You guys are great. Really. The problem with anything but a solution involving a AQR is I can't reasonably assure my wife I won't get lofted (again).
The one work around would be to hold a kite bar and Popeye it. I have thought of taking out my new 2.5m NS4 and just put it in my bar with some 20m
lines and just go that way. The bar has a chicken loop on it but who says I need to hook in? A NS4 is essentially a 2 line kite anyway.
I only started hooking in this season when I got the big Paraski (which pretty much requires it.) I'm pretty sure going Popeye is not the best way to
ride, but you do get more of a workout - especially after you let go of the bar and have to go set up the kite again and again and again. Go for it
Steve!
First up I need to confess that I'm playing Devil's Advocate for purely selfish reasons - I don't want to wait until spring before we get Steve's
review of the NS4
The problem with most QR's is that they're not intuitive to use so you'll never be able to activate them quickly enough to avoid trouble. Normally
you're already well on the way to a painful experience long before you've thought of letting go of the bar, reaching for the OS button and trying to
remember whether to pull or push. Ideally, when you feel that first twinge of panic you just want to drop everything and have the problem go away. So,
here's a solution from the time when 2-line kites were the only option - let go the handles and the kite breaks away. Not AQR but a natural reflex
action that's so quick that it's pretty close to being automatic. Also, there's not much chance of getting airborne with a NS4. Just saying . . .. .
First up I need to confess that I'm playing Devil's Advocate for purely selfish reasons - I don't want to wait until spring before we get Steve's
review of the NS4
The problem with most QR's is that they're not intuitive to use so you'll never be able to activate them quickly enough to avoid trouble. Normally
you're already well on the way to a painful experience long before you've thought of letting go of the bar, reaching for the OS button and trying to
remember whether to pull or push. Ideally, when you feel that first twinge of panic you just want to drop everything and have the problem go away. So,
here's a solution from the time when 2-line kites were the only option - let go the handles and the kite breaks away. Not AQR but a natural reflex
action that's so quick that it's pretty close to being automatic. Also, there's not much chance of getting airborne with a NS4. Just saying . . .. .
I completely agree that relying on manually popping the chicken loop is just a lousy way to ensure safety, and history proves in my case that this
form of protection just won't work if I'm startled by something out of the blue.
The good news / bad news here is that I stopped weight lifting with my upper body last year and now make lap swimming one of my core regular workouts.
I say upper body because I still do goblet squats with kettle bells to get my legs ready for telemark ski season. As a result I don't think I could do
a chin up to save my life right now. The issue at hand here is ensuring that I don't get lofted high into the air as I am said to have done during my
freak gasoline fight accident a few years ago. Even if one of my NasaStars did somehow lift me off the ground I don't think I could hold on for Toad's
Wild Ride even if I wanted to.
My quiver of NasaStars at this point range from 1.5m up to 4.0m and I have no intention of buying larger ones again. That quiver is set to shrink in
a couple of months as I have already committed to iPaul (Jeepersjoey) to donate my 2.5 and 4.0m NS3s into the IBX 2019 raffle. The wind will need to
be pretty strong to get me going on skis in deep loose snow with such small kites but we'll see.
In the meantime I may be able to get the 2.5m NS4 out for some static test flying. I too am curious how it may compare to it's cousin from the NS3
quiver and I hope to fly them back to back for a comparison while I still own the 2.5m NS3. Stay tuned anxious ones!
I'm Born Again sort of. Finally rode my buggy and ATB with my recently scored 5.5 and 7.0 NS2 which I got from Spencer (who got them from Old Ben,
who got them from Sean.)
Anyway - simply not enough wind today - my Paraski Flex takes more wind to fly than these Stars and I'd been meaning to try them anyway so I did
rather than drive back home. They flew pretty well between lulls and got me going when probably nothing else would have. I'd never buggied with the
7.0 Star so that was good. As an afterthought I decided to Street Kite my ATB on the "road" at the fairgrounds - so I've come full circle. That's
how I got started in all this around 5 years ago.
