Ok, this is going to blow your mind and maybe make you grimace a bit, but I need some super fast help on everything to buy to get a kite program started. And I need it by tomorrow afternoon.

Check this out. I started working on a USMC base in the outdoor recreation dept. this past winter, and they wanted to start some new programs. I started pushing for a full kiting program with surf, buggy, and atb because we are right on the coast, have tons of wind, and have tons of open area (lots of landing fields). Bosses liked the idea, but there wasn't any funds to buy equipment.

Just the past week though it looks like we are going to get to start up a test program that requires servicemen returning from deployment to attend a high-adventure outdoor recreation activity similar to what the Army just started. Check this out:
http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/09/10/12271-army-to-test-warr...
They have been up and running for a while, and it has shown results, so now we may get to give it a try. The bosses came back to me and said what do you need to get this going. I showed them some random links for package deals, and they put in a request for the cash.

But I just found out yesterday that now they want a full summary of exactly what we wanted ordered, and they want it by Monday, so if we get approval they can just hit the order button. This is where the grimace part comes in. My plan was to have a few of us take some classes on the Outer Banks, NC and get trained up to level 3, then go get PASA cert. I figured that would give us a chance to try out a bunch of gear and talk to people. We could also take advantage of Kitty Hawk Kites rental program and try out a bunch of different gear to find out what would work well for the program. Then about the end of summer we would buy everything. But that isn't the way gov. works I guess. :puzzled:

So my first thought was to hit up the pros here and get as much input as I can. I will mention I have spoken with Prisim Kites, and they might help us out with a really good deal on some Tensor. I like that they have the bar that converts to handles so we could give guys both experiences. I'm thinking that there might be other companies that would be willing to set up a deal as well since I'm talking about exposing hundreds up to thousands of young guys and ladies to their products. And these are guys that can have lots of disposable income with they come home and if we get them hooked on kites, they would have no problem buying what they know.

So help me out here. If you know about a sweet package deal from somewhere, or some of the guys here that have shops and want to set something up, let me know. I would like to have about 12-13 buggies, atb, and sets of quivers total so that guys that wanted to do buggy and atb would be covered, and then the gear for surf as well.

For an example of what I was showing the boss the other day:
http://www.awindofchange.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&am...
I explained how you need different kites for different winds, and how a package like that had 2 kites at a good price. Bosses are all about package deals for some reason.

Help me out here guys. What would you purchase if you were in my shoes.
And mods, if this is the wrong forum, or you can think of a better one where it would get more eyes, feel free to move. Thanks.

I know that Ripsession is all about helping out in exactly this kind of thing. I will bring this to KiteMammas attention and she will be talking to Rip' . He is down in Oregon until Monday though?

Funny thing as far as teaching goes. Pasa has snowkite certification but nothing for buggy or board? You won't find a anybody in North America that can make that claim and back it up with insurance . That said, it sounds like you will be covered for insurance and there is no law saying you can't teach somebody.

I know Angus has made in roads with Pasa and land certification but it is far from a done deal?

What a fantastic opportunity ! I am not sure how I can help other than call KiteMamma but will do anyting to help out I can

Very cool opportunity. I think some dealers will be making calls to manufacturers today. I would be!:shocked2:

Also, forgot to mention about trainer kites.
Right now I'm happy with my Hydra, but I was thinking if we had 2 classes running at the same time, a land and water, might be better to have something like:
http://www.oceanrodeo.com/kiting/rise_2m_sle_trainer
and like a Rush III. I like the training potential of that Ocean Rodeo with the depower as well.

So suggestions for training kites are welcome.

And Blade, thanks for the quick reply. You can still help by telling me if you had to do it all over again (considering all the gear you have bought and own now), what would you have bought to go from zero to hero the easiest.

I left a phone message with KiteMamma at Ripsession today . She may be in Oregon with Richard?

I think those Prism kites are a great idea and would go with them if offered a deal for sure.

