Power Kite Forum - Observers - Can't figure this one out

Observers - Can't figure this one out

rtz - 17-10-2015 at 07:39 PM

Say it's a really windy day. Small kites are out and "high" buggy speeds are obtained. Passersbys pay no attention(not that I mind or care).

Now on a light wind day; when "huge" kites are out and one struggles just to do 10 mph; cars slow down to watch, people take pictures and video, groups stop and watch.

I'm struggling just to move; struggling just to keep the kite in the sky. Why all the interest?

What about the days I'm zipping around at ~30mph with a 2m kite? Boggles my mind every time.

volock - 17-10-2015 at 07:42 PM

Because zipping around is scarier to get in the way of / people think we just have stunt kites out when it's under 3m... But I know exactly what you mean. No wind and I get twice the questions/photos/people gawking...

Then again higher winds/kite moving and I get a lot more kids with negligent parents who run under the kites and ruin my day.

IFlyKites - 17-10-2015 at 11:38 PM

Aha, I can relate to this. Even though I'm pretty much still a newbie I always get groups of people pass by and ask questions, especially when I use the Psycho 15m (now sold). One guy even took the effort to kneel for 15 minutes waiting for me to launch holding his DSLR, waiting to take that perfect picture. Never happened due to the crap winds :lol:

Poor guy...

What volock said, I think it has to do with the size of the kite. Smaller kites just look plain and they don't really catch anyone's interest. But once they see the larger kites, it catches everyone's eye.

Here are some question's I have gotten, so far:

-What is that called what you're doing?
-How fast can you go on that board?
-When was this invented?
-Have you been doing this long?

IMK - 17-10-2015 at 11:54 PM

Maybe they think the small kites are just 'toys' and the big kites are the serious stuff.

shehatesmyhobbies - 18-10-2015 at 04:56 AM

Here on the east coast, it's all about temps and conditions. If conditions outside are cold and windy, no one there to watch. If it's warm and low wind, usually people come out of the wood work to just be outside.

Best part is no matter how windy or lack there of, if you get going in the buggy, you are sure to get a lull just as soon as you pass over someone sitting in a lawn chair. :wee:

ssayre - 18-10-2015 at 06:00 AM

my crowd pleasing kites have always been my largest. The venom got the most attention when I had it and for good reason. I could use it with a decent breeze and I still think their shape and size look magical.

3shot - 18-10-2015 at 06:16 AM

Yes. Or like the lady at the post office says, "hey you got another parachute in today". Lol

WELDNGOD - 18-10-2015 at 07:31 AM

People are usually stopping in their tracks ,grabbing their phones,and just plain gawkin:o. But then it's not everyday you see a KOKOPELLI kiting down the beach!

abkayak - 18-10-2015 at 07:33 AM

I can understand that sight giving people pause

ssayre - 18-10-2015 at 08:16 AM

I had no observers yesterday, but it was a great day to be alive. Today will be as well. wind or no wind (but hopefully wind

indigo_wolf - 18-10-2015 at 08:39 AM

Make a two coluimn list.

In Column A list the number of 6-10 feet land based vehicles you have seen or can imagine traveling at ~30 mph.

In Column B list all the 6-10 meter low flying things you have seen or can imagine seeing 10 to 60 feet off the deck.

Shorter list wins.

Bigger kites have a greater "spectacle" factor and can bee seen from farther off.

ATB,
Sam

Bladerunner - 18-10-2015 at 09:55 AM

This topic became pretty important when fighting to keep our park. / creating a C.O.C..

Even the folks in city council had to have the situation explained to them.

When the wind is light and we are all out there with big kites the situation " looks " dangerous. With the sucker winds and all the kites aren't always up in the air. The fact is that when we are out with our big kites we are moving slow and the kites themselves pose much less of a risk of injury. When the winds are strong we are on much smaller kites. We make control " look " easy and rarely drop a kite. Fact is we are moving faster and our kites under considerably more tension = more lethal.

