I have many interests, but one hobby I enjoy particularly and want to share with you: flying (and making) single line kites. I understand that some people prefer more proactive kites, like two or four lines or various forms of kite surfing....
But nothing sooths and calms my nerves at stressful times like the elegant gliding of a beautiful kite at the end of my line.
@@Monika______ it is stunning. And I’ve enjoyed your videos on making your kites. I wish I had the skill and patience you have. The end results are amazing!
Monika, I have the earlier version of that which was made by New Tech Kites and is long out of production. I think the one MD sells is from China, but it looks good and certainly seemed to fly well in your video.
Hello Jim, Yes, the new tech kite is long out of production. I once saw one for a horrendous price and decided that this one would have to do. I had planned to put it below a lifter as sort of line laundry but was pleased to find that it flew by itself. It was moving a lot, and you surely would have put it down, but I just made the most of it... Considering the price, China seems a good guess. I've lost the tag, but I am quite certain that it wasn't from any of the big names. I wish you some nice spring flights
@kiteflyingdownunder....car6272 hello Carl, thank you. We're having the first days of autumn in this part of the world, so a very good season to fly a bit...
@@JimNicholls Yes, it's really been a while. We're busy with moving... But now we're taking a break, and I'm determined to fly as many kites as possible 😉
@@JimNicholls Indeed, it's very beautiful here on this Frisian island, perhaps almost as good as the North beach, which I admired many times in your videos. This T-Delta flew rock-steady on the day. Almost like pinned to the sky...
Hello JohWong, it's "Into the wind" that made this kite and I bought it there. Currently, they don't have the XL version on sale, but it's worth sending them an email asking to be notified when they've made some more. The smaller Wala versions seem to be available in yellow, blue, and grey. Check here: intothewind.com/kites/glider-kites.html Good luck!
My favorite diamond, I have 3 different ones, but this is the best! Will fly it more often as the weather gets warmer here in MI. Where are you flying??
Hi Mark, thinking about it, I don't even have another diamond kite. But this kite often makes people stop and take photos. I'm in Munich, Germany, and flying mostly on an old airbase, but sometimes on Theresienwiese, where the big Bavarian Oktoberfest takes place. Best wishes Monika
Genau, und je weiter oben desto echter sieht er aus. Er war länger vergriffen. Ich hab meinen von Kite and Bike, aber aktuell gibt's ihn auch wieder bei Metropolis Drachen.
Some good kite-handling there, Monika! They are two of my favourite light-wind kites, although the Wala is always a bit tricky to assemble and I wish it could be made easier to get the spars into the nose fitting.
We were two, each holding a line. Oliver ran around me to rescue the Wala 😅 I'm glad it's not just me, struggling to get the Wala assembled. One time I was struggling so long, that in the end I gave up. 😢 But it's still a great light wind kite, and a very cheerful colour scheme with these eyes. The Bonito is a bit similar. I sometimes contemplated on getting one, but it's a bit out of my league and the only source I found is far away, was it Asia? Do you remember where you got yours?
@@Monika______ The red nylon sail has almost worn through where the cross-spar contacts it. It is definitely not good, as although I've had the kite for quite a while, it's not been flown often.
@@JimNicholls I see. I will check with mine... I guess as a last resort you could sew over new fabric over the entire red inner kite, and back cut the damaged red fabric. This way you'd wouldn't have to attach all the bands holding the red eddy in place, but it'd still look the same (more or less)...
@@Monika______ That's a good solution, Monika, but it should not be necessary with a good-quality kite. I am quite disappointed and I wonder whether it is happening to other people's kites too. The sail is stretched fairly tightly over the cross-spar, and slightly shortening the spars could lessen that, but I think that might affect the kite's flying and go against the designer's intention.
Is it already autumn in New Zealand? I really wish it wasn't so far away, but it's literally the other end of the world...😢 From what I've seen, you have quite a few kites that tolerate strong winds. I guess kinetic and rotating kites would do well?
@@Monika______ Yes, summer is almost finished here, Monika, but we should have good weather for some time yet. Winters here are not too cold, so i fly all through the year. Yes, rotating kites do well in high winds and don't have too much pull.
Very well done explanation, Monika. I have the commercial version of this kite, and my sewing skills are probably not up to making my own version, but I'm sure a lot of people could find your video very helpful.
Hello JP, I agree, flowtails are great. Easy to assemble, good to fly and on top - beautiful. Sorry to hear the XXL isn't flying good. The bigger kites are sometimes less easy to fly... Depending on the problem, maybe you can tweak it into flying a bit better.
Spider Kites make good items, and that one is very attractive. Christoph used to design most of Into The Wind's kites, so is certainly an experienced designer.