I think they only way to speed from Zero to Hero is proper training. The equipment is secondary. I wish I could find that gear!

I do think you are hoping to offer up a bit more than can be put together in the time frame given. It sounds like you are expecting large numbers to join? Buggy, ATB, and water all require investment in different ways. You definately will benefit from Crossover kites . Try and talk to Chris from HQ, Richard from Peter Lynn . Both of these Brands can satisfy your COMPLETE needs for land and water best. The only ones I can say would be " one stop shopping " as the Gov' seems to want ? ( you could try Flysurfer but ??? )

I have helped our kite shop with group " intro " flying nights + lots of 1 on 1 as well . Also taken 1/2 dozen lessons so I can offer steps to folow at the intro' level. That next step is the big one!

Access 4 is a good trainer/high wind tool, in my exp. I absolutely second the 'crossover kites' like PL or HQ. I would normally not recommend them to beginners for water use, but in this case we know they'd be used under quite good supervision!

On-beach time with atb/buggy can teach great kite skills, then they can take those skills to the water with a bit more confidence. I believe you would have no problem with having a certified instructor come to you guys and teach weekly/whatever if you can find a local person.

Absolutely best of luck!

Good idea but pardon me while I chuckle at the US military not having funds ho ho ho

I have one of those Rise trainers, and never really liked it. For your Buggy program I would look at Beamers or Flows....Personally The peter lynn Arcs would really truly fit your bill

U2U sent

I had exchanged emails with folks at Camp Lejeune about a month ago with regards to demoing HQ Kites on base for such a program. Where you involved in that exchange?

@ erratic winds
I started off looking at local shops to contract out the work, but best case is about $350 for a 4 hour lesson (that is 2 for ground school and 2 practicing on the water.) No way we can do that. Right now the Army is supposedly allotting about $80 per service member. It is able to equal out because some guys choose to play paintball, which is cheap, but others go rock climbing at places like Pilot Mountain for their adventure, and that is a good bit more.

And just in case anyone is frowning at the money being spent on these guys, the results of this program are looking promising at helping combat vets step down to normal lives and reintegrate into society after the horrors of battle. Spending this little bit now to show them ways to get their adrenalin up (like by kiting) rather than racing their cars down the road at top speed and crashing (happens all the time) or worse having to spend years in therapy for PTSD.

@ Chris
Yes, I was the person that contacted you.
I had hoped to have you come and do a demo during a big event so I could have some bosses see some marines trying things out and how into it they would get. I still hope to get something like that together. I'll shoot you a U2U in a few mins.

Right now I'm trying to find if there are any hotel rooms left for the Kite expo at Hatteras. I'm going to go into work tomorrow and try and convince them to give me till after the expo for the final order details. I really think they are setting us up for failure if they don't give us the time select gear proper for beginners, multiple wind conditions, etc., and I will point that out.

Chris, are you, and anyone else here on the forum, going to be at the expo?

I'll be at the Expo representing HQ. I'm sure a few others from the forum will be there, too. AJ (from Kitty Hawk Kites) for sure. Hope to see you there. We'd still interested in visiting you, too.

Not many hotel rooms in Rodanthe / Waves area (compared to Nags Head or KDH) but there are plenty of campgrounds.

im around too to help your quest.

If the USMC would pay for the courier costs, I'd donate the Sqaure One happily

As far as what to buy I would recommend a range of stable kites from 2m to 5-6m with several in each size. I would stick with good quality companies like Peter Lynn, HQ, Ozone, PKD and there are others. There are different sizes of marines out there and a 2m for a smaller guy might work when a 3m or 4m with a larger guy. Getting the larger kites will also let you fly in lower winds. Larger than 6m though and I am not sure you will get much better effect for what you are trying to do.

