Killing a Fox: A Cautionary Tale...

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[indigo_wolf]

Luckily all the photos were lost in the fire.   

ATB,
Sam

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

So the moral of the story?
When you are sent home sick from work do not take it as time off to fly.
Karma baby, karma.

Miss V, should you find yourself in that same position again try walking on your lines either to or from the kite.  That will effectively 'anchor' the kite.

Believe me when I tell you my karma is in very good standing.  lol.... however point taken... and you must have an iron will not to be susceptible to the wiles of a frisky wind.

Truth to tell... I did do what you suggested once the kite went over the bank.... when I ran back down I did so on the lines quite purposefully. I just didn't mention it in case that was a huge no no.... I was suffering through enough marks against me without adding to it. 

V

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Luckily all the photos were lost in the fire.   

ATB,
Sam

And that is such a freakin' shame.... 

V

[Turkey9186]

Sorry for your loss.  My SF was damaged by a two year old, while his mom was talking to a friend and not watching the kid.  Amazing how fast a two year old can cover 150ft!

I have not used a kite stake for a long time.  When I do the walk of shame, I put the kite belly down, nose toward me (aka dead launch.)  I then run the lines over the trailing edge and over the top of the kite. A short pull on the lines will roll the kite up onto its nose with the belly toward you.  You can either do an edge launch from there, or a quick snap and the kite will be in the normal launch position.

Jerry

[Sketch]

Very sad story.....
I am going to send you a private E mail about one of my own Demolition Kite stories that gave me night sweats for months afterwards?

Uhhh?
Sometime one might mention to Mark Reed about the story of  his infamous flying session off the back of the Bremerton bound Ferry boat? 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Jerry....

Isn't it JUST AMAZING how inattentive parents are of their kids at parks... or worse just generally unsafe around kites in general. I want to make a banner that says "CAUTION: KITES FLY AT 60 MPH". Scare some sense into them. 

I think I'd be more pissed if I had lost mine that way than smashing it to bits.


Don....

Now I'm DYING to know that Mark Reed story...lol Oh please please please tell it.... I read your story brother... ugh.... that might be even sadder than mine. 

I got to do some hardcore flying in the rain today (properly bundled up and fortified with lots of vitamins and Tylonol...  ) flew my VV Pizazz.... dang that's a HAWT kite.... she's such a smooth flyer. Definitely a precision kite over a trick... responds well to minimal input.

Gotta fly together at the Central Meadow sometime...

V

[Sketch]

In those early daze-days...Mark Reed, and a bunch of us addicted used to seek out some very out of the norm...places to fly.

My daughter when she was single and lived in a high rise apartment and led gym classes at many of the downtown fitness centers and  Often while waiting around for her...I would take my little 3D on short lines and fly in the downtown alleys seeking wind that always flows each and every hour of the day and night.
 It wasn't too long before I saw Mark was doing the same thing.

 My son was a high rise window washer then at the Columbia Center and also was a kite addict (like his demented Daddeeeeo) wanted me to give a kite demo at the very top of that tallest skyscraper in Seattle....
HOWEVER! I have always had a fear of such heights and as luck would have it...his boss GOT WIND of  what we had been planning and made a rather STRONG SUGGESTION that we change our minds about that.
Instead...one night while working a 2nd Shift wind tunnel project, during our eve. dinner break...I did get a change to  fly that little Prism 3D off the 16th Ave. South waterway bridge.

My Boeing supervisor's son was the bridge tender...so he and I managed to fly until Seattles finest...stopped and gave us 10 minutes to wrap up those flying lines and depart from the walkway.
(A live aboard boater at the marina below the bridge...had called the waterway patrol and "snitched on us!")

Again..as I had mentioned before and also many Prism fanatics have seen Mark flying his little 3D in the "Bellmouth" of our Boeing Wind Tunnel in one of Prism's earlier add stuffers that we have seen in Kite shops all over the world.
 KITE-KRAZZZED' WIND SEEKERS ARE TRULY A STRANGE BUNCH...Huh?
WORD OF WARNING! DOWNTOWN SEATTLES ALLEY WAYS, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT...can be a VERY DANGEROUS place to fly kites.
ADDICTS of all kinds can also be found lurking in the shadows of the dumpsters..along with RATS THE SIZE OF LARGE RACOONS that would often mistake my little 3 D for a wounded sea gull n' n EZ kill.

