That day, coming back from the seaside and passing through the park, I saw several kites flying in the sky. These days, I've arranged to go out and have some fun at noon, bringing water along. The single-line kite, the Chaser, is the smallest in this series. The Victory kite with a full metal spool has accompanied me for over five years. The previous dual-line kite was with me for about 14 years, along with a frisbee.
Chaser kite, wingspan 1.8m, a total of 8 rods. The 8 rods are combined into four long rods through connecting rods. This design is to reduce storage size and make it easier to carry. It has a smaller storage volume.
I found an open space in the park, which wasn't easy. There are definitely more than a dozen kites of various sizes. If I fly here, it's best to use Kevlar line, the kind used for bulletproof vests and cut-resistant gloves. This time I used 4 strands of 5# line, 640 meters. While chatting with another person, I mentioned that mine was 8 strands. Later, I checked my shopping records and found it was four strands. I hope that person didn't buy the wrong line.
While assembling, I felt the wind was too strong, but it seemed like a gust. Since I was already there, I thought I would give it a try. I almost forgot how to assemble it; it had been a long time since I last flew a kite. During those years of lockdown, I basically didn't fly kites and didn't dare to run around.
Once assembled, I felt the wind was strong. I pressed it down on the grass, waiting for the wind to die down so that the kite wouldn't be affected by the wind. The metal buckle connected the kite, and it started to take off. The wind was indeed quite strong. I had to control the hand wheel with force to manage the rotation speed. This wheel is a simple ordinary hand wheel, without a disc brake like those on bicycles. Those with disc brakes are more expensive. I let out about 60 meters of line, and the wind direction changed drastically. The wind was at level 5.6, coming from the west with some south wind mixed in. The kite plummeted rapidly, feeling like it was about to crash into a distant willow tree. I stepped back and adjusted my position, and the kite slowly regained its posture and began to ascend. The triangular shape of the kite felt a bit deformed; the wind was too strong. I started to let out line, controlling the wheel speed with force, but it wasn't working. I began to move forward with the wind direction, and the kite regained its triangular posture. I couldn't move forward anymore. At that moment, my second child said he wanted to fly it. I told him it wasn't the right time; the wind was too strong. I thought to myself that I couldn't control it and would probably lose at most one kite. My second child might end up losing both the kite reel and the kite, and it could also injure someone. My hand holding the reel even felt a bit painful.
Taking advantage of the slightly reduced wind, I quickly reeled in the line while avoiding other kites. There was a goldfish kite that got slightly entangled for a while, but fortunately, no lines broke. I continued to reel in the line and moved forward a bit to make it easier and less strenuous. It was a close call. I directly dismantled the kite and packed up.
Next time, I will prioritize smaller kites, especially in crowded and windy places. Being small is an advantage.
The various ripples formed by the wind blowing over the water surface. My second child said it looked like the universe.
I also brought two parrots that performed well to play.