I can't find the old thread for this so starting one up for this season.

I rode alone a good bit this weekend so had to field the usual questions. Does that ever lift you and send you away?, Where can I rent one of those ....

I got a new one though! A guy comes up to me and says " a am going to fly my drone. Do you mind if I SHOOT you ? !!!!!
My toy quadcopter has an attachment to shoot little foam darts.
I said " shoot me with WHAT " ? He meant the wanted to shoot video. YOU KNOW I said YES!

The other day I was asked if my Peak was a kite or a parachute. Lol

I rarely see another person. I usually just get the random car that drives by slow or stops. Usually when I'm having some technical difficulty lol. I did have a drone follow my kite as I buggied. I couldn't see the drone pilot or I would have tried to talk to him. I think he was on the other side of the building. At any rate he must have been fairly far away. I was surprised how close he was getting to the kite. I had to adjust my flying to keep from hitting it at times.

bladerunner, maybe you and the drone pilot can team up so you can get some drone footage of you kiting!

I got tired of asking folks to pass on video long ago. They almost never follow through.

My local spot is on the sea wall. Tourists have pictures of me from all over the world, I expect?

Yup; crazy questions all the time. Here's a new one for me:

Good Friday offered me the day off with wind. Okay, it was cold, and my field was covered with ice, but there was wind: out came my little orange Pansh to static-fly.
After about 30 minutes of flying, a lady came wandering over... "Mind if I ask a question"
"Not at all. Wanna give it a try?"
"No, it's too cold, but do you mind if I ask if you're from Bermuda?"
Huh? "No, I've grown up here."
"Well, my family moved here from Bermuda a couple of years ago, and back home it's tradition to fly a kite on Good Friday. Seeing your kite in the air reminded me of home and made me smile and I just wanted to say thank you." And she turned to head back to her car.
"Thank you!"

Sometimes, the simplest things we do have a positive impact on others. When we're really lucky, we find out about it.

Quote: Originally posted by hiaguy

Yup; crazy questions all the time. Here's a new one for me: Good Friday offered me the day off with wind. Okay, it was cold, and my field was covered with ice, but there was wind: out came my little orange Pansh to static-fly. After about 30 minutes of flying, a lady came wandering over... "Mind if I ask a question" "Not at all. Wanna give it a try?" "No, it's too cold, but do you mind if I ask if you're from Bermuda?" Huh? "No, I've grown up here." "Well, my family moved here from Bermuda a couple of years ago, and back home it's tradition to fly a kite on Good Friday. Seeing your kite in the air reminded me of home and made me smile and I just wanted to say thank you." And she turned to head back to her car. "Thank you!" Sometimes, the simplest things we do have a positive impact on others. When we're really lucky, we find out about it.

Nice thread in general and very nice post here in particular.

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

I got a new one though! A guy comes up to me and says " a am going to fly my drone. Do you mind if I SHOOT you ? !!!!! My toy quadcopter has an attachment to shoot little foam darts. I said " shoot me with WHAT " ? He meant the wanted to shoot video.

Wow... As a "responsible" adult who flies some pretty decently sized R/C quadcopters and helicopters (500mm and up) that individual would've pissed me off - and would've gotten an earful. The person who flew the drone so near at hand to ssayre - that behavior is utterly unforgivable!!! A close encounter of the wrong kind with even a small quadcopter can produce a surprisingly serious injury! Don't take my word for it...there's plenty of gruesome pix on youtube and on various quad and heli user groups.

I fly full manual - i.e. I do not rely on any autopilot software to orient the heli's or quadcopters or get them to return home like folks who fly those stupid waste-of money DJI Phantoms and their ilk. They are not "PILOTS" in the true sense of the word so they seem to think they can escape blame or liability citing a failure of the device (BS) when things go wonky - which they do all the time.

Sorry...but the common sense and LAWFUL rules of the Association of Model Aeronautics clearly state their policy with regard to intentionally flying that near to people, livestock, wild animals, etc., etc. Pisses me off when they do - because the reputation of responsible R/C fliers is being besmirched by folks who do stupid acts such as those you describe.

Next time some jack-off flies that close to you or your kite without your express prior permission using a quadcopter - I recommend you set him/her straight. Remind the person that the million dollars in liability insurance provided by the AMA is >>NULL and VOID<< if you are not flying at a sanctioned field or event.

**End of Rant - Stepping down from soapbox**

Frank

Cruising up and down the beach this past Saturday I noticed someone following me, but keeping a good distance away. When i stopped they pulled up beside me and the driver said that is so cool, where's the engine?

I had to chuckle and we ended up chatting for 20 minutes!

Quote: Originally posted by 3shot

The other day I was asked if my Peak was a kite or a parachute. Lol

You're not alone with the Peak situation! Was landboarding on the weekend and overheard a father say to their son, "Look son, now that's a real parachute!"