Here is my video - not the kind of high class Born Porn Steve posts, rather the tawdry back alley kind with 2 Born Stars taking a guy for a ride. If
you look close you can see the road hazards I have to navigate at this spot due to the recent rains.
BTW - my recent experience with the flex kites (both big and small) has piqued my interest in using the "Street kite" (short line or no line) set up
with my buggy. Here are some videos showing that. (These are more the higher class Born Porn but you may want to skip in a way to just see the
action.) I may give it a try at my "asphalt beach" next time around. And who knows - maybe even JIBE or WIldwood......
BTW - my recent experience with the flex kites (both big and small) has piqued my interest in using the "Street kite" (short line or no line) set up
with my buggy. Here are some videos showing that. (These are more the higher class Born Porn but you may want to skip in a way to just see the
action.) I may give it a try at my "asphalt beach" next time around. And who knows - maybe even JIBE or WIldwood......
Cool videos! Ever the Born fan, I delighted in seeing both custom colors and sizes.
I've flown NS3s in all these fashions. Fun to fool around with them like this. It's harder to keep the kites off the ground with shorter or no lines
than longer lines in my experience which can be a little rough on a harsh playa but not an issue of course on grass, snow, sand, etc.
I'm Born Again sort of. Finally rode my buggy and ATB with my recently scored 5.5 and 7.0 NS2 which I got from Spencer (who got them from Old Ben,
who got them from Sean.)
Anyway - simply not enough wind today - my Paraski Flex takes more wind to fly than these Stars and I'd been meaning to try them anyway so I did
rather than drive back home. They flew pretty well between lulls and got me going when probably nothing else would have. I'd never buggied with the
7.0 Star so that was good. As an afterthought I decided to Street Kite my ATB on the "road" at the fairgrounds - so I've come full circle. That's
how I got started in all this around 5 years ago.
Here is my video - not the kind of high class Born Porn Steve posts, rather the tawdry back alley kind with 2 Born Stars taking a guy for a ride. If
you look close you can see the road hazards I have to navigate at this spot due to the recent rains.
That's awesome. beautiful kites. I love seeing that slight bend in the street bar. I did that in 40+ mph gusts with the 2.5 star in the buggy on
short lines in a gravel lot. good times.
I thought that bend might have compromised the bar but have no fear, I used it plenty of times since in strong wind and it did not continue to bend.
It actually makes one handed use a little easier.
Anyone know about this kind of rig for 5 th line safety/depower?
Ed, never seen a setup like this before. I'm not sure what you gain from fixing the two handles together into an "H". When you fly NasaStars from
handles with Z-bridles you use all four lines separately if that makes sense (a little touch of brake on the same side as you are pulling towards you
to make the kite turn more rapidly, sort of like spinning it on its center as compared to carving a turn with only power line pressure. With the bar
locked in an H like this you wouldn't be able to independently apply brake pressure as I just described. I'm not sure how the kite would behave if
you simultaneously pulled one side of the bar towards you for a turn AND flexed your wrists to pivot the H along the horizontal bar as you would when
applying brake pressure.
If you wanted five line stropped control of a NasaStar why not just use a set of stropped handles from a standard 4-line FB setup and then just string
the fifth line from an attachment point on your harness? No, you wouldn't be able to scrunch the nose for some sort of DP as you can when set up as a
three line kite but if you let go of the handles (and unhooked the strop from your harness pulley) you'd still be attached to the kite via the 5th
line.
Just some thoughts... didn't say they were good thoughts...
If the handles could pivot on the crossbar... It might work. Would take some trial on the crossbar width, probably start with having the overall
width of the H bar match the width of Borns normal bar and go from there. Would be plenty easy enough to fab up.
HQ: Symphony Beach 1.3, 2.2.4, Crossfire II 5m, Apex II 5m
Peter Lynn: Pepper II 3m, Venom II 13M
Born: NS3 4m, 7m. NS2 5.5m
I also recall seeing a picture of a guy using that sort of bar/line setup but can't seem to locate it. If I recall correctly there was only a picture
and no discussion of the method. I will continue to look a bit and post if I find it.
So I would search on permutations of NPW kite or NASA kite, etc and see if you can find anything like that.
I'm Born Again sort of. Finally rode my buggy and ATB with my recently scored 5.5 and 7.0 NS2 which I got from Spencer (who got them from Old Ben,
who got them from Sean.)
Anyway - simply not enough wind today - my Paraski Flex takes more wind to fly than these Stars and I'd been meaning to try them anyway so I did
rather than drive back home. They flew pretty well between lulls and got me going when probably nothing else would have. I'd never buggied with the
7.0 Star so that was good. As an afterthought I decided to Street Kite my ATB on the "road" at the fairgrounds - so I've come full circle. That's
how I got started in all this around 5 years ago.
Here is my video - not the kind of high class Born Porn Steve posts, rather the tawdry back alley kind with 2 Born Stars taking a guy for a ride. If
you look close you can see the road hazards I have to navigate at this spot due to the recent rains.
I've flown NS3s in all these fashions. Fun to fool around with them like this. It's harder to keep the kites off the ground with shorter or no lines
than longer lines in my experience which can be a little rough on a harsh playa but not an issue of course on grass, snow, sand, etc.
The last few days provided some strong (though as erratic as ever) winds and the opportunity to try the NS2 5.5 and 7.0 with no lines. I was
surprised how it worked though it has some drawbacks. You are right it is harder to keep them off the ground, but I don't think that means they
spend more time on the ground because you can usually recover in just a few seconds (sometimes while continuing to ride) and if there just isn't
enough wind to fly relaunching is much easier and quicker than with long lines (which may be tangled and a mess if you have to bail on the kite). Of
course, you lose the power stroke of longer lines, but can make up for that with just going bigger. I flew the 5.5 and 7.0 on days when I probably
would have been on 3-4m with long lines.
The interesting thing is it was easier to keep my line and not lose ground downwind. It is also a more convenient setup. There is probably more
turbulence and less wind closer to ground level but you have a lot more control over the kite because you can move it in and out of the power zone
quickly. So it works well enough to keep trying it I think.
Here is some more Bornographic movies.....BTW - If you want to see what a snow day (schools closed) looks like in Atlanta - here it is.
I've flown NS3s in all these fashions. Fun to fool around with them like this. It's harder to keep the kites off the ground with shorter or no lines
than longer lines in my experience which can be a little rough on a harsh playa but not an issue of course on grass, snow, sand, etc.
The last few days provided some strong (though as erratic as ever) winds and the opportunity to try the NS2 5.5 and 7.0 with no lines. I was
surprised how it worked though it has some drawbacks. You are right it is harder to keep them off the ground, but I don't think that means they
spend more time on the ground because you can usually recover in just a few seconds (sometimes while continuing to ride) and if there just isn't
enough wind to fly relaunching is much easier and quicker than with long lines (which may be tangled and a mess if you have to bail on the kite). Of
course, you lose the power stroke of longer lines, but can make up for that with just going bigger. I flew the 5.5 and 7.0 on days when I probably
would have been on 3-4m with long lines.
The interesting thing is it was easier to keep my line and not lose ground downwind. It is also a more convenient setup. There is probably more
turbulence and less wind closer to ground level but you have a lot more control over the kite because you can move it in and out of the power zone
quickly. So it works well enough to keep trying it I think.
Here is some more Bornographic movies.....BTW - If you want to see what a snow day (schools closed) looks like in Atlanta - here it is.
Nice! Well played 99, well played.
I've signed my personal emails for years as "Sent from my Shoephone".
Thanks Steve. One nice thing about short lines - it shows off the kites better than long ones. I used my pantleg cam on this one. Maybe I should
use a shoephone cam on the next one.
I've flown NS3s in all these fashions. Fun to fool around with them like this. It's harder to keep the kites off the ground with shorter or no lines
than longer lines in my experience which can be a little rough on a harsh playa but not an issue of course on grass, snow, sand, etc.
The last few days provided some strong (though as erratic as ever) winds and the opportunity to try the NS2 5.5 and 7.0 with no lines. I was
surprised how it worked though it has some drawbacks. You are right it is harder to keep them off the ground, but I don't think that means they
spend more time on the ground because you can usually recover in just a few seconds (sometimes while continuing to ride) and if there just isn't
enough wind to fly relaunching is much easier and quicker than with long lines (which may be tangled and a mess if you have to bail on the kite). Of
course, you lose the power stroke of longer lines, but can make up for that with just going bigger. I flew the 5.5 and 7.0 on days when I probably
would have been on 3-4m with long lines.
The interesting thing is it was easier to keep my line and not lose ground downwind. It is also a more convenient setup. There is probably more
turbulence and less wind closer to ground level but you have a lot more control over the kite because you can move it in and out of the power zone
quickly. So it works well enough to keep trying it I think.
Here is some more Bornographic movies.....BTW - If you want to see what a snow day (schools closed) looks like in Atlanta - here it is.
I have (or something close) but it has been a long time, and before I started riding a buggy. See picture below. I've had this theory that I could
really get by with just one of these kites for all wind ranges. For the highest winds just fly off the bar, and as wind drops add more length. I'm
not sure if it would be the 5.5 or 7.0 but somewhere in that range. I already tried them both a few weeks ago in "too light" wind on 25m lines.
But then - who wants only one kite anyway.....
Attachment: phpsLsClT (25kB) This file has been downloaded 193 times
I have (or something close) but it has been a long time, and before I started riding a buggy. See picture below. I've had this theory that I could
really get by with just one of these kites for all wind ranges. For the highest winds just fly off the bar, and as wind drops add more length. I'm
not sure if it would be the 5.5 or 7.0 but somewhere in that range. I already tried them both a few weeks ago in "too light" wind on 25m lines.
But then - who wants only one kite anyway.....
rolling resistance has a lot to do it too. I could get by on a whisper with the 5.5 on asphalt where I wouldn't have budged on grass.
On the same token, a 5.5 or 7 would be a lot to hang on to in strong wind, even on no lines.
However, you already know all of this . Your better versed than I on all
things nasa.
An epic day yesterday - best I've ever had at a place not call Jekyll. I even mastered a new trick - Kite Laydown 360 Jibe. (Believe it or not - I've done several times - good way to recover.)
An epic day yesterday - best I've ever had at a place not call Jekyll. I even mastered a new trick - Kite Laydown 360 Jibe. (Believe it or not - I've done several times - good way to recover.)
Outstanding! Very smoothly done. Most impressed. I have to say that throughout my stint as a (distinctly amateur) power kite pilot that I've always
really liked the look of the vertical stripes of the NS2s. I've never owned one but just love how they look. I know just what it is that I like
about them too; they remind me of a beloved cartoon character from my yute, viz., Obelix, from the great French series Asterix and Obelix.
Steve, somehow i doubt that Steffen will be using the fact that his kites resemble a fat Frenchman in his marketing .
As to your statement about amateur status, a) I have seen you fly, that is not true and b) if it is true Paul and I will turn you Pro when we drag you
around the Playa at IBX.
NASA wings -1 to 12m [mostly KM4]
Foils -2 -12m [mostly PL & Pansh]
VTT Stinger on Midi's
Another day in Paradise...
Steve, somehow i doubt that Steffen will be using the fact that his kites resemble a fat Frenchman in his marketing .
As to your statement about amateur status, a) I have seen you fly, that is not true and b) if it is true Paul and I will turn you Pro when we drag you
around the Playa at IBX.
You two have always been pros in my book. I just hang on and bask in your greatness like the groupie I am. Now, if I only had a kite squire, my kite
world would be complete!
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