HEY WELDON AND REED!!...IF YOU GUYS ARE LURKING!!!
  HOW BOUT' SHARING SOME OF YOUR STRANGEST FLYING SITE STORIES WITH US? 

(From experience...I can assure you that flying off a moving Seattle Ferry (especially off the stern aft end----HAS SOME PRETTY TORN UP WIND FLOW PATTERNS TO DEAL WITH and can cause some very difficult retrieval for your willing or unwilling assistant.
Remember...
Never ASK the Ferry Boat Captain permission and keep on hand your emergency phone list and make sure a good lawyer is always at the head of that list and a good cell phone or at least enough money in your pocket for that first phone call or for a badly need BRIBE FOR THE POLICE DEPT'S FINEST!!!

Attached photo: Was also one of my favorite Seattle Alley Way kites.
My 1993 old well wornExperimental Prism SUL Eclipse #7 experimental kite that also  served me so well during my early competition daze-days.




[attachment deleted by admin]

[normofthenorth]

Over the years, I've flown several kites, several times, off the back of the Toronto Island Ferry, generally WITH the express consent of the staff! Once they even invited me up to the top deck (staff only!)! More often fighters than 2-stringers, though I did that at least once, too -- with a stick-less "Super Chute" (a small GFAK version of the NPW5 design).

V, you've been given two different ways to get your kite into the same same starting position -- "dead launch position" BUT with the lines wrapped around the far side = TE, so pulling the lines will flip the kite into ready-for-takeoff position. It works pretty well once you get the hang of it.

Until I learned that trick, and sometimes afterwards, whenever I was on a beach in a breeze, I used an old stunt-foil trick: Lay the kite on its back, just as you would in a gentle breeze, then shovel enough sand on it, esp. near the TE (which is upwind), that No Way is it going anywhere on its own! As soon as you get set up and start pulling on the lines, the nose goes up and the sand spills off, and Voila! Off you go!

You're right, there are a bunch of similar simple tricks that nobody's born knowing, that make a huge difference. (One of my fave expressions when things go unusually smoothly is "As IF I know what I'm doing!!")

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Don...

I used to date a security guard at the tower back in the day.... I've been to the antenna roof...  Though on the level below that I went on to the outter wall which is several feet wide and pulled myself out to the edge so I could look down the side... that was wild!!!! lol

Great stories... loved reading it! My hubby tells me that while he loves flying he's not quite as gushing about it as I am... I can tell I must have been cut from the same sail as you...  I will count myself in good company.



Norm...

I did that when I first started... but somehow thought it would be a sacriliage to dump sand off a sail so I stopped... lol Glad to know I wasn't completely out of my mind. But in the case of the SF... there was no sand to dump really.

I took the kite to Herb at Mainframe... he told me she was toast.  But that I should save it for a pattern for one day making my own from it, and then I use parts from it to go into the one I make. Sounds like a plan to me.

Kindest regards,

V

[normofthenorth]

I dunno, if you can get the torn edges to meet, I think the tape-and-CA trick would be worth the hour it might take to try it.

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Well the trick is that the rip runs right up the edge of the spine where the ripstop is reinforced with mylar. Which just bites.... 

When I do something... I do it gooooooooooooood.

V

[DonCrash]

Want a story of Mark Reed (hopefully not too off topic now)

http://www.houseofphotography.com/kramer/behind-the-scenes.htm

Read the I2K story 

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

Great story! Lots of fun... thanks for the link. 

V

[Victrinia Ridgeway]

You could knock me over with a feather.... I just got a truly generous offer of a SF to replace mine at a give away price.

I hope to become a contributing member of the community when I've got enough experiance and time in... but I'm just deeply enjoying the sincere kindness and generosity of spirit that the kiting community has for new kiters. It is a breath of fresh air...

And though I doubt you would ask for props... Jerry... your awesomeness knows no bounds. 

With gratitude,

V

[Turkey9186]

You ever hear the story of Mark being talked into making 30 pink QPros?