Luderitz Speed Challenge, 2008

[Konrad]

[Ken_Potts]

nGAHHhh!  Look at the rooster-tail man!  I mean, look at it!

How does that kite hold it's shape when it bounces off the water?  Is it inflatable or is it just the magic of a 40 knot wind?

I want a bigger one for my boat - Then I can really hurt myself ;D

[Frank Hagan]

Where was that taken?  I see those guys every day during the summer when I drive down the 101 Freeway near Ventura, CA.  You see 10 to 15 of them out there, and they are flying.

[Konrad]

They're an airfoil open-cell design, very similar to a ram-air parachute.  Scroll down about 1/2 way here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parachute

My buddy Tom and I have flown his kite in 15 mph winds, and that's enough..!!  It's lifted me off the ground about 3 feet, and I'm 6'-2", 195 lbs.  I have some photos of it somewhere, but can't find them on this computer this evening.

We also took it out last winter to the grass flying field, and I took my kids' rotomolded alligator teeter-totter and rode downwind several times.  We tried hard to film it, but the winds and the cold made just managing the kite a full time chore. 

[Konrad]

Where was that taken? 

Luderitz is in Namibia.

http://www.luderitz-speed.com/ContentPages/News/News.aspx?pageid=1

[Frank Hagan]

Where was that taken? 

Luderitz is in Namibia.

http://www.luderitz-speed.com/ContentPages/News/News.aspx?pageid=1

Interesting ... the hills look almost like the ones here.  My BIL is A Camera on the TV show 24, and they did a special two hour movie that airs this weekend.  Some of it was filmed in South Africa.  The writers had the script, and then when they scouted the locations they realized it looked a lot like southern California (the cities, anyway).  They only took 14 of the actors and crew for the shoot there because they could do so much of the pick up shots here in the area they always film in.