick up above the sail higher and higher.  Didn’t seem to affect the flying any so I decided to check it out when I was done for the day.  Well, when I was packing the kite up, I saw where the spar had punched through the upper pocket.  A very nice small hole.  Now I have a repair to do.  The decision is whether to merely patch the present pocket or to remove the pocket entirely and make a whole new pocket.  My present thought is to make a whole new pocket and re-enforce the top so it doesn’t happen again.  Another in a list of things to get done.  An ever-increasing list.

This morning was the weekly club fly.  Again it was a gorgeous day.  The wind was twelve to fourteen.  And there were several people out to fly.  Regulars and new-comers.  We filled the sky and had dual liners and Rev fliers performing.  There were large deltas up with long tails and a sled with matching pennant tail by Gomberg Kites.  Both of these carried lots of line laundry.  A couple of ghost deltas and Merlin the Wizard dragon, which flew better upside down, were also in the air.    Add to that my three Xelons and some miscellaneous sleds and deltas and there was quite a show today.   We don’t understand the Wizard kite.  It would fly for a while normally and then, for no apparent reason, it would flip over and fly with the bridle on top and the spars down.  Most unusual.

I received a Mother’s Day present early and really wanted to see it in the sky.  It is a Buka-Dako-Esche by Premier.  It is a very large rectangular kite with a looped ribbon tail that has an aboriginal representation of a lizard in browns, black, yellow and white.  The first time I saw it I knew I had to have it.  It is a companion kite to my Gecko Totem, also by Premier.  The same aboriginal style and colors.  My thought for the day was to fly the pair and get some photos.  Well, we had trouble with the lizard.  It would go up and stay for a bit, then tilt to the side and fall to the ground.  At one point, I thought I was going to take out a beach-walker.  Not to mention the neighboring kites.  Not wanting to cause an accident, we put it back in the bag and would try for a solution at a later time.

 

Then I got the Vamp Devil out again.  There were a couple of Rev fliers on the beach with me and so I was a little nervous.  I am only a beginner with the quad line kites and didn’t want to embarrass myself.  At first, it flew rather sluggish.  Almost as if the brakes were on it continually.  I readjusted the handles and then removed the devil tail.  Having no better place to put it, I wrapped the tail around my waist a few times and tied it so it wouldn’t blow away.  I know it sounds silly and probably looked silly, too.  But I only had a couple of pockets and stunt kites require two hands.  Anyway, the kite flew much better and I had fun practicing side slides and hovers.  Tried some spins but not too many.  I was working mostly on control not show.

All in all, it was a great weekend.  Except for the sunburn.  The second day did nothing but increase my red glow, so I sit tonight bathed in aloe.  And, by the way, we found a problem with the bridle on the lizard.  That may or may not be the solution to the nose-dives.  We will find out the next good flying day.

The Xelons by HQ

Fair Winds All.

Happy Easter

I know this is written a day late but I was simply wiped out last night.  We had a great Easter fly at the park yesterday morning.  John and I had intended on getting to the park early and putting up the club banner and some of the other banners that I have for a ground display in honor of Easter.  Well, John wasn’t feeling well when he woke up and decided it was best that he stay home.  Of course that meant there was one less person to carry a kite bag.  So plans were revised.  I left the dragon kite bag at home and took an anchor and line bag and two long bags of kites and banners.  Not too much to carry up the road.

There were already some fliers there when I arrived.  And I wasn’t late for a change.  I put up my two new quilt banners ( or as my friend Don calls them “those damn banners” ) and one yellow crab and one of my new red crabs.  Just a small ground display.

Easter Display

Several families came out to enjoy the beautiful day and fly kites.  There were quite a few visitors from out-of-town flying their stunt kites and deltas.  Some larger kites were put up by a couple of the regular fliers.  You could say we put our colored Easter eggs in the air instead of in a basket.  One gentleman put up a larger Sutton and hung a KAP rig from it.  KAP stand for kite aerial photography.  A remote control triggers servos mounted on a hanging platform which moves a camera in all directions to aim it and controls the shutter.  With a digital camera you are limited only by the battery and the size of the memory card as to the number of photos you can take.  I’ve been a little interested in doing this, so this gave me a chance to see a KAP rig.  I’m not going to jump into it just yet.  But it was nice to talk to someone who does it regularly and see how it works close up.  Maybe someday.

The day only kept getting better and better.  Winds picked up a little and the sky was a brilliant blue with only a few clouds.  I hadn’t had a chance to fly my cartoon pair at home yet, so this seemed the perfect time.  Up went Pepe Le Pew and Penelope Cat.  They flew side-by-side while I was able to get some photos of them together.  At times it really seemed like Pepe was chasing Penelope.

Pepe and Penelope (custom kites)

So after putting up the ground display, visiting with friends and other fliers, and anchoring my two kites in the sky, it was time to have some fun.  I borrowed the quad-line kite known as the Vamp Devil by Flying Wings and set about to practice.  I love flying this kite.  And that is quite remarkable since it wasn’t too long ago I made the statement I wasn’t going to fly a quad-line kite.  But this one has won me over.  It flies slower than most quads and not quite as precisely.  Maybe that’s why I like it so much.  I’ve figured out how to put the four lines on a winder so I’m not spending a half an hour untangling lines before flying.  That in itself is quite a feat.  Though most ling-time quad fliers would disagree with me.  One young lad on the beach with his family must have enjoyed the show the kite put on, as he kept telling his mom to “watch out for the bat”.  And that is exactly what the Vamp Devil looks like.

It was past noon and time to go home and check on John.  We were supposed to go out for Easter dinner with friends and so I was hoping he would be up to it after staying home in the morning.  I stopped off at the kite shop to return the Vamp Devil and visited for a while.  Then home to get cleaned up.

Hope everyone had a good and restful Easter.  I know I did.

Fair Winds All.

Easter Color In The Sky

Flying At Home

Today we took some time off from necessary things at home to fly at our home field.  The idea was to go flying before the crowds arrived at the beach.  This is Easter weekend and it looks like a busy one.  Well, we arrived to find the parking lot three-quarters full.  So much for beating the crowds.  The fort was celebrating Earth Day by having area groups set up booths to encourage conservation, recycling, habitat preservation, etc.  There was also live music and food, of course.  The beach had a lot of fisherman and walkers.  We fit right in as our car still has the roof top carrier on it.  Yes, we looked like tourists.  Ugh!

The temperature was fine.  Not too hot.  And the winds were light but not too light.  The weatherman was wrong, however, because he predicted blue skies and sun.  It was very cloudy and there was a short light rain while we were on the beach.  And the rain started right after we got a couple of kites up.  John wanted to pull them in right away but I felt like it wouldn’t last.  And it didn’t.  I put up the Kokopelli kite up.  It took me a while for me to figure the best settings but I finally got it to hang in the sky above us.  I also put up the EO Atom by Prism.  It was the first time I flew this kite.  It bounced around in the sky like a fighter kite.  Totally erratic.  I like it.  It does need to be anchored off by itself or it will take out a nearby kite in a heartbeat.

John dug out his first kite, a rainbow delta with ribbon tails.  He hadn’t flown it for a couple of years.  It was ready to go as soon as it came out of the bag and flew like a champ.  He also put up his New Tech Paper Airplane kite and his Prism EO 6.  He put transition tails on the Paper Airplane and, I believe, it flew better than it had before.  By the way, EO stands for “expandable object”.  Both the Atom and the EO 6 fold flat when not flying.  Pretty nifty little kites.  All of these kites just hung in the sky.  Well almost all, the Atom kept coming down as the wind picked up a little.  There’s always one problem child in the bunch.

John's First Kite

When everything seemed to be anchored and stable, I took out my old-style New Tech Spirit Quad.  I’m just learning to fly the quad line kites, so I prefer to fly this one when no one is around.  One, because I need the practice in an area with no other kites around so I don’t get tangled up with anyone.  Two, I don’t want to embarrass myself too badly in front of the other quad line fliers.  Unfortunately, some have attitudes about flying quad lines and I don’t need that on top of just learning.  Today I may have found a method of winding the lines so I don’t have to spend thirty minutes untangling them before flying.  And I spent some time making adjustments on the line settings to get the best feel and control.  No panic today.  And a definite improvement in my flying.  I even did some controlled spins and got lines untangled in the air.  This was a great day for my self-confidence.  And I really like the Spirit Quad.

Tomorrow is the weekly fly with our friends.  It is a holiday weekend so I expect there to be more fliers from out-of-town.  And more people walking the beach and admiring the kites we put up.  I am hoping  Don will remember to bring the Vamp Devil.  I was hoping to have one of my own but they have been back-ordered.  I must be patient.  But I WANT it!!!!!  Maybe by Memorial Day it will be here.  Hope.  Hope.  Hope.  I feel like a little kid who can’t wait until Christmas.

Fair Winds All.