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Step 9A word on line
Consideration was taken to which line to get with this kite. While my kite isn't the largest on the block, it was going to be under stress not designed for your average flyer due to the payload. If I had any hopes of keeping my camera and rig in one peice i was going to need a line that was light enough to be lifted, but strong enough to withstand stress on the line.
Side-bar story time:
My first line bought was a nylon composite purchased at a dollar store, this snapped on the third outing. The good news is that the camera rig wasn't attached yet. The bad news is that it snapped while I had 60m+ (200'+) of line out. I was also in a downtown city park. It's quite a feeling watching your new favourite toy sailing away. the kite flew just like a paper airplane, catching rogue wind and slowly drifting farther and farther away from me. Turns out it landed around 550m (1800') away. I managed to find it in an alleyway with a few bums hanging around it poking it with a stick. Maybe they thought it was a gift from the sky, or maybe they thought it was a normal hallucination from all the paint they were huffing. Either way I claimed my kite and made my way back. The lesson here is to do your homework before having to confront the homeless.
The remainder of my budget was spent on new fishing line. I bought a high-stress fishing line for around $20 which I found at a hardware store. The line was rated for 50lbs of stress (a fisherman friend tells me this is, in fact, not high-stress as they make lines capable of up to 150lbs+). If there is more than 50lbs of stress on the line the kite is just as likely to break as the line, so there is no need to go higher in this case (though i have plans for a larger reinforced kite with much heavier line).
Before you go flying, a good idea is to measure out your line into measured intervals with markings (I used 10m or 30' intervals). This way you can estimate the height of the kite by how much line is let out.
Side-bar story time:
My first line bought was a nylon composite purchased at a dollar store, this snapped on the third outing. The good news is that the camera rig wasn't attached yet. The bad news is that it snapped while I had 60m+ (200'+) of line out. I was also in a downtown city park. It's quite a feeling watching your new favourite toy sailing away. the kite flew just like a paper airplane, catching rogue wind and slowly drifting farther and farther away from me. Turns out it landed around 550m (1800') away. I managed to find it in an alleyway with a few bums hanging around it poking it with a stick. Maybe they thought it was a gift from the sky, or maybe they thought it was a normal hallucination from all the paint they were huffing. Either way I claimed my kite and made my way back. The lesson here is to do your homework before having to confront the homeless.
The remainder of my budget was spent on new fishing line. I bought a high-stress fishing line for around $20 which I found at a hardware store. The line was rated for 50lbs of stress (a fisherman friend tells me this is, in fact, not high-stress as they make lines capable of up to 150lbs+). If there is more than 50lbs of stress on the line the kite is just as likely to break as the line, so there is no need to go higher in this case (though i have plans for a larger reinforced kite with much heavier line).
Before you go flying, a good idea is to measure out your line into measured intervals with markings (I used 10m or 30' intervals). This way you can estimate the height of the kite by how much line is let out.
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