Randyg's Sportkite Blog

 

Some more from my trip to St. Augustine, FL. This time I spend some quality time with an old friend…the incomparable Nirvana WW.

 

I hope you enjoy!

 

Good winds,

 

Randy

I recently visited St. Augustine Beach, Florida, one of my favorite beach destinations, and had plenty of time flying on the beach. In particular I had several early morning light wind sessions with several of my SUL’s. I captured a bit of video and to the right you will find a video of my session with the most wonderful Next Up WW by R-Sky. Take a look and enjoy.

 

My plan was to create a video with less cuts (often required when filming from a tripod) and one where the beach and the ocean, along with the relaxed flying, would set the mood rather than an endless string of tricks strung back to back with no semblance of structure or definition. Maybe I achieved my goal…who knows. But to be certain, I had fun both with both the flying and the editing so it worked out for me anyway.

 

The kite flown was of course the Next Up WW in Icone produced by R-Sky. One of the best SUL’s I’ve ever flown. Without question the most trick-worthy, 2.4 meter SUL I’ve ever larksheaded to a lineset. The tricks just flow from Mr. Tessa-Gambiassi’s creation. Whether it’s Slots, Fades, Slides, Backspins…this kite excels when you might think it’d just flex it’s protest versus actually responding to your inputs.

 

Anyway, hope you enjoy and have a chance, particularly if you’re like me and don’t live near the beach, to "feel" the ocean if only just a little bit.

 

Randy

 

 

 

 

Taz Machine – “The Fast Lane”  The b Foundation

Slot Machine – “Ghostwritten (Shanti Roots Remix)”  Bellcrash

Comete – “Crowd Chant”  Joe Satriani

Half Axel (First Edition) – “Blue Jean Blues”  Jeff Healey Band

Half Axel Revisited – “Make U Move”  Danielie Cotton

Hip Hop Half Axel Revisited – “Remix to a Remix”  Ronald Jenkees

Fade – “Reasons Why”  Nickel Creek

Cascade – “Angel Band”  The Stanley Brothers; “I’ll Fly Away”  Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch

Crazy Copter – “Sara”  Novel

Duplex – “Paper Moon”  Booka Shade

540  –  “Ripping Dancehall”  Big Bass Theory

Backspin Cascade –  “Just Like Lightnin’”  Joe Satriani

Insane – “Órale”  Los Lonely Boys

Inverse – “Flirt”  Mindy Abair

Kombo –  “Lord Raise Me Up”  Matisyahu

Multislot – “Godzilla”  Blue Oyster Cult

Two Pop – “Where R U Now”  blondeidea

Yo Fade (Revised) – “Hill Groove”  Joe Satriani

Rolling Susan – “Freequency”  Anime Project

Flic Flac – “Spiral”  Marc Pattison

Jacob’s Ladder – “All Alone”  Joe Satriani

Lewis – “The End is Here”  Alter Bridge

K2000 – “Dark Blue”  Marc Pattison

Optional Rollup – “Moonlight Café”  Marc Pattison

Double Rollup – “Bottom Feeder”  Marc Pattison

 

Not everybody likes my selections but I do. So there! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for all the nice comments!

 

Your friend from Georgia, USA!

 

Randy

 

 

 

 

 

OK so it’s been a while since I’ve posted an entry here. I’ve put us some pictures here and there but not much else. I’ve enjoyed flying a number of kites in my bag and in particular the Nirvana FX, Krystal WW, Krystal FX LW, and the whole Next Up lineup. As always, the Nirvana’s aren’t too far away and never forgotten.   I’ve got a new Diablis and I’m in the process of learning that kite. It is quite the departure for R-Sky so it’s one that will take me a while to get to know.

 

Now to the chase. I’ve fooled around with some video of the Next Up’s but never did anything with the standard. Thanks to poor winds, when I received these kites I didn’t have much chance to fly the standard. But, on a cloudy day back in the late Fall, I did get out to play and shot a little video.  I tried to shoot from the side to show a different angle of the tricks and the kite’s flight characteristics. It’s an angle I enjoy viewing as I can see how the kite responds to inputs. I was on a Slot Machine kick that day so what the heck, I left a bunch in. Not much more to say about the video other than to say I hope you like it. Maybe one day I can either enlist a pilot so I can play videographer (which I love to do) or a videographer so my videos won’t be so chopped up and I can stop worrying about flying in frame.

 

Check out the "Sport Kite Videos" section on the left for the video. I’ve included .avi and .wmv versions for those "codec challenged". I’ve figured out how to compress 16:9 for the iPod so I’ll have that up later.

 

Now, what do I think of the Team Next Up Standard? Well first, see from the video if you think I was having fun. Second, I will say that it’s a different kite from the Nirvana. Maybe not quite as hard edged and by that I mean not quite as razor sharp with precision. The precision is very good with the Next Up but not quite on par with the often imitated, never matched Nirvana. I would say the Next Up requires a pilot with greater skill to extract Nirvana-like precision but it’s definitely there. What the Next Up excels at is smooth flowing tricks because it transitions so well. Maybe it’s that the Next Up is more graceful as it executes tricks or it allows the pilot to be more graceful in his/her execution vs. the Nirvana. Certainly, it loves the deep turtle. In fact, it really requires it for tricks such and Lazy Susans and Jacobs Ladders. Notice the video and you will see me allowing the kite to settle into the turtle. Just a little hesitation and the kite rewards you very well. It’s a characteristic that I love to play with. See the Rolling Susan to Tip Stab beginning at 2:30? That’s what I’m talking about!

 

After spending a few days tuning a friend’s Nirvana and comparing it my several of mine, I got the Next Up back out and was very impressed by the presence it exhibits in the sky and the feel on the end of the lines. It’s a very connected feeling and one that definitely generates some pull. I like to call it being well connected to the kite and receiving very good feedback. I much prefer larger kites and at ~2.4 meters, the Next Up doesn’t disappoint.

 

I’m not the best at describing what I feel (I’m much too left-brained) but maybe it’s that the Next Up really flies “smaller” than its wingspan. Certainly those Slot Machines, Multislots and Slot Cascades are cake. In my hands, it Cometes easier than the Nirvana but I’m tall, have long arms and am quite clumsy. The flare to Fade take a tad more slack which bothered me at first but is only a characteristic and easily adjusted to.

 

Well that’s it. I’ll leave it at that. Again, Mr. and Ms. Tessa Gambassi have a winner as far as I am concerned. They’ve had a habit of designing and producing winners and I’ve been hooked on R-Sky far longer than I’ve been associated with them.

 

I hope you enjoy the video!

 

All the best to you and I wish you smooth winds.

 

Randy