Hello Jim, that's interesting to know. So he's been designing kites for Into the Wind, Wolkenstürmer, and now of course Spiderkites. That makes a lot of experience indeed. I've started to dream up some kites too, but putting them into reality is taking quite some time...😅
Hello Jim! I know you had one and I remember you writing, that you like the large enif better than the small one... There's hardly ever the right wind to make it fly here, but I think it's so beautiful that I'm ever so happy when I manage to fly it. I hope you are well and looking forward to your summer coming up. Best wishes, Monika
Yes, Monika, that kite definitely needs the right conditions to fly well. It's a lovely item, and Maurizio is a clever designer. Our spring has been very disappointing, with strong and gusty winds most days. I fly when I can, but it's a lot less often than I used to. I hope things settle down as summer comes closer. Have fun! @@Monika______
Excelente trabajo. La cometa en forma exagonal y con el centro giratorio, es genial, bonita, buen arte, diseño especial. Gracias amigos por mostrar su trabajo. Sería muy importante qué nos presentaran un video, mostrando la forma de hacerla. Porque encantó. Gracias. Felicitaciones.
Dear Miguel, Yes, it's a very nice kite. But there's a misunderstanding: I didn't make this kite, I bought it. It's from a company called "Flying Wings". I only made the Tangens Delta kites and a few bird kites (but I haven't made videos of them yet....). I hope to make videos of how to make kites later this year. Best wishes Monika
Muy hermosos todos sus trabajos, las cometas bastante llamativas, sus colores y diseños únicos. Felicitaciones a los amigos. Por presentar obras tan especiales. Les pido algo muy personal, es acerca de mostrar un trabajo de ésas cometas, a través de video, para observar su trabajo, con el objeto de conocer su técnica y la forma de hacer sus trabajos. Reitero de nuevo felicitaciones, me gusta mucho su estilo, sus obras. Gracias amigos. Mí saludo cordial desde mi ciudad Manizales Colombia.
Dear Miguel, I'm happy to meet a kite enthusiast from Colombia. I'm happy to show what I know. I just need a proper camera. But just to make sure: I would like to let you know that I've bought most of the kites and just made some of them myself...😁 I will try to do my best to share how it's done Best wishes
Muy hermoso cómo quedó el barrilete. Bonito diseño y los colores muy llamativos. Me encantaría ver el proceso de elaboración de ése tipo de cometa. A través de video forma de hacerlo y mostrar. Felicitaciones amigos.
Dear Miguel, I love this kite very much as too. However, I have not made it myself, but I bought it. I'm thinking though of making a video when sewing my next kite. I don't have a proper camera at the moment. Hopefully, I can get the technical equipment. In the meantime, you can check @rudigergroning8726 for instructions on how to make some very interesting kites My best wishes Monika
😂 in Bavaria we like to celebrate Octoberfest in September, mainly because the weather is more stable... Indeed, we have a national bank holiday too: We celebrate the reunification of the two German states on 3rd of October. So where about are you from?
😊 yes, it's a rather addictive hobby, once you got hooked. I started to watch Jim Nicholls kite videos during pandemic to soothe my nerves. And there is an old airfield nearby, where people fly great kites. I also like crafts and started to make kites in my fathers craft shop. That's my story, but there are a lot of kite-crazy people out there 😉
It's my only kite from them. Considered how small this kite is, it's still flying alright, but needs quite a bit of steady wind. It's not totally flat, which helps a lot.
Well done on the back cutting. Makes all the difference to the vibrant colours of the kite. Manufactures just don't give the time to this extra finish. Now a very nice looking and flying kite.
Hello Carl, thank you! When watching closely, there's one blue dot right above the eyes which we could't cut. It's easy to see there what I mean with 'pointless'. But I'm sure they were meant to be cut: Someone had already punched holes into the black fabric. I'm afraid you're right, manufactures don't give enough time and the people sewing don't get enough money. Well, I suppose it was somehow fair that we had to do the back cutting ourselves considering the price of the kite, and we didn't mind either... I wish you happy winds in Down Under!
That looked good, Monika. It reminded me that I have three or four rays from that company, which I haven't flown for a very long time. I don't even know where they are, so I'll have a search for them and maybe fly them soon.
Yes! please do. Stingrays at the North Beach 😊 It's more sophisticated than I thought: it even has an inflatable tail. I was surprised when it still hovered in the air once the wind was nearly gone
Hello Jim, yes, it's an old airfield that is now a park much in use by anyone needing wind. Including wind surfers, who let themselves be dragged by a kite or paragliding beginners who get used to their big paraglides and jump from a small hill. If I had the choice, I might prefer a beach somewhere as nice as Christchurch 😉 Thank you for your video on how to avoid the rod to break on this kite. I also took some measures to avoid this: First thing I did was to use sandpaper on the sharp edge of the connector to make it more blunt and then I've taped the rod going into it. This way it's well protected as well.
Hello Jim, good to hear from you. 😊😊I got my parrots from Helen but hadn't managed to fly them yet. Since the connecting lines were provided, it was much easier than expected. 😊