A couple of dogs have wanted to ask me a question on several occasions
mostly I outran them....

I was walking to my beach the other day while pulling my buggy loaded with kites behind me. My beach is about a mile and a half walk each way, so I pass plenty of people on my way there. One question I actually get more than I realized is, "What is wrong with it?" They are talking about my buggy, why am I walking and pulling it and not riding it. The other question is, "Where is the motor? How are you pulling that kite around?"

I do get the question a lot, "Where can I rent one of those?" which I have to break them the bad news that if you don't already own one, you can't rent one anywhere.

The number one question that I get more than anything is also my most hated question and I usually give really vague answers to, "How much does that cost?" That question really f***ing irks me. Nobody that asks that is ever going to go buy the equipment, so there is no point in asking. If you are actually interested, go look it up. Don't ask me such a stupid and rude question like that. I think every hobby I am a part of, be that skating, table tennis, kiting, R/C cars, PC gaming; every hobby kind of has this one unspoken rule that you don't really talk about price of something unless you are comparing two similar things together. Price point can be a deciding factor between two kites or buggies, but you don't ask a hobbyist how much they paid for their toy. It is just so rude.

Sorry for the short rant at the end.

Quote: Originally posted by Demoknight

I do get the question a lot, "Where can I rent one of those?" which I have to break them the bad news that if you don't already own one, you can't rent one anywhere. The number one question that I get more than anything is also my most hated question and I usually give really vague answers to, "How much does that cost?" That question really f***ing irks me. Nobody that asks that is ever going to go buy the equipment, so there is no point in asking. If you are actually interested, go look it up. Don't ask me such a stupid and rude question like that. I think every hobby I am a part of, be that skating, table tennis, kiting, R/C cars, PC gaming; every hobby kind of has this one unspoken rule that you don't really talk about price of something unless you are comparing two similar things together. Price point can be a deciding factor between two kites or buggies, but you don't ask a hobbyist how much they paid for their toy. It is just so rude. Sorry for the short rant at the end.

true that , ridiculous repeat for sure ... in general i try to avoid contact with people. jacked into tunes and just keep moving.

but the "cost " question ---->a mountain of TIME

heres a popular one:
"how long did it take to learn ?" ----> still learning EVERYDAY

and a most recent reccurring :
"did you invent that? i have never seen that before?"
------> no, but you can't say that now.... your world is different.

and in general the less contact the better ...drop, set and JET !

smile and wave---- that knida relationship i can handle.

My craziest session this year is seeing kites in the air while having to work. I might improve this though along summer and Autumn.

One question that drives me nuts is : WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT SPORT? :duh:

I can never decide what to call it. If I'm in the buggy and want to keep it simple I just say " kite buggy " . It's harder when I'm on Coyotes. :ticking:

How do you all answer that question? ( when not using a buggy )

Chad, I love your " now your life has changed " reply to people who say they have never seen the sport. In the past I have been asked if I am Peter Lynn a few times. The sweatshirt and mostly PL gear must give them that idea? If they only knew what a compliment that could be! If they had a CLUE!

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

How do you all answer that question? ( when not using a buggy )

I usually answer with "Power Kiting"

I used to have a sign on my car that said "Its called a kite buggy, Google it."

I have been asked the "where's the engine?" question many times and I always answer with something to the effect of "at the end of the lines about 60 feet away"

The "How much does it cost?" question doesn't bother me that much as I do get asked it quite a bit... i believe it is the most popular question and I usually answer with a good round honest number. Being at JIBE for the last week, wifey encountered a lot of the questions along side of me and she told me that when people ask how much it costs I should be certain to add in health insurance deductibles, doctor's copays and ER visits ... she's still nursing her wounds from MY injury

I did get asked this evening by a REALLY strange kid on the beach (seemed kinda like he had fried too many brain cells with elicit substances) "Why do you wear a helmet?"... When I explained the dangers involved, he responded by explaining that he was from Pennsylvania, and "...if I was to flip or get hurt, I'd just hold up my hand and wait it out, but nobody'd probably come help, cuz thats what its like where I'm from... " ... it was a VERY strange encounter. I thought that here in Georgia, WE were supposed to be the rednecks?!?!?!?!

On the same topic but different situation. I spent 15 years working on a ship taking people to and from various ports in Alaska. I would frequently get asked questions that seemed comical. The most popular one was "do they take American money in Alaska? One time I was standing out on deck enjoying a beautiful sunset when a passenger came to me and said. "Excuse me sir. Do you work here? I replied yes sir what can I do for you. He says... I was just wondering. How far above sea level are we? I smiled looked over the side of the ship and said about thirty feet. Haha! He looked at me with a confused look said oh and walked away. My other personal favorite one is. What time do the whales come out? LOL! That one makes me giggle every time! a few months ago I was at the beach with my 5m Beamer and a gentleman comes up to me and says Wow that's a really big kite. I said yup. He says I bet they don't make them much bigger then that. I smiled and said. Nope! Haha! It was a good time!