This misconception works against us in another way. TOO often I have folks come up and ask " can I try that ? " when I am flying a full sized kite in pretty strong wind. When you explain to them that you start small and work up to kites like these you get all kinds of negative feedback. Generally though, they lose interest fast. Nothing worthwhile ever comes that easy! Making it look easy almost works against us.

Windstruck - 18-10-2015 at 10:36 AM

Quote: Originally posted by IFlyKites

Here are some question's I have gotten, so far:

-What is that called what you're doing?
-How fast can you go on that board?
-When was this invented?
-Have you been doing this long?

As mentioned a little later in this thread, I've gotten "can I try?" quite a bit. A couple of days ago I got an interesting one: "Are you pulling the kite or is the kite pulling you?" That one came from about a 12 year old and I actually thought it was a pretty good question out of the guy.

I think we sort of get used to and therefore forget how big a 12+ square meter kite looks out on 20+ meter lines pulling around somebody in a buggy, on a board, etc. That's a lot of ripstop! For most people a kite is more like what Charlie Brown flies (probably 1 sq m) so our big ladies just look huge to folks!

Dayhiker - 18-10-2015 at 01:13 PM

"You should get longer lines because isn't it the point to see how high you can fly?"

"I think something is wrong with your parachute."

"Can't you keep it in the air so I can get a picture?"

"Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it."

ssayre - 18-10-2015 at 01:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Windstruck

Quote: Originally posted by IFlyKites

Here are some question's I have gotten, so far:

-What is that called what you're doing?
-How fast can you go on that board?
-When was this invented?
-Have you been doing this long?

I've been asked and obliged twice on "can I try" as long as they are an able bodied male and I'm using my nasa stars because it doesn't hurt them to crash. I get a kick when they fall forward and let go :evil: It's always a HUGE eye opener for them. :D Not saying I recommend that but use your own judgement based on kite and conditions.

BeamerBob - 18-10-2015 at 02:01 PM

Brian Holgate, Kent Kingston and I launched a 24 m Phantom II on 80m lines and some guy walked up to us and said he had seen it from the interstate 3-4 miles away and just had to come see what it was. The kite was above the lights on a soccer field and it's the largest kite I've ever flown.

shehatesmyhobbies - 18-10-2015 at 02:52 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob

Brian Holgate, Kent Kingston and I launched a 24 m Phantom II on 80m lines and some guy walked up to us and said he had seen it from the interstate 3-4 miles away and just had to come see what it was. The kite was above the lights on a soccer field and it's the largest kite I've ever flown.

That 24m PII was awesome to fly and definitely amazing to see in the air.

Windstruck - 18-10-2015 at 02:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob

WOW! That sounds cool. Heck, I know what you're doing and I think I would have pulled off from the highway too!

MotoFoo86 - 18-10-2015 at 03:53 PM

I would have been the annoying guy... "Can I try"

Feyd - 18-10-2015 at 05:07 PM

We were riding on Mt. Washington one time. May 25th a few years back. It was a rare instance where there was still rideable snow up there but the auto road had been opened up for the season.

We had a couple who saw us from the base while driving down route 16 and decided to pay the entry fee for the auto road to drive up and see what the heck we were doing.

That was a great day. Destroyed a brand new 10m Charger 1 about 5 minutes after taking it out of the bag. I felt awful but had the 12m as a backup.

We had fun though and got some great pictures.

http://hardwaterkiter.blogspot.com/2010/05/my-snowkite-seaso...

MotoFoo86 - 18-10-2015 at 05:41 PM

Got me all excited thinking you came out west, there's a mt. Washington about 40 miles from me. Was going to pick your brain

Demoknight - 19-10-2015 at 07:24 AM

My high wind kite is a 12m Rasta Charger 2, my low wind kite is a 19m Speed 3 Deluxe, and my buggy is powder coated bright Yellow with vinyl number plates in a black and yellow scheme with a plate on the back with my custom created Weird Beard logo. People stop and watch me no matter what kite or whether I am moving or stopped.