As far as what you are trying to do I think it has amazing potential. I returned from Iraq in 2005. I found a void in my life when I returned as I was often stuck inside and was looking for a safe outlet for my energy. Many return home to find life feels dull and bland. Kiting for me has filled some of that void. It is exhilarating to get outside, harness the wind, and feel the energy the kite produces. The fight against the pull and power of the kite brings excitement into my life. It has also changed my attitude towards windy days and I don't want to stay inside, feeling couped up. As I progressed to using the kites with a buggy and board the feelings of freedom and accomplishment were amazing. I have often wondered how to bring this sport to more veterans. I wish you well with your program. If my words can help your cause please let me know.

I would be more than happy to help you out as well. Let me know what you would like as far as gear and I can put together a quote for you to submit to your superiors.

whats the budget and we can get something together asap

Ill be at the expo and khk for lessons!

It has been a crazy couple of days here in the office with kayaking programs and other stuff, but looks like what I need to figure out exactly what equipment we need and turn that in now by next Tuesday after the Hatteras kite expo. We will probably then bid that out. So could all the dealers that frequent the forum U2U me with your contact info asap. I know I already have a few contacts. Please try and come up with a shopping list of what you would do if you were going to start up your own power kite school with a possible class size up to 13. I would really like to start smaller with groups of 4-5, but they want to think big right now. With that shopping list give us what you think your best price would be including an estimated shipping. I'm going to print everything out and present it with pictures and explination to the boss, so any details as to why you picked that over something else would help me explain it. I know this is asking a lot of you guys, but like I said I had planned on being able to do this myself after a summer of hardcore lessons and training and pratice, not in the span of a week.

Again, this would be for buggy, ATB, and surf (mostly freestyle/wake in the sound/river, with guys that get into it getting to go ocean side). Any kind of cross over would be awesome, but not necessary. For instance right now I'm trying to decide if something like a Neo2 would work, or if we should go dedicated land kites and a LEI. Mabey a set of kites with bars and a set with handles. Think about any accessories we need. When we submitted the proposal to headquarters, we estimated an average of about $2300 for a full surf setup (have to add harness and maybe other stuff), about $1,000 for buggy setup, ATBs seperate, plus all the safetly stuff. If I could come in well under that it would mean we could buy a lot more gear.
Those numbers were based off these package deals just as random examples:
http://store.kittyhawk.com/Wakestyle-Kite-Plus-Board-Kiteboa...
and
http://www.awindofchange.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&am...

I will mention too that the more I look at the info on buggies, I think the Bigfoot would serve us best. We have miles of beach, but it is mostly loose sand, and we have massive landing fields, but they can be a bit bumby and have the occasional muddy spot after a good rain. If you need links to some google maps just ask and I'll send you some links. It's actually pretty scary how high rez images of the base you can get off google and bing.

Actually, quick question about helmets. We have a bunch of these
http://www.rei.com/product/471157/petzl-ecrin-roc-helmet
brand new just sitting in storage. We would of course require guys to wear helmets and it would be awesome if they could finally be used rather than buying all new ones. If you have ever been climbing, this is pretty much the standard model. There isn't really anything to asorbe water, but I'm still not sure if they are exactly what we
should use.

If you need anymore details ask in the u2u and I will try and get an answer.

I made it to the Kite Expo at KHK yesterday and had an awesome time. Took a ton of notes and then came home and started looking stuff up. I think I over did it because all my dreams last night had something to do with kites or the wind. Woke up this morning and started researching some more. :evil:

Best news of all is I convinced my wife to try out one of the HQ trainers and she really liked it. She wants to buy our own gear on top of whatever the base is getting so she can play too.
Bad news is I when I woke up this morning I had hoped to let her fly my Hydra today, but checked the wind and it was like 2knots. Not cool.

But it was great getting to meet a lot of people and just seeing all the gear.
For those that missed it, they have already been posting a lot of videos.
This one is really funny if you wait till the end:
http://www.youtube.com/user/theringmedia#p/u/4/85orLrhNsDY

Check out that uploader's other vids for more