Pennsylvania has plenty of Rednecks and hicktowns. Maybe not as many as Georgia, but still plenty. Couple that with Amish, Mennonites, farmers and other plain folks and Pennsylvania turns into a pretty interesting place.

There is a certain type of people it is lacking, though: Power Kiters. Being new to the sport, I've never met another kiter in person.

When I'm out flying my Rush 350 pro, plenty of people slow down as they drive by and luckily they can't ask questions cause I'm standing in the middle of a farm field. I can't wait for snow season when the whole landscape around me turns into a play ground.

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

One question that drives me nuts is : WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT SPORT? :duh: I can never decide what to call it. If I'm in the buggy and want to keep it simple I just say " kite buggy " . It's harder when I'm on Coyotes. :ticking: How do you all answer that question? ( when not using a buggy ) Chad, I love your " now your life has changed " reply to people who say they have never seen the sport. In the past I have been asked if I am Peter Lynn a few times. The sweatshirt and mostly PL gear must give them that idea? If they only knew what a compliment that could be! If they had a CLUE!

right on Ken!

almost a decade doing this in the same spot...and i will here it today.

changing lives everyday

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner

One question that drives me nuts is : WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT SPORT? :duh: I can never decide what to call it. If I'm in the buggy and want to keep it simple I just say " kite buggy " . It's harder when I'm on Coyotes. :ticking: How do you all answer that question? ( when not using a buggy ) Chad, I love your " now your life has changed " reply to people who say they have never seen the sport. In the past I have been asked if I am Peter Lynn a few times. The sweatshirt and mostly PL gear must give them that idea? If they only knew what a compliment that could be! If they had a CLUE!

Sometimes I answer that it is the most fun my wife barely lets me do or something along those lines!

In direct answer to your question I would call the three sports I do that involve a kite as motive power "kite buggying", "snow kiting", and "kite skating". Why snow kiting and kite skating seem to be sort of backwards of one another I have idly wondered about. :puzzled:

I class the following as a #@%$#!ing dumb questions because of the context . . .

Out of the foil board and the 21 cos it was super light. After about an hour, I duffed a downloop transition and put the kite on the water. Couldn't get it high enough to flip around from a reverse launch, and wrapped a tip in the attempt so I gave up and packed it down (mostly) and started the swim in.

Fisherschmuck in a boat drives past, then comes back for a rubberneck . . . and says . . . "Are you ok?"

buy my buggy give me a reason to come to a kiting event

I rarely get such questions at my spots. Only the wave of a school bus driver that I'm trying to keep up with or at times sharing the road with. Or the occasional dog walker that seems like always gives kind of an annoyed look.

Quote: Originally posted by sand flea

buy my buggy give me a reason to come to a kiting event

:karate:

Buy My buggy I need a reason to come to a kiting event.

I haven't been able to use it in 3 years and want to finance a trip to SOBB and clear some space in the garage. Hobbies change with locations.

Buy my kites so they don't have to be lonely out of the wind.

Yesterdays questions were pretty common. The one that bugs me " Do you do that on water " ?

I tell them I started on water but don't go there any more. It is either too cold or too polluted around here.

NO! It's not new on land. It started on land! :ticking:

With concern to the How Much Does One of Those Cost? question.
The person on the asking side is rude, however kiters are not rude back, are we?
I fly mostly in public so I get one of these people at least on every trip to the fields.

I'm a little miffed when they ask cost as the only question, and my heathen heart wants to say how much did your wife's wedding ring cost you?

The presumption is that if they spend some number of dollars they can do what I'm doing. I have been cut, dragged, sunburnt, stood in fields pleading with the wind angels for favor, and sprained something once in awhile for the privilege of being a kite fool.
Oh, and the correct answer is all your spare money and then some, which come to think of it is the same price as a wedding ring with accessories.

I've settled on..About 500 dollars and 100 hrs on the field will get you started nicely..
This answer redirects the question before I get miffed and give folks the wrong impression about us.
I'm happy it's not just me, and grateful for the opportunity to vent, here.

I just have my 1.8 meter kite, but people that have seen me playing around with it say they never seen a kite like that.

Or I can hear kids asking their parents for one.

I forgot to say I'm Spanish and in my culture it's thought that if someone asks you how much it cost that they are really wanting to know it to see how much value something like that might have if they come across it. Which also means if they steal they know what the resale value could be to sell it.

It's one of the things I watch for when people ask me about my parrot I'm like she was free cause she screams alot.