The most common question I get is "How much does a rig like that cost?" I hate answering that question because the answer is, "First of all, you could die. Second of all, what did I pay, or what does it cost to get started?"

Also, there is a pretty big community of kite surfers here in Chicago, and we share the same beach pretty much any time the wind is right for me to buggy. One thing that kite surfers seem to confuse is everything to do with foils of any kind. Chicago kiters only use tubes. Period. I have overheard some of the surfers talking to observers before while they both watch me, and if I am ever flying a fixed bridle on handles, it is called a "trainer kite." That irks me big time. A 3.5m Reactor will rip your arms off once the wind gets into the upper teens. I find it funny how alien fixed bridles are to people that took kite surfing lessons and that is their only wind sport. The only fixed bridle they have seen or flown was a 3 line trainer on a bar, and any kite that isn't depower is just to practice before you fly a "real" kite.

ssayre - 19-10-2015 at 07:41 AM

The only observers I usually have are school bus drivers that drive the connecting road to the bus garage that borders my field. I have always waved but never could see the driver well enough to know if they waved back. Saturday I waved and they honked back. It made me feel welcome so that was nice. On the other edge is train tracks and the engineers usually wave or blow the horn.

rectifier - 19-10-2015 at 11:32 AM

Quote:

A 3.5m Reactor will rip your arms off

When I used to fly by the city I'd had a couple guys flying 3 line trainers ask to try my 3.2m Crossfire. I always say no, because when the wind is high enough that the Crossfire comes out... there is no chance of a beginner holding on to it static. It's so fast in the air, and its power and lift go up so rapidly with kite speed... it's a dangerous little kite, like most little kites.

Agreed that nobody is impressed to see me fly it, however. The 7m NPW gets a lot more eyeballs, especially because it's homemade. However, zero requests to try it, I guess it intimidates

acampbell - 19-10-2015 at 01:37 PM

"Where can I rent one of those?"

Demoknight - 20-10-2015 at 07:18 AM

Besides the where can I rent that, "Did you rent that?"
"Did you make that?" "No, but a buddy in Texas did!" (Van)

acampbell - 20-10-2015 at 08:27 AM

From the guy looking at the buggy: "Does that thing fly?"
My answer: "Not on purpose."

soliver - 21-10-2015 at 06:38 AM

How often have you heard the classic "... so wheres the motor?"

Demoknight - 21-10-2015 at 07:30 AM

That is the next most common question for me. People sometimes think I am pulling the kite behind me, not the other way around.

PHREERIDER - 21-10-2015 at 12:07 PM

one of my favorites , esp. on land board, is "I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE"

my answer, "well you can't say that now"

rtz, the observers are like flies...as long as you're moving they will not land on you, so motion is your friend! as long as you are moving they are not going to bother you. but stop for a second and they are on you!

and of course when its blasting, theres no one around.

maybe its me, but this really gets me going.
people just walk up and just start blast chatting about whatever, theres no "HELLO" , "HI"..."hello my name is..." "Good day" ....zero intro, nothing. a little informal salutation goes along way in revving up the exchange ...otherwise its beginning and ending can be the same...or apparently i'm just gonna be listening , like to a homily ...i generally give an uncomfortable amount of time for it continue ... since we were not formally introduced what can you do?

Bladerunner - 21-10-2015 at 04:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PHREERIDER

rtz, the observers are like flies...as long as you're moving they will not land on you, so motion is your friend! as long as you are moving they are not going to bother you. but stop for a second and they are on you!

This is good advice!

In my local park the paragliders kite there canopies just upwind from me for practice. That is between me and the seawall. I discovered that they are stuck in one spot. If I keep moving they are left to answer all the questions and explain that what I am up to / flying is different.

It is a convenient filter. :smug: