Fractured Axel

TLDR: Not piloted for 14 years, back into the basics, what should I fly?

Hey guys, brand new on here, and fairly new to kites, you could say. Untill a month ago, I hadn't piloted a kite for 14 years.

I found my old two line delta in my mothers attic, and I couldn't resist taking it outside and having a go, I was hooked immediately. The first couple of flights it took some really hard nosedives, as I was getting used to the controlling it again, and realizing how similar it is to riding a bike.

Now I've been torturing this poor thing for about a month, and it's not exactly in great shape, not that it was when I found it, it's very floppy and most of the parts are lose. I've stopped doing those nasty nosedives, turning away was a fairly natural thing to do, getting the kite safely down on the ground was a bit trickier.

I went on the internet! And searched for information on how to not destroy my kite anymore, and found a ton of it on here and through videos. Understanding the wind window has helped a great deal, and how push turns and moving towards the kite will slow it aswell, especially when it come to those crashes.

Been practising one handed steering to get a feel for the response of the kite and finding neutral, which in return lead me on to sliding the kite sideways, starting to get a hang of the basics already, with only a handfull of windy days the last month.

Anyway, a couple of days ago I was given a new kite, was told it was the cheapest the hobby shop had, and it's this carbon tube monstrosity called Eolo Genesis. I haven't put it up yet as I don't feel comfortable enough, don't want to break the stand offs or anything within the first minutes of flying it.

I'll the to the point soon.

Will I be better off with a new fiber glass delta instead of the old floppy one, and the risk of smashing the carbon one to pieces immediately?
How much punishment can those carbon tubes take? I rarely do hard crashes with the old broken one now.

What should be my next step? Where do I fly from here?

Thanks again for the the information I have already gathered on this forum, been very usefull.


benne^

The Eolo Genesis frame is only 4mm carbon which is really cheap to replace when you break it. Buy a spare carbon tube if you want to be ready, but get out flying it. I had a look at one for my daughter as it was half price! But it was still £20 and I have a few kites already.
I ended up letting her fly my beat up DS which I now need to make a small repair too.

If I was you I would get out flying the genesis straight away and when you can control it fully and land it then keep your eye on the second hand section for a more refined kite that will allow you to progress.

And the kite should take a fair bit of abuse as it is an entry level kite

That's good to hear, think I can get tube from the hobby shop, 99% sure on that.

Repairs and maintenance shouldn't be a problem, I have a passion for fixing things, and getting to learn the ins and outs of kites is great, and will help me build one myself on day, maybe.

Will take the Genesis for a dance next time the weather allow it.


benne^

Welcome to the forum.

Your Genesis should be good for a step up - easy to fix and able to do basic tricks. If you live anywhere a Decathlon store they sell 4mm carbon tube really cheap and its ok!

It's worth checking your lines are equal length - peg the loop down at one end with an old screwdriver or similar, unwind them right out then put your fingers through the loop at the other end and give them a pull - they should be within about 1cm of each other or they can make your kite harder to fly.

If you want a copy of a very good kiting ebook PM me your email address off forum and I'll let you have a copy.

Oh....has anyone warned you how addictive kite flying can be? some people get it really badly!....

That's a nice collection.

Hasn't been a Decathlon around here for many years now, the hobby shop is the only place nearby I can find, that sell spare parts. They should have everything I will need for now.

Actually had the lines laid out yesterday, the are almost spot on.

Can't wait to get out again, it is very fun.


benne^

Sorry for piggy-backing someone else's post - but I'm re-aquainting myself with flying after an absence of about 14 years, too.
A question - is it all 'trick' flying now?
Most kites seem to advertise themselves as being able to do the low-wind, slack-lined sort of stuff.
Are they still suitable for what I used to call 'precision flying" ?
What would be the kites to buy for the kind of thing I'm after?
(I have a few of my old ones - but can see the desire for 'more' building!)
And does anyone do that kind of flying anymore?
I'm afraid I'm still hooked on the 'pull' of a kite and broad, swooping moves, sharp corners etc etc.
Does that make me 'old-skool' - or just old-fashioned?

While a lot of the current interest tends towards trick flying there is still precision and competitive flying out there.

Start withSTACK UK which has various events through the year also there is the Virtual freestyle competition but this is more trick orientated.

As for kites, there are kites out there that are good at both precision and tricks some very specific others off the peg so called Polyvalents. A couple you might want to look at ( and there are others ) might be the Eolo Over and the HQ Infinity at around £150 but I'm sure some of the others will have more suggestions.

Are they still suitable for what I used to call 'precision flying" ?
And does anyone do that kind of flying anymore?

Yes, but there aren't a lot of us .... On my blog, there are links to all UK precision pairs and teams that have a web-presence and that I'm aware of. 'All' means about a dozen.

And if I missed one, please let me know and I'll update.

Lazzard wrote:

And does anyone do that kind of flying anymore?
I'm afraid I'm still hooked on the 'pull' of a kite and broad, swooping moves, sharp corners etc etc.
Does that make me 'old-skool' - or just old-fashioned?

those of us who can't string together a load of tricks into an awesome combo also do that sort of flying while trying to think which trick to attempt next
Straight lines & corners give you time to think, and if you need longer, park it in a nice tipstand.

Yea, us old skool are still around. To be honest trick flying is ok but flying alone gets me bored to distraction in 30mins, team/pairs flying is so much more of a buzz.

team/pairs flying is so much more of a buzz

+1

Yes, in the dim and distant past me and the Mrs. used to fly as a pair.
Of course that wasn't the only thing we did together - and as a consequence we now have 4 kids!!

Perhaps I should start a six-handed team - the Von Trappe family of kiting - but without all the running away from the Nazis.

Had the Genesis out for the first time today, that was nice, real pleasure to fly something decent. The pull of anticipation when raising the kite into launch position, it wants to take off, it almost can't wait, neither can I, and off it goes, soaring into the sky.

It's definitely something else than the old one, this one didn't want to come down.

So I had it up flying a couple of times before the wind started increasing, then came the thick old grey thunderclouds and yelled at me, sent me straight home. Can't wait to get it out again, that was fun.


benne^

Glad you had fun and without any breakages! I'm sure it won't be long before your asking for advice on what kite